Appeal No. 1999-0231 Application No. 08/472,354 We REVERSE. The subject matter on appeal is directed to an apparatus for reducing procession of a gapless tubular printing blanket in an offset printing press. With reference to the1 appellants’ Figure 3, the invention includes a groove 50 extending straight across the circumferential surface of the blanket cylinder 40 and connecting the interface of the blanket cylinder 40 and a printing blanket (not shown) to an air canal 60. During operation of the printing press, air canal 60 is vented to atmosphere so that the fluid wave can escape to a region of low pressure via the groove 50. See specification, pp. 7, 8. Claim 1 is illustrative of the subject matter on appeal and is reproduced in an appendix attached to the main brief (Paper No. 24). The prior art references of record relied upon by the 1We are inform by the appellants’ specification (p. 2) that printing blanket procession is a phenomena caused by air trapped in the interface between a printing blanket, e.g., printing blanket 16 (Fig. 1), and the outer surface of its corresponding blanket cylinder, e.g., blanket cylinder 14 (Fig. 1). The trapped air creates a continually advancing wave (see bulge 26 in Fig. 1) in front of a nip between the blanket cylinder and an adjacent cylinder against which it is pressed causing the printing blanket to bulge. 2Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007