GB1603401A - Collating - Google Patents

Description

(54) COLLATING (71) We, TIMSONS LIMITED, a British Company of, Perfecta Works, Bath Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement :- This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for handling batches of paper sheets.

The invention has been developed primarily for use in making books by a method in which the sheets are each printed in a coming and going mode, fractional book blocks are formed from these sheets, each such book block including a sequence of printed pages in a coming mode and a sequence of printed pages in a going mode with each sequence containing only a fraction of the number of pages to form a complete book, and the fractional book blocks are then combined by bringing an appropriate number of the fractional book blocks together to form a full book block in which each sequence of pages contains all of the pages of the book to be made, and the latter is formed by dividing the full book block into the number of books corresponding to the number of full sequences of pages, the latter being also bound to each other.

Usually, but not essentially, the method is carried out by printing two pages on each side of each sheet, the resulting frictional book blocks then including two sequences of pages. Also usually the fractional book blocks have sequences containing half the number of pages of the book, and two fractional (half) book blocks require to be brought together to form the book. Then the method is known as a 2-up coming and going method of book making. However, it will be evident from the following description that although the invention finds useful application in the 2-up coming and going method of book making, it may also be usefully employed where, in the coming and going method, more than two sequences of pages are printed on the sheets which make up a fractional book block and/or more than two fractional book blocks are required to be brought together to form a full book block.

The pages printed on a side of a sheet may be arranged side-by-side, head-to-head or tail-to-tail, or otherwise in a manner such that when two such half book blocks are superposed, one having inverted so that its top sheet becomes its bottom sheet, a full book block results and is capable of division into two full books. Such arrangements are herein for convenience referred to as"com- patible"whether in respect of half book blocks or other fractional book blocks.

In order to bring a"coming"of pages in one fractional book block into proper position relative to a"going"sequence in another fractional book block preparatory to, or during, combination of the fractional book blocks, relative rotation between these fractional book blocks is required to be effected.

This rotation can conveniently be effected about a single axis provided the latter is parallel to the planes of the sheets and parallel to the junction between the pages printed on the sheets. However, the pages of one such fractional block can be brought into the proper position relative to the pages of another such block in the full book block by relative 180 rotations about two mutually perpendicular axes each perpendicular to the single axis above mentioned.

Whatever the mode or modes of rotation selected to ensure proper numerical order of each sequence of pages in the full book block, difficulties arise, especially when the method and apparatus is operated at high speed, in ensuring that the sheets are maintained in their proper order and are not displaced or lost from their fractional blocks.

From one aspect the invention resides in a method of handling paper sheets for books to be made by a coming and going method, utilising batches of the sheets assembled into fractional book blocks each having respective compatible sequences of pages in coming and going order, comprising the steps of :- a. feeding the batches in a single stream along a feed path. b. providing grippers in said feed path each defining a batch receiving pocket presented towards an associated one of the batches, c. establishing a speed difference along the feed path between associated ones of the grippers and batches to cause the batches to enter the pockets, d. rotating selected ones of the grippers through 180 about respective axes parallel to the planes of the sheets and to the junctions between pages of the sequences while the batches are in pockets, e. combining an appropriate number of the batches to produce full book blocks for binding and division.

As applied to 2-up coming and going book making, the method is further characterised in that :- a. the sheets of the batches are printed for 2-up coming and going book making, c. the batches are arranged to enter the pockets with one sequence of pages on one side of an axis extending longitudinally of the feed path and the other sequence of pages on the other side of this axis, and c. relative rotation of the grippers is effected about this axis.

It would be within the scope of the invention for the gripper to have jaw members which are movable relatively to each other between open and closed positions, the method then involving setting the jaw members in their open position to receive the batch of sheets, and thereafter closing the jaws. Preferably, however, the batch of sheets is held in the pocket defined by the gripper by engagement with the outer face of at least one of the terminal sheets of the batch at a surface presented internally of the pocket and which can roll when engaged by the batch during its entry. This avoids the complication of having to open and close the jaws, facilitates entry of the sheets by engagement with said rolling surface, and provides sufficient constraint to lateral displacement of sheets when they are in the pocket for them to be held during movement of the gripper in the other mode in which it is required to be moved during the handling operation.

