Presstek, Inc.

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Presst, Inc.

John P Gardiner

Richard A Williams

John F Kline

Thomas E Lewis

Frank G Pensavecchia

Michael T Nowak

Kenneth T Robichaud

James R Moss

Douglas D Fuller

Harry Roberts

Edwin G Theriault

Stephen M LaPonsey

Lawrence A Howard

Golf divot repair tool

An anti-backlash gear assembly includes a drive gear that is fixably mountable on a drive shaft that drives the drive gear and has a plurality of drive gear clearance holes. A rod ring is fixed to one side of the drive gear. A flank gear having a plurality of flank gear clearance holes corresponding to the drive gear clearance holes is also mounted on the drive shaft adjacent to the drive gear. A force ring having a plurality of receiving holes is mounted to the flank gear. Springs having a first end fixed to the rod ring and extend through the drive gear clearance holes, the flank gear clearance holes, and into the receiving holes. The springs exert a force biasing the flank gear and the drive gear to rotate in opposite directions.

Anti-backlash gear

Apparatus and methods for imaging lithographic plates using laser devices that emit in the near-infrared region, and plates suitable for imaging with the apparatus and methods. Laser output either ablates one or more plate layers or physically transforms a surface layer, in either case resulting in an imagewise pattern of features on the plate. The image features exhibit an affinity for ink and/or a fluid to which ink will not adhere that differs from that of unexposed areas.

Laser-driven method and apparatus for lithographic imaging and printing

Apparatus and methods for imaging lithographic plates using laser devices that emit in the near-infrared region, and plates suitable for imaging with the apparatus and methods. Laser output either ablates one or more plate layers or physically transforms a surface layer, in either case resulting in an imagewise pattern of features on the plate. The image features exhibit an affinity for ink or an ink-abhesive fluid that differs from that of unexposed areas.

Laser-imageable lithographic printing members

A system for accepting and winding lithographic plate material around a cylinder adapted for rotation about a longitudinal axis includes supply and uptake spools and an alignment tool for use therewith. The cylinder is hollow, having an interior and an axial opening thereto, and includes means within its interior for selectably engaging supply and uptake spools. The engagement means are in fixed alignment with one another and are disposed within the cylinder so as to define an unobstructed winding path extending around the cylinder from the supply spool to the uptake spool. Plate material stored on the supply spool is extended around this path and affixed to the uptake spool. The tool includes means for releasably gripping supply and uptake spools, and alignment components for aligning the gripping means to at least one engagement means within the cylinder when the tool is introduced therein. The tool is removed from the cylinder following release of the spools to the engagement means.

Removable supply and uptake assemblies for lithographic plate material

Lithographic printing plates for use with laser discharge imaging

Spool

Laser-driven method and apparatus for lithographic imaging

A winding assembly especially suitable for use in conjunction with a system for automated imaging of lithographic plate material, including on-press imaging systems. A feeder spool installed within a plate-support cylinder contains a rolled supply of plate material, which wraps around the cylinder and is received by an uptake spool, also located within the cylinder. The assembly is driven by the same power source used to rotate the plate-support cylinder, and maintains a strong tension along the wrapped material.

Automatic plate-loading cylinder for use with plate-imaging systems

A method of and apparatus for imaging a lithographic plate having a printing surface by exposing the printing surface to plasma jet discharges between the plate and a plasma jet nozzle spaced close to the printing surface of the plate. These plasma jet discharges are sufficient to ablate or otherwise transform one or more layers of the printing surface, thereby changing the affinity of the printing surface for ink and/or water at the points thereof exposed to the discharges so as to produce image spots on the plate.

Plasma-jet imaging apparatus and method

Apparatus and method for imaging a lithographic plate having an oleophobic first layer, a metal second layer and an oleophilic third layer. The first and second layers are removed in an imagewise pattern to reveal the third layer, resulting in direct production of image spots. The plate is ready for printing at the conclusion of the imaging process.

Apparatus and method for imaging lithographic printing plates using

Apparatus and method for imaging a lithographic plate having a metal first layer and a second layer underlying the metal layer, the first and second layers exhibiting different affinities for fountain solution and/or ink. Selective removal of the first layer in an imagewise pattern reveals the second layer, resulting in direct production of image spots. The plate is ready for printing at the conclusion of the imaging process.

Printing apparatus has at least one print station including a blanket cylinder in rolling contact with an impression cylinder, a print cylinder for supporting a lithographic plate, the plate cylinder being in rolling contact with the blanket cylinder, at least one discharge source for applying an image to a plate supported by the plate cylinder, and a motor for moving the energy source relative to the plate cylinder so that when the plate cylinder is rotated, the discharge source scans a raster on the surface of the plate supported by the plate cylinder. The apparatus may be configured as an in-line or central-impression type press. A controller responsive to picture signals representing an original document repeatedly actuates each discharge source momentarily during the scan thereof so that the discharge source forms on the plate surface an image comprised of dots corresponding to the original document. The controller includes a dot-position look-up table for storing the x and y coordinates of substantially all dot positions on the plate and is arranged to actuate each energy source to form image dots at selected ones of the dot positions when said picture signals are present. The apparatus also includes provision for regulating the ink applied to the plate at each print station.

Growing community of inventors

Londonderry, NH, United States of America

John P Gardiner