US1975373A - Method and means for binding sheets into books - Google Patents

Description

, 0st. 2, 1934. w. E. REAVIS ET! AL METHOD AND MEANS FOR BINDING SHEETS INTO BOOKS Filed April 22, 1953 Patented Oct. 2, i934 UNITED sT Tes METHOD AND MEANS FOR BINDING snan'rsm'ro BOKS Winfred Elmo Reavis and George Kirs'te, Los Angeles, Calif.,' assignors toi'Pacific Library Binding 00., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application April 22, 1933, Serial No. 667,352

12 Claims. (01. 2s1-25) tablet into sections or sub-tablets, which sec-- tions are secured together along the backs thereof by some suitable means such; as sewing. Our invention may be employed to replace binding methods of this character where a reduction, in

',b inding cost is desired. It is also customary to.

bind sheets, such as sales sheets, copies of. patents, etc., into books by inserting screws orrods through holes punched through the leaves or sheets near the back of the book. This produces a book which opens unsatisfactorily for the reason that the portions of the leaves adjacent the back of the book are held tightly together. In the preferred form of our invention we employ closely coiled springs which are passed through 5 the openings punched in alignment through the sheets in a position near the back of the book. These springs when applied exist under tension and hold the leaves tightly together, but such springs are capable of extension and flexure 0 when thebook is opened, thereby producing a bound book which will open satisfactorily and will readily lie flat inopen position on a table.

It is an object of our invention to provide a binding means or device for books, consisting of a 5 spring member, preferably of spirally coiled type, and simple head members adapted to be quickly and easily applied to the ends of the spring in position to be held by the tension of the spring against the top and bottom pages or" the book,

whereby to hold the leaves of the book together under tension.

It is a further objectof the invention to provide a head member for a book-binding device of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph, such headmember consisting ofa thin plate having a slot or notch open to one edge thereof, such plate being adapted to be moved laterally into a position between adjacent convolutions of a spring and into such position that the strand of wire forming the spring will pass through said slot or notch. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide a head member of the above character in which the walls adjacent the slot. are offset in axial direction to correspond to the spiral formation of the convolutions of the spring engaged by the plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple method of applying the spring members and end plates to a stack ortablet of leavesso as to bind the same in book form.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident throughout the following part of the specification.

Referring to the drawing, trative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is apartly sectioned perspective view showing a book bound in accordance with the precepts of a preferred formof our invention. 7

.Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section 7 taken on a plane represented by the line 22 of Fig. 1, this view illustrating the method of applying the binding device. Y

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred form of end or head plate forming part of the inven- 3'5, tion.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the plate of Fig. 3 applied to the end of a spring.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section showing the manner in which the head plate is deformed to dish or cup shape by the application of pressure thereto. v

Fig. '6 is a perspective view showing an alternative form of head plate in engagement with the end of a spring. a 5

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken as indicated by the line 7-.-"! of Fig. 5.

In Fig. 1 of the drawingv we show a book 11 consisting essentially of a stack or tablet of leaves 12. The top and bottom leaves 13 and 14 maybe 99 made thicker than the intermediate leaves so' as to form covers for the book. These outer leaves or covers 13 and 14 are shown as being made from a heavy sheet material such'as cardboard or pulp board, and in accordance with good practice the ,5 covers 13 and 14 may be provided with a hinge l6 flexibly connecting the cooperating members 17 and 18 which, when hinged together, constitute covers. 13 and I l. Adjacent the back 20 of the book 11, holes 21 extend through the book from the upper face 22 thereof to the lower face 23. Through these holes 21 springs 24 are extended, these springs having head members 25 on the upper and lower ends thereof. The springs 24 are preferably of helical form andwhen installed in they holes or openings 21 are under tension so that the heads 25am held tightly against the faces 22 and 2 3. The springs 24 accordingly operate under tension to hold the leaves of the book 11 tightly together, but when thebook is opened, 110

which is for 1111'se5 all these springsare capable of elongation and will also flex, so that the book will readily lie in open position and so that the portions of the sheet adjacent the back of the book are in such position that they may be clearly viewed.

It is a feature of the invention to form the heads 25 in the manner shown in Fig. 3, wherein we show a head 25 as consisting of a disc of thin metal, such disc being of larger diametral dimension than the spring 24 and having a notch or slot 26 extending radially inwardly from the edge thereof. Although'the disc. or plate forming the head 25 may be stamped to cup or dish form and may be given a spiral configuration, we find that it is the simpler practice of the invention to make the member 25 of a thickness and of such material that it may be deformed to desired dish shape and spiral configuration after it is applied to a spring 24 in a book.