The grippers of longitudinally successive pairs of grippers may be subjected to relative rotation of 180 , the batches may thereafter be released from the grippers, and pairs of successive batches are then combined each to form a full book block for binding and division.

The batches of each of said pairs may be delivered after release to respective receiving positions spaced apart lengthwise of the feed path, these batches being then conveyed in separate streams running side by side towards the binding and/or division station.

From a further aspect the invention resides in the provision of apparatus for use in coming and going book making wherein batches of sheets assembled into fractional book blocks and each having respective compatible sequences of pages in coming and going order are required to be combined into full book blocks, said apparatus comprising :- a. a plurality of grippers each defining a pocket for reception of an associated one of the batches, b. conveyor means for moving the grippers in a single stream along a feed path, c. conveyor means for moving the batches along said feed path in the same direction as that in which the grippers travel and at a speed relative to that of the grippers such that the batches are received into respective gripper pockets through entrances presented towards the respective batches, d. means for rotating selected ones of the grippers through 180 about respective axes parallel to the junctions between pages of the sequences while the batches are in the pockets.

Such apparatus may further include means for rotating the grippers about 180 when in the feed path and arranged to operate in respect of alternately positioned grippers.

Whilst, as mentioned, the gripper could include jaw members movable towards and away from each other to closed and open positions, it is preferred that the gripper shall include roller means for engaging the interface of one of the terminal sheets of the batch and mounted for rotation about an axis such that the rolling surface of the roller means facing inwardly of the gripper pocket is movable in a direction towards and away from the pocket entrance. Preferably also the roller means is made of resilient material and/or is resilient biased towards the interior of the pocket. Thus, with this arrangement, the roller means may be resiliently deformed or resiliently displaced to some degree by entry of the batch of sheets, which latter is then subjected to pressure whilst in the gripper serving to hold the sheets against later displacement and also subjected to sufficient frictional constraint to retain the sheets against unwanted discharge from the entrance to the pocket of the gripper.

In one arrangement the gripper may comprise jaw members defining said pocket, the latter being open at its entrance and at each side, and the roller means is mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to the pocket entrance.

The apparatus may further include stripper means for removing a batch from an associated gripper at one or more positions along said feed path. Thus, when the apparatus is for use for 2-up coming and going book making, the stripper means may comprise a first stripper device arranged to operate for one set of alternately positioned grippers and a further stripper device arranged to operate at a position along the feed path spaced from the first stripper device and arranged to operate for the other set of alternately positioned grippers.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein :- FIGURE I is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the handling operations required to be performed in respect of batches of sheets in a method of 2-up coming and going book making; FIGURE 2 is a view similar to Figure I illustrating a modification of the method; FIGURE 3 shows an embodiment of apparatus for performing either of the methods of Figures 1 and 2; FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary underneath perspective view showing turnover of a gripper holding one of the batches of sheets about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the feed path for such ; FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary underneath perspective view of the parts shown in Figure 4 viewed from the other side and illustrating the over centre mechanism associated with the gripper; FIGURE 6 is a view in side elevation of the gripper illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the sheets of paper which are required to be handled are in the form of signatures which are formed into batches each of identical form for use in a method of 2-up coming and going book making.

Thus, typically the signatures are printed in two sequences of pages and in the illus- trated example such pages are arranged tailto-tail with the page numbers not in brackets shown at each of the top sheet of the batch and the figures in brackets being the page numbers at the bottom of a batch. The spine edge of signatures are indicated by a double line.

In performing the method illustrated in Figure 1, batches of signatures are delivered by a collating means (not shown) which may be as disclosed in our copending application No. 21205/74 Cognate with 17424/75, Accepted under No. I, 512, 367 or No. 23886/78 onto a conveyor means indicated diagrammatically by the broken line 10, and which may comprise horizontal guide rails or other supporting means along which batches of sheets 13a to 13g are advanced, for example by upstanding pushers 11 carried and moved by spaced parallel endless chains or belts.

