EP0547788B1 - Wegnehmbares Haltesystem für Sets von Kopierbogen - Google Patents

Wegnehmbares Haltesystem für Sets von Kopierbogen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0547788B1
EP0547788B1 EP92310765A EP92310765A EP0547788B1 EP 0547788 B1 EP0547788 B1 EP 0547788B1 EP 92310765 A EP92310765 A EP 92310765A EP 92310765 A EP92310765 A EP 92310765A EP 0547788 B1 EP0547788 B1 EP 0547788B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
job
sheets
tape
sets
compiled
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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EP92310765A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0547788A1 (de
Inventor
Murray O. Meetze
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Xerox Corp
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Xerox Corp
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Publication date
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Publication of EP0547788A1 publication Critical patent/EP0547788A1/de
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42C—BOOKBINDING
    • B42C1/00—Collating or gathering sheets combined with processes for permanently attaching together sheets or signatures or for interposing inserts
    • B42C1/12—Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42B—PERMANENTLY ATTACHING TOGETHER SHEETS, QUIRES OR SIGNATURES OR PERMANENTLY ATTACHING OBJECTS THERETO
    • B42B5/00—Permanently attaching together sheets, quires or signatures otherwise than by stitching
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42B—PERMANENTLY ATTACHING TOGETHER SHEETS, QUIRES OR SIGNATURES OR PERMANENTLY ATTACHING OBJECTS THERETO
    • B42B5/00—Permanently attaching together sheets, quires or signatures otherwise than by stitching
    • B42B5/04—Permanently attaching together sheets, quires or signatures otherwise than by stitching by laces or ribbons
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42F—SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING
    • B42F1/00—Sheets temporarily attached together without perforating; Means therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42F—SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING
    • B42F21/00—Indexing means; Indexing tabs or protectors therefor

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and and apparatus for temporarily binding together a plurality of sheets of an information receiving medium, and more particularly for effectively retaining or fastening together a selected set of plural outputted copy sheets from a copier or printer in a single integral stacked set.
  • unbound sets of copy sheets are difficult to keep tidy, sort or separate from each other. It is known for copiers and printers to provide offsetting of sequential unbound copy sets which are otherwise being commonly stacked, so as to facilitate separation and sorting, but such copy set offsetting is easily disturbed. Also, set offsetting interferes with the transporting and distributing of the common stack of plural offset sets. Integrity of individual unbound set stacks is easily disturbed during handling. Suitable trays or containers designed for standard sized sheets will not accommodate the additional dimensions required to allow for the offset sheets. Furthermore, the projecting edges of the offset set sheets are not as well protected and are more easily damaged.
  • staples are probably the most common method of fastening sets of sheets together at or after the output of a copier or printer, even when the fastening is intended to be temporary.
  • the use of staples has numerous disadvantages. They require a special mechanical apparatus to drive staples through the sheets. That process makes holes in all the stapled sheets. The holes in the sheets are unsightly and can even create shadows which will print out on second generation copy sheets as black spots.
  • the legs of the staple must be pre-cut, or cut and formed from a wire spool by a stitcher, with legs of appropriate length for the set thickness, i.e., the particular number and weight of the particular set sheets selected to be stapled together. Otherwise, effective stapling may not be accomplished for smaller or larger sets.
  • stack sets of, e.g., more than 30 pages, may require heavier metal (heavy duty) staples which adds to the staple insertion and removal difficulties.
  • a staple has a very small cross sectional area, which puts a high stress concentration on the surrounding paper, tending to tear the paper or weaken it at the staple.
  • the removal of the staples can be difficult, and requires a tool to be safe or effective - a mechanical staple remover. It is not unusual for people to puncture fingers with staples in the process of applying or removing them, or if the legs of the staples are not properly folded over, and stick out from the sheets. That also interferes with stapled set stacking or other relative movement between stapled sets. Removal of the staples may enlarge the holes in the sheets or even tear the sheets. The removed metal staples themselves can cause serious damage to copiers and printers by falling into their machinery. Staples also have the ecological disadvantage of interfering with the recycling of the paper if they are not all removed and separated out from the waste paper.
  • a file folder, bag or envelope to hold even a thin stack or set of conventional letter size paper sheets will consume more than about 1200 square centimeters of material. [The system disclosed herein can provide temporary set segregation with less than approximately 2 percent of that amount of material.]
  • single edge taping of a set of individual sheets is also known from DE-U-8 701 920.
  • a particular problem which the present system addresses is that modern printers, copiers, fax machines and workstation terminals are now more and more utilized as shared and/or integrated components of overall office systems, in which they are cost-effectively shared by plural users, electronically and/or physically.
  • Loose sheets of paper in an output tray, sorter bins, or mailboxes of the printer/copier/fax generated by different system users, or different jobs are not easily sorted into separate sets for convenient delivery to those system users or their intended recipients.
  • Merely offsetting copy sets (with alternating different side registration positions), or inserting color slip sheets or the like between sets has not been found to be particularly effective in maintaining said set separation, and does not maintain set integrity. Removal of one or all of merely offset stacked sets frequently jumbles or intermingles pages and sets together and requires tedious manual sheet separations. Throw-away cover or insert slip sheets between each job set are material wasteful, and some colored paper stocks even cause paper recycling difficulties.
  • covers or slip sheets or other inserts may be automatically added to sets, subsets or chapters by the copier or printer itself feeding the cover stock or other slip sheet from separate supply stacks at the correct times to be automatically interleaved with the normal sequential output of copy sheets, with or without printing. That can be desirable for various reasons, but does not provide physical set integrity.
  • the present system "packages" sets of sheets in such a way that the individual job sets are clearly distinguishable from one another even if commonly stacked.
  • the present sets are readily stacked, readily separately identified and removed, and yet set integrity is maintained during removal and other handling.
  • the binding elements are readily removable without leaving any traces thereof or any damage to the sheets or their images.
  • the collected sheets held together in a set by the present system maintain their integrity and unity until the temporary binding is removed, which may be done here simply by peeling off the holding tapes as described herein.
  • the first and second segments of adhesive binder tape at opposite sides of the compiled job set stack provide the sole binding of the compiled job set stack of output sheets together into the integral temporarily bound set thereof, and wherein multiple the temporarily bound sets are commonly stacked without substantially increasing the stack height by said binder tape segments and without interfering with movement of one said commonly stacked set relative to another with said binder tape segments.
  • the dispensing of the small segments of adhesive binder tape is accomplished by sequentially cutting tape segments dispensed from a tape supply roll.
  • the adhesive binder tape has a low tack adhesive
  • the method further including the step of peeling off said small segments of removable adhesive binder tape from the top and bottom sheets of the compiled set stack, assisted by providing substantially nonadhesive pull off tab portions on the segments of binder tape and by first lifting these nonadhesive pull off tab portions to help lift the adhesive binder tape segments away from the top and bottom sheets.
  • the adhesive binder tape has a relatively high strength adhesive for binding compiled job set stacks exceeding approximately 50 sheets.
  • the method may further comprise the step of compiling, in said compiled job set stack, cover sheets of a heavier material than said output sheets as said top and bottom sheets of said compiled job set stack.
  • the method may further comprise the step of automatically providing from the copier or printer at least one cover sheet of a heavier material than normal said output sheets as the top and/or bottom sheet of said compiled set stack.
