419,315. Bookbinding-machines. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., Ltd., 39, Paternoster Row, PEARTON, H. W., and MILLS, H., 32, Great Saffron Hill, both in London. June 15, 1933, No. 17149. [Class 16.] A bookbinding-machine comprises means for feeding a book or like filler longitudinally, with the back directed downwards, to a position in which it is disposed above a table or the like on to which a sheet of paper, bookcloth, or the like has meanwhile been fed from a pile of such sheets, means for applying a coating of adhesive to the back of the filler as it is fed, means for moving the filler downwardly to press the back thereof on to the sheet of paper &c., means for folding the sheet upwardly around the filler, and means for delivering the filler thus provided with a cover to a discharge shoot or the like. The machine is provided with two sets of adhesive-applying mechanisms, so that the filler may have adhesive applied either on the back and narrow stripes on the sides adjacent the back, or on the back and on the whole surface of both sides. The machine is shown in plan in Fig. 2, and includes a horizontal table 1 having disposed at one end an inclined rack for supporting the fillers, comprising two spaced fixed rails 4 on which the backs of the fillers rest, two side guides 5 which can be adjusted simultaneously by means of a handle 7, and end stops 13. The means for feeding the fillers down the rack to the stops 13 comprises bars 14 adapted to be raised between the fixed rails into engagement with the backs of the fillers, and then to be displaced longitudinally to advance the stack as a whole. The stops 13 are interconnected with the means operating the feed bars 14 so that they are removed out of the path of the leading filler when the bars are lowered out of engagement with the fillers. The foremost filler is pulled from the rack on to a fixed horizontal channel-section plate 33 by a suction device comprising two or more suction cups 43 adapted to be reciprocated by means of toothed segments meshing with rack teeth formed on the undersides of the plungers of the cups 43. The filler is fed longitudinally of the plate 33 by means of a finger secured to a rack bar adapted to be moved longitudinally of the plate 33, and the filler is then clamped at the upper part and fed to a position where it is disposed over a sheet of paper, bookcloth, or the like, by means comprising two plate members 71 connected together and each mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on a pair of horizontal guide rods 70. The rods 70 are mounted in blocks 69a carried by two extended bracket members 69 which are adapted to reciprocate vertically on guides 64 disposed near the centre of the machine. One plate member 71 has secured to its outer surface a rack bar 73 adapted to mesh with a driving gearwheel 74, mounted so that it can slide vertically with the bracket members 69. The other plate member 71 has a movable clamping-box 80 removably mounted thereon for automatic movement to clamp and unclamp the filler, movement being effected through a rack bar secured thereto ; the box 80 has a depending hinged front flap. The filler, clamped between the box 80 and the opposite plate 71, is traversed along the rods 70 over adhesive-applying mechanism comprising a tank 93, Fig. 8, containing adhesive supported between the limbs of a yoke carrying the bracket members 69 and rods 70, a driven roller 94 mounted therein for slight vertical adjustment and adapted to deposit adhesive in the back of the filler, and a brush 224 for forcing the adhesive between the sections of the filler. When additional strips of adhesive are to be applied to each side of the filler adjacent the back thereof, detachably mounted discs 109 provided on universally-jointed telescopic shafts 108 are provided. The inner edges 221 of the discs are bevelled, and the discs are inclined, so that the bevelled edges contacting the filler are vertically disposed. Slotted brackets 222, 223 enable the discs 109 to be adjusted vertically and laterally with respect to the back-glueing roller 94. The discs 109 and roller 94 are driven by the sprocket-and-chain and bevel gearing as shown. When the filler is situated over a previously fed and registered cover sheet, it is lowered by the clamping means until the lower end is gripped between a pair of traversely movable rollers 159 disposed above a divided table 160, 161 (not shown), whereupon the filler is released by the clamping means. The rollers 159, which may be provided with adhesive to coat the whole of the side sheets of the filler as described below, feed the filler downwardly in two stages ; in the first stage the filler abuts the cover sheet to press it between the divided table on to spring-urged ledges provided beneath the divided table, whereupon the two members of the divided table move inwardly to nip the cover around the back of the filler, and then the two members comprising the table 160, 161 are retracted by rack-gearing to allow the filler and cover to be fed through freely. A pair of pressure rollers situated below then grips and delivers the filler and applied cover to a discharge shoot disposed beneath. The two main plates of the divided table are adjustable to suit different sizes of fillers. One of the pressure rollers is driven from a cam-actuated arcuate toothed rack, and this drives the other roller through a train of gearing which allows initial adjustment of the latter roller, and also allows it to be moved resiliently and automatically towards or away from the former roller. The rollers 159, which continue the downward movement of the filler, are situated in a pair of adhesive-containers 225, Fig. 2, supported for reciprocation towards and away from the filler one above each half of the divided table 160, 161. The containers 225 are detachably secured one in each of the carriages 226, 227, Fig. 15 ; the carriage 226 is actuated by the cam 235 through the levers 234, 232, 230, and 229 ; the carriage 227 is actuated through bevel gearing 238, 239 operated by links 247, 247<a> from the cam 235, and is adjustably connected to a bar 236. Each roller 159 is actuated through a two-part disengageable coupling, the driving part 248 of each coupling being formed on a short shaft 249 which has a sliding connection with a spiral gear-wheel 250 slidably mounted on a bracket member 251 arranged to slide on a transverse shaft 252 and embrace a spiral gear-wheel 253 meshing with the gear-wheel 250. The shaft 252 is rotated in one direction by a pawl-and-ratchet device operated by a rack and pinion 256. The above-described means enables the rollers 159 to be rotated in any position of lateral adjustment. When the sides of the filler are not to be wholly coated with adhesive the tanks 225 are empty. The cover sheets are supported on a counterweighted table 111, Fig. 2, adapted to be fed upwardly by known mechanism controlled by a feeler 125 so as to maintain the height of the top sheet of the pile substantially constant. The sheets are fed from the pile by suction devices 129 secured to a carriage 128 adapted to descend to allow the top sheet to be removed, and to traverse the sheet towards the machine table 1 and release it when the leading edge of the sheet has arrived over a constantly-rotating roller 131. A shaft 132, arranged above the roller 131 and provided with two or more adjustable rollers 133, drops on to the cover sheet to enable the latter to be fed by the roller 131. The cover sheet is deposited by the rollers on to a number of travelling tapes which convey it into the machine until its leading edge strikes a registering-bar 137, Fig. 15, adjustable at one or both ends by screwed rods 138 operated through bevel gearing by a knob 142. The cover sheet is then registered at the sides by an adjustable stationary member 144, and a movable member 148 actuated through levers by a cam 158, and is ready for the filler. The machine is driven through a belt pulley 280, Fig. 2, which drives a main cam shaft 17, Fig. 15, from which all the working parts of the machine are actuated. All the adjustments for different sizes of fillers are made on the rear side of the machine. The suction devices 43 and 129 are each connected by flexible pipes to separate pumps situated below the table 1 and driven from a common motor.