US2027444A - Scoring and punching device for loose leaf covers - Google Patents

Description

s. D. LIGHT Jan. 14, 1936..

SCORING AND PUNCHING DEVICE FOR LOOSE LEAF COVERS Filed May 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

9 113% s. D, mam" E A sconme Aim) PUNCHING DEVICE FOR LOOSE LEAF covsas Filed May 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ORNEY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCORING AND PUNCHING DEVICE FOR LOOSE LEAF COVERS 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in scoring and punching devices for loose leaf covers. At the present time it is customary, after the covers have been printed and/or embossed or stamped, to place the covers one at a time in a scoring machine wherein the five or six lines along which the cover is subsequently to be folded are scored or indented in one direction. The covers are then folded by hand along the score marks, and, as two of the folds have to be made in the opposite direction to the other three or four, and in the reverse direction to the indentations made by the score marks, a slight inexactitude in the uniformity of the folded portions of the cover results. The folded covers are then each folded and fed twice into a punching machine to punch the necessary holes. Consequently ineach transverse set of four holes some of them are often found to be out of registry with the others.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a scoring and punching device whereby the scoring and all the punching of an entire cover may not only be done simultaneously, but also simultaneously with the printing and/or embossing or stamping of the cover. Thus I aim to provide a device with which considerable time and labor may be saved and greater accuracy obtained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a scoring and punching device of this character whereby the score marks are so formed that all the resultant indentations in the covers occur in the directions in which the folds are subsequently made.

The invention further aims, among other things, to provide a scoring and punching device which is relatively cheap and simple to manufacture; wherein the cooperating parts of the device may be readily mounted upon the chase and platen respectively of either a vertical or horizontal press; wherein means are provided for automatically shedding the punched-out portions of the cover from the device; wherein provision is made for setting the punches for cutting holes at any desired standard spacing to suit the size and type of loose leaf cover being made; and wherein a simple arrangement is provided for stripping the cover from the device when the holes have been punched.

With these and other objects and advantages in view which will become apparent as the speci fication proceeds, the invention is hereinafter more fully described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

.Figure v1 illustrates a perspective view of one type of printing press equipped with my scoring and punching device.

Figure 2 is another perspective view diagrammatically illustrating the setting of the die plates upon the chase, and one of the punch plates, 5

Figure 7 is a sectional view of a portion of a 15 cover scored and punched by the plates shown in Figure 6, and indicated thereon are the various portions of the cover folded in their final positions.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of a modified form 20 of die plate and punch plate in operation; in this case one die plate and one punch plate only are employed instead of two spaced die plates and two corresponding punch plates.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a portion of a 25 cover scored and punched by the plates shown in Figure 8, and indicated thereon are the various portions of the cover folded in their final positions.

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail showing a mo'diso fication.

In Figures 1 to '3 inclusive the invention is shown mounted upon one type of vertical printing press, though obviously it may be similarly mounted upon other types of vertical or horizontal presses and supported therein by appropriate means.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a portion of a conventional printing press having a chase 2 and a reciprocating platen 3. Plates or cuts 5 are secured upon the chase 2 in the usual manner by packing pieces or furniture 5 and cooperating Wedges or quoins 6. Also held upon the chase 2 by the furniture 5 and spaced from one another by other furniture 5a. are two die plates 1. Obviously the plates or cuts 4 may be of the kind used for any form of printing by which term I also include such processes as embossing and stamping. It will also be noted that the die plates l are positioned slightly beneath the plates or cuts 4 to escape contact with the inking rollernot shown.

The die plates 1--shown in detail in Figures 4 and 6-consist of die elements 8 supported upon die rests 9, and secured thereto preferably by means of screws l and dowels Formed through each die element are two longitudinally and transversely aligned sets of apertures |2 having bushings I3 therein the inner faces of which bear against the die rests 9. Thus provision is made for the ready interchange of bushings of various sizes. Formed in the outer face of each die element 8 are two grooves 14 which are substantially parallel with the longitudinal margins of the element and to one another; and parallel with these grooves l4 and substantially central of each element a projection l5 integral with the latter is formed. This projection I5 is of substantially the same cross section as that of the grooves M. The lower extremities of the die rest 9, which are usually made of channel section, project below the die elements 8, and formed through the lower extremities of the said rests intermediately of their width are open-ended slots I6.

Upon the outer face of the platen 3 packing pieces I1, usually consisting of superimposed layers of paper or cardboard, are held as by the conventional pivoted yokes 3a provided upon the sides of the platen. Two spaced punch plates it are secured to the packing ll preferably by a suitable adhesive. Each punch plate is provided upon its outer face with two integral and parallel projections I9 to register with the grooves M of one of the die plates 1, and centrally of its width each punch plate has a longitudinal groove 20 formed therein to register with the projection IE on the opposed die plate I.

Formed through the punch plates l8 are apertures 2| to receive and support the reduced extremities 22a of punches 22 which are so spaced as to be in registry with and enter the bushings l3 in the die elements 8. Concentric with the apertures 2| shallow counterbores 23 are formed in the outer faces of the punch plates I8 to receive resilient washers 24, which are generally made of cork or rubber, and which function as strippers.

The method of setting the punch plates l8 in registry with the die plates 1 is as follows: The 'die plates are first mounted upon the chase 2 in the manner already described. The punch plates |8 are then laid operatively upon the die plates, and through openings I81: and la formed through the plates I8 and 1 respectively short dowels 25 are inserted. The platen 3 with its packing H, which has previously been coated with a suitable adhesive, is then moved so that the said packing bears against the rear faces Y of the punch plates I8, and is held there until the adhesive has set. The plates 7 and I8 are then mounted in operative relation to one and the other, the platen 3 is moved away from the chase 2 and the dowels 25 are removed. Owing to the thickness of the punch plates |8 it is frequently necessary to secure additional packing l'la upon the packing I! to the sides of and between the punch plates. This is done in order to reduce the forward projection of the latter and eliminate the possibility of the cover being flexed, and thereby moved, during the printing, scoring and punching operation.

