Patent Grant
8702085
This application claims priority to international patent application no. PCT/AU2009/000046 filed on Jan. 16, 2009 and to Australian patent application nos. AU 2008900220 filed on Jan. 17, 2008 and AU 2008903669 filed on Jul. 17, 2008. The disclosures of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The present invention relates to a notepad forming apparatus and method, more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a notepad that receives and processes individual sheets of fibrous material in a desktop environment.
Notepads generally comprise multiple sheets of fibrous material, such as paper, formed together into a pad by attaching the sheets together along a common edge. Each of the individual sheets are then able to be used by a user for a variety of purposes and can be readily detached or separated from the pad of sheets where required. The size of the notepad and the sheets contained therein may vary depending upon the specific use of the notepad.
In the formation and manufacture of documents, such as notepads, individual, sheets or pages of the document are typically processed by a production line or facility. The sheets are typically initially fed into the production line where they are transported to a collation device that firstly collates the sheets into an ordered stack. The ordered stack of sheets are then transported to a cropping or cutting station that typically crops or cuts the sheets into the desired size. The cropped sheets are then delivered to a binding station where they are bound together along a common edge to form a volume of sheets. Depending upon the nature of the document or notepad, the volume of sheets may be further processed, such as by covering or the like, for distribution and sale. It will be appreciated that the cutting steps and the binding steps may be performed in any order.
Traditional document binding processes vary depending upon the final desired form of the document. Mechanical binding means, typically involve the use of a mechanical means, such as a wire or plastic coil, which is threaded through a plurality of perforations formed along a common edge of the sheets of the document. The coil acts to retain the individual sheets together in an ordered manner. In other forms, chemical binding means, such as adhesives, may be employed to bind the pages of a document together. Following collation of individual pages into a stack and cropping the stack, an applicator is typically employed to apply a layer of binding adhesive along an edge of the stack of pages. A press may also be employed by the production line to apply a pressing force to the edge of the stack of sheets to facilitate a bond between the adjacent sheets.
It will be appreciated that such traditional processes of forming a document, such as a notepad, require a dedicated manufacturing facility comprising a number of distinct stations provided along the production line for performing separate tasks associated with processing individual sheets and binding them into a finished document. Such assembly lines do not easily and economically provide for manufacturing documents in small runs or batches, and do not readily provide for simple customization of the manufactured document to variable sizes and the like.
One particular type of notepad that is in common use is the Post-It™ note pads that are marketed under the trademark “Post-it” by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn. These notepads typically comprise varying sized stacks or sheets of paper joined along a common edge by adhesive. The notepad comprises a stack of sheets of paper, each haying a narrow strip or band of generally low-tack, pressure-sensitive adhesive aligned along an edge on its rear side by which the sheets can, be temporarily adhered together. The sheets can be separated from the stack by breaking the low-tack adhesive bond between that sheet and an adjacent sheet in the stack such that the separated sheet can be further adhered to substrates such as documents, computer screens or other articles, generally for leaving a message or reminder. The strip of adhesive allows the sheets to be adhered together in the stack, and when a sheet is removed from the stack, the adhesive remains in position to enable the sheet to be further adhered to another surface. Such notepads are typically made from clean sheets of paper to enable a user to write on or otherwise use the sheet, whereby it can be repositioned. It will be appreciated that the manufacture of such sheets also comprises a dedicated assembly line to process the sheets and bond the individual sheets together.
Thus, there is a need to provide a method and device for forming a notepad in a home, work or office environment that can be performed simply and economically by a dedicated unit that provides customization by the user specific to their own needs.
Further, it is well established that offices and homes throughout the world generate masses of paper where the sheets are printed on only one side. Best office practice may include re-using the clean or reverse side of the sheet as rough note paper or, where a printer or photocopier can reuse second hand paper by printing on the reverse side without jamming, re-using the paper in such machines. One-sided paper may otherwise be shredded for pulping and recycling as cardboard, newspaper, toilet paper, recycled office paper or paper toweling. However, such recycling, although useful to preserve wood resources and preferred to delivering one-sided paper to landfill, may be energy intensive and environmentally undesirable.
Thus, there is also a need to provide a method and device for forming a notepad in a home, work or office environment that can process one-sided paper generated in the home, work or office environment to form notepads that can utilise the clean or reverse side of the sheet for further use.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the following prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a notepad comprising a stack of sheets, a first side of each sheet having an adhesive to attach said first side to the reverse face of the sheet immediately facing it in said stack, said method including the steps of:
loading loose sheets or similar dimensions into a sheet feeder with the reverse face of each sheet in said stack facing in the same direction;
feeding each sheet into a device;
cutting each sheet or a number of said sheets to form cut sheets of predetermined dimensions;
applying said adhesive to a portion or portions of said first side of each sheet;
stacking said cut sheets; and
forming said cut sheets together to form said notepad.