  • the method may further comprise the step of providing at least one said cover sheet of a heavier material than normal said output sheets as said top and/or bottom sheet of said compiled job set stack; wherein said strips of adhesive binder tape are of tearable paper, and have at least one area of high strength adhesive for securely binding said strips of adhesive binder tape to said top and bottom sheets of said job set stack; and further comprise the subsequent step of unbinding said temporarily bound job set by lifting said cover sheet away from said output sheets of said set with sufficient force to tear through said strips of adhesive binder tape with the edges of said cover sheet.
  • the plural temporarily bound job sets are commonly stacked superposed upon one another.
  • the adhesive binder tape has a low tack adhesive on most of one side, with a non-adhesive area for its removal assistance, and is peelably removable from said output sheets without visibly affecting said sheets or any image thereon, and wherein said adhesive binder tape also has instructions thereon for said removal preprinted on its non-adhesive side.
  • the method may further comprise the step of peelably removing said tape segments from said top or bottom sheets, by lifting a non-adhesive end of said tape segments, wherein said adhesive binder tape has a low tack adhesive on one side, but with a non-adhesive area for tape segment removal assistance provided by making at least one edge of an elongate tape web non-adhesive.
  • the method may further comprise the step of automatically switching the output of said output sheets, in response to a said compiled job set stack in excess of a preset number of said output sheets therein, so that at least one of said top and bottom sheets are cover sheets of a heavier sheet material than normal said output sheets.
  • the method may further comprise the step of automatically switching to a more adhesive binding tape and automatically switching the output of said output sheets in response to a said job set in excess of a preset number of said output sheets therein, so that at least one of said top and bottom sheets are cover sheets of a heavier sheet material than normal said output sheets, which heavier cover sheets are bound by said more adhesive binding tape for greater thick job set stack integrity, but which thick set is separable by tearing away said cover sheet.
  • the preset number is more than approximately 50 said output sheets.
  • the adhesive binder tape utilizes a sufficiently low tack adhesive such that said binder tape strips are readily removable from said output sheets without any marking thereof or damage thereto, and wherein said small binder tape strips have substantially nonadhesive pull off tab portions for peeling off of said small strips of removable adhesive binder tape from said top and bottom sheets of said compiled set stack, which pull off tab portions are applied by said wrapping means at an exposed position allowing manual lifting of said pull off tab portions to lift said adhesive binder tape strip away from at least one of said top or bottom sheets.
  • at least one of said top and bottom sheets are cover sheets of a heavier sheet material than normal said output sheets.
  • the dispensing means dispenses said small strips of binder tape by sequentially cutting tape segments dispensed from at least one tape supply roll of adhesive tape web with a low tack paper adhesive extending along most of one side thereof, which adhesive tape web has a nonadhesive zone along at least one edge of the tape forming at least one end of said cut tape segment to facilitate lifting said tape segment from said compiled set stack.
  • the adhesive binder tape is dispensed from a tape web with adhesive on one side but having a narrow relatively nonadhesive strip extending intermediately therealong for nonadhesive contact by said dispensing means.
  • the present invention further provides an apparatus according to claim 10 of the appended claims.
  • the wrapping means wraps only one said small strip of adhesive binder tape to each of the two opposing sides of the compiled set stack, substantially centrally thereof.
  • the small strips of adhesive binder tape are readily removable from said output sheets without any marking thereof or damage thereto, and wherein one said small strip of adhesive binder tape two opposite sides of the compiled set stack provides the sole binding of said compiled set stack together into said integral bound set.
  • the dispensing means dispenses said small strips of binder tape by sequentially cutting tape segments dispensed from at least one tape supply roll.
  • the adhesive binder tape strips dispensed by said dispensing means have a sufficiently low tack adhesive such that said binder tape is readily removable from said individual output sheets without any marking thereof or damage thereto, and wherein said binder tape also has substantially nonadhesive pull off tab portions for peeling off said small strips of removable adhesive binder tape from at least one of said top and bottom sheets of said compiled set stack, which pull off tab portions are applied by said wrapping means at an exposed position allowing manual lifting of said pull off tab portions to lift said adhesive binder tape strip away from at least one of said top or bottom sheets.
  • at least one of said top and bottom sheets are cover sheets of a heavier sheet material than said flimsy individual output sheets.
  • the dispensing means dispenses said small strips of binder tape by sequentially cutting tape segments dispensed from at least one tape supply roll of adhesive tape web with paper adhesive extending along most of one side thereof, which adhesive tape web has a nonadhesive zone along at least one edges of the tape forming at least one end of said cut tape segment to facilitate lifting said tape segment from said compiled set stack.
  • the adhesive tape web additionally has a narrow relatively nonadhesive strip extending intermediately therealong within said adhesive side for nonadhesive contact by a narrow tape feeding drive roller.
  • the disclosed system may be utilized to temporarily hold together, for collection and/or distribution in separate sets, without permanent binding, a wide range of stacked sheet set materials, weights and thicknesses.
  • the disclosed system may be effectively utilized as part of an overall system for job set compiling, set separation, set distribution, and individual sheet distribution in which job sets of plural individual copy sheets are compiled and "packaged" by being temporarily edge bound into discrete sets, having set integrity with resistance to sheet skewing, sheet fanning, and other sheet misalignment relative to the other individual sheets in said bound set during set handling and distribution, so as to be readily separated, handled and distributed as bound sets, even if commonly stacked with other such bound sets, yet subsequently readily.manually unbound for distribution or use of said individual sheets thereof by removal of said small segments of adhesive binder tape without damage to said individual sheets thereof.
  • only one small segment of adhesive binder tape is applied to each of two opposing sides of the compiled job set stack, and is applied substantially centrally thereof
  • removable temporary binding elements preferably comprising two small short strips of paper tape, bearing a low-tack adhesive, partially taped around (partially wrapped around) two opposing edges of each outputted set stack so as to removably engage respective minor edge portions of the top and bottom surfaces of the set stack (the top and bottom sheets), which strips or segments of tape are much smaller than the sheets being taped, and are readily removable from said top and bottom sheets without any damage to the sheets or their images.
  • the disclosed temporary set binding elements cause less sheet damage, and have less projection and set thickness effect, for reduced interference with stacking or relative movement of plural stacked sets, as compared to staples or paper clips normally used for temporary binding of copy sets.
  • the disclosed system can also provide a degree of document set privacy or security in that the document sheets in the set sheets cannot be fully opened, and only the cover sheets can be easily read, without removing a binding element.
  • the low-tack adhesive areas of the binding tape preferably do not run all the way out to (at least one) edge so that the tape may be readily lifted off of the sheets to which it is temporarily adhered.
  • These non-adhesive areas or segments of the tape may also be marked or indicated, such as with printed removal instructions, such as "lift here," or the like. That is, preferably easily liftable adhesive void or killed areas or strips (non-adhesive edge areas) are provided, and so marked, and/or colored.
  • the concept disclosed in the embodiment hereinbelow is to partially tape around both of two opposite sides of each outputted set or stack with a short strip of low-tack tape much smaller than the sheets being taped. [Not just on only one side, as is required in conventional binding for the set be openable or readable.] This may be done here by taping small areas of only the top and bottom surfaces of the stack (only the top and bottom sheets). This system does not require taping or binding the edges or spline of the set of sheets, and does not apply adhesive in between sheets, as in normal binding, or as in computer printed multilayer forms. Also, this tape may be have a low adhesive strength, allowing it to be removed from the copy paper without damaging the paper or its images.