From the foregoing it will be clearly seen that by setting the punch and die plates in the manner described the cooperating grooves I4 and 20 and projections l9 and I5 form scoring indentations upon the cover A, and that all these indentations occur in the directions in which the various portions of the cover are to be folded. Again the apertures 2| for the punches 22, and the bushings |3 with which these punches coact, are set at the required intervals for standard punching so that any desired number of openings at standard spacings may be formed through the cover A simultaneously with the scoring and printing, by 5 placing punches 22 in the correct apertures 2|. The purpose of utilizing two separate sets of die and punch plates is so that each set may be spaced from the other the required distance to provide the desired width of back B for the cover. 10

Figure 8 shows the utilization of a slightly modified form of punch and die plate. In this case only one of each is employed. The die plate lid is provided with three longitudinal grooves [4d, the centre one of which is usually of somewhat greater width than the other two, and two integral projections |5d which are par allel to and positioned one on each side of the centre groove Md. The punch plate |8d has three longitudinal projections |9d to register with the grooves Mid and two longitudinal grooves 20d to register with the projections |5d. Moreover these punch and die plates are provided with four rows, instead of two, of longitudinally and transverse aligned bushings |3d and punch receiving aper- 5 tures 2|d respectively. This form of die and punch plate is employed when the cover to be scored and punched is to have no appreciable width of back and is intended to contain only a small number of pages.

When the die and punch plates 1 and I8 are mounted horizontally it is necessary to provide means for discharging cuttings from beneath the die rests 9 as they will not fall out as they do when the plates are vertically mounted. One of the ways in which I accomplish this is to close one extremity of each rest 8 with a transverse wall 38, indicated in Figure 4, and to provide a threaded opening 3| through both the element 8 and rest 9. Into that opening I screw one extremity of an air hosenot shown-and utilize air pressure for discharging the cuttings out of the slot Hi.

When covers are being made of certain kinds of material difiiculty is sometimes experienced with the cuttings which wedge in and behind the die bushings. I overcome this by providing, in such instances, cutting ejectors shown in Figure 10.

The bushing |3e is held against rearward 50 movement in the die plate 1e by a shoulder 34 formed by reducing the size of the rear portion of the aperture into which the said bushing |3e fits. The front extremity 35 of the bushing |3e is of reduced internal diameter to receive the punch with which it cooperates. Axially slidable on the bushing is an ejector 36 having its front portion of lesser diameter to slide in the front extremity 35 of the bushing; the ejector is normally held in that positioh by a spring 31 the rear extremity of which bears against a plug 38 threadedly engaged with the rear portion of the bore of the bushing |3e.

Thus when the punch moves into the bushing the ejector is moved rearwardly against the tension of the spring 31, and as the punch and die plates separate the spring returns the ejector to its advanced position and ejects the cutting.

Figure 7 illustrates the necessity of having properly aligned openings C through the cover A; through folded portions of the latter and through the said openings C pins D are inserted to retain leaves E.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it is understood that the invention is susceptible to such further alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An arrangement of the character described comprising a press having two relatively movable platens, a plate secured upon each platen so that said plates are opposed to one another, the plates having a plurality of parallel and opposed projections and grooves formed upon their c0acting faces in registering pairs to form score marks in a cover to act as guides in folding the latter, in combination with means carried by said plates for simultaneously forming through the cover pairs of openings in transverse alignment so that each pair is in registry when the cover is folded along the score marks, said openings being adapted to receive pins by which leaves are re tained between portions of the cover when folded along the score marks.

2. An arrangement of the character described comprising a press having two relatively movable platens, a plate mounted upon each platen so that the plates are opposed to one another, the plates having a plurality of parallel and. opposed. projections and grooves which constitute score markers formed upon their coacting faces to form score marks for folding a loose leaf cover, in combination with a plurality of punches carried by one plate on opposite sides of the central score marker thereon, and the opposed plate having apertures therein to receive said punches so that a plurality of aligned apertures are formed through the cover simultaneously with the score marks, said latter apertures being adapted to receive pins by which leaves are retained between folded portions of the cover.

3. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of a printing press having two relatively movable platens, a plate mounted on one platen adapted to print covers placed between the platens, other plates one mounted upon each platen, and cooperating means on said other plates for punching and scoring the covers at the same time that they are printed, said punching means operating to produce apertures at opposite sides of the scormg.

4. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of a printing press having relatively movable platens, a plate mounted on one platen to print covers placed between the platens, another plate mounted upon each platen, cooperating means on said other plates for scoring the covers at the same time that they are printed, and coacting means carried by the said other plates and arranged on opposite sides of the central scoring means thereon for punching 20 the covers on both sides of the central score mark simultaneously with the printing and scoring.

5. A means for scoring and punching flexible covers comprising two plates adapted to be ccoperatively mounted on relatively movable platens, said plates having cooperating projections and grooves formed thereon which constitute score markers so that score marks are formed thereby in a flexible cover placed between the plates when the latter are brought substantially together, in combination with punches mounted in one of the plates on opposite sides of the score marks thereon, and the other plate being apertured opposite said punches so that the covers are punched at the same time that they are scored, said punches and apertures being so arranged that the punched holes register in pairs when the cover is folded along the score marks.

SIDNEY D. LIGHT.

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