The step of forming the sheets together may comprise a step of pressing the sheets together where the sheets are adhered together by way of a pressure sensitive, repositionable adhesive.
In another aspect, the invention provides a notepad made from a stack of sheets, a first side of each sheet having an adhesive to attach said first side to the reverse face of the sheet immediately facing it in said stack, said sheets being loose sheets of similar dimensions, each sheet cut to predetermined dimensions, said adhesive applied to a portion or portions of said first side of each sheet and said cut sheets pressed together to form said notepad.
In still another aspect, the invention provides a device for manufacturing a notepad comprising a stack of said sheets, a first side of each sheet having an adhesive to attach said first side to the reverse face of the sheet immediately facing it in said stack, said device including:
a sheet feeder for loading a stack of loose sheets of similar dimensions with the reverse face of each sheet in said stack facing in the same direction and feeding each said sheet downstream of said device;
cutting means to cut each sheet or a number of said sheets to predetermined dimensions;
adhesive applicator to apply said adhesive to a portion or portions of said first side of each sheet;
stacking means to stack said cut sheets one on top of the other; and
forming means to press said cut sheets together to form said notepad.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method of manufacturing a notepad from office paper, said notepad comprising a stack of said sheets, a first side of each sheet having an adhesive to attach said first side to the reverse race of the sheet immediately facing it in said stack, said method including the steps of:
loading loose office paper of similar dimensions into a paper feeder;
feeding each sheet of office paper into a device;
cutting each sheet or a number of said sheets of said office paper into cut sheets of predetermined dimensions;
applying said adhesive to a portion or portions of said first side of each cut sheet;
stacking said cut sheets; and
pressing said cut sheets together to form said notepad.
The sheets may be made from any suitable material to which indicia may be applied, for example by printing or inscribing thereon. The sheets may be made from suitable polymeric material, from cellulosic material such as paper, or a combination or blend thereof. The sheets may be paper sheets the sheets may be used or unused, recycled or virgin. The sheets may be pre-used sheets on which one side has had indicia printed thereon. The sheets may be re-used office paper. The loose sheets are preferably of uniform dimensions. However, the device may be adjustable to accommodate loose stacks of sheets of different dimensions.
The notepad may comprise a plurality of sheets of fibrous material grouped together. The purpose of the notepad may be for writing on, or may include pre-printed material such as photographs or information, that can be used for a variety of purpose such as advertising or decoration. In one form, the notepad preferably comprises a stack of sheets derived from office paper whereby the plan dimensions of the notepad are smaller than the plan dimensions of an office sheet or paper. Typically, the different dimensions of an office sheet of paper will correspond to that of A4, letter, legal, executive and other standard office paper sizes.
The notepad formed by the present invention may assume a variety of different sizes in one form the notepad may have a size equivalent to standard A3, foolscap, A4, letter, legal, executive and other standard office paper sizes. In another form the notepad may have dimensions of between 20 100 mm*20 100 mm and may be rectangular or square in con figuration. In a preferred form the notepad may have a substantially square configuration of 75 mm*75 turn another form the notepad may have a substantially rectangular dimension of 40 mm*50 mm. It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the notepad may vary depending upon the needs of the user of the present invention.
In determining which face of a sheet will be the first side and which will be the reverse face, this may be decided by an operator. Where the sheets are pre-printed with specifically intended printed material, then the non-printed side may be the first side to which adhesive is to be applied. If the sheet is pre-used with unwanted inscriptions or printed matter, this side may be the first side and the other (presumably clean) face will be the reverse face. Where the sheet is virgin and both faces are clean, the operator may determine which side, if any, is preferred as the first (adhesive receiving) side. Typically, the first side will face downwards and the reverse face will face upwards; although alternative arrangements are fully within the scope of the invention.
The adhesive may be a re-positional adhesive. The re-positional adhesive may be a low tack or pressure-sensitive adhesive such as that used in the 3M Post-It™ notepad product referred to above. However, other low-tack adhesives are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.
Alternatively, the adhesive may be a high strength, permanent glue and the portion bearing the adhesive may be separated from the rest of the cut sheet by a weakened line, for example, a perforated line. The printable, printed, inscribed or inscribable section of the cut sheet may therefore be removed by tearing along the weakened line for use as a non-adhesive bearing sheet.
The device of the present invention may be a stand alone device or may be incorporated in any one of a range of office equipment, such as a printer, photocopier, scanner, fax machine, multifunction device or the like.