  • the sheets thereof may be sufficiently temporarily held together for normal stacking and handling as an integral set, by itself, or with other such sets, without requiring said normally required edge or spline binding, or any other fastening.
  • the sheets Unlike sets of sheets stapled on only one corner or edge, in the present system the sheets cannot spread open or skew within their bound set, and therefore are also much less subject to wrinkling or damage by handling or relative movement between adjacent sets.
  • the sets bound in accordance with the present system have robust integrity; for manual removal from the copier or printer; for sorting; for delivering; for filing, etc., even though the sets are comprised of separate individual sheets.
  • the present binding system may even be combined with conventional stapling of the same sets, if desired, in some cases.
  • the present system may also be used to temporarily package together plural stapled sets for common handling, if desired.
  • the present system is particularly appropriate to provide useful set identification edge marking indicia, on a binding element, if desired.
  • This can aid in set identification, separation, distribution and/or filing operations. It can also allow these time consuming office functions to be at least partially automated, if desired, by known wands or other bar code or indicia readers, and/or automatic mailing and distribution and/or filing systems controlled by such set indicia readers.
  • a bar coding or other user unique (and/or job unique) set identifier can be automatically printed onto the subject binding strips before or during binding. This may be done by an ink jet, thermal, or other tape printers (e.g., as in fax or supermarket printers) in, and/or in electronic communication with, the printer or copier for the job sheet set itself.
  • the present system can optionally additionally provide the further function of providing useful set identity or identification by the use of specially printed words, numbers, bar codes, colors, aperture patterns, or other marking indicia. If this indicia is on or extends to the portion of the tape wrapped around an edge of the set, otherwise commonly batched plural sets may readily delineated from one another by indicia which is readily visible at the edges of the stacks, i.e., without lifting up or sorting through the sets. This allows common stacking of plural job sets without requiring offsetting.
  • multiple job sets and/or shared jobs from different systems users can be collected in simple common output trays, or fed into boxes or containers corresponding to the dimensions of the copy sheets, with all of the sets neatly stacked therein to the same edge alignment, yet without confusion between the sets, and with each separate set being readily removable without disturbing the sheets of adjacent or other sets, and with visual set identification and/or alphanumeric machine readability or set ordering.
  • the binding position of the tape relative to the edge may be varied, to shift the edge visible indicia or otherwise provide varied edge visible indicia.
  • each set 10 the plural sheets 11 thereof are temporarily, removably, bond as a set only by small, removable, low tack tape binder strips 12 (Figs. 1 and 2) or 13 (Fig. 3) partially wrapped around opposing sides of the set 10.
  • the sets 10 to be bound may vary widely in thickness.
  • These sets 10 may be the sequential output of various collated sets or other jobs of any printer or copier, such as 20.
  • the closest together or long side edges of the sheets are so taped, but alternatively the opposing short side edges may be so taped.
  • the copy sets 10 will include tabed sheets, since the tabs will be on a long edge side, in that case a system for taping the short edge sides is preferred.
  • the various such temporarily bound sets 10 can be commonly stacked together, directly superposed, as in Fig. 4, yet the individual sets 10 may be readily identified and separated from one another, without interference, confusion or damage.
  • the sets 10 may be stacked together directly superposed (without set offsetting) in a shared container, or a common printer or copier output tray.
  • Well known stack edge alignment maintenance means such as side guides or walls or tampers may be provided.
  • Discretely packaging selected output sets 10 of a printer or copier 20 output copy paper 11 with removable tape strips 12 or 13 on opposing edges 10a and 10b of each of selected output set 10 provides a low cost, simple, method for preserving the integrity of these stacks 10 of paper 11 in a manner which makes these stacks 10 easy to handle, yet allows them to be subsequently easy separated into their individual sheets or pages 11 with no evidence of binding left on the pages.
  • the description of the tape 12 will also apply to the more adhesive tape 13 unless indicated otherwise, and either may be bar coded or otherwise encoded as described herein, or otherwise.
  • the integral set 10 maintains its integrity and protects the individual sheets 11 therein from unfolding or skewing or tearing off during any desired subsequent distribution and/or handling. Yet after distribution and/or handling the individual sheets 11 of the set 10 may be completely freed from one another without any residual marking or damage by simply lifting and removing the low tack tape binder strips 12, or tear removing the strips 13, as will be further described. Unlike staples, clips and other such typical present "temporary" binders, none of the individual sheets 11 of the set 10 ever need to have holes, marks, creases or damage, and there is no metal refuse incompatible with paper recycling and potentially damaging to a printer or copier. The sheets 11 are in the same condition after unbinding as they were before being bound by the tape strips 12 or 13.
  • binding tape tabs 12 are preferably coated on selected areas 12a of one side thereof with a low tack (low removal force) adhesive 14.
  • the tape strips 13 are coated with a more aggressive adhesive.
  • unbinding is accomplished in most cases by lifting at least one side of the two tape tabs 12 [not 13] on at least one side of a set 10. That is, the tape tabs 12 are lifted off of at least one of the top or bottom sheets 16 or 18. Preferably this is assisted by providing unglued (non-adhesive) pull-off tab portions 12b, discussed below. Lifting or pulling on these non-adhesive tab portions 12b lifts the tape 12 away from the cover sheet to which it was adhered by low tack adhesive 14.
  • these tabs 12 may be dispensed, as unwound and cut off (or torn off) segments from a tape roll, or the like.
  • a low tack tape adhesive can be used, like that of small 3M Post-ItTM brand Note Pads or 3M Post-ItTM brand Tape Flags, or any other suitable low-tack adhesives. [Exemplary patents re 3M Post-itTM and other low tack adhesive tape examples are noted hereinabove.]
  • a tape 12 suitable for the present system is a pre-wound, easily unwindable, easily cutable, paper roll tape comprising a recyclable colored paper substrate, generally similar to conventional 20 pound bond copy paper, and readily printable, with a sufficiently low-tack adhesive 14 applied to one side thereof, in areas 12a.
  • This low-tack adhesive 14 should be sufficiently low-tack as not to lift either the copy paper surface or toner images thereon.
  • the adhesive 14 is also preferably one which will not interact with the styrenes or plasticizers in xerographic systems toner images so as to noticeably remove them or permanently adhere to them.
  • the adhesive areas 12a of the binding tape preferably do not run all the way out to (at least one) edge of the tape, i.e., not covering area 12b, so that the tape 12 may be readily lifted off of the sheets to which it is temporarily adhered. That is, preferably the low tack adhesive 14 is applied to the tape except in a designated lift up edge area 12b.
  • These non-adhesive areas or segments 12b of the tape may also be marked or indicated on the opposite (front) side of the tape with printed removal instructions, such as "lift here," or the like. That is, preferably each tape segment 12 has easily liftable adhesive void or "killed" (covered) areas or strips forming non-adhesive edge areas 12b, which are also preferably so marked and/or colored on the other, visible, side.
  • the whole binding "tape" piece or segment 12 with a low tack adhesive 14 is easily removable, e.g., by scratching or lifting a corner of the tape 12 with a finger nail, this can be assisted to help get this tape removal started.
