WO1997021551A1

WO1997021551A1 - Document binding system

Info

Publication number: WO1997021551A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1996/000138
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ross Norrice Davies
Original assignee: Personal Expressions Limited
Priority date: 1995-12-12
Filing date: 1996-12-10
Publication date: 1997-06-19
Also published as: AU1042997A

Abstract

A binding system comprises a jacket (1) having a spine (8) with a bed of adhesive (4) extending on either side of the spine. The sheets to be bound are formed into a stack (6) and are fastened adjacent one edge of the stack (7). The edge of the stack is applied to the adhesive bed on the spine and the sides of the jacket are folded to adhere at least a portion of each face of the outer sheet of the stack to the adhesive which extends outwardly from the spine.

Description

DOCUMENT BINDING SYSTEM

Field of the Invenαon

This invention relates to an improved method of book binding and to apparatus for use in creating a booklet.

It is known to make a booklet from a jacket which is folded at about the mid point with part of the interior face of the jacket m the region of the area that will form the spine, being provided with an adhesive so that sheets to be bound can be placed inside the jacket with the edge to be bound contacting the adhesive The adhesive is ot generaliv a hot melt type which at room temperatures is solid When heat is apphed, the adhesive becomes soft and activated and tnereb\ is able to bind the sheets into the area of the spine of the jacket There are manv vaπations known to this basic form of binding For instance the area forming the spine can be shaped into d channel into which the loose papers are inserted prior to heating the adhesive In another form, tne loose sheets are first bound into an inner _jacket and then the inner jacket is bound to an outer cover

Pnor Art

New Zealand patent specification 219583 m the name of Bonn et al discloses a construction of a booklet by using a hot melt adhesive located in the spine of the jacket Bohn traces the development of such booklets and recognises the continuing problem of sheets not being bound properlv so thev can become loose from the finished booklet. In Bo n there is descπbed a guide means which is provided on the inside of the jackets in the vicinity of the spine in an endeavour to ensure all the sheets in the spine will come into engagement with the adhesive.

Known methods of making such booklets suffer from two main disadvantages. Firstly because the adhesive requires considerable heat, special apparatus is needed for this purpose. The capital cost of such apparatus consequently increases the cost of making the booklets. In addition the person constructing the booklet must take the jacket and stack of unbound sheets to the heating machine and then wait until the heating operation is finished. This means that more time is taken in preparing the booklet than is desirable and this also increases the cost. Consequently the cost of and the time involved in the making the booklets means there is comparatively limited usage of such a system.

Other disadvantages with such known forms of booklets is that even though considerable care may be taken in the binding process, adequate binding relies on the ability of the adhesive to satisfactorily adhere to the edge of every sheet in the stack, and with the forms of book binding currently available, this is not always possible and consequently a sheet or sheets are often liable to become loose. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know whether the operation has been satisfactory until after the adhesive has been heated and it is then generally not possible to reheat the adhesive so that if a sheet or sheets becomes loose, the booklet as a whole must be discarded.

Object of the Invention

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved binding system which will minimise the above disadvantages. In the following specification and claims, the term 'sheet' is intended to refer to a sheet, page or the like which may be formed of paper, card or other rigid or semi rigid material, such material being generally but not necessarily of a type on which indicia can be printed.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, one form of the invention comprises a booklet comprising a jacket having; a spine, a bed of adhesive located on the interior of the jacket in the region of the spine and extending outwardly from the region of the spine, a stack of sheets fastened adjacent one edge of the stack, said stack being located within the jacket with the said edge of the stack adhered to said adhesive, wherein the jacket is folded over the stack of sheets, to adhere at least a portion of each face of the outer sheet of said stack to the adhesive that extends outwardly from the region of the spine.

In another aspect the invention comprises a method of producing a booklet which includes a jacket folded about a spine, a bed of adhesive located on the interior face of the jacket at the location of the said spine and extending on said face transversely to the spine beyond the area occupied by the spine, the said method comprising forming the sheets to be bound within the booklet into a stack, fastening the sheets together adjacent one edge of the stack, locating the said edge of the stack on the adhesive at the region of the spine and folding the said jacket about the spine over the said stack of sheets to adhere at least a part of the outer face of each outer sheet of the stack to the adhesive which extends beyond the area occupied by the spine.