Such advancement continues by these means up to a station 14 where the first conveyor means 10 is overlaped functionally by a second conveyor means illustrated diagrammatically by broken lines 15. The second conveyor means 15 comprises a succession of grippers 16a to 16g defining pockets for the reception of respective batches of signatures 13a to 13g.

In the overlap station 14, the conveyor means 10 and 15 provide a difference of speed between a batch such as 13g and a gripper such as 16g which is conveniently contrived by operating the conveyor means 10 at the same linear speed as the conveyor means 15 but locally accelerating the speed of travel of the batch such as 13g in the direction of conveyance shown by arrow 17 to cause the leading spine edge of the batch to enter gripper 16g, such being accomplished in the position occupies by the batch and gripper 13f, 16f respectively at a position spaced downstream from the station 14 at which the batches are fed into their respective grippers. A turnover station 18 is provided in which the grippers occupying alternate longitudinal positions are caused to turn over, i. e. rotate about a longitudinal axis AA through 180, thereby inverting the batch held in such gripper top to bottom. A batch in which such inversion has not occurred is illustrated at 13d and a batch in which inversion has occurred is illustrated at 13c.

At positions spaced apart from each other longitudinally and situated downstream of the station 18 are two receiving stations 19 and 20 at which the batches held by respective grippers 16b and 16a move out of their respective gripper pockets and are delivered to the respective stations 19 and 20. Passing through these stations is a third conveyor means indicated diagrammatically by the broken line 21. This may comprise a horizontal slat conveyor belt or horizontal surface formed with slots for upward projection of pushers which can move along the slots and engage edges of the batches of signatures.

The inlet or upstream end of the conveyor means 21 lies beneath the conveyor means 15 at its downstream end.

For effecting movement of a batch of signatures 13b out of its associated gripper 16b, a first stripper device 22 may be provided comprising a rotary shaft having fixed thereto arms 23 which are in upright positions upon arrival of the batch 13b at station 19 and hence ready to engage the spine edge to arrest the batch while the gripper 16b continues its travel. The batch 13b then drops onto the supporting surface of the conveyor 21 and is conveyed in the direction of arrow 24 along a feed path transverse to that indicated by the arrow 17.

The preceding batch 13a, however, will have arrived at the station 19 when the arms 23 are at positions such that they are out of the path of travel of the spine edge of the batch 13a, and hence the latter remains held in the pocket of its gripper.

A second stripping device 26 is provided at the position 20 to engage the spine edges of the batch 16. The path of travel at this station of the batch 13a is generally upwardly by reason of the fact that the second conveyor means 15 will be moving the grippers along an endless path including the lower run (at which the grippers are shown in Figure 1), an upper run (in which the grippers are not shown) and ascending and descending connection portions at the downstream and upstream ends of the conveyor means 15, such, for example, as where endless bands or chains of the gripper means pass over driving/guiding pulleys or sprockets.

In consequence of the arrangements illustrated, the batches advanced by the third conveyor means 21 and which are designated 13h to 13k initially have their sheets lying at different planes, namely horizontal for 13k and vertical for 13j, with the spine edges of the signatures uppermost for 13j.

As batch 13k travels in the direction of the arrow 24, it is acted upon by guide means 27, 28 to raise its spine edge and move the free edges of the signatures inwardly so that it is brought into a vertical plane spine edges uppermost and in juxtaposition to the companion batch as illustrated in respect of the batches of signatures 13i, 13h.

The guide means 28 may thus be in the form of an upwardly inclining ramp terminating in a vertical fence while the guide means 27 may be in the form of a vertical fence which converges towards the center line of the conveyor means 21.

In respect of signatures such as 13j, further guide means 29,30 are provided to hold the sheets in vertical planes while converging them towards the centre line of the conveyor means.

The conveyor means 21 leads to any suitable form of binding and dividing device for division of the full book block thus formed into two separate books.

In the modified method illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 2, the method performed and the apparatus utilised may be generally similar, corresponding elements being designated by like numerical references with the prefix 100 and the preceding description is applicable.