  • the adhesive may be effectively applied to only a portion 12a of the tape, leaving a part 12b of the tape without effective adhesive.
  • An additional optional aid for more easily removing the binding tape or strip is to provide crimping, notching, or pre-curling of the tape near a corner to assist lifting the corner of the tape with a finger or fingernail in that area.
  • One example of one way to render selected edge areas of the tape non-adhesive or much less adhesive is to start with existing low tack adhesive tape, such as "Post-it”TM type tape or drafting tape.
  • a commercially available mixture of water with a small amount of methanol and detergent can be mixed with "Sylox 2"TM silica powder material and food coloring, and that mixture applied with a rubber roller to the selected edge area of the non-sticky side of the tape, the tape dried, then stacking up strips thereof.
  • the food coloring dye marks the paper, the liquid evaporates and the silica powder (now colored) remains on the surface of the paper side until covered by another strip of tape.
  • the silica powder then transfers to the adhesive, serving as a buffer making it non-sticky along that edge, otherwise known as "killing" the adhesive there.
  • Low tack adhesive can be used to eliminate the need for either release liners or webs such as wax paper, or "backsizing" on the nonadhesive side of a rolled tape. Aggressive adhesive may require either a release liner or "backsize” nonstick coating on the nonadhesive side in order to unroll the tape. Backsizing may interfere with printing onto the tape, so tapes with aggressive adhesive should preferably be printed before the backsize is applied, or include a release liner.
  • Low tack pressure sensitive adhesives for tape can be fabricated using at least two processes.
  • 3M "Post-it”TM products apparently depend on an adhesive polymer which has the desired stickiness based on controlled chemical processes such as molecular structure and plasticizer additives.
  • An alternative process controls the tack of more commonly used pressure sensitive adhesives by a more physical process.
  • a fine powder such as talc or silica
  • powders such as talc have long been used to "kill " the adhesives on portions of a surface so that the areas where bonding does not occur can be produced by application of the powder. The adhesive is effectively “killed” because the powder provides a buffer between the adhesive and the mating surface.
  • This wide roll stock may be provided for a conversion, which involves (1) appropriate "killing" of the adhesive in selected strips, or not applying adhesive in those strips, prior to (2) slitting it to appropriate narrow widths, and (3) winding it into appropriately small rolls for the finished product.
  • Printing the nonadhesive side may also be a part of the process.
  • the adhesive may be voided or "killed” along a central stripe area extending along the tape web where the tape will contact drive rollers, and also along one edge so that tape can be lifted for easy removal. As short segments are subsequently cut off of this finished tape for set binding, and wrapped transversely of the tape web dimension, said one edge of each segment will then become one end of each segment, providing for removal assistance.
  • one method for "killing" the adhesive uses the previously described properties of powder applied to the adhesive. Aerosol sized particles of fumed silica gel such as "Syloid”TM or “Sylox”TM manufactured by Davison Chemical division of W. R. Grace company may be used. These powders are easily suspended in any liquid such as water, alcohol, or organic solvents. The liquid vehicle is chosen for compatibility with the adhesive and substrate, and for volatility such that it can be evaporated prior to rolling the slit tape onto takeup rolls. This provides an inexpensive means of precisely metering the powder onto controlled areas of the tape by using the same technology and apparatus that converters use for coating, laminating and printing ordinary tape. Another possible way is to use Syloid in a waxy base with a volatile solvent to kill the adhesive in the selected zone.
  • the binding tape segments 12 may be desirably pre-printed or on-line printed to display various information, if desired.
  • they tapes may be commonly pre-printed with instructional information such as "Flex stack to remove tape", and/or promotional information such as "AAA Copy Shop - Phone (123) 456-7890".
  • instructional information such as "Flex stack to remove tape”
  • promotional information such as "AAA Copy Shop - Phone (123) 456-7890”.
  • the respective tape segments 12 for different sets may be differently printed, as job and/or distribution identifiers.
  • a dedicated on-line printing device such as a dot matrix or ink jet print head, printing information about the print job that tape segment will bind into that set 10 (information on and descriptive of the stack to which that printed tape segment is to be attached).
  • such printed tape legends as: "M.
  • the basic steps which may be used to bind a set 10 here may desirably be to: (1) compile the paper 11 into a neat stack; (2) dispense the adhesive binder tape for or at opposing edges of the stack; (3) apply tape strips 12 onto opposing edges of the stack, which may be by cutting the strips (tape segments) from supply rolls; (preferably, the tape segments are applied substantially centrally of the two longest, and thus most closely adjacent, sides of the stack) and (4) eject the taped stack 10 from the compiler area, and, desirably; (5) accumulate (stack) the taped sets in a stacker. Then the taped sets may be easily separately identified and separated for handling and distribution relative to other sets.
  • each taped set is very resistant to sheet skewing, sheet fanning (lateral or vertical), or other sheet misalignment relative to the other sheets in the set, more so resistant than even most stapled sets.
  • the tape applying apparatus or system may be utilized in either a standalone accessory unit or an on-line unit.
  • the on-line unit may even desirably partially utilize an existing compiler and/or finisher.
  • the set can be bound automatically as disclosed upon insertion of the set into the unit, by triggering a set input switch or the like. If sheets are fed sequentially to the binding unit and accumulated therein in a compiling tray or the like before binding, a completed set signal can be provided from the copier or printer to indicate that binding should be done for that set prior to receipt of the next set.
  • the tape binder may be actuated in response to a sufficient time delay after the receipt of the last sheet (prior to the receipt of another sheet), which time delay would correspond to the end of one job.
  • a simple user adjustable timing element could recognize the end of a job by the passage of a preset time between detected sheets entering the binding unit, and when enough time has passed to indicate the end of the job, the binding mechanism would be automatically activated.
  • a sheet buffer can temporarily store or delay any new sheet or sheets from entering the binding unit while the binding mechanism is in operation. Since, with this system, the binding is temporary and nondestructive, there is no permanent damage due to an improper binding. The only outcome of inadvertent extra binds is the inadvertent segmentation of a job into plural separately bound stacks [sub-sets].
  • Simple feed rollers can appropriately advance a tape segment from any of various types of roll stocks.
  • a tape may be fed up parallel to the stack edge, but may preferably be fed transverse to the stack edge.
  • the stack may be clamped, the tape may be fed for a desired segmental length by one roller, which can also press or stick the tape to one side of the stack at its free end, while another roller positioned in accordance with the thickness of the stack moves the tape across the other side of the stack and across a cutting blade.
  • Pre-cut tape segments can be packaged in dispensing cassettes with a release liner paper or plastic backing on the adhesive side, as is known for other tape or label dispensers.
  • One exemplary on-line automatic tape binding system utilizes a more vertical arrangement for compiling the paper for binding the output of a marking engine such as a printer or copier. It may incorporate a relatively simple mechanism for transporting the bound output to an output tray above the compiling mechanism for convenient access by the operator and a savings in horizontal "footprint". It lends itself to a modular finisher accessory for existing printers and copiers, and thus has application as a modular accessory product as well as an architecture for the finisher part of an integrated system.