In a yet further form the invention comprises means to produce a booklet comprising

a jacket adapted to be folded to form a spine, an adhesive bed located on the interior face of the jacket in the region of the spine and extending on the interior face of the jacket transversely to the spine and beyond the area occupied by the spine, the construction and arrangement being that the sheets to be bound are formed into a stack and fastening means are applied adjacent one edge of the stack, the stack is positioned within the jacket with one edge of the stack in contact with the bed of adhesive and the jacket is closed about the stack of sheets whereupon at least a portion of the outer face of the outer sheet of the stack adjacent said edge will contact and adhere to the said bed of adhesive.

Preferably the bed of adhesive comprises a liquid adhesive.

Preferably the bed of adhesive is protected by a removable release membrane.

Preferably the spine is formed by a fold line in the jacket.

Preferably a primary crease line is formed in the jacket parallel to and adjacent the fold line forming said spine.

Preferably a secondary crease line is formed in the jacket parallel to and spaced

from each said primary crease line.

Preferably the fastening means is a staple.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the interior of a jacket which includes the spine having a bed of adhesive.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic end view of the component parts of one form of the

present invention.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic end view of a modified form of a jacket.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic end view of another form of the jacket.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic end view of the jacket illustrated in Figure 4 but indicating a different method of application. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of an alternative form of the adhesive system of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments As depicted in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a jacket 1 is formed from a

generally rectangular material such as card, clear or welded polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene or any other suitable material as is known in the art and which is suitable for binding booklets. The jacket has a spine 2 which in one form may consist of a central fold line which lies parallel to and is substantially central of either edge of the jacket. Consequently the jacket can be folded about the spine. The jacket preferably also includes two crease lines 3 which are parallel to and separated from the central fold line, the crease lines being present to allow the jacket to be opened as indicated in Figure 2.

A bed of adhesive 4 is placed on the inside face of the jacket about the spine and extends as shown particularly in Figure 2 between the two crease lines 3. The adhesive is preferably of the type that will remain liquid and preferably has considerable bulk so that when the adhesive is applied to the area about the spine, a bed of adhesive will be formed. The bed of adhesive can consist either as a continuous bed or it can be formed in segments or by a series of beads or the like as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The bed of adhesive is protected again evaporation of volatile chemicals and deterioration and from sheets being inadvertently adhered to it by means of a release membrane 5. Release membranes as such are well known and are generally provided with a siliconized surface or the like so that the release membrane can be placed over the adhesive to protect the adhesive and can be simply removed from the adhesive by lifting the release sheet as indicated in Figure 1. While it is preferred the adhesive be of the liquid variety, it is contemplated that the adhesive can be of other types such as heat activated adhesive and other known suitable types.

The sheets to be bound are first placed together into a stack as indicated at 6 in Figure 2 so that at least one edge of the stack is in an ordered formation. At least one fastening means, which in a highly preferred form can be a staple 7 is passed through the sheets adjacent the edge of the stack. The fastening means is preferably positioned approximately 5mm in from the edge of the stack. If the fastening means is in the form of staples, preferably a minimum of two staples are utilised but three or more are recommended for standard A4 size sheets. While the positioning of the

staples at approximately 5mm from the edge of the sheet is considered to be suitable, it is to be understood that the actual positioning of the staples can be varied according to the requirements of the operator. Although staples are generally preferred because of the ease of application, other means of holding the stack of sheets together can be utilised, such as stitches or the like and the expression 'staple' is intended to include any such suitable method of retaining the sheets together.

To assemble a booklet, the jacket 1 is first opened with the adhesive bed upper most and with the release membrane 5 in place. The stack of sheets 6 with the stapled edge is then placed over one of the crease lines 3 and the other three edges of the stack of sheets are lined up with the edges of the jacket. The jacket 1 and the stack of sheets 6 are then held by applying pressure while the release membrane 5 is removed. Pressure is then applied to the stapled edge of the stack to ensure the outermost sheet of the stack has firmly adhered to the adhesive 4 and then the other

side of the jacket 1 is folded over and pressure is applied to both sides of the spine so a portion of the outer face of the outer sheet of the stack will adhere to the adhesive.

The booklet so formed can then be opened by folding the jacket back along the crease line 3. The jacket is depicted in the drawings as fully covering the stack of sheets but it will be understood that the jacket can be formed so it will cover a portion only of the sheets of the stack on one or both sides of the stack. For instance, the jacket may extend from the spine as flaps which are of a sufficient width to enable satisfactory binding of the stack.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the spine is of a channel shape

8. The particular advantage of this modification is that a greater number of sheets can be bound than with the form illustrated in Figure 2. It will be understood that different thicknesses of the channel 8 can be made so that a jacket can be available for binding a range of thickness of stacks of sheets.

