US2930054A - Method and apparatus for binding books and forming plastic binding elements therefor - Google Patents

Description

March 29, 1960 P, BARDY 2,930,054

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING BOOKS AND FORMING PLASTIC BINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. PETER J. BARDY March 29, 1960 P. J. BARDY 2,930,054

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING BOOKS AND FORMING PLASTIC BINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

PET E R J. BA R DY A ORNEYS March 29, 1960 P. J. BARDY ms'moo AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING sooxs AND FORMING PLASTIC BINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 12, 1957 INVENTOR.v

PET ER J. BARDY ITJ AT RNEYS March 29, 1960 p, BARDY 2,930,054

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING BOOKS AND FORMING PLASTIC BINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 L; 55 \84/55 n ft:

PETER J. BARDY ATT NEYS United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING BOOKS AND FORMING PLASTIC BINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR Peter J. Bardy, Park Ridge, 111., assignor to General Bindifillg Corporation, N orthbrook, Ill., a corporation of inois Application September 12, 1957, Serial No. 683,555

6 Claims. (Cl. 11-1 A and efficient process for forming comb-like plastic blanks into binding elements which consists in the curling of the binding elements while cold and during formingthereof efiecting a book binding operation and setting the binding elements to their curled form by sealing the elements by heat.

, A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide a more efficient apparatus for curling comb-like plastic planks when cold and binding a stack of sheets during the curling operation, and setting the blanks in their curled form by heat.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a comb-like blank prior to forming in its curled form;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a curled binding element, having a stack of sheets bound thereon;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of a forming and binding apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention; I

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the forward portion of the apparatus looking at the apparatus along line IV-IV of Figure '3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus looking substantially along line V-V of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an end view of the apparatus, looking at the apparatus toward the forward end thereof;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VII-VII of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the ap paratus in side elevation with certain parts shown in section;

Figure 9 is an end view of the rear forming anvils; and

Figure 10 is an end view of the front top forming anvil.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a comb-like blank 10 is shown in Figures 1 and 2 as having a back portion or back bone 11 from which extend a plurality of parallel spaced relatively long fingers 12, curled by the apparatus and process of the invention while cold and impaling a stack of sheets 13 and dielectrically sealed to retain the blank to its curled form and retain the stack of sheets thereto.

The blank 10 may be made from a sheet of thermoplastic material, such as the vinyl chlorides or vinyl acetates, known to the trade as Vinylite, or the cellulose acetates, butyrates and ethyl-cellulose. It may also be made from various other vinyl resins and from nylon compounds, as well as any other suitable material desired.

The apparatus for carrying out the process of the invention, as herein shown, includes a base 15 having a base plate 16 supported in vertically spaced relation with respect to the ground and having a frame 17 mounted on top thereof and extending vertically therefrom. The frame 17 has a cylinder 18 mounted thereon adjacent the upper end thereof, and shown as being inclined downwardly toward the forward end portion of the base. The

cylinder 18 has a piston 19 therein having a piston rod 20 extending therefrom and extensible from the head end of the cylinder, to operate a feed plate 21, feeding a comb-like blank 10 from the top of a stack of blanks in a feeder 23 to a forming anvil 25, forming the blanks to their curled form.

The cylinder 18 and piston 19 may bewell known forms of cylinders and pistons, preferably air operated, to positively feed the blanks to the forming arbor 25 at the selection of the operator of the machine.

i The piston rod 20 is shown as having a connector 27 threaded on its outer end and locked thereto as by a lock nut 29. The feeder plate 21 for the blanks 10 is shown in Figure 5 as extending within a slotted portion of the connector 27 and as being secured thereto as by pins 31, which may be roll pins. The feeder plate 21 is slidably guided within a guide plate 32, secured at its forward end to the inclined top surface of a frame 33 for the feeder 23, as by machine screws 35. The guide plate 32 has spaced ribs 36 extending along opposite sides thereof and depending therefrom and abutted by a retainer plate 37, secured to the undersides of the ribs 36 as by nuts and bolts 38. The ribs 36 thus space the top surface of the retainer plate 37 beneath the undersurface of the guide plate 32 to form a slot slidably receiving and guiding the feeder plate 21.