  • an initial page receiving tray or baffle which is sloped sufficiently for gravity to feed the output sheets into (2) a greater sloping (more nearly vertical) compiling tray which has edge guiding means to "funnel" the pages into a neat stack therein, and (3) binding means (which may bind the stack with staples or glue, as well as tape, as previously disclosed), and (4) means to move the bound stack out of the compiling and binding tray into a path for transportation, and (5) bound set transporting means for moving the bound stack upwards, which may comprise a belt or a number of pairs of rollers which move the bound stacks up to (6) an output tray which is generally located above the initial page receiving tray, while the compiling tray is receiving pages of a new stack to be bound.
  • FIG. 6 this is a simplified perspective view of one such embodiment of an exemplary binding system 30 for automatically applying exemplary tape binder strips 12 or 13 to a stacked copy sheet set or job 10 to form the temporarily bound sets as in Figs. 1 and 2.
  • This is preferably a simple modular binding unit 30 wheeled up or docked with the normal output of an existing copier or printer 20 to receive its normal output of sequential printed copy sheets 11 (which are preferably precollated, as is well known).
  • a vertical compiler tray 31 is located at the output of the copier or printer 20.
  • the compiler tray 31 is located with an optional path thereto such as input baffles 31a extending from below the present conventional output tray of the copier or printer.
  • the vertical compiler tray 31 can be adapted to receive the output sheets sequentially (one at a time), or in a complete set dumped all at once from an upstream compiler in copier or printer 20, or from a sorter bin or output tray.
  • a set (and/or set cover sheets) may be manually inserted into compiler tray 31 instead of from copier or printer 20.
  • Two tape dispensing means 40 and 42 are provided at opposite edges of the compiler 31. Both tape dispensing means 40 and 42 incorporate pairs of feed rollers 44, 46.
  • the feed rollers 44 here are thin edged, for minimal contact with the sticky side of the tape, and positioned to engage a non-adhesive or killed stripe running centrally of the tape, as previously described.
  • the feed rollers 46 provided here are concave for engaging the other (non-sticky) side of the tape. This opposing roller 46 on the non-sticky side is wider and has a concave profile to give a "belly" or transverse curve to the tape for beam strength in transporting it to the cutting and applying mechanisms.
  • the dispensing means 40, 42 preferably incorporates sensors or timers and/or stepper motor drive for the desired incremental tape segment movement, or other such measuring means for controlling the amount of tape dispensed. (Such means are well known in the tape dispensing art, and need not be described herein.)
  • the length of tape fed is not critical and may be a preset constant length suitable for binding the largest (thickest) set to be compiled in the particular compiler 31.
  • two scissors like tape cutting means 50, 51 cooperating with two pairs of tape applying means 53, 54, cut a tape segment 12.
  • the tape applying means 53, 54 sticks the tape to the front and back side of the compiled set, preferably after it has been temporarily clamped at that point.
  • the finger like tape applying means 53, 54 here are respectively located on opposite edges of the compiler 31 so as to deflect the binder tape 12 around to the back of the copy set 10 when the tape is dispensed.
  • a separate set clamping means may be provided in connection with the compiler tray 31, as by moving one wall thereof, or the tape applying means 53, 54 can also provide the clamping function here.
  • All of the elements of the exemplary automatic binding system 30 may be operated by a motor and cam system in a conventional manner.
  • the compiling and/or set clamping for taping may be assisted, if desired, by a low air pressure fan to blow the paper to one side wall or the other of the compiler, to facilitate stacking without stubbing an incoming sheet on those sheets which have previously entered the compiler.
  • Two such (selectively alternatively operable) fans, one on either side can provide the option of 1-to-N or N-to-1 sheet stacking for either add-on or general purpose units.
  • a set elevator means such as the elevator belt 55 and baffle 56 may be provided for raising the now taped set up to be stacked in an output tray 57. I.e., automatically lifting, ejecting and stacking the set after it has been taped.
  • the elevator belt 55 may have projecting shelves, hooks, legs or pins to assist the set 10 lifting.
  • This output tray 57 is shown here conveniently located at operated height above the compiler tray 31, but it will be appreciated that this may be in any desired location.
  • sorter trays or "mailbox" bins are desired instead of a single stacking tray 57, this can be conventionally provided by selectively actuating or moving a bin entrance gate adjacent the selected bin entrance of a vertical bin array adjacent the belt 55 path, to deflect the bound set 10 from the belt 55 path into the selected bin, as is well know for various sorters. This bin selection may be done automatically in response to machine reading the encoded tape edge of each job set.
  • a taped set may be automatically dropped out of the bottom of the compiler tray 31, and allowed to slide out by gravity into another tray or trays below compiler tray 31, by a "trap door" or other such arrangement.
  • the compiler tray 31 may be horizontal, with an open top into which sheets are stacked, and a false bottom or trap door which allows the sets to drop onto a set stacking means after they have been tape bound.
  • the generally vertical compiler tray 31 may simply pivot out horizontally after the binding to unload the taped set onto an adjacent stacking surface.
  • roll stock 61 tape 12 with a low tack adhesive (as previously described) is driven (fed out) by feed rollers 62, 63 to the position shown in Fig. 7 (past the edge of the multi-page document set 10 to be bound).
  • a moving element 64 drives an articulating cam 65 pivotally up through a slot 66a in the set supporting base plate 66 to stick the lead edge of the tape 61 segment 12 to the bottom of the set 10, as shown in Fig. 8.
  • a scissor like cutting device 67 cuts the tape off above the set 10.
  • Fig. 10 is after the tape application is thus completed and moving element 64 retracted again.
  • the taped set 10 may then be removed from the device 60, the feed rollers 62, 63 will dispense more tape (another segment) for the next application, and the user may rotate and reinsert the other edge of the set 10 to tape that other edge.
  • an otherwise conventional ink jet print head 70 associated with the tape dispenser, which may be programmed to print any desired instructional or advertising message on the tape in coordination with the printer job controller.
  • This print head 70 may be located wherever appropriate in the tape dispensing path. If the tape profile is concave as it is being unwound or dispensed, the print head 70 may be made corresponding convex to fit against the tape profile at that point.
  • the tape head 70 may if desired be provided with print control information in a conventional manner from the same controller 100 controlling the copier or printer 20, including its job input and control and its job covers insertion control.
  • Shared (network) printers have the problem that a substantial amount of time and system resources are consumed in the process of receiving and processing data for every page which is to be printed. This bottleneck is even more apparent for color products.
  • the printing engine is idle during long periods, even when there are jobs in the queue.
  • This and other expected delays of unknown duration lead users to delay in going to the printer to pick up their jobs, and this increases the users' burden of sorting through the accumulated loose paper output, even if different printer output bins or "mailboxes" are provided for different users or jobs.
  • Automatically packaging the outputs in accordance with the system herein can reduce the time and effort in separating or sorting the different job outputs.
  • Copiers with sorters in a medium speed class also have some of these same problems when they are shared by many users. Making even ten collated sets of twenty pages can take almost ten minutes, and a typical secretary may not want to stay to wait for the job to be complete. The operator may want to go away and return to pick up the job. Meanwhile, another operator may arrive to start a new job before the first one clears the sorter bins. This imposes a requirement to remove and stack another persons job before another sorter collating job can be undertaken. Thus, automatically tape packaging the output and stacking it can also be desirable in such copiers.
  • High volume printers and duplicators can pump out four reams of loose paper every 15 minutes or so (unless the sets are stapled or stitched). Many jobs are needed without staples, and also stapled sets are typically limited to 100 sheets or less. As previously noted, slip sheets and/or offsetting are commonly used, but are not robust in maintaining set integrity and have other deficiencies.