The sheets are preferably shifted from one zone to another within the device by means of a combination of driven and free wheeling rollers. The driven rollers may be rubber-surfaced to provide suitable grip to the sheet surface. The rollers may be driven by one or more stepper motors. Each driven roller may be separately driven by a separate stepper motor. The positioning and movement of the sheets may be detected and controlled by photosensitive means feeding back sheet position data to the drive motors, all of which is preferably controlled by a central processing unit (CPU). The photosensitive means may be in the form of photodiodes. The photosensitive means may be in the form of one or more linear photodiode arrays. For example, if the fed sheet is skewed, the photosensitive means may detect the mal-aligned sheet and feedback the CPU. The CPU may then command roller drive motor to adjust its rate by speeding up or slowing down to effect a correction in the alignment of the sheet.
The cutting means that may be a static knife or blade suitably positioned to cut the sheet as it proceeds through a cutting zone. The cutting means may be in the form of a guillotine that periodically drops to effect a cut in the sheet at predetermined intervals. The cutting means may include any other suitable cutting device, and includes non-physical devices such as laser or hot melt devices which may be suitable for polymeric sheet material. Of course, the various operations in the series of processes performed by the notepad forming device can be interchanged and varied in order or performed simultaneously, depending on their nature. For example, the transverse cutting process may be performed before or alter the longitudinal cutting operation, or at the same time (for example by a punch or stamp knife with longitudinal and transverse blades). Irregular cuts using stamp knifes or arrays of knives may thus be performed to produce novelty shape pads, such as geometric, animal, building or vehicle shapes. For office applications, the typical shaped pad produced will be rectangular, including square.
The adhesive applicator includes any suitable means for applying a layer, strip or band of adhesive material to a portion or portions of the sheet surface. Where the adhesive is applied in portions, the portions May be randomly or regularly spaced. The adhesive applicator may include a reciprocating stamp means, a roller with an adhesive application zone on its surface, optionally protruding therefrom or may involve the use of adhesive transfer tape applied by driven or free-wheeling rollers. The adhesive applicator may include an adhesive storage vessel with one or more applicators. The applicator(s) may be, for example, located on a drum or may be mounted on a reciprocating frame. The applicator(s) may inter alia include brush material, tabs, glue absorbent stubs or non-absorbent stubs.
The cutting means may include a support guide and rollers to stiffen the sheet preparatory to cutting.
The stacking means may include any suitable device adapted to collect cut sheets of similar dimensions and to order their stacking, one on top of the other. The stacking means preferably ensures that the respective adhesive-beating surfaces of the cut sheets are facing in the same direction and that the edges of the sheets in the stack are aligned in registration with one another.
The pressing means may include a plunger. The plunger may move relative to the stacking means. That is, in one embodiment, the plunger may be stationary and the stacking means may be movable relative thereto. The plunger may push up or press down on the stacked cut sheets against an upper or lower panel in the stacking means whereby to enable the cut sheets to be pressed together to form the notepad.
In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides an adhesive applicator cartridge for a sheet processing device including:
a body mountable to the sheet processing device so as to be positioned adjacent a sheet being processed by said sheet processing device, said body having:
an adhesive receptacle for receiving a supply of adhesive; and
an adhesive applicator for applying said adhesive to a surface of the sheet being processed by said device.
In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the body is mountable within a recess provided in the sheet processing device, in one farm, the sheet processing device may be a sheet binding device for binding together sheets into a bound volume. In another form, the sheet binding device may be a notepad forming device as described in relation to any of the above described aspects of the invention.
In a first embodiment, the adhesive receptacle is a bore formed in the body. A tubular cylinder may be provided within the bore to receive the adhesive therein. The adhesive may be in the form of an adhesive stick having a shape that conforms to the cylinder such that the adhesive stick is inserted into the cylinder and retained therein. A cap may be provided on an end of the cylinder to seal an end of the adhesive stick.
The adhesive applicator may be an open end of the cylinder through which an exposed end of the stick of adhesive projects. The exposed end of the stick of adhesive may be directed to contact the surface of the sheet being processed by the device to apply adhesive thereto as the sheet is being transported by the device. The body may be pivotally mounted to the sheet processing device and be movable between an idle position, wherein the exposed end of the stick of adhesive is positioned remote from the sheet being transported by the device, and an application position wherein the exposed end of the stick of adhesive is positioned in contact with the sheet being transported by the device.
The body may include a control mechanism to control longitudinal movement of the stick of adhesive within the cylinder. The control mechanism may be configured to advance the stick of adhesive as it is consumed during use, to ensure that the end of the stick of adhesive projects from the open end of the cylinder.