The feeder 23 consists in the inclined frame 33 mounted on the base plate 16 and extending upwardly therefrom and inclined toward the forward end portion of the apparatus in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the guide plate 32, and positioning the top surface of the frame 33 parallel to the plane of the guide plate 32. The inclined frame 33 has a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 39 formed therein, spaced to receive the fingers 12 of the blanks 10, and having a pusher plate 40 slidably guided therein. The pusher plate 40 has a back 41"with fingers 43 extending forwardly therefrom through the slots 39 and forms a support for a stack of blanks. 10 carried in the slots 39, and biases the top blank of the stack of blanks upwardly into engagement with the undersurface ,of the guide plate 32, in position to be pushed by the feeder plate 21 to the anvil 25, upon the admission of fluid under pressure to the head end of the cylinder 18. t

The pusher plate 40 has a plurality of guide pins 44 mounted on the fingers 43 thereof and extending downwardly therefrom within compression springs 45, mounted in the base portion of the frame 33, and biasing the pusher plate 40 toward the guide plate 32.

Supported on the base plate 16 in advance of the feeder 23 is a frame 47 having an inclined frame portion 49 having a guide slot 50 extending therealong in registry with the top surface of the frame 33 and the undersurface of the guide plate 32 to receive and guide the blanks to a slot 51 leading within the anvil 25 tangential to a curved inner surface 57 thereof.

The anvil 25 includes a frame 55 mounted on the base plate 16 in advance of the frame 47 and having an inclined surface 56 forming the bottom of the slot 51 and leading to an arcuateanvil surface 57 tangentially thereof. The frame 55 has upright arms 52 extending up wardly from the inclined surface 56 adjacent opposite ends thereof and having a rear top anvil 59 mounted therebetween. The rear top anvil 59 has a forward ad vance face 60 terminating at its lower end into an arouate anvil surface 61' forming a continuation of the anvil surface 57 of the frame 55. Bearing blocks 63 are mounted at each side of the frame 55 and extend later ally and forward therefrom and are drilled coaxially with the center about which the anvil surfaces 61 and 57 are formed and form a support for an arbor 65, about which the fingers 12 of the blank are curled. The frame 55 is drilled from the bottom thereof at a plurality of spaced points along axes perpendicular to the plane of the surface 56 as indicated by reference character 53. The holes 58 register with the backbone 11 and fingers 12 of the binding element or blank 19 and open through the anvil face 57 to slidably receive probes 66 engaging the backbone and pressing the curled fingers of the binding element into engagement with the arbor 65. The probes 66 form one electrode for the dielectric sealing means while the arbor 65 forms the other electrode for sealing the backbone to the curled fingers of the binding element, as will hereinafter be more fully explained as this specification proceeds.

The anvil 25 also includes a forward base anvil portion 69 slidably guided in guides 72'. extending along the base plate 16 and abutting the forward face of the frame 55 and having an arcuate anvil surface 76 forming a continuation of the anvil surface 57. A pin 78 is provided to lock the anvil 69 in position. The forward base anvil portion 69 has spaced support cars 71 extending angularly outwardly and forwardly therefrom, and forming a support for a pivot pin 73 forming a pivotal support for a forward top anvil 75. The top anvil 75 has an arcuate surface 76 forming a continuation of the anvil surface 70 and is pivotally mounted on the pin 73, to accommodate opening of the anvil to the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3. The forward top anvil 75 has a rear vertically extending face 79 spaced forwardly of the forward face 69 of the anvil 59, and with the forward face 69 forming a slot to receive the stack of sheets to be bound, indicated in Figures 2 and 3 and designated by reference character 13.

The arbor 65 may be formed from cold rolled copper or a like material having electrical conducting properties, and as previously mentioned forms an electrode for the dielectric sealing of the fingers 12 to the backbone of the binder. The arbor 65, as herein shown, has a slot 80 formed therein and extending therealong to receive the stack of sheets 13 and to recess the stack of sheets Within said arbor to a depth sutficient to accommodate the binding fingers 12 of the binding element to pass through the punched portions of the sheets.

It should here be understood that the sheets to be bound are usually punched with rectangular holes sulficiently large to receive the fingers of the binding element with sufficient clearance between the fingers to accommodate the fingers to be freely inserted through the rectangular holes (Figure 2). The arbor 65 has a knurled head 81, accommodating the placing of the arbor within and removal of the arbor from the drilled portions of the blocks 63. Insulating bushings 82 carried in the blocks 63 are provided to insulate said arbor from said blocks.

The anvil surface 76 of the forward top anvil 75 is shown as having a plurality of spaced slots or recessed portions 83 formed therein and registering with the fingers 12 of the blank 10 and the rectangular punched portions of the sheets of the stack of sheets. Each slot 83 has a curved guide finger 85 mounted therein and extending forwardly therefrom and adapted to have the rectangular punched portions of the stack of sheets 13 impaled thereon. The fingers 85 have ribs 84 extending along their edges and engaging the sides of he fingers 12 to retain the fingers to pass through the slots of the stack of sheets. The inner surfaces of said fingers between the ribs 84 form continuations of the arc of the anvil surfaces 57 and 70 to continue curling of the fingers as they pass through the rectangular punched portions of the stack of sheets 1'3.