The following description relates to the differences. Instead of delivering one batch with its sheets horizontal and a companion batch with its sheets vertical, both batches are delivered to receiving stations with their sheets horizontal, these stations being designated 119 and 140. Whilst the first stripper device 122 is as before, the second stripper device 141 comprises fixed upright stripper members 142. The associated gripper 116 is caused by the conveyor means 115 to travel a short distance in the plane of the lower horizontal run before being constrained to move upwardly and hence the batch 113a is held stationary at the station 140 and allowed to drop onto the supporting surface of conveyor means 121.

Thus, both batches 113m and 1131 have their top sheets exposed and horizontal. If desired one or more additional pages which may require to be inserted and which require to intervene between pages numbered 8 and 9 can be dropped flat on top of batch 113m.

Guide means 142,143 operates in relation to batch 113 to rotate it through 90 about its spine edge into a vertical position as shown in respect of batch 113k together with the additional page or pages shown at 144. The guide means 142 would be a ramp followed by an upright fence to lift margins of the sheets adjacent to their free edges and then maintain them in vertical planes while the guide means 143 would be an upright fence.

Batch 1131 is guided by guide means 145, 146, of which the former has an initial portion in the form of a ramp to lift the margins of the pages of 1131 adjacent to their free edges and is followed by an upright fence. Guide means 146 may be an upright fence.

Beyond the positions occupied by batches 113k and 113j, the upright fences converge and impose translatory displacement on the batches and bring them into face to face relation to form a full book block as seen for batches 113i, 113k with the insert page or pages 144 therebetween.

Referring now to the apparatus shown diagrammatically in Figure 3, parts corresponding to those already described in connection with Figure 2 are designated by like reference and the preceding description is applicable. Referring more specifically to the first conveyor means 110, the pushers may be supported from the upper runs of endless chains 150 passing over sprockets 151 mounted on a shaft 152.

Also mounted on the shaft carried by a sleeve 152a thereon is a pair of arms 153. The sleeve 152a is driven at a speed higher than the rotational speed of the shaft 152 so that the arms engaging the trailing edges of batches such as 113g accelerate the batch to enable it to enter the pocket of the associated gripper 116. The sleeve 152a may thus be driven by any suitable mechanism, for example one providing a temporary increase in speed when the arms are in the position shown, and then a decrease of speed over the remainder of the revolution of the sleeve 152a so that the arms remain generally in phase or coordination with arrival of pushers in the station 114 of Figure 2.

Alternatively, however where the sprockets 151 are somewhat in advance of the position at which entry of the leading edges of the batches into the pockets of the grippers starts to take place, the arms may be fixed to the driving shaft 152.

By virtue of the fact that they project radially beyond the sprockets 151, the arms 153 have a greater peripheral speed at the position at which they engage the trailing edge of a batch than do the pushers 111 (which move at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the sprocket teeth.

In this way the arms 152 displace the batch 113 forwardly out of contact with the pushers 1 I I and urge the batch into the pocket of the gripper 116. In this case the sleeve 152a may merely be pinned or otherwise made fast with the shaft 152.

The grippers 116a to 116g and 116m, which is shown in Figure 3, are movable along a feed path defined by the lower run of conveying chains 154 passing over sprockets at each end of the endless loop formed by the chains, one pair of sprockets, for example, those at the upstream end, being driven from a suitable motor operated in coordination with the collating means.

One set of grippers occupying alternate longitudinal positions are rotatable about a horizontal axis extending lengthwise of the feed path and situated medially thereof, and the other alternate set are fixed, as seen more particularly in Figure 4.

The grippers are carried in mountings comprising pairs of cross members 155 having attachment plates 156 connected to links of the chains 154. The cross members support bearing plates such as 157 in which are joumalled mounting spindles 158 to which the rotatable grippers, such as 116e, are fixed.

The spindles 158 each carry a small diameter sprocket 159 driven from a large diameter sprocket 160 on a spindle 161 journalled between bearing plates 162 supported by respective members 155, drive being transmitted through a sprocket chain 163.

The spindle 161 has cam follower element 164 in the form of a radially extending arm fixed to it which cooperates with a cam element in the form of a rail 164 supported from any member of a frame or fixed supporting structure of the apparatus.

