US 12,404,123 B2
Printing plate picking system and process
Tamir Olpak, Petah Tiqwa (IL); and Alon Levy, Oranit (IL)
Assigned to EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, Rochester, NY (US)
Filed by Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/973,718.
Prior Publication US 2024/0140743 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. B65H 3/06 (2006.01); B65H 3/08 (2006.01); B65H 3/40 (2006.01)
CPC B65H 3/06 (2013.01) [B65H 3/0816 (2013.01); B65H 3/40 (2013.01); B65H 2405/351 (2013.01); B65H 2405/52 (2013.01); B65H 2701/1928 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing plate picking mechanism, comprising:
(i) plate transport pinch rollers adapted to direct a printing plate along a plate transport path;
(ii) a paper disposal unit;
(iii) a plate cassette stacking mechanism including:
(a) an array of plate cassettes, each plate cassette adapted to hold a plurality of printing plates separated by intervening sheets of paper, and
(b) a plate cassette movement mechanism adapted to move a selected plate cassette to a printing plate loading position thereby exposing a leading edge of a topmost printing plate in the selected plate cassette;
(iv) a plate picker adapted to contact and hold the leading edge of the topmost printing plate and transport it to the plate transport pinch rollers;
(v) a paper picking unit including:
(a) a paper picker adapted to contact and hold a leading edge of a topmost sheet of paper in the selected plate cassette and transport said topmost sheet of paper to the paper disposal unit as said topmost printing plate held by said plate picker is transported to said plate transport pinch rollers, wherein said topmost sheet of paper and topmost printing plate are transported substantially simultaneously; and
(b) a plate guide positioned above the paper picker, said plate guide forming a part of said plate transport path to guide the printing plate held by said plate picker to said plate transport pinch rollers; and
(vi) a vertical alignment system adapted to move the array of plate cassettes or the plate picker and the paper picking unit in a vertical direction to vertically align the plate picker and the paper picking unit with the selected plate cassette.