US2139118A

US2139118A - Book stitcher

Info

Publication number: US2139118A
Application number: US101593A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph J Governale
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-09-19
Filing date: 1936-09-19
Publication date: 1938-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1955-12-06

Description

Dec. 6, 1938. J. J. GOVERNALE 2,139,118

BOOK STITCHER Filed Sept. 19, 1936 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. J. GOVE RNALE 1 BOOK ST'ITCHER Dec. 6, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1936 Dec. 6, 1938.

J. J. GOVERNALE 2,139,118

BOOK STITCHE'R Filed Sept. 19, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 7 g zo 70 jg 4a 4 4 Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in book stitching machines and has special relation to machines which are adapted for securing assembled sets of signatures together by means of wire staples to form pamphlets. 7

An important object of the invention is to provide such a machine by which the pamphlets "to be stitched, that is the assembled signatures, shall be received from a continuously operating assembling machine delivery conveyor and which machine shall set the pamphlets in stitching position one after another and allow them to rest or dwell stationary in such position during the stitching or stapling operation and then deliver "the stitched pamphlets to a continuously operating conveyor for further operations thereon such for instance as applying covers to the stitched pamphlets. Another object is to provide such a machine which will be relatively quiet in operation, which shall be so constructed and operated that high speed unbalanced rotary mechanisms shall be avoided, with their inherent objectionable features; Whichshall be capable of being produced at a relatively low cost, and which shall be capable of rapidly stitching or stapling the pamphlets.

The invention resides in a machine of the character mentioned, by which the above and other benefits are attained and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, as described in the following description and as defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is. a top plan view of a book stitching mechanism embodying the invention in a form which I now consider as preferable;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the machine shown in Fig. 1, as seen from the bottom of Fig, 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine as seen from left hand end of Fig. l; and

Fig. i is an enlarged detail, fragmentary, vertical, sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

As portrayed in the drawings the book stitchingmachine, per se, is designated A, and it is associated with a delivery conveyor B at one end and a removal conveyor C at the opposite end.

The several operating mechanisms, as shown,

may be mounted on a rigid base In comprising side members it and cross members l2 rigidly connected together.

My improvements comprise the stitcher A and means whereby the books 13 are taken from the conveyor B, set in stitching position on the 'stitcher, allowed to remain stationary at the stitching position long enough for the stitching operation, and they are then moved forward into position for engagement by the removal con- Veyor C.

The improvements include a stitcher frame 14 mounted on the base 10 and comprising a front side frame it? a rear side frame i6 and the two connected rigidly by suitable cross-bars 11.

The books, or pamphlets l3, represent assembled sets of signatures and they are carried by the conveyor standing on their backs or rear edges is on a guide bar or plate I9 and stand vertically on'the bar I9, being held in such vertical position by side guide bars 20, which together with the support 19, form a line of travel for the books 13.

The books are carried to the stitcher A by the conveyor B which includes a continuous conveyor chain 2! provided with spaced book engaging projections which are arranged to push the books along the book guide to a position where they can be engaged by a reciprocating book moving means which forms part of the book stitching machine proper. The chain conveyor 21 is trained around a guide sheeve 23 and returns down around a lower guide sheeve 24 so that the projections iii are carried down out of the line of travel of the books.

The reciprocating book moving mechanism of the stitcher A comprises a longitudinally reciprocating bar 25 which, as shown, is a cylindrical bar and may properly be a piece of tubing. This bar is mounted in guides 26 adjacent to the conveyor 33, and .21 adjacent to the conveyor C and is moved longitudinally in proper timed relation to the other mechanisms by a vertical lever 28 pivotally mounted at its lower end at 29 on the base It and operatively connected to the bar 25 by links 36 which straddle the upper end of the lever 28 and the bar 25 and are pivotally connected to the bar by means of a sleeve 31 rotatable on the bar and held between collars 32 which are rigidly secured to the bar. The links are connected to the sleeve by pivot pins 33.

The lever 28 is swung back and forth to move the bar 25 back and forth by means of a connecting rod 3a, which is pivotally connected at one end to the lever 28 between its ends at 35 and at the opposite end is connected by a crank pin 36 to a crank disk 31 rotatably secured on a cross shaft (til.

The bar guides 528 and 21 each comprise a pair of rotatably mounted grooved guide wheels 39-40 between which the bar 25 is held. The bar 25 can be rotated on its axis in the guides 26-41 and within the connection 3| to the upper end of the lever 28, The bar carries projections 4| and 42 which project at right angles from the bar 25 and are rigidly mounted in collars 43 and 44, respectively, which are adapted to be rigidly secured in position on the bar 25 as by set screws 45.

These projections are dropped down behind the books when the bar 25 is moved to the rearward limit of its movement and as the bar is moved forward to move the books forward one step, and are then swung out of the path of the books so that they can return to their first posi tions to engage the next books in the series. I provide means for rocking the bar 25 back and forth through about sixty degrees to move the projections into and out of the path of the books |3.

For this purpose I provide a toothed pinion 46 secured rigidly on the bar 25 and which meshes with an elongated segmental gear 41 mounted for oscilation on a longitudinally extending shaft 48. The shaft 48 is rotatably mounted in bearings 49 secured to the frame of the stitcher A.