In a second embodiment, the adhesive receptacle may be a storage reservoir for receiving a volume of liquid adhesive. The storage reservoir may be provided within the body and have an inlet to facilitate filling of the storage reservoir with liquid adhesive. The inlet may be sealed by a removable cap,
The adhesive applicator may be mounted at a lower end of the body so as to be in fluid communication with the liquid adhesive contained within reservoir. The adhesive applicator may include a ball or roller member secured within an outlet of the storage reservoir. The ball or roller member may project at least partially from the outlet to contact the sheet being processed by the device to apply adhesive thereto as the sheet is being transported by the device. The body may be pivotally mounted to the sheet processing device and be movable between an idle position, wherein the ball or roller member is positioned remote from the sheet being transported by the device, and an application position wherein the ball or roller member is positioned in contact with the sheet being transported by the device.
In a third embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive receptacle is a bore formed in the body. A tubular cylinder may be provided within the bore to receive the adhesive therein. The adhesive may be in the form of an adhesive stick having a shape that conforms to the cylinder such that the adhesive stick is inserted into the cylinder and retained therein. The tubular cylinder may be configured such that the adhesive stick projects from an open end thereof to be in contact with the adhesive applicator. A cap may be provided on the other end of the cylinder to seal an end of the adhesive stick.
The adhesive applicator may be a roller mounted adjacent the open end of the cylinder. The roller may be substantially cylindrical and may be free to rotate about its central axis. The roller is mounted between a pair of arms extending from the body such that it extends substantially across the open end of the cylinder to be in contact with the stick of adhesive. A control mechanism may be provided to control advancement of the stick of adhesive within the cylinder.
In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the body is the adhesive receptacle and receives the adhesive in the limn of an adhesive tape. The body may have an open portion formed adjacent the sheet being processed by the device. The adhesive tape may be mounted within the body and wound around an internal perimeter of the body such that it extends across the open portion of the body.
In this embodiment, the adhesive applicator is a stamp member mounted within the body. The stamp member may be actuable to extend from the open portion of the body to contact a surface of the sheet being processed by the device as the sheet is being transported past the body. Upon actuation of the stamp member, the stamp member may contact the adhesive tape extending, across the open portion of the body, thereby causing the adhesive tape to contact the surface of the passing sheet to facilitate transfer of adhesive present on the tape to the surface of the sheet.
In each of the above embodiments, the adhesive may be a low-tack or pressure sensitive adhesive. In an alternative embodiment, the adhesive may high strength or permanent adhesive.
The sheets being processed by the sheet processing device may be sheets of paper or other print media. The sheets may be printed on one or both sides, or may be previously used sheets of paper. In another form, the sheets may be made from cardboard or from a polymeric material.
In each of the above embodiments, the body may be removable from the sheet processing device to facilitate replacement of the adhesive applicator cartridge, and/or replenishment of the supply of adhesive.
Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings:
a is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device according to another embodiment of the invention;
b is a schematic top plan view of the notepad forming device shown in
c is a schematic perspective view of the arrangement shown in
d is a schematic side view of a cutting and stacking means according to another embodiment of the invention;
e is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device including an adhesive tape applicator;
f is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device incorporating the cutting and stacking means shown in
g is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device according to another embodiment of the invention;
h is a schematic side view of a notepad limning device having a printer head;
i is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device including a sticker applicator;
j is a schematic side view of a notepad forming device including a laser printing device.
a is a schematic side view of a punch blade suitable for various embodiments of the present invention;
b is a schematic partial plan view a longitudinal cutting means suitable for incorporation in various embodiments of the invention;
c is a perspective view of a laser cutting means driven on a rail suitable for use in various embodiments of the present invention;
d is a schematic top plan view of the laser cutting means shown in
e is a schematic perspective view of a cutting means incorporating a laser cutting head and belt drives, but otherwise similar to the cutting means shown in
f is a schematic plan view of the cutting means shown in
a is a schematic side elevation of an adhesive applicator applicable to various embodiments of the invention;
b is a schematic side elevation of a modification of the adhesive applicator shown in
c is a schematic front elevation view of the adhesive applicator shown in
d is a schematic side view of an adhesive applicator suitable for incorporation in the various embodiments of the invention;
e is a schematic side view of an adhesive applicator similar to that shown in
f is a schematic side view of an adhesive applicator quid cutting means suitable for various embodiments of the present invention;
g is a schematic side view of the adhesive applicator shown in
a is a schematic side view of the stacking means and a pressing means shown in open position;
b is a schematic side view of the pressing means in closed position;
a is a perspective view of a stacking means containing cut sheets;
b is a perspective view of an empty stacking means shown in
c is a schematic end view of a cutting and stacking means according to an embodiment of the invention;
d is a schematic end view of a cutting and stacking means suitable liar various embodiments of the present invention;
a-23e are schematic side views of various punch blades suitable for use in various embodiments of the present invention;
Referring to the drawings, where possible like components are referred to using like reference numerals.