As seen in Figure 5, the large sprocket 162 is biased by an over centre mechanism 165 towards one or the other of two stable positions of rotation. The over centre mechanism comprises an arm 166 fixed on the spindle 161 at its end remote from the cam follower element 164 and connected by a coiled tension spring 167 to a lug 168 on one of the members 155.

The stable positions are determined by the engagement between a block 169 on the gripper such as 116e and adjustable stop element 170 such as a screw operating in a threaded hole in a block 171 carried by cross members 155.

The velocity ratio established by the chain and sprocket mechanism 157, 160 and 163 is such that by deflection of the cam follower element 164 through a comparatively small angle, typically 60 , the associated gripper is caused to be moved through 180 .

Cam elements such as 164 are provided for rotating the grippers when the latter are travelling along the feed path, e. g. supported by the lower runs of chains 154, and when travelling along an upper path parallel to the feed path when supported by the upper runs of these chains, so as to return grippers to their original positions by the time they arrive back at the upstream end of the feed path, that is in the zone of overlap between the first and second conveyor means.

For convenience the operating mechanism for rotating the grippers has been illustrated in respect of the upper run of the conveyor chains.

Figure 6 illustrates one of the (rotatable) grippers such as 116e. The gripper body comprises a channel-section body 172 in which is received the forward end of a jaw structure comprising an upper jaw member 173 and a lower jaw member 174, the free margins of which 173a, 174a are divergent in a direction towards the entrance 175, with one margin 174a being appreciably longer than the other 173a.

In the zone 14 the jaw member 174 is arranged to be uppermost so as to provide a lead in for batches of varying thicknesses, the horizontal portion of the jaw member 173 being coplanar or situated a little below the plane of support to the underside of a batch provided by the support rails 149 of the first conveyor means.

The jaw member 174 is slotted and through the slots protrude a pair of laterally spaced rollers 176 presenting rolling surfaces 177 in the interior of the pocket defined by the jaw members, which pocket is open both at the entrance 175 and at each side.

The rollers 176 are made or have tyres of a material such as rubber having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the batches of signatures, so that although the latter can be inserted and removed compara tively easily, although with some frictional constraint arising from engagement with the jaw member 173, they are more strongly constrained against lateral movement since the latter would entail sliding over the surfaces 177.

The rollers themselves are carried by spindles 178 journalled in bearings 179 at the end of arms 180 made of spring material to urge the rollers inwardly with respect to the pocket defined by the jaw members 173, 174.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the rotatable gripper shown in Figure 6 is shown at a position which it will occupy after having been rotated in the lower run of the second conveyor means and before having been returned in the upper run of the conveyor means to its initial position.

The shaft 122 carrying the arms 123 of the first stripper device is driven in timed relation with the drive sprockets for the chains 144 so that the arms arrive at upright positions in advance of alternate ones of the batches of signatures.

If the apparatus shown in Figure 3 were required to be adapted to operate in accordance with the method illustrated in Figure 1, the arms 142 of the second (fixed) stripper device would require to be relocated in a horizontal position just beyond the ends of the sprockets at the downstream end of the conveyor means.

The following alternatives are mentioned but are not exhaustive of those which might be made.

Instead of using grippers in which the jaw members are spaced a predetermined distance apart and having rollers associated therewith, jaw members which can be moved between open and closed positions may be utilised. Opening and closing mechanism would then be required to be provided in association with the grippers operable, for example, by cams or trip members in a zone 14 so that they open on entering said zone and close on leaving it.

If grippers of the form illustrated are utilised, the rollers or the tyres thereof may be made of material which is sufficiently resilient to make it unnecessary to support the rollers on spring arms, although the latter construction is preferred.

Apparatus as shown in Figure I to 3 may be used for handling batches of sheets or signatures in methods of coming and going book making other than the 2-up version specifically referred to. For example, in a 2up method it would be possible for four pages to be printed on each sheet, one on each side of the axis about rotation which takes place but collectively forming only two sequences of page numbers. The full book block would then be capable of division into four books.