  • This disclosed system of individually coding jobs sets 10 by printing discrete job tickets on the tape 12 thereon is particularly suitable therefor, as it is for networked or otherwise shared printers or copiers.
  • the printer or copier can also automatically provide discrete or common special front 16 and back 18 cover sheets (preferably of heavier paper stock) as the top and bottom sheets for each set 10 which is to be packaged.
  • cover sheets 16 and/or 18 can become a part of the set packaging and may be considered to be disposable, i.e, in this particular case the top and bottom sheets 16 and 18 of the set 10 are only job information or identification bearing, not job image bearing.
  • These set packaging cover sheets may be provided in addition to (on top of) any covers required for the print job itself.
  • Each pair of set packaging cover sheets 16, 18 can be printed with a unique bar code such as 16a, 18a, if desired.
  • This bar or other discrete readable encoding can be printed by the printer 20 itself. See, for example, the above-noted US-A-4,970,554, US-A-4,757,348 and US-A-4,987,447.
  • Examples of patents on cover sheet insertion in copiers include US-A-4,961,092, US-A-4,602,775, US-A-4,640,607, US-A-4,763,161, US-A-4,924,265 and US-A-4,330,197 (Col. 5, lines 55-58, and tray 108 in the Figure).
  • Other art on this subject includes US-A-4,248,525 and US-A-4,893,153.
  • the copier or printer controller which is of course programmed with the number of sheets to be printed in a particular job set, can be software programmed to automatically feed into the normal output copies stream, at the correct intervals [see, e.g., the cited covers inserts patents], a card stock sheet or other heavier than normal sheet of the same size as the normal output copies, to provide a stronger top and/or bottom sheet for each job set, in response to a job set of more than 50 sheets or so.
  • This signal can also, if desired, instruct the tape binder mechanism to switch to dispensing a more aggressive tape to bond to these heavier cover sheets.
  • a stronger temporary binding can be automatically provided for thicker, heavier, job sets.
  • the bar code identity can also be stored into a personal computer (PC) database, along with any desired information about the job set contained between the covers 16, 18.
  • the finisher (which may be fed from a batch feeder or from the printer itself) can read the cover sheet bar code 16a as the set 10 is being compiled, and a segment of tape 12 can be printed with a duplicate bar code by a dedicated print head (such as an ink jet 70).
  • a dedicated print head such as an ink jet 70.
  • the finisher can apply this coded tape segment 12 to opposing edges of the set 10.
  • the tape on at least one edge of each set may have a unique bar code, and it may match that on a cover sheet 16 and/or 18 of that set, if desired.
  • such a job set has both structural integrity and a unique identity which can be read by machines or people (people can read a full description of the set printed on the cover sheet).
  • these packaged and uniquely encoded sets 10 may then desirably be sequentially fed from a subject tape binding finisher directly into an open sided job storage box 80 on, or comprising, a stacker.
  • a known type of vertical elevator movable support for the container 80 may be provided if it is desirable to keep the stacking level at the same level as the box 80 fills.
  • Each box 80 may be filled sequentially with multiple outputted tape bound sets, to temporarily hold several sequential jobs, for temporary storage and/ or local movement. After each box 80 is filled, it may be manually or automatically removed and replaced at the same printer and/or binder output position with another, empty, box 80.
  • Each box 80 preferably has an apertured or open side, slot, and/or transparent window 82, through which the exposed edge of the encoded tape strip 12 on each job set 10 stacked therein may be read by sweeping along one side of the box 80 within that window 82 with a bar code scanner 83, such as the well known portable hand held wand or gun type, or a stationary type 83 as shown in Fig. 5. Rapidly scanning all the job storage box 80 contents by reading all the exposed job tape 12 edges is easily accomplished with this system.
  • the side of the box 80 having the slot or transparent window 82 can be a hinged box top 84 which can be closed, as shown.
  • the box 80 can be tipped on its side with the top folded up out of the way, as shown in Fig.
  • the box for side loading of job sets, and then the box can be tipped or rotated upright and the cover closed after the jobs are loaded therein, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the coded job edge tapes are visible from the top of the box.
  • This read information may be compared with the bar code job identity information previously stored into the computer database, an/or used to generate and print an itemized packing sheet 86 listing the job contents of the box. That packing list 86 can be placed in a transparent sleeve or holder on the outside of the box 80 so that the box does not even have to be opened to note or identify its job contents.
  • Each box 80 itself desirably has its own unique bar code identity within the job shop or printing plant. That can also be printed on this packing sheet list 86.
  • Another application of printed indicia coding of one or both tape segments binding the sets 10 to provide uniquely encoded sets 10 is for "mailbox" applications, in which the tape set edge encoding can be read to automatically direct the feeding or transport and distribution to a particular locked and/or identified bin, of a sorter-like apparatus, of a particular set or sets 10 intended for a particular user accessing that bin, where there are multiple said bins.
  • This can be used for the bound and encoded and then uniquely distributed output of a shared or networked copier, printer, or facsimiles machine.
  • Fig. 11 shows anther embodiment.
  • an otherwise conventional exemplary copier 90 has an integral compiler / tape printer / tape binder 92.
  • the copy output sets 10 are stacked and bound as otherwise described above, and printed if desired by a tape printer 70, in a compiler tray 94 inside the copier 90, which also has a normal single sheet output path as shown.
  • the temporarily tape bound sets may be ejected for stacking by an intermittent belt or other set ejection transport 96 running under the compiler tray 94.
  • the ejected sets 10 may be stacked as described, or otherwise, or transported into a conventional associated finisher for additional, permanent, binding if desired.
  • a different tape binding system embodiment such as shown in Fig. 3, is particularly preferred for applications involving a particularly thick set of sheets to be bound, such as sets of more than than 50 sheets, to be temporarily bound in accordance with the present system.
  • a more secure binding system is provided by using tape binding segments 13 with a more aggressive adhesive, and special heavier paper cover sheets for the top and bottom of the set to be bound, such as card stock. These can then be torn off for removal without damage to the actual sheets of the sets.
  • the cover sheet itself may be lifted up, rather than the tape, and the edge of the cover sheet can cut or rip through the binding tape, rather than the tape being removed by peeling off of the top and bottom sheets as is preferred for smaller sets.