The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use in the formation of a notepad. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be equally employed in the formation of a variety of different types of documents and other products that comprise a plurality of sheets of fibrous material, such as paper, grouped together. Further, the notepads referred to in the present application may be employed for use in a variety of differing applications, other than for writing or making notes. In this regard, the notepads of the present invention need not be for writing on, but may be prior printed with material such that they can be used as advertising products, or as photo pads. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that throughout the present application the term “notepad” will be assumed to broadly mean any form of document comprising a plurality of sheets of fibrous material grouped together.
Referring firstly to
Referring to
The paper 24 may then be cut transversely to a predetermined length by a transverse cutting module including a transverse cutting wheel 80 mounted on a rail/linear bearing 187. Of course, the various operations in the series of processes performed by the devices 10-10f can be interchanged and varied in order or, performed simultaneously, depending on their nature. However, typically the preferred order of cutting will be longitudinal as the sheet 24 is conveyed from the feeder mechanism 20 to the stacking mechanism 120, followed directly or indirectly by transverse cutting. The adhesive, printing or indicia stamping operations, particularly where the operation applies something to the paper 24 parallel to the direction of paper 24 travel, are preferably performed as the paper 24 travels over the panel 26.
The transverse cutting module 180 may include a cutting wheel 87 and a shearing edge 84. The transverse cutting module 180 also includes an adhesive tape applicator 181 whereby adhesive is applied to each sheet of cut paper 24b. The paper 24b is stacked on a retractable shelf 103 that linearly vertically reciprocates by the operation of a scissor lift 122. Each time that the roller 181 for the tape/glue passes over the stack 121 of cut paper 24b, the retractable shelf 103 compresses the stack 121 and the cut sheets 24b are glued together.
b shows part of the arrangement of
c is a perspective view of the device 10a shown in
In
In
Above the stack 121 and opposed to the platform is a floating floor 207. When a predetermined amount of paper 24a has accumulated on stack 121, the platform 206 is pushed against the bias of compression springs 208 from which the floating floor 207 is suspended. This compression of the stack 121 presses the adhesive and forms a pad from the stacked sheets 121. An adhesive tape applicator 60 is provided to apply adhesive to the paper 24 in longitudinal strips. An adhesive applicator can be included at various alternative spots in the series of operations performed by the device 10b, for example, before or after the longitudinal cutting means 43 at positions 160a,b as shown in
A different arrangement is shown in
Turning to
In
In
In
In
The pair of rollers 23a,b act upon the top sheet of paper 24 in the stack 21 to draw it from the sheets below and to feed it into the alignment/position detection zone of the alignment mechanism 30 shown in
As the sheet 24 passes over the sensor arrays 31a,b, the sensor arrays issue to a CPU a signal corresponding to the leading edge 27 of the sheet 24 as it passes over the arrays 31a,b. The position of the edge 27 is determined liar each sensor array 31a,b and compared by the CPU software. If both sensor arrays 31a,b show the position of the edge 27 to be substantially the same (in time and space), then this indicates to the CPU that the sheet of paper 24 is being fed in correct alignment relative to the body 26.
However, if the edge 27 position is different for the two sensor arrays 31a,b, then it is an indication that the sheet 24 is not correctly aligned. If this occurs, the CPU through an operator display may flag an error situation and halt, or the alignment mechanism 30 may be equipped to straighten the sheet 24 as an optional additional feature of the device 10. Prior to the sheet 24 passing over the sensor arrays 31a,b, the sheet 24 will pass under a roller 32a,b on each side of the sheet 24. Each roller 32a,b is independently driven by its own stepper motor 33a,b. If the sheet 24 is determined to be incorrectly aligned, this situation can be corrected by advancing one motor (for example stepper motor 334) and or retreating the other motor (for example stepper motor 33b) or holding the other motor (33b, 33a respectively) stationary. In this manner, the sheet 24 may be adjusted into square alignment, using the pair of sensor arrays 31a,b to check the sheets 24 position in real time. As alluded to above, this is an optional feature and may be provided only in preferred embodiments or the invention.
Prior to passing completely over the sensor arrays 31a,b, the position of the leading edge 27 of the sheet 26 is logged by the CPU so that a datum (reference point) is established. This allows the CPU to calculate the number of steps required to advance the stepper motors 33a,b before the sheet edge 27 passes into the final lateral slitting or cutting stage (corresponding to lateral cutting means). This allows the CPU to compute the exact number or steps to advance the stepper motors of the device for achieving a predetermined length of final cut of the sheet 24.
In
However, in
Referring to
The slitting blade's 42 cutting face is shown in detail in
Accordingly, the slitting blade's 42 cutting face is in contact with the cutting lace of the slitting edge roller 45. The lower rollers 44b, 44a, being driven, draw the sheet 24 through the longitudinal cutting means 40 whilst the slitting edge roller 45 slits the sheet along the sheet's 24 centre line 41 to form a longitudinally split sheet 24a split down its centre.