Spring pressed pins 86 mounted in the forward top mandrel 75 and spaced outwardly of the stack of sheets 13, are provided to slidably engage apertured portions of the rear top anvil portion 59 when the forward top anvil is in its closed position andthe anvil 69 is moved along the guide 72 and locked in position with respect thereto by the locking pin 78.

Dielectric sealing of the fingers 12 to the backbone of the binder is attained by the fusion probes 66, slidably guided in the drilled holes 58 in the anvil frame 55, for slidable movement therealong into engagement with the backbone 11 of the binding element. The fusion probes 66 may be made from copper or a like conductor and are mounted on a probe bar 88 carried on an insulator bar 89, slidably guided within a slotted portion 90 of a cylinder housing 91. The cylinder housing 91 is mounted on the bottom of the base plate 16. The slotted portion 90 of the cylinder housing registers with an aligned slotted portion 92 formed in the base plate 16, which in turn registers with the drilled portions 58 of the frame 55. The cylinder housing 91 has an inner cylindrical wall 93 opening to the slot 90 and having a piston 94 movable therealong and sealed thereto as by an O-ring seal 95. An end plate 96 for the cylinder housing 91 closes the open end portion of the cylindrical wall 93 and has an inlet 97 leading thereinto, for supplying fluid under pressure to the piston 94, to effect engagement of the ends of the probes 66 with the backbone of the binding element and engage the fingers of the binding element with the arbor 65, to effect heat sealing of the backbone of the binder to the fingers thereof. A spring 98 is provided to return the probes 66 upon the release of pressure from the cylinder 93.

As has previously been mentioned, the probes 66 form one electrode for heat sealing the backbone 11 to the fingers 12 of the binding element, while the arbor 65 forms the other electrode. As herein shown, the probes are-energized through the frame which is grounded, as indicated by reference character 99. The arbor 65 is suitably connected with the other conductor of the dielectric energizing circuit. The probes 66 and arbor 65 may be suitably energized by a high frequency electric current in any well known manner to effect the heat sealing operation, and no part of the present invention, so not herein shown or described further.

In carrying out the process of the invention, a stack of blanks 10 may first be placed on the pusher plate 40 of the blank feeder 23, with the fingers of the blanks extending along the fingers 43 of the pusher plate 40 within the slots 39. The anvils 69 and being positioned along the guides 72 away from the anvil 55 and the upper forward anvil 75 being in the open position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, the stack of sheets to be bound may be impaled on the fingers 85. Anvils 69 and 75 may then be moved to abut the anvil 69 with the anvil 55 and the pin 78 may lock the anvils 69 and 75 in position. The forward top anvil 75 may then be pivoted downwardly to bring the sheets 13 into the slot in the arbor 65. The anvil 75 may then be looked in the closed position shown by solid lines in Figure 1, by the locking pins 86. Fluid under pressure may then be admitted to the head end of the cylinder 18 to move the feeder plate 21 downwardly along the underside of the guide plate 32 to pick off a top blank 10 of the stack of blanks and positively feed the top blank through slots 50 and 51 along the 'anvil 25 and along the fingers between the ribs 84 thereof. The fingers 85 extending through the rectangular punched portions of the stack of sheets serve to guide the fingers 12 through the punched portions of the stack of sheets and around the cylindrical anvil forming surface until the fingers 12 pass under the backbone of the binder as the feeding operation continues. The binder will now be in its curled form. Fluid under pressure, such as air, may then be admitted to the head end of the cylinder 93 to effect engagement of the probes 66 with the backbone of the binder and to press the fingers 12 of the binder into engagement with the arbor 65. The probes 66, and

out departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

I claim as my invention:

l. A method of binding a stack of punched sheets comprising the steps of placing a stack ofpunched sheets on an arbor and confining the sheets by the arbor with the punched portions thereof in alignment with the periphery of the arbor, feeding a cold flat plastic blank having a back and parallel fingers extending therefrom toward the arbor and curling the fingers about the arbor during the feeding operation when cold, and during the curling of the fingers, guiding the fingers to pass through the punched portions of the sheets and continuing curling thereof and bringing the free ends of the fingers into underlapping relation with respect to the back of the blank, and then heat sealing the fingers to the inside of the back of the blank.

2. An automatic plastic blank forming and book binding apparatus, comprising a base frame, an anvil having an internal generally cylindrical forming surface having a feed slot leading tangentially thereinto, means for feeding a flat comb-like blank having a back and fingers extending therefrom along said slot into said anvil in the direction of the fingers thereof, an arbor extending along the forming surface of said anvil in radially inwardly spaced relation with respect thereto and adapted to be engaged by a stack of punched sheets, and a probe slidably guided in said anvil for engagement with a curled blank and cooperating with said arbor and being energizable at a high frequency for heat sealing'the blank into its curled form.