Alternatively, the method and apparatus may be applied wherein the coming and going method entails the provision of fractional batches of sheets which do not necessarily contain all the page numbers to make up a full book, for example they might contain only half the number of pages. In this case four receiving stations would be required and the fractional batches delivered thereat, two of which have undergone reversal and two of which have not undergone reversal, would then be combined in a manner analogous to that shown in Figure 2.

Further, although for convenience the feed path for the batches of sheets perparatory to interleaving and reception in the grippers and thereafter is horizontal, ascending or descending feed paths could be utilised.

Also, after delivery into the receiving stations, the conveyor means such as 221 may provide supporting surfaces for the batches tilted in the direction in which angular movement of the batches about their spine edges in the same direction is subsequently effected to bring the batches into the full book block position.

Our prior application 51558/75, Serial No.

1,576,125 also relates to conveying and turning over batches of leaves of paper during the making of books by a coming and going method. This application claims a method of assembling a book making block comprising the steps of :- a. providing batches of leaves in which the leaves collectively lie face to face, and in which, in each of said batches, the leaves are printed on both sides with pages of the book so selected that, viewed towards one terminal leaf of each batch, the latter presents one set of consecutively numbered face to face pages in coming sequence with the highest numbered page on the exposed side of said one terminal leaf and another set of consecutively numbered face to face pages in going sequence with the lowest numbered page on said exposed side of said one terminal leaf, the exposed side of the other terminal leaf of the batch bearing pages having those intermediate numbers which are appropriate to the number of leaves in the batch, b. conveying said batches in succession in a single stream with all of said one terminal leaves facing towards one boundary of the stream and all in the same orientation as regards the positions of corresponding pages relative to the direction of conveyance, and all of said other terminal leaves facing towards the opposite boundary of the stream, c. applying turning movement to selected ones of said batches relatively to the nonselected ones of said batches while in said single stream to cause each of said selected ones of said batches to occupy respective positions displaced angularly about an axis parallel to the leaves and junctions between pages thereon such that their one terminal leaves face towards said opposite boundary and their other terminal leaves face towards said one boundary, d. bringing pairs of said batches, one from the selected ones of said batches and one from the non-selected ones of said batches, into relative positions such that said other terminal leaves are in adjacent relation to each other, and the going sequence of each batch of the pair is opposite to the coming sequence of the other batch of the pair to provide sets of pages respectively in coming and going sequence and terminating, for each set, in pages having said highest and lowest numbers.

Claims (20)

1. The application also claims apparatus for carrying out the foregoing method, said apparatus comprising :- a. a first conveyor of a form suitable to convey the batches, and arranged to provide support beneath the batches to be conveyed while the latter are travelling along a first feed path defined by said first conveyor, b. a second conveyor also of a form suitable to convey the batches, and arranged to provide support beneath said batches while these are travelling along a second feed path defined by said second conveyor, the latter being arranged in end-to-end relation with the first conveyor, its upstream end being adjacent to, but spaced from, the downstream end of the first conveyor to provide a gap below said paths and into which leading ends of said batches can descend, c. turning means situated in the locality of said adjacent ends of the conveyors, driven in predetermined coordinated relation with said conveyors to produce engagement of said turning means with predetermined selected ones of batches to cause their leading ends to enter said gap and effect turnover of said batches, d. means defining a combining station to which the batches are delivered from the second conveyor, and assembling means at the combining station to assemble the batches in pairs, each pair comprising a turned batch and an unturned batch, in superposed relation with the terminal leaves of the resulting block being terminal leaves of the batches which were intially facing in the same direction when the batches were on the first conveyor.