  • these heavier paper cover sheets are automatically fed out by the copier or printer, automatically interleaved with the sets, as is well known per se in commercial copier products and their patent literature.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)
  • Paper Feeding For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Control Or Security For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)

Claims (20)

  1. Verfahren, um die einzelnen Ausgabebögen eines Druckers, Kopierers oder dergleichen miteinander zeitweilig zu integralen gestapelten Aufgaben-Sätzen zu verbinden, die eine Vielzahl solcher Ausgabebögen pro Satz umfassen, die Sätze trennen und mit ihnen umgehen zu können, mit den sich wiederholenden Schritten:
    Zusammenstellen eines ausgewählten Auftragsatzes einer Vielzahl der Ausgabebögen zu einem gestapelten Satz mit aufeinandergesetzten Kanten, der obere und untere Bögen an der Ober- bzw. Unterseite des gestapelten Satzes besitzt;
    Ausgeben von Klebebindungsband in einem kleinen Streifensegment, das nur einen geringen Prozentsatz der Oberfläche der Ausgabebögen beträgt;
    Umschlagen des Bindungsbandsegmentes um eine erste Kante des zusammengestellten Auftragsatzstapels von Bögen;
    Ausgeben eines zweiten kleinen Klebebindungsbandstreifensegmentes;
    Umschlagen des zweiten kleinen Segmentes Kleberbindungsband um eine zweite Kante des zusammengesetzten Aufgabensatzstapels von Bögen, welche der ersten Kante gegenüberliegt;
    und mindestens teilweise klebendes Anhängen des ersten und des zweiten kleinen Segments von Kleberbindungsband an kleine einander gegenüberliegende Flächen des obersten bzw. untersten Bogens des zusammengesetzten Satzstapels, benachbart den Umschlagkantenpositionen, um einen einzigen integralen zeitweise gebundenen Satz des zusammengestellten Aufgabensatzstapels von Bögen zu bilden, der zeitweise durch das erste und das zweite kleine Segment von Kleberbindungsband gebunden ist, um Satzintegrität mit Widerstand gegen Bogenschrägstellung, Bogenauffächerung und andere Bogenfehlausrichtung einzelner Ausgabebögen in dem Satz für Satzbehandlung und -verteilung zu besitzen;
    Einsetzen des integralen zeitweise gebundenen Satzes des zusammengestellten Aufgabensatzstapels von Bögen in ein Sammelmittel für mehrere Aufgabensätze;
    und Wiederholen der Schritte zum Ansammeln einer Vielzahl der zeitweise gebundenen Sätze von vielfachen zusammengestellten Ausgabebogenstapeln in dem Aufgabensatz-Sammelmittel, wobei jeder zeitweilig gebundene Satz von Bögen einfach an der Kante voneinander relativ zu den anderen gebundenen Sätzen durch die Bindungsbandsegmente identifizierbar ist, auch wenn die Stapel aufeinandergesetzt oder gemeinsam gestapelt sind, so daß sie leicht unterschieden und zur Behandlung und Verteilung getrennt werden können.
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, das weiter die Schritte umfaßt:
    Verteilen der zeitweise gebundenen Aufgabesätze;
    und darauffolgend einfaches Freisetzen von Hand eines ausgewählten der gebundenen Aufgabensätze von der Bindung, um die einzelnen Ausgabebögen desselben zu lösen, durch Entfernen der kleinen Bindungsbandsegmente von dem ausgewählten Aufgabensatz, ohne sichtbare Beschädigung an den einzelnen Ausgabebögen.
  3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, das weiter die folgenden Schritte umfaßt:
    getrenntes Behandeln und Verteilen der zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätze;
    und darauffolgend Entfernen der Kleberbindungsbandsegmente von den zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätzen, um zuzulassen, daß die einzelnen Ausgabebogen desselben separiert werden, ohne Hinterlassung irgendeines Hinweises auf die Bindung an den Bögen, durch Abziehen der kleinen Segmente des Kleberbindungsbandes von dem obersten und dem untersten Bogen des zusammengestellten Satzstapels;
    wobei das Kleberbindungsband einen Kleber mit niedriger Klebekraft besitzt und abziehbar von den Ausgabebögen ohne sichtliche Beeinflussung der Bögen oder irgendeines daran befindlichen Abbildes zu entfernen ist.
  4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, 2 oder 3, bei dem das Kleberbindungsband einen Kleber mit niedriger Klebekraft besitzt und das weiter umfaßt den darauffolgenden Schritt des Entfernens der Kleberbindungsbandsegmente von den zeitweilig gebundenen Sätzen und des Zulassens, daß die einzelnen Bögen derselben voneinander getrennt werden, ohne irgendeinen Hinweis der Bindung an den Bögen des zusammengestellten Satzstapels zurückzulassen.
  5. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, bei dem die kleinen Kleberbindungsbandsegmente im wesentlichen zentral um die beiden längsten und am engsten benachbarten Seiten des zusammengestellten Auftragsatzstapels angebracht werden.
  6. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung zum Trennen der normalen dünnen einzelnen Ausgabebögen eines Druckers, Kopierers oder dergleichen in integrale Aufgabensätze von aufeinandergelegten vielen Bögen pro Satz, zum Trennen und Behandeln als separate solche Aufgabensätze, mit:
    Zusammenstellmittel zum Zusammenstellen der einzelnen Ausgabebogen des Aufgabensatzes zu einem gestapelten Satz mit obersten und untersten Bögen;
    Ausgabemittel zum Ausgeben kleiner Streifen von Kleberbindungsband, welche Streifen nur einen geringen Prozentsatz der Oberfläche der Ausgabebögen einnehmen;
    Einschlagmittel zum Einschlagen mindestens eines der kleinen Streifen von Kleberbindungsband um eine Kante des zusammengestellten Satzstapels und zum Einschlagen eines anderen kleinen Streifens Kleberbindungsband um die entgegengesetzt liegende Kante des zusammengestellten Satzstapels zur klebenden Eingriffnahme des oberen und des unteren Bogens mit den kleinen Streifen Kleberbindungsband, um so den zusammengestellten Satzstapel zeitweilig damit zu einem integralen zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensatz zu binden, der leicht an den Kanten als ein Aufgabensatz zu identifizieren ist durch mindestens einen der kleinen Kleberbindungsbandstreifen, und einfach separiert werden kann zum Behandeln und zum Verteilen als ein zeitweilig gebundener Aufgabensatz relativ zu anderen zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätzen;
    und Stapelmittel zum Stapeln einer Vielzahl der zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätze, nachdem sie so zeitweilig für Verteilungszwecke gebunden worden sind.
  7. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6, bei der das Einschlagmittel nur einen kleinen Streifen von Kleberbindungsband um jede einander gegenüberliegende Seite des zusammengestellten Satzstapels einschlägt, im wesentlichen zentral dazu.
  8. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6 oder 7, bei der das Kleberbindungsband leicht ohne eine Markierung oder Beschädigung derselben von den einzelnen Ausgabebögen entfernbar ist, und bei der nur je ein Streifen Kleberbindungsband an den einander gegenüberliegenden Seiten des zusammengestellten Satzstapels die einzige Bindung des zusammengestellten Satzstapels zu dem integralen zeitweilig gebundenen Satz schafft.
  9. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6, 7 oder 8, bei der das Ausgabemittel die schmalen Streifen Bindungsband durch aufeinanderfolgendes Abschneiden von Bandsegmenten ausgibt, die von mindestens einer Bandvorratsrolle ausgegeben werden.
