Patent Application
20110008132
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for producing perfect bound books or magazines, and more particularly to an improved cover conveyor capable of accommodating variations in cover width whereby such booklets and magazines of differing width dimension can be simultaneously accommodated without the need for system shut-down for set-up purposes.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
So-called perfect binding systems are known in the art. Generally speaking, such systems include a plurality of sheet feeders positioned adjacent to a collating conveyor where the sheet feeders deliver signatures, one at a time, onto a moving conveyor belt that carries the collated signatures to a binding station. When all signatures for a book have been assembled, the text is clamped just above the spine and the collated text passes over a saw which cuts off about ⅛th inch from the spine of each signature. At the same time, a further sheet feeder, sometimes referred in the industry as a “pocket”, delivers book covers serially onto a conveyor bed between lugs on a moving endless chain, where the lugs project up through longitudinally extending slots in the bed. Hot melt glue is applied to the cut spine of the signatures at a binding station, and the bound signatures are timed to arrive at the binding station in synchronism with a book/magazine cover where the cover is bonded to the bounded signatures in forming a book or magazine. Additional trimming steps may also be applied to the bound signatures and/or cover.
Under applicable postal rules, a lower postal rate is charged for mail presorted to an improved postal presort level. Improved presort levels are achieved by improving mailing density, which is affected by total pieces in a mailing. Thus, it behooves magazine producers to group several different magazines headed to a given postal area together for shipment. A need, therefore, exists for a perfect binding system capable of producing perfectly bound books and magazines of different size and content in an order such that the different publications destined for a particular postal area will be assembled, bound and covered as an interleaved group without having to shut down the line to perform set-up operations for the individual members of the group of publications or without having to perform a secondary process to achieve this same result. This process also allows for paper savings as all covers would not have to be created at the group's maximum width. The present invention fulfills this need.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a perfect binding system for assembling plural signatures into bound books and for applying covers to said books where the perfect binding system is of the type including a conveyor bed comprising an elongated, planar, horizontal surface of a predetermined width dimension with at least one longitudinal slot formed through the horizontal surface through which a traveling lug may project vertically a predetermined distance above the surface and where a first pair of parallel guiderails is adjustably positioned along opposed side edges of the planar surface. A first cover feeder or pocket is positioned relative to the conveyor bed for delivering book covers of a first predetermined width dimension, one at a time, onto the horizontal surface in a way such that the book covers of this first predetermined width dimension guided by the pair of parallel guiderails are being carried along the conveyor bed to a gluing station and where a signature conveyor is provided for collating plural signatures onto books and moving the books to the gluing station. In accordance with the present invention, the improvement to the afore-described binding system involves a second pair of parallel guiderails that is adjustably disposed atop the first pair of parallel guiderails. A second conveyor feeder or pocket is positioned relative to the conveyor bed for feeding book covers of a second predetermined width dimension, one at a time, onto the horizontal surface of the conveyor bed such that the book covers of the second predetermined width dimension are guided by the second pair of parallel guiderails as the traveling lugs on the endless chain engage the book covers of the second predetermined width dimension to move those book covers to the gluing station. The first and second cover feeders arc arranged to deliver the book covers of the first and second width dimension onto the conveyor bed surface in vertically, non-overlapping orientation relative to one another whereby signatures of differing width dimension can be matched with a single, appropriately-sized book cover at the gluing station.
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of the several views refer to corresponding parts.
This description of the preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “,join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressively described otherwise
Also seen in
Covered books/magazines leaving the trimmer 22 may then be conveyed to a labeling station 24 and subsequently to wrapping stations 28/30.
The movement of the perfect binder 14, the cover conveyor 16, the operation of the gluing station 20 as well as the trimmer 22 and the other components 24, 26, 28 and 30 remain appropriately synchronized by a microprocessor-based controller 36.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,425 particularly claims an arrangement for delivering first and second covers in superimposed relation to one another, allowing multiple covers to be affixed to a given book or magazine. As is explained in the '425 patent, this allows, for example, an outer protective craft paper cover and an inner decorative cover to be applied to a given magazine.
The present invention teaches a way of interspersing book/magazine covers of differing sizes for attachment to books/magazines of different content and size without the need for shutting down production for adjustment to the guiderails of the cover conveyor to accommodate a change in cover size. Thus, books and magazines of varying titles, content, etc. and of varying sizes but destined for the same postal zone can be produced on a continuous basis, thereby improving system throughput while reducing postal expenses.
Referred first to
As seen in the side elevation view of
Referring next to
Referring next to
From what has been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the plural cover feeders 112, 114, 116 and 118 are arranged to deliver covers 42a-42d into the longitudinal slots in the guiderail pairs 120, 122, 124 and 126a and b, respectively, and that, hence, covers of differing width (WA, WB, WC) and length (LA, LB, LC) dimension can be delivered, via the conveyor assembly 100, to match up with appropriately sized books/magazines at the glue station 20, all under control of the microprocessor-based controller 36 and that the series of covers are delivered in non-overlapping fashion such that only one such cover is appended to a given book/magazine. More particularly, and as seen in
With the arrangement illustrated involving four stacked rail pairs, the cover conveyor 100 is able to deliver four different cover sizes, one at a time, in an order determined by the microprocessor-based controller 36.
This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself. For example, it should be understood that the interleaving of different magazine covers of differing widths are not applicable solely to mail, but could also be used for manufacturing bulk shipped products, by carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service to newsstands, etc. Likewise, it should be appreciated that these covers can be supplemented by customization, such as inkjet, stickering, labeling, etc. Further, other equipment not specifically outlined can be added to monitor the process to ensure quality, such as photo eyes, cameras, proximity sensors, etc.
