US2900093A - Bookbinding machines - Google Patents

Description

Aug, 18, 1959 J. B. R. FRENCH BOOKBINDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1957 Inventor Attorney Aug. 18, 1959 1. B. R. FRENCH 2,900,093

BOOKBINDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Z/D/VEL dawiem/vrf/af/mrfimm Attorney UnitedStates Patent 7 2,900,093 BOOKBINDING MACHINES Lionel John Bryant Rushent French, London, England Application February 27, 1957, Serial No. 642,710. Claims priority, application Great March 2, 1956 2 Claims. 01. 214-1 The machine forming the subject of the present invention is intended for the combined operations of the processes known as unsewn binding and lining of books.

The process of unsewn binding is one in which the folded sections, or loose sheets, composing the complete book, or pad, instead of being wire stitched or sewn with thread, have the back folds of thespine of the book removed in such a manner as to provide ready absorption of. an adhesive, which, when dried, securely joins the of the books as they emerge from the machine. Hitherto, the books as they left the conveyor were picked up and stacked by hand, but'it is proposed with the aid of the present invention to provide means whereby the books will be automatically, stacked, the books being untouched by hand until a predetermined number have been stacked, the stacked books being then removed from a platform at the end of the machine.

According to the present invention, in a bookbinding machine of the kind in which the books are conveyed in succession between two conveyor belts, the books resting cut edges of the sheets together sufiiciently firmly for r the book to be usedin the normal manner. his usual to cover the glued spine of such a book with a strip of paper or cloth, the latter being used when it is desired to subsequently round and joint the book.

A machine of the prment invention is very similar in general design and construction to that forming the subject of my British Patent No. 728,221 with, however, the following additions and modifications. Firstly, the

machine is considerably increased in length to provide space for the unsewn binding device and longer drying time for the books in the machine before they are ejected.

The unsewn binding device consists of a multi-tooth rotary cutter transposed horizontally below the conveyors ofthe machine in such a position that books passing spine downwards through the conveyors can have the back folds of the sections removed by the rapidly rotating cutter. The plate on which the books are fed into the machine is mounted on ramps so that it can be rapidly adjusted to vary the amount removed by the cutter from the backs of the sections. This cutter is suitably surrounded by a shrouding piped to a centrifugal extractor fan so that the fine swarf removed from the sections is driven through the fan and subsequently allowed to fall'into the packing device, the air being allowed to escape through a suitable filter. The packing, device consists of an Archimedean screw which drives the swarf towards an outlet over which is fixed a sack or bag. The action of the screw is to pack the swarf tightly into the sack or bag and thus very substantially reduce the amount of space which is otherwise required to accommodate it.

The arrangements for glueing the back of the book and lining are similar to those forming the subject of said Patent No. 728,221 but as a matter of convenience the glue tank is arranged to extract at right angles to the conveyors, being mounted on slidable runners. To ensure adequate glueing of the book back, two rollers are used, the second of which may have a series of spiral flutes cut in its peripheral surface, the effect of this being to rub the cut edges of the book slightly open to permit the glue to penetrate between them; this is a desirable feature on certain types of paper.

The books having been glued and lined continue their passage through the machine, the lining between each book being severed in the manner disclosed by the specification and drawings of said Patent No. 728,221.

The present invention is concerned with the stacking on their spines, I provide a subsidiary conveyor at the discharge end of the main conveyor and running at a higher linear speed, a stacking head on to which the,

books pass one by one from the auxiliary conveyor, the stacking head being movable laterally to allow each book to fall on its spine on to a stacking platform and to move each book laterally out of the way of the next succeeding book until a predetermined number of books have been assembled side by side on the stacking platform.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the delivery end of a bookbinding machine incorporating the inventio-n;

Figure 2 is aplan view;

Figure 3 is a section on the line A-B in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on the line CD in Figure 3 drawn to an enlarged scale;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the machine; and

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views showing the stacking operation.

In the bookbinding machine illustrated, the books pass through the machine spine downwards between a pair of conveyor belts 1. Just prior to leaving the conveyor belts 1, the backs contact the belt 2 of a faster moving conveyor mounted at a lower level than conveyor belts 1. In this way, the books which are following one another in close succession between belts .1 will have the space between them increased to secure time to deal with each book separately, the increase in speed of conveyor belt 2 over belts 1 being determined by the minimum size of book being dealt with. Instead of the moving belt conveyor, a series of driven rollers may be used.

Vertically positioned delivery guides 3 are provided on each side of belt 2 which maintain the books vertically, the distance separating the guides being adjustable to suit books of different thicknesses.

As each book leaves the delivery belt 2, it runs on to a stacking head 4 set at a slightly lower level, the rear end of the book depressing a trigger 5 (see particularly Figure 6) pivotally mounted at 6, the trigger actuating a micro-switch 7 which in turn energises a solenoid 8 which brings into operation a single cycle clutch illustrated in detail in Figures 4 and 5.