In
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The lower, outer pair of rollers 62a,d are driven at the same surface speed as the slitting rollers 44a,b. The upper, outer pair of rollers 61a,d are allowed to free-wheel and are in contact with the lower pair of corresponding outer rollers 62a,d These two pairs of rollers 61a,d and 62a,d drive the cut sheet 24a through the adhesive applicator 60.
The inner, upper pair of rollers 61b,c are freewheeling and in contact with a pair of so parallel-aligned ribbons or strips of adhesive transfer tape 63a,b. One ribbon or adhesive transfer tape 63a passes around the outer surface of upper inner roller 61b and the adjacent ribbon or adhesive tape 63b passes around the outer surface of upper freewheeling inner roller 61c.
Furthermore, the inner lower pair of rollers 62b,c are freewheeling and in contact with the adjacent ribbons of adhesive transfer tape 63a,b. The upper two pairs of inner rollers 61b,c press the cut sheet against the lower corresponding pairs of rollers 62b,c to apply the adhesive to the corresponding inner strips of cut sheet 24a along its cut edge 41 as the cut sheet 24a passes through.
The lower pair of inner rollers 62b,c apply pressure to the cut sheet 24a which is pressed against the adhesive transfer tape 63a,b thereby causing adhesive to be applied to the upper surface of the sheet 24a (not shown). It is noted that, in use, the adhesive is on the underside surface of the sheets of the notepad and that the upper surface of each sheet is effectively adhesive-free.
In
In
In
d shows a variation of the previous adhesive transfer tape applicators shown in
In
The longitudinally cut sheet 24a, slit along its centre line 41, is conveyed by rolls 62 to the lateral cutting means 80 shown in
The external pair of rollers 83,85 are directly in contact with each other, or indirectly, when interposed by the cut sheet 24a. The top roller 85 is driven with its rotational axis 86 located slightly further away from the slitting edge 84 relative to the axis of rotation 88 of the lower roller 83. When the cut sheet 24a has been led past the slitting edge 84 by the correct length, the cut sheet 24a is preferably stopped to best perform the transverse cutting operation. Although the skilled reader will appreciate that arrangements are possible where the cut sheet 24a is constantly in motion and laterally cut by a guillotine rather than a rolling blade as described below.
As the cut sheet 24a proceeds past the slitting edge 84, the transverse slitting assembly 80, including a slitting blade 87 and an elastomeric rubber pressure roller 89, is drawn across a determined lateral cutting line 90. As alluded to above, an alternative to this rolling blade is arrangement 87,89 is a vertically displaced guillotine arrangement which may permit the cut sheet 24a to be in constant motion, although greater accuracy in the cutting length of the paper 24 may be achieved by stopping the motion of the cut sheet 24a immediately prior to effecting the lateral cutting action. In this arrangement, the rubber pressure roller 89 contacting the slitting support guide 81 is effective to hold the cut sheet 24a flat whilst the lateral slitting operation is effected forming a laterally cut sheet or strip 24h.
With regard to
With reference to
In
In
Referring to
Once the notepad 121 has been formed, the stack rack 103 may be lowered, the notepad removed from the stack rack 103, for example by an operator, and the cycle of notepad production re-started.
In
In
In
In
In FIGS. 16 and 18-22, the adjustable wall 102 of the stacking rack and the scissor lift screws 122 including lead screws 123a,b are shown in various arrangements. As shown in
Referring finally to
The devices shown and described herein, including devices 10-10f, may be made from standard-materials typically associated with office equipment such as printers, photocopiers and scanners. The knife or blade components 42,45,84,87 are preferably made from stainless steel or tungsten carbide. The roller surfaces are preferably made from elastomeric polymer materials typically associated with paper feeder rollers found in printer and fax machine equipment.
The preferred pressure-sensitive adhesive for the sheets is an acrylate copolymer microsphere structured adhesive as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,691,140 (issued to Silver on Mar. 3, 1970) and 3,857,731 (issued to Merrill et al on Apr. 6, 1973). This type of adhesive allows for the removal or separation of the sheets and the repositioning of the dispensed sheets on different receptor surfaces without injury to the surfaces.
Within the meaning of this specification, a desk top device may be a unitary device such as a printer, fax machine or photocopier. For example, the desk top device may be small in size and no larger than 1.2 m3, preferably less than 0.3 m3 and still more preferably less than 0.2 m3 in volume and/or has a foot print that is less than 1.2 m2, preferably less than 0.5 m2 and still more preferably less than 0.4 m2.