Our simple method of binding'a book by use of springs 24 and head plates 25 will be perceived from thefollowing description, relating to Fig. 2. A length of spring material 24a, of greater length than the vertical height of the book 11, is equipped with a head. 25 at its lower end, such head 25being applied to the spring 24a by inserting it between the first and secondconvolw tions of the spring and adjusting it to a position in which it will be concentric with the axis ofthe spring. The spring 24a is then passed through the opening 21 in the book so that a portion 28 thereof'proiects from the upper face 22 of the book. By an'upward pull on the extending portion 28 of the spring 24a, the head 25 on the lower end thereof may be drawn tightly against the lower face 23 of the book, and the spring 24w may be elongated or placed under tension, the result thereof being that the convolutions of the spring, which originally may have rested in consecutive engagement, are drawn apart, as shown in Fig. 2, so that a head plate 25a may be readily moved rightwardly .or laterally between the convolutions 31 and 32 of the spring, into a position such as indicatedioy dotted lines 33. The strand of wire 34 constituting the part of the spring connecting the convol'utions 31 and 32 at this time passes through the notch or slot 26 in the head plate specifically identified as 25a. The extending portion 28 of the spring-24a is then cut off at the point 36 so that approximately a full convolution 31 is left above the plate 250., and the spring 24a. due to tension therein, will draw the plate 25a tightly against the upper face 22. Pressure may be then applied to the ends of the spring 24a and to the plates 25 engaging such ends to dish the plates in the manner shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 which illustrate a plate 25 on the upper end of a spring 24. The pressure may be applied by striking several blows with the peen end of a hammer directly to the convolution 3-1, the force or pressure thereof causing the metal wall 37 of the plate 25 adjacent the slot '26 to be depressed or deformed downwardly at the point where it is engaged by the interconnecting part 3 4 of the 5 spring. In this manner the wall 37 adjacent the slot '26 is offset axially from the wall 38 lying on the opposite side of the slot 26, and at the same time the plate 25 is dished to a form essentially as shown in Fig. 5. If desired, the extremity 40 springs are all placed in the book as shown in Fig. 1, it is ready for use, since the plates 25, after being deformed or conformed to the spiral formation of the spring ends, cannot be readily dislodged. If desired; a strip of material 42 may be placed across the back 20 of the book 11 as shown in Fig, 1, this strip-42 having edge. portions 43 and 44 folded over the members 18 constituting the rearward edges of the covers 13 and 14 and glued or cemented thereto so as to cover the ends of the springs and the plates 25, the cementing material or glue also gluing the edge portions 43 and 44 of the strip 42 to the plates 25. Accordingly, when this practice is followed, V,

it is immaterial whether the plates 25 have or have not been dished in the manner previously described, for the reason that the cement material employed in conjunction with the cementing of the edge portions 43 and 44 also serves to hold the plates from becoming disengaged from the copper, or sheet brass, may be deformed from its original fiat form, either before or after its application to the end of a spring, to correspond to the spiral formationof the adjacent convolutionsof the spring 52. 'Where the plate 5!) is employed, it is preferable to employ an auxiliary securing means therefor, such as a cemented or glued overlying strip of the character illustrated by the edge portion 43 of Fig.1. Also, in this practice of the invention the plate 50 may be of strip form so that it will extend as indicated by dotted lines 53 in Fig. 6, and such strip '53 may be secured by being cemented directly to the face of thebook with which it is employed. Also, it will be perceived that the strip indicated at 53 may extend the full length of the back and serve as ahead or end plate for engaging the ends of all of the springs employed in the book.

Although we have herein shown and described our invention in simple and practical form, it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be used in substantially the same manner to accomplish I substantially the same results; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is .not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the following claims.

We claimas our invention:

1. A device of the character described, for binding together a stack of leaves forming a book having an opening from face to face thereof, including: aspring having a head on one end thereof for engaging one face of said book when said spring extends essentially through said opening; and a washer member adapted to' be held against the other face of said book by said spring, said washer member comprising a plate having a slot open at one edge thereof whereby said washer member may be moved laterally into engagement with a convolution of said'spring, said Washer member being of r such yieldable character as to deform under pressure to correspond to the spiral formation of the part of the spring engaged by said washer member.

2. A device'of the-character described, for binding togethera stack of leaves forming a book having an opening from face to face thereof, 1.59

including: a spring having a head on one end thereof for engaging one face of said book when opening; and a head plate adapted to be held' against the other face of said book by said spring, said plate having a slot open at one side thereof so as to permit said plate to be moved laterally into a position between two adjacent convolutions of said spring with the peripheral portion of said plate extending from said spring in the mannor of a flange engaging said other face of said book, said plate being formed of a material of such yieldable character that said plate will deform under pressure to a shape corresponding to the spiral form of the portion of said spring engaged by said plate.