  10. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung zum Auftrennen der normalerweise dünnen einzelnen Ausgabebogen eines Druckers, Kopierers oder dergleichen zu diskreten integralen Aufgabensätzen aus einer aufeinandergesetzten Vielzahl der Bögen pro Satz, zum Abtrennen und Behandeln als Sätze, mit:
    Zusammenstellmittel zum Zusammenstellen der einzelnen Ausgabebögen zu einem gestapelten Satz mit oberen und unteren Bögen;
    Ausgabemittel zum Ausgeben kleiner Streifen von Kleberbindungsband, welche Streifen nur einen geringen Prozentsatz der Oberfläche der Bögen besitzen;
    Einschlagmittel zum Einschlagen eines kleinen Streifens Kleberbindungsband um eine Kante eines der zusammengestellten Satzstapel und zum Einschlagen eines anderen kleinen Streifens Kleberbindungsband um die entgegengesetzt liegende Kante des zusammengestellten Satzstapels, um den einen zusammengestellten Satzstapel zeitweilig zu einem integralen zeitweilig gebundenen Satz zu binden;
    und Stapelmittel zum Stapeln einer Vielzahl der gebundenen Sätze, nachdem sie so gebunden worden sind:
    wobei das Einschlagmittel weiter Kleberbindungsmittel enthält, um mindestens teilweise die kleinen Streifen Kleberbindungsband an die sehr kleinen entgegengesetzt liegenden Kantenbereiche der oberen und unteren Bögen des zusammengestellten Satzstapels anzuhängen, um so zeitweilig den zusammengestellten Satzstapel zu einem integral gebundenen Satz zu binden, der leicht an den Kanten als ein Satz identifizierbar ist und leicht getrennt werden kann, um Behandeln und Verteilen als ein gebundener Satz relativ zu anderen solchen gebundenen Sätzen behandelt und verteilt zu werden, wobei jeder gebundene Satz eine gegen Bogenfehlausrichtung relativ zu den anderen Bögen in dem gebundenen Satz widerstandsfähige Integrität besitzt zur Satz-Behandlung und -Verteilung.
  11. Verfahren zur zeitweiligen Verpackung und Identifizierung einer Vielzahl von Aufgabenbogensätzen zur Trennung, Identifizierung und Verteilung der Vielzahl von Aufgabensätzen, einschließlich einem Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, das weiter nach dem ersten Ausgabeschritt einschließt:
    Aufdrucken von Satzidentifizierungs-Indizien für den ausgewählten Aufgabensatz auf das Bindungsband-Streifensegment;
    Einschlagen des Bindungsband-Streifensegmentes um die erste Kante des zusammengestellten Aufgabensatzstapels von Bögen, so daß die aufgedruckten Aufgabensatz-Identifizierungsindizien an der Kante des zusammengestellten Aufgabensatzstapels sichtbar sind;
    und bei dem die zeitweilig gebundenen Bogensätze leicht an den Kanten voneinander relativ zu anderen gebundenen Sätzen durch das Bindungsbandsegment und die aufgedruckten Aufgabensatzs-Identifizierungsindizien identifizierbar sind, auch wenn die Stapel aufeinandergestellt oder gemeinsam gestapelt sind, so daß sie leicht zu unterscheiden und zum Behandeln und Verteilen zu trennen sind.
  12. Verfahren nach Anspruch 11, bei dem die zeitweilig gebundenen Sätze der zusammengestellten Aufgabensatzstapel von Bögen in das Vielaufgabensatz-Sammelmittel gesetzt werden, so daß die aufgedruckten Aufgabensatz-Identifizierungsindizien sichtbar sind, und bei dem:
    die zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätze gemäß den an den Kanten derselben sichtbaren aufgedruckten Aufgabensatz Identifizierungsindizien verteilt werden.
  13. Verfahren nach Anspruch 11 oder 12, das weiter den nachfolgenden Schritt umfaßt:
    separates Behandeln und Verteilen der zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabesätze gemäß dem an den Kanten derselben sichtbaren aufgedruckten Aufgabesatz-Identifizierungsindizien.
  14. Verfahren nach Anspruch 11, 12 oder 13, das weiter den Schritt umfaßt des elektronischen Ablesens der aufgedruckten Identifizierungsindizien von den Kanten der Aufgabesätze für Verteilungszwecke.
  15. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 14, bei dem eine Vielzahl der zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabesätze gemeinsam aufeinandergesetzt so gestapelt wird, daß die aufgedruckten Satzidentifizierungsindizien von einer Kante derselben ablesbar sind.
  16. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 15, das weiter umfaßt den Schritt des Aufdruckens diskreter gedruckter Satzidentifizierungsindizien in dem Kopierer oder Printer auf den oberen Bogen des zusammengestellten Aufgabesatzstapels.
  17. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 11 bis 16, das weiter umfaßt den Schritt des Bedruckens mindestens eines der Deckbögen mit gedruckten Satzidentifizierungsindizien entsprechend den auf dem Bindungsbandsegment aufgedruckten gedruckten Satzidentifizierungsindizien, die sind.
  18. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung zum Trennen der normalerweise dünnen einzelnen Ausgabebögen eines Druckers, Kopierers oder dergleichen in diskrete integrale Aufgabensätze aus einer Vielzahl aufeinandergesetzten Bögen pro Satz zum Abtrennen und Behandeln als separate Aufgabensätze entsprechend einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 10, und die weiter umfaßt: Aufdruckmittel zum Aufdrucken von Satzidentifizierungsindizien auf mindestens einen der kleinen Streifen von Kleberbindungsband, und wobei
    das Einschlagmittel mindestens einen kleinen Streifen Kleberbindungsband um eine Kante des zusammengestellten Satzstapels einschlägt, so daß die Satzidentifizierungsindizien an der Kante sichtbar sind, und einen anderen kleinen Streifen Kleberbindungsband um die gegenüberliegende Kante des zusammengestellten Satzstapels einschlägt zum klebenden Eingriff zwischen dem oberen und dem unteren Bogen mit dem kleinen Streifen Kleberbindungsband, um so zeitweilig den zusammengestellten Satzstapel dadurch zu einem integralen zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensatz zu binden, der leicht an den Kanten identifizierbar ist als ein Aufgabensatz und leicht abtrennbar ist zur Behandlung und zur Verteilung als ein zeitweilig gebundener Aufgabensatz relativ zu anderen zeitweilig gebundenen Aufgabensätzen; und
    das Stapelmittel eine Vielzahl von gebundenen Aufgabensätzen so stapelt, nachdem sie zeitweilig gebunden sind, daß die Satzidentifizierungsindizien an den Kanten derselben zum Ablesen für Verteilungszwecke sichtbar sind.
  19. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 18, bei der das Stapelmittel umfaßt einen bewegbaren Aufgaben-Stapel- und -Behandlungsbehälter für gemeinsames aufeinandergesetztes Stapeln von mehreren Aufgabensätzen in dem Behälter mit Mitteln zur externen Aufgabensatzidentifizierung aller Aufgabensätze innerhalb des Behälters, so daß die gedruckten Satzidentifizierungsindizien von der einen Kante des Aufgabensatzes ablesbar sind, wenn eine Vielzahl Aufgabensätze gemeinsam in dem Behälter aufeinandergestapelt sind.
  20. Bogenbehandlungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 18 oder 19, das weiter enthält Mittel zum Ablesen der aufgedruckten Satzidentifizierungsindizien von den Kanten der Aufgabensätze für Verteilungszwecke, nachdem die Aufgabensätze in dem Stapelmittel gestapelt wurden.
EP92310765A 1991-12-16 1992-11-25 Wegnehmbares Haltesystem für Sets von Kopierbogen Expired - Lifetime EP0547788B1 (de)

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US80824191A 1991-12-16 1991-12-16
US80813391A 1991-12-16 1991-12-16
US808133 1991-12-16
US808241 1991-12-16

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69214614T2 (de) 1997-03-20
EP0547788A1 (de) 1993-06-23
JP3213415B2 (ja) 2001-10-02
DE69214614D1 (de) 1996-11-21
JPH05278927A (ja) 1993-10-26

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