Joseph M Lyons

Author:

Joseph Lyons

ISBN #:

0060441380

Author:

Joseph Lyons

ISBN #:

0060441429

Author:

Joseph Lyons

ISBN #:

0822307103

Author:

Joseph Lyons

ISBN #:

0791004198

US Patent:

20030188985, Oct 9, 2003

Filed:

Apr 5, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/117749

Inventors:

Steven DaSilva - Reading MA, US
Thomas Marincic - Tyngsboro MA, US
Donald Richardson - Atkinson NH, US
Robert Olenio - North Andover MA, US
Joseph Lyons - Wilmington MA, US

Assignee:

Agfa Corporation

International Classification:

B65D085/48

US Classification:

206/456000, 206/216000

Abstract:

A plate cassette for a platesetter comprises a tray that receives and stores stacks of plates. Side frame members are located on opposed sides of the tray. These side frame members have tracks that engage with wheels of another plate cassette and wheels that engage with tracks of still another plate cassette. In this way, cassettes may be stacked and stored, one on top of each other. The wheel engagement strategy, between cassettes, however, allows individual cassettes to be rolled out, enabling access to the plate stack in the selected cassette's tray. A suction leak groove is formed in a surface of the tray. This provides for a suction leakage path for a picker, when the picker must grab typically the last plate in the stack and the plate is not full-sized. The suction grabbers that do not directly grab the plate do not adhere to the tray, allowing the picker to separate the plate from the tray. A slip sheet removal groove is also provided.

US Patent:

20050046105, Mar 3, 2005

Filed:

Aug 26, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/649560

Inventors:

Donald Richardson - Atkinson NH, US
Joseph Lyons - Wilmington MA, US
Steven DaSilva - Reading MA, US

Assignee:

Agfa Corporation - Wilmington MA

International Classification:

B65H005/02

US Classification:

271272000

Abstract:

A substrate manager for a substrate exposure machine is used, in one example, as a platesetter. As such, it comprises a substrate storage system, containing one or more stacks of substrates, such as plates in one implementation. A substrate picker is provided for picking substrates from the stack of substrates. The substrates are then handed to a transfer system that conveys the substrates to an imaging engine. According to the invention, a substrate inverter system is also provided. This system inverts the substrates from being imaging or emulsion side down to emulsion side up in the present implementation. This allows plates, for example, which are stored emulsion side down in cassettes to be flipped to an emulsion side up orientation, and then transferred, using the substrate transfer system to the imaging engine. This flipping process has two advantages. First, the plates can be emulsion side up during the transfer. This prevents any damage to the sensitive plate emulsions. Moreover, the plates, now in an emulsion side up configuration are in the right orientation for being installed on the outside of a drum on an external drum imaging system, as is common in many platesetters. Also, the plates are picked from the non emulsion side. Thus the system is less sensitive to emulsion formulation changes. A slip sheet capture mechanism is also provided to pass slip sheets separating the plates to a storage location.