3. A device of the character described, for binding together a stack of leaves forming a book having an opening from face to face thereof, including: a spring having a head on one end thereof for engaging one face of said book when said spring extends essentially through said opening; and a head plate adapted to be held against the other face of said book by said spring, said plate being of a thickness adapting it to be moved into a position between adjacent convolutions of said spring with peripheral portions thereof projecting from said spring so as to provide a flange engaging said other face of said book, said plate being formed of a material of such yieldable character that said plate will deform under pressure to a shape corresponding to the spiral form of the portion of said spring engaged by said plate.

4. A device of the character described, for binding together a stack of leaves forming a book having an opening from face to face thereof, including: a spring having a head on one end thereof for engaging one face of said book when said spring extends essentially through said opening; and a head plate adapted to be held against the other face of said book by said spring, said plate being of thickness adapting it to be moved into a position between adjacent convolutions of said spring with peripheral portions thereof projecting from said spring so as to provide a flange engaging said other face of said book, and said plate being deformed where engaged by said spring to correspond to the spiral of said spring.

5. A head member for a book-binding device of the character described having a spring adapted to be extended through a hole in a book, including: a thin plate having a diametral dimension greater than the diameter of said spring, said plate having a slot open to one edge thereof for receiving the strand of said spring when said plate is in a position between adjacent convolutions of said spring, said plate being of a material and of such thickness that it will deform under pressure to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring engaged thereby.

5. A head member for a book-binding device of the character described having a spring adapted to be extended through a hole in a book, including; a thin plate having a diametral dimension greater than the diameter of said spring, said plate having a slot open to one edge thereof for receiving the strand of said spring when said plate is in a position between adjacent convolutions of said spring, the portions of said plate adjacent said slot being offset in axial direction to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring engaged by said plate.

7. A h ad member for a book-binding device of the character described having a spring adapted to be extended through a hole in a book, including: a thin plate having a diametral dimension greater than the diameter of said spring and being adapted to be moved laterally into engagement with said spring to a position adjacent convolutions of said spring with peripheral portions of said plate extending from said spring in the manner of a radial flange, said plate be ing of a material and of such thickness that it will deform under pressure to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring engaged thereby.

8. A method of binding a book consisting of a stack of leaves, ther being an opening through said book from face to face thereof for receiving a binding device, comprising: extending a spring member, having a head on one end thereof,

through opening so as to bring said head against one face of said book; stretching said spring so as to place the same under tension; inserting a thin plate member between convolutions of said spring where it extends from the other face of said book so that the plate will then be held against said other face by said spring; and cutting off said spring near the outer face of said plate.

9. A method of binding a book consisting of a stack of leaves, there being an opening through said book from face to face thereof for receiving a binding device, comprising: extending a spring member, having a head on one end thereof, through said opening so as to bring said head against one face of said book; stretching said spring so as to place the same under tension; insorting a thin plate member between convolutions of said sp ing where extends from the other face of id book so that the plate will then be held against said other face by said spring; cutting off said spring near the outer face of said plate; and applying pressure to the end of said spring and to said plate to deform said plate to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring between which said plate rests.

10. A method of binding a book consisting of a stack of leaves, there being an opening through said book from face to face thereof for receiving a binding device, coin rising: extending a spring member, having a head on one end thereof; through said opening so as to bring said head against one face of said book; stretching said spring so as to place same under tension; moving a thin plate member diametrally into a position between convolutions of said spring where it extends from the other face of said book so that the plate will then be held said other face by said spring; cutting off said spring near the outer face of said plate; and applying pressure to the end of said spring and to said plate to dish said plate and to deform said plate to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring between which said plate rests.

11. A method of binding a book consisting of a stack of leaves, there being an opening through said book from face to face thereof for receiving a binding device, comprising: extending a spring member through said opening; stretching said spring member so as to place the same under tension; moving a substantially fiat thin plate member diametrally into the space between adjacent convolutions of said spring member near the face of said book; and releasing said spring member so that the tension therein will draw said plate member against said face of said book.

12. A method of binding a book consisting of a 1,975,.srs

said spring member near the outer face of said plate; and applying pressure to the end of said spring member and to said plate member to deform said plate member to correspond to the spiral of the convolutions of said spring member between which said plate rests.

WINFRED ELMO REAVIS.

GEORGE KIRSTE.

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