   WHAT WE CLAIM IS :- 1. A method of handling paper sheets for books to be made by a coming and going method, utilising batches of the sheets assembled into fractional book blocks each having respective compatible sequences of pages in coming and going order, comprising the steps of a. feeding the batches in a single stream along a feed path, b. providing grippers in such feed path each defining a batch receiving pocket presented towards an associated one of the batches, c. establishing a speed difference along the feed path between associated ones of the grippers and batches to cause the batches to enter the pockets, d. rotating selected ones of the grippers through 180 about respective axes parallel to the junctions between pages of the sequences while the batches are in pockets, e. combining an appropriate number of the batches to produce full. book blocks for binding and division.
2. 2. A method according to claim I wherein :- a. the sheets of the batches are printed for 2-up coming and going book making, b. the batches are arranged to enter the pockets with one sequence of pages on one side of an axis extending longitudinally of the feed path and the other sequence of pages on the other side of this axis, c. the relative rotation is effected about this axis.
3. 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein :- a. longitudinal successive grippers are subjected to the relative rotation of 180 , b. the batches are thereafter released from the grippers, c. pairs of longitudinally successive batches are combined each to form a full book block for binding and division.
4. 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein :- a. the batches of each of said pairs are delivered after release into respective receiving positions spaced apart lengthwise of the feed path, b. these batches are conveyed in separate streams running side-by-side towards a binding and/or division station.
5. 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein at the receiving station respective batches of each delivered pair have their sheets lying in planes such that the batches can be brought into full book block relation by either :- a. rotation of both in the same direction about an axis parallel to the plane of the sheets and perpendicular to the first said axis and by such relative translatory movement towards each other as is necessary, b. rotation of only the batches delivered into one of said receiving positions about the second said axis through an angle of up to 90 and such relative translatory movement towards each other as is necessary, c. by relative translatory movement only applied in a direction towards each other of the batches delivered into the two receiving positions.
6. 6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the movement of movements applied to the batch or batches delivered at one or both of the receiving positions as the case may be is effected while such batch or batches are conveyed along their separate streams.
7. 7. A method according to any one of claims I to 6 wherein the grippers are moved along an endless loop having a rectilinear section forming the feed path, and the batches are caused to enter the pockets of the grippers adjacent to the upstream end of this section.
8. 8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the receiving positions for the released batches are situated intermediate the ends of said section beyond the downstream end of said section.
9. 9. Apparatus for use in coming and going book making wherein batches of sheet assembled into fractional book blocks and each having respective compatabile sequence of pages in coming and going order are required to be combined into full book blocks, said apparatus comprising :- a. a plurality of grippers each defining a pocket for reception of an associated one of the batches, b. conveyor means for moving the grippers in a single stream along a feed path, c. conveyor means for moving the batches along said feed path in the same direction as that in which the grippers travel and at a speed relative to that of the grippers such that the batches are received into respective gripper pockets through entrances presented towards the respective batches, d. means for rotating selected ones of the grippers through 1806 about respective axes parallel to the junctions between pages of the sequences while the batches are in the pockets.
10. 10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein there is further provided means for rotating the grippers about 180-when in the feed path and arranged to operate in respect of alternately positioned grippers.
11. Il. Apparatus according to either of claims 9 and 10 wherein each of the grippers includes roller means for engaging the outer face of one of the terminal sheets of the batch and mounted for rotation about an axis such that the rolling surface of the roller means facing inwardly of the gripper pocket is movable in a direction towards and away from the pocket entrance.
12. 12. Apparatus according to claim ll wherein the roller means is made of resilient material and/or is resiliently biased towards the interior of the pocket.
13. 13. Apparatus according to either of claims I I and 12 wherein the gripper comprises jaw members defining said pocket, the latter being open at its entrance and at each side, and the roller means is mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to the pocket entrance.
14. 14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the gripper is mounted for rotation to provide for movement in said mode other than simple travel along the feed path, and spring loaded over-centre mechanism is provided to effect such rotation between angularly spaced positions.
15. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the over-centre mechanism is arranged to be tripped by cooperative cam and follower elements, one of which is mounted to travel with the gripper along the feed path and the other of which is mounted on the body or supporting structure of the apparatus.
16. 16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 15 including stripper means for removing the batch from the gripper at one or more predetermined positions along the feed path.
17. 17. Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the stripper means comprises a first stripper device arranged to operate for one set of alternately positioned grippers and a further stripper device arranged to operate at a position along the feed path spaced from the first stripper device and arranged to operate for the other set of alternately positioned grippers.
18. 18. A method of handling paper sheets for books to be made by a 2-up coming and going method substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
19. 19. A method of handling paper sheets for books to be made by a 2-up coming and going method substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
20. 20. Apparatus for handling paper sheets for books to be made by a 2-up coming and going method substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 3 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.