Referring to
In step 201, one or more sheets are loaded into the notepad forming device in a predetermined orientation. The sheets are then fed into the device in step 202 for processing. At step 203, the or each sheet is cut to a desired dimension by a cutting means in the manner as previously described. At step 204, adhesive is then applied to a portion of the cut sheet following which, the sheets are stacked into position in step 205. The stacked sheets are then formed into the notepad, whereby they are available to a user of the device for collection in step 206. The step of forming the sheets into a notepad may comprise pressing the sheets together top facilitate bonding of the re-positionable adhesive, when snob an adhesive is used with the method 200 in step 204. It will be appreciated that when non-repositionable adhesive is used the step of forming the notepad will not require a pressing step. Ti will also be appreciated that the order of the steps 201-206 may vary. For example, the cutting step 203 and the adhesive application step 204 may be performed in reverse order. Similarly, the collation step 205 and the formation step 206 may be performed in a single step.
The present invention also provides for a replaceable adhesive applicator cartridge for use with a notepad forming device 10 as described above. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the replaceable adhesive applicator cartridge could be equally applied in relation to a variety of sheet processing devices that process planar sheets or fibrous material, such as paper and other print media, into bound documents.
Referring to
The size of the pads 15 formed by the device 10 may vary in accordance with the requirements of the user. To achieve a variety of pad 15 sizes, the device 10 includes lateral and longitudinal cutting means as described above; to cut the individual planar sheets 12 into a desired size. The longitudinal and latitudinal cutting means are controlled in accordance with instructions received by a user of the device.
The sheets 12 loaded into the device 10 are typically sheets of paper or similar print media. The sheets 12 may be A4 or foolscap sized sheets and may be printed on one or both sides, or may be virgin sheets of paper. The sheets 12 may be previously printed sheets of paper to facilitate the recycling or reuse of such paper into pads 15. It will be appreciated that the sheets 12 may also be in the form of sheets of cardboard, plastic or other polymeric material suitable for processing by device 10.
The processed sheets are bound together by an adhesive which is applied to one or more surfaces of sheet during processing. In this regard, the device 10 has one or more sheet handling members in the limn of driven rollers or the like which transport individual sheets 12 from the sheet feeding mechanism 14, through a cutting means and an adhesive applicator, to be delivered in the form of a pad 15 to the output tray 16.
The adhesive used to hind the processed sheets together into the pad 15 may vary depending upon the type of pad 15 required. To form pads 15 the type in which individual sheets can be removed and repositioned on another surface, such as a Post-It™ note pad marketed under the trademark “Post-It” by Minnesota Mining and manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., the adhesive may be a low-tack or pressure sensitive adhesive. To form pads 15 having more firmly bound pages or sheets, a higher strength or permanent adhesive may be employed. In the event of a permanent adhesive being used in the device 10 individual sheets of the pad 15 may contain a frangible portion such a perforated region, to facilitate the removal of individual pages from the pad 15, during use.
The adhesive used by the device 10 may be interchangeable or replenishable through the use of a replaceable or replenishable adhesive applicator cartridge 50. The adhesive applicator cartridge 50 may be accessed by way of an access port 18 formed in a surface of the device 10. Upon accessing the adhesive applicator cartridge 50, the user may replace the cartridge 50, or replenish the adhesive contained within the applicator cartridge 50 where appropriate.
A variety of different types of adhesive applicator cartridges are shown in
Referring to
The body 52 has a bore 53 formed therethrough that receives a cylinder 55. The cylinder 55 is shaped to receive an adhesive 56 therein. The adhesive 56 is in the form of an adhesive stick, or similar elongate shape, and is inserted into the cylinder 55 and retained therein. A cap 57 may be provided on an end of the cylinder 55 to seal the end of the stick of adhesive 56.
The stick of adhesive 56 is received within the cylinder 55 such that it projects beyond a lower surface of the cylinder 55 as shown in
Referring to
Upon initiation of the device 10, the feed roller 2 feeds individual sheets 12 from the sheet loading mechanism 12 to advancement rollers 4a and 4b. Advancement roller 4b is a driven roller that is driven at substantially the same speed as the feed roller 2 to provide constant feeding of the sheets 12 past the adhesive applicator cartridge 50.
Upon detection of a sheet 12 being received by the advancement rollers 4a and 4b, the cartridge 50 is brought into an adhesive application position as shown in
Upon detection of the sheet 12 progressing beyond the advance rollers 4a and 4b, the cartridge 50 is caused to pivot to its the idle position (
It will be appreciated that one or more proximity sensors (not shown) may be employed to detect the position of the sheet 12 being processed as it travels along the transport surface 5. The proximity sensors may be used to control pivotal movement of the cartridge 50 between the idle position and the adhesive application position, as desired. Such sensors and the operation thereof are well known in the art.