For oscillating the shaft 48 the shaft is provided with a rigid crank arm 50 connected by a link 5| to a crank arm 52 rigidly mounted on a longitudinally arranged shaft 53 carried in suitable bearings on the machine frame. This shaft 53 carries a rigid arm 54 which is provided with a cam roller 55 on its free end which contacts a cam disk 56 rigidly mounted on the shaft 38. The cam disk 56 is arranged to move the cam roller up when the bar 25 reaches the forward limit of its longitudinal movement and to move it down at the rearward limit of its longitudinal movement thus moving the projections 4| out of the path of the books at the forward limit of movement and down into the path of the books at the i=rearward limit of the movement of the bar 25.

The arrangement is such that as the projections 4| and 42 are swung down into the path of the books they are at the rear ends respectively of a book just deliveredby the conveyor B and also 1 at the rear end of the book which was left in the stitching position upon the last forward movement of the bar 25. While the bar 25 is on its rearward movement the book in the stitching position is operated upon by stitcher heads 51, which are arranged on the stitcher A and as the construction and operation of such stitcher heads is well known in the art they need not be further described herein, except to say that they are adjustable as to their spacing and their number to properly stitch books presented to them.

Opposite the stitchers 51 is a rigid guide bar 58 which serves as an anvil for the stitching operation.

The book engaging projection 4| moves the books, as delivered by the conveyor B, to the stitching position where they dwell to permit the stitchers to act and then the second book engaging projection 42 engages the stitched book and moves it forward one step so that it can be engaged by the removal conveyor C.

The conveyor C, similar to the conveyor B, comprises a conveyor chain 59 provided with book engaging projections similar to those on the conveyor chain 2| and the chain is trained around an upper chain wheel 59 whereby the upper stretch 6|) of the chain passes along adjacent to the path of the books and it is also trained around a lower chain wheel 6|. The arrangement is such that each book engaging projection on the chain 59 rises up into the path of the books just after a book has been moved forward by the second projection 42 on the reciprocating bar 25.

For applying power for driving the machine I provide a drive shaft 62 which extends transversely of the machine and is mounted in suitable bearings. This shaft is driven at proper speed by any suitable means not shown.

For operatively connecting the drive shaft 62 to the main shaft 38 I make the disk 31 in the form of a toothed gear and I provide a cooperating toothed pinion 63 fixed on the drive shaft.

For the purpose of causing the two conveyors B and C to operate in proper timed relation I operatively connect these conveyors by a chain 64 trained around a chain wheel 65 fixed on the shaft 66 of the lower chain wheel 24 of the conveyor B and a chain wheel 61 fixed on the shaft 68 of the lower chain wheel 6| of the conveyor C.

The operation is a step by step movement of the books past the stitching heads, the books stopping in the stitching position and the stitcher heads operating upon the books during this resting period.

As many modifications of the invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art I do not limit or confine the invention to the specific details of construction and operation herein shown and described except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The invention herein described and comprising means for moving books to be stitched step by step along a line of travel past a stitching position and including a reciprocal bar, means for moving the bar forward and back to an amount equal to the length of one step, a pair of book engaging projections rigidly carried by the bar and spaced thereon equal to one step of book advancement, means for partially rotating the bar in one direction at the rearward limit of its movement to engage the projections behind the books to be moved, and means for partially rotating the bar in the opposite direction at the forward limit of its movement to disengage the projections from the books, whereby the book dwells at the stitching position.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, and a delivery conveyor for setting the books in position to be engaged by one of said projections, and a removal conveyor, the other projection arranged and adapted to move the books into position to be engaged thereby.

3. In a book stitching machine of the kind described, a longitudinal'book guide-way comprising vertical side walls and a bottom plate, the side walls spaced apart sufficiently to permit the free passage between them of bunches of signatures in vertical position with their backs in contact with said bottom plate, a step by step reciprocating book advancing conveyor adapted to be moved back and forth the length of one step, arranged and adapted to contact the rear ends of the signatures and adapted to push them forward in loose condition. along the guide-way one step from a receiving position to a stitching position upon one forward movement thereof, stitching mechanism at the stitching position arranged and adapted to stitch the signatures together at the stitching position, said book advancing means also arranged and adapted to advance the books along said guide-way a second step from the'stitching position to a delivery position upon the next forward movement thereof after the signatures are stitched together.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, the reciprocating book advancing means provided with an abutment adjacent its rear end adapted to be engaged behind a bunch of signatures at the rear position of the book advancing means and with a similar abutment adjacent its forward end adapted to be engaged behind the stitched books at the stitching position.

5. In a book stitching machine of the kind described, a substantially horizontal guide way along which books are adapted to be advanced longitudinally and in vertical position on their back edges in two successive steps, first from a receiving position to a stitching position, and second from the stitching position to a removal position, book advancing means including a reciprocating bar arranged substantially parallel with said guide way, means for moving the bar back and forth substantially the length of one step, lateral projections on the bar spaced apart substantially the length of one step, and means for positioning said projections in the path of the books and behind same at the rearward limit of the movement of said bar in position to push the books forward along said guide way and for removing the projections from the path of the books at the forward limit of the movement of said bar as and for the purpose specified.

6. The invention as defined in claim 3, the step by step reciprocating book advancing means comprising a reciprocating longitudinal member, an abutment thereon adapted to be positioned transversely across said guide-way at the receiving position behind a loosely associated bunch of signatures and push them one step forward to a stitching position, and a second similar abutment thereon adapted to be engaged behind the signatures at the stitching position and push them one step forward to a delivery position.

JOSEPH J. GOVERNALE.