The clutch includes a toothed driving member 9 carried by a shaft 10 forming the output shaft of a gearbox 11 the input shaft of which is driven from one of the pulleys 12. The driven member of the clutch includes a segmental shaped plate 13 carried by a sleeve 14 which in turn carries a disc 15. The plate 13 carries a pawl 16 pivoted at 17 and a pawl actuating member 18 in turn pivotally mounted at 19, the pawl and pawl actuating member being interconnected by a coil spring 20 which will tend to move the actuating member about its pivotal point and as a result of its interengagement with the pawl in the manner shown in Figure 4 will move the latter into engagement with the teeth of the driving member 9. Such movement is normally prevented by the rod 21, i.e. the moving member of solenoid 8, but when the solenoid IC6 Patented Aug. 18,1959- is energised, rod 21 moves clear of the part 18 and allows pawl 16 to engage component 9 thereby causing the driven member 13 to move through one revolution. Retraction of rod 21 is only momentary, and consequently as the actuating member nears the termination of its totational movement, it will again-engage the rod 21 which then forms a fixed stop and returns the actuating member 18 to its initial position causing pawl 16 to disengage and break the driving connection between parts 9 and 13.

The part 13 carries a projecting stop member 22 which, as a result of its engagement with part 18, permits angular movement of the latter in one direction only.

Disc 15 carries an eccentrically positioned crankpin 23 which is universally jointed at 24 (see Figure 2) to a link 25 in turn universally jointed at 26 to one end of a lever 27 which is pivoted about the point 28.

The lever 27 is interconnected with one of two parallel arms 29 which are pivotally connected at 30 to a lateral projection .31 on a stacking head 32 (see particularly Figures 2 and 6).

The stacking head is of the angle shape shown in end elevation in Figure 6 and carries the trigger 5, the microswitch 7 being mounted on a fixed part of the machine and being operated by the gravity loaded switch arm 33.

Consequently, as the book leaves the conveyor belt 2 it falls on to the horizontal part of the stacking head, depresses trigger and actuates switch 7. As a result of the energisation of solenoid 8, rod 21 is momentarily withdrawn to impart a single rotation of disc 15 which, as a result of its connection with the stacking head, will move it to the left (see Figure 5), clear of the book, and allow the latter to fall on to platform 40'. At the same time, trigger 5 will be permitted to resume its nor.- mal position thus allowing switch arm 33 to fall under gravity to break the electric circuit. The stacking head during the second half of the movement of disc 15 will then engage the book and move it laterally to the right of Figure 6, the stacking head then remaining stationary until the next succeeding book operates the trigger.

The stacking of the books is diagrammatically shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, and it will be seen that each book, as it is moved laterally by the stacking head, overrides a lightly spring urged pawl 34 which holds the book in an upright position in one direction, the opposite side of the book contacting a lightly spring loaded retaining arm 35 pivotally mounted at the point 36. The pawl 34 projects through an opening 37 in the vertical part of the stacking head and in the case of large books is not used, as the book previously stacked will be held upright by the succeeding book on the stacking head.

When a determined number of books have been stacked side by side, a projection 38 on the arm 35 operates a micro-switch 39 which closes an electrical circuit containing an electric bell, to give an audible warning to the 4 machine operator that the pile of stacked books should be removed and placed on a-trolley or skip.-

The pile of books removed can then be trimmed, preferably en bloc.

With certain types of adhesive it is preferable to heat the stacking platform which can then conveniently be of box form and heated electrically. The action of dropping the books on to the stacking platform on their spines knocks them up square on their spines, in which position they will be maintained whilst on the platform.

I claim: V

1. In a bookbinding machine a pair of parallel, horizontally spaced, main conveyor belts between which the books are conveyed horizontally in closely spaced, endto-end relationship spine downwards, a subsidiary conveyor belt adjacent the discharge end of and below the main conveyor belts onto which the books pass in succession before leaving the main conveyor belts, means for driving the subsidiary conveyor belt in the same general direction and at a higher speed than the main conveyor belts whereby each book will be speeded up just before leaving the latter, a stacking head having a top portion on to which the books pass one by one from the auxiliary conveyor, means for retaining a book in spine downwards position while on the top portion of said stacking head, a stacking platform lying beneath the stacking head adapted to hold a horizontal stack of books, means for moving the stacking head. laterally from beneath a book thereon to permit said book to fall spine downwards on to the stacking platform and for returning said stacking head to its initial position to receive the next succeeding book, at the same time moving the book on the stacking platform laterally to leave sufiicient space for the next succeeding book to fall on to the platform from the stacking head when the latter is next moved.

2. A bookbinding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the top portion of said stacking head is positioned slightly below a book carried on said auxiliary conveyor, switch means positioned adjacent the end of the stacking head nearest said auxiliary conveyor for controlling the movement of said stacking head whereby said switch means is operated only by the trailing end of a book after it leaves said conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wells Dec. 6, 1955

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