It will also be appreciated that one or more lateral and/or longitudinal cutting means may be positioned adjacent to, or in association with, the cartridge 50 to cut the sheet 12 into desired dimensions.
An alternative embodiment of the arrangement of
Referring to
The body 67 is in the form of a hollow receptacle having a storage reservoir 70 for storing a volume of liquid adhesive 66. The reservoir 70 is accessible by way of an inlet 68 to facilitate filling thereof. The inlet 68 is sealed by a cap 71 which can be removed to facilitate refilling of the reservoir when required.
An applicator 73 is mounted at a lower end of the body 67 so as to be in fluid communication with the liquid adhesive 66 contained within reservoir 70. The applicator 73 comprises a ball or roller member 72 secured within an outlet chamber 74 of the reservoir 70 such that it is free to roll therein. The ball or roller member 72 projects at least partially from the chamber 74 to apply adhesive 66 to a surface of a passing sheet, in the manner as described below.
The adhesive applicator cartridge 65 is shown in use in
A sheet 12 is advanced towards the cartridge 65 in the direction of arrow D. Upon detection of the sheet 12 being adjacent advancement roller 7, the cartridge 65 is pivoted into an application position, as shown in
Upon detection of the sheet 12 passing beyond the ball or roller 72, the cartridge 65 is to then pivoted to the idle position such that another sheet 12 can be advanced for application of the adhesive thereto.
It will be appreciated that as the liquid adhesive 66 is applied to the sheets 12, the volume of liquid adhesive 66 present therein will become depleted. Upon detection of the volume of the liquid adhesive reaching a critical level, a sensor may provide an indication to the device 10 to warn the user to replace and/or replenish the cartridge 65.
Referring to
The body 76 has a central bore 77 having a cylinder 79 secured therein. An adhesive 46, in the form of a stick, is shaped to be inserted within the cylinder 79. A cap 47 may be provided on an end of the cylinder 79 to seal an end of the stick of adhesive 46. The stick of adhesive 46 is received within the cylinder 79 such that an end of the adhesive 46 projects onto a roller applicator 48 that is rotatably secured between a pair of arms 49 that extend from the body 76.
In this arrangement, the stick of adhesive 46 applies adhesive directly onto the roller applicator 48, as the roller applicator 48 rotates about its central axis. A control mechanism (not shown) may be provided on the body 76 to control the advancement of the stick of adhesive 46 within the cylinder 79. Such a control mechanism ensures that the stick of adhesive 46 is in constant contact with a surface of the roller applicator 48 as it is being consumed during use.
The adhesive applicator 75 is shown in use in
A sheet 12 is advanced toward the cartridge 75 in the direction of arrow F. Upon detection of the sheet 12 being adjacent the advancement roller 7, the cartridge 75 is pivoted into an application position as shown in
Following detection of the sheet 12 passing beyond the roller applicator 48, the cartridge 75 is pivoted to the idle position such that another sheet 12 can be advanced for application of the adhesive thereto.
Referring to
Referring to
A plurality of winding rollers 39 are mounted within the body 36 to progress the adhesive tape 35 as it is being consumed during the application process. The consumed tape is collected on a roll which can be monitored to provide a signal to the user of the device 10 that the cartridge 34 requires placement.
An alternative embodiment of adhesive applicator cartridge 34 is shown in
The various embodiments of the adhesive applicator cartridge described above provide for a simple and effective means for applying adhesive to one or more sheets of paper or the like for binding the sheets together. The cartridges enable an automated means for applying adhesive and provides a simple means for refilling or replacing the cartridges where required.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008900220 | Jan 2008 | AU | national |
| 2008903669 | Jul 2008 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2009/000046 | 1/16/2009 | WO | 00 | 1/21/2011 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009/089586 | 7/23/2009 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3709595 | Turner et al. | Jan 1973 | A |
| 4406247 | Baughman et al. | Sep 1983 | A |
| 4473425 | Baughman et al. | Sep 1984 | A |
| 4537650 | Coons, Jr. | Aug 1985 | A |
| 4611741 | Wilson | Sep 1986 | A |
| 5172238 | Kuboki | Dec 1992 | A |
| 5601389 | Minami | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5863372 | Fabel | Jan 1999 | A |
| 6286871 | Spector et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6485606 | Boss | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| 6978990 | Silverbrook | Dec 2005 | B2 |
| 7152860 | Silverbrook | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7172672 | Silverbrook | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 9411202 | May 1994 | WO |
| 9605065 | Feb 1996 | WO |
| 9815413 | Apr 1998 | WO |
| 02070274 | Sep 2002 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report issued in connection with corresponding International Application PCT/AU2009/000046 on Apr. 20, 2009. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110110749 A1 | May 2011 | US |