3. An automatic plastic blank forming and book binding apparatus, comprising a base frame, an anvil having an internal generally cylindrical forming surface having a feed slot leading tangentially thereinto, means for feeding a fiat comb-like blank having a back and fingers extending therefrom along said slot into said anvil in the direction of the fingers thereof, an arbor extending along the forming surface of said anvil in radially inwardly spaced relation with respect thereto and adapted to be engaged by a stack of punched sheets, a plurality of probes made from a conducting material slidably guided in said anvil, each probe being in alignment with a finger of said blank and said probes cooperating with said arbor and being energizable at a high frequency for heat sealing the blank to its curled form, and means selectively operable to exert pressure on said probes to engage said probes with the curled blank and press the curled blank into engagement with said arbor during the heat sealing operation.

4. An automatic plastic blank forming and book binding apparatus, comprising a base frame, an anvil having an internal generallycylindrical forming surface having a feed slot leading tangentially thereinto, means feeding flat comb-like blanks having a back and fingers extending therefrom along said slot into said anvil in the direction of the fingers thereof, an arbor extending along the forming surface of said anvil in radially inwardly spaced relation with respect thereto and forming a support for a stack of punched sheets, said anvil having a hinged portion pivotally movable to accommodate the insertion and removal of a stack of sheets, the hinged portion of said anvil having fingers extending therefrom and forming continuations of the cylindrical anvil surface of the anvil and so constructed and arranged as to extend through the punched portions of a stack of sheets to be bound and to bring the stack of sheets into position to be bound upon downward movement of said hinged portion to a closed position, and said fingers having concave guide surfaces engaged by the fingers of the blanks and having ribs extending along each side thereof inwardly of said concave surfaces and guiding the fingers against lat eral displacement, a plurality of probes slidably guided in said arbor and corresponding in number to the number of teeth in the blank and positioned to be in alignment with the teeth curled about said arbor and being energizable to heat seal said back to said fingers, and fluid pressure operated means for engaging said probes with the curled blank.

5. In an apparatus for forming flat comb-like plastic blanks having a back and parallel fingers extending therefrom into a circular form and during the forming operation thereof impaling a stack of sheets therewith, a base frame, an anvil mounted on said base frame and having an internal generally cylindrical forming surface, an arbor extending along said forming surface of said anvil in radial inwardly spaced relation with respect thereto, said arbor having a slot extending therealong to receive a stack of punched sheets, a slot in said anvil in alignment with the slot in said arbor, accommodating the placing of a stack of sheets in the slot in said arbor, a feed slot in said anvil leading tangentially to the cylindrical anvil surface thereof, feeding means feeding a plastic blank along said slot in the direction of the fingers thereof to first engage the fingers with the cylindrical surface of said anvil and conform said fingers thereto and to continue the forming operation of said fingers by feeding said fingers along said surface, and during forming of said fingers impaling a stack of sheets thereon, guide fingers conforming to the cylindrical surface of said anvil and extending across the sheet receiving slot therein and retaining the fingers from lateral displacement while passing across the sheet receiving slot to assure the impaling of the sheets in said sheet receiving slot on said fingers, a plurality of probes slidably mounted in said anvil to extend in the space between said anvil and arbor for engagement with the back of the blank and pressing said back into engagement with the underlapping fingers of the blank, and means selectively operable to engage said probes with the back of the curled blank and to press the back and fingers of the curled blank into engagement with said arbor, said probes and arbor being electrical conductors and being energizable at high frequencies to heat seal the blank into its curled form.

6. An automatic plastic binder-forming and book-binding apparatus, comprising a base frame,'an anvil having an internal generally cylindrical forming surface with a feed slot leading tangentially thereinto, means for feeding a plurality of spaced plastic fingers along said slot into said anvil with the fingers extending transversely thereof whereby said fingers curl into a ring-like configuration with an overlapping portion, an arbor extending along the forming surface of said anvil in radially inwardly spaced relation with respect thereto, heat sealing probe means slidably guided in said anvil for engagement with the overlapping portions of each finger and cooperating with said arbor and being energizable for heat sealing said overlapping portions, and means positioning a plurality of stacked sheets having perforations along one edge thereof in position in said anvil with'the perforations aligned with said forming surface whereby said fingers pass through said perforations when fed into said anvil via said tangential feed slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,273,824 Barrett Feb. 24, 1942 2,570,921 Collins Oct. 9, 1951 2,571,525 Blitstein 0a. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENIS 204,168 Australia May 24, 1956

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