Figure 4 illustrates another form of the jacket in which a crease line 10 is formed at the mid position of the width of the jacket. Primary crease lines 11 are formed in the jacket on either side of and parallel to the crease line 10 and secondary crease lines 12 are formed in the jacket parallel to the intermediate crease lines 1 1. As can be seen from Figure 4, if the stack consists of only a few sheets, then the jacket can be folded into the configuration shown in Figure 4. If the stack is thicker, the jacket can be placed into the configuration shown in Figure 5.

Figure 6 illustrates a modification to the invention which is of particular

application when the jacket comprises a material that is liable to absorb part of the adhesive. As shown in this Figure, part of the inside surface of the jacket 1 is provided with a barrier coating 15 which will lie between the crease lines 12, although as shown in the drawing, the barrier coating can extend further than the crease lines if desired. The barrier coating 15 is adhered permanently to the interior face of the jacket 1. The barrier coating 15 is formed of a substance as will be apparent to those skilled in the art which will enable the adhesive 4 to be applied to the barrier coating 15 but which will prevent or minimise leaching of the chemicals forming the adhesive through the coating into the jacket. The release membrane 5 is then positioned on the adhesive bed 4 to jacket the bed in a known manner.

It will thus be seen that by the present invention, although the adhesive will adhere to the edges of the stack of sheets when the stack has been inserted into the jacket, the main adhesion occurs between the interior of the jacket and the two outside sheets of the stack. The retention of all the sheets within the jacket is ensured because prior to placing the stack in the jacket, staples have been passed through the sheets as hereinbefore described. Consequently provided the outside sheets of the stacks remain adhered to the jacket, the inside sheets will be retained from being dislodged. Having read the preceding description and being apprised of the principles and precepts of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the particular art to which the invention relates that modifications and amendments can be made to the constructional features and yet still remain within the general concept of the invention. All such modifications and amendments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A booklet comprismg a jacket having; a spine, a bed of adhesive located on the interior of the jacket in the region of the spine and extending outwardly from the region of the spine, a stack of sheets fastened adjacent one edge of the stack, said stack being located within the jacket with the said edge of the stack adhered to said adhesive, wherein the jacket is folded over the stack of sheets, to adhere at least a portion of each face of the outer sheet of said stack to the adhesive that extends outwardly from the region of the spine.

2. A method of producing a booklet which includes a jacket folded about a spine, a bed of adhesive located on the interior face of the jacket at the location of the said spine and extending on said face transversely to the spine beyond the area occupied

by the spine, the said method comprising forming the sheets to be bound within the booklet into a stack, fastening the sheets together adjacent one edge of the stack, locating the said edge of the stack on the adhesive at the region of the spine and folding the said jacket about the spine over the said stack of sheets to adhere at least a part of the outer face of each outer sheet of the stack to the adhesive which extends beyond the area occupied by the spine.

3. The booklet as claimed in claim 1 or in claim 2, wherein the bed of adhesive comprises a liquid adhesive.

4. The booklet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bed of adhesive is protected by a removable release membrane.

5. The booklet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spine is formed by a fold line in the jacket.

6. The booklet as claimed in claim 5, including a primary crease line formed in the jacket parallel to and adjacent the fold line forming said spine.

7. The booklet as claimed in claim 6, including a secondary crease line formed in the jacket parallel to and spaced from each said primary crease line.

8. The booklet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening means is a staple.

9. Means to produce a booklet comprising a jacket adapted to be folded to form a spine, an adhesive bed located on the interior face of the jacket in the region of the spine and extending on the interior face of the jacket transversely to the spine and beyond the area occupied by the spine, the construction and arrangement being that the sheets to be bound are formed into a stack and fastening means are applied adjacent one edge of the stack, the stack is positioned within the jacket with one edge of the stack in contact with the bed of adhesive and the jacket is closed about the stack of sheets whereupon at least a portion of the outer face of the outer sheet of the stack adjacent said edge will contact

and adhere to the said bed of adhesive.

10. The means to produce a booklet as claimed in claim 9, wherein the bed of adhesive is comprised of a liquid adhesive.

11. The means as claimed in claim 10, wherein the bed of adhesive is protected by a release membrane which is removed prior to the edge of the stack of sheets is applied to the adhesive.

12. The means as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the spine is formed by a fold line in the jacket.

13. The booklet as claimed in claim 12, including a primary crease line formed in the jacket parallel to and adjacent the fold line forming said spine.

14. The booklet as claimed in claim 13, including a secondary crease line formed in the jacket parallel to and spaced from each said primary crease line.

15. The booklet as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the fastening means is a staple.

16. The booklet substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of producing a booklet substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. The means to produce a booklet substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.