U.S. patent number 3,793,660 [Application Number 05/302,584] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-26 for bookbinding and powered punch machine.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Binding Corporation. Invention is credited to Raymond E. Sims.
United States Patent |
3,793,660 |
Sims |
February 26, 1974 |
BOOKBINDING AND POWERED PUNCH MACHINE
Abstract
This invention provides a combination bookbinding and power
punch machine for punching and binding sheets of paper into a book
with a plastic binding edge. The bookbinding machine comprises a
frame having a base, a row of punches mounted on the frame for
vertical movement with respect to the base thereof and
corresponding cooperating apertures spaced in the frame beneath the
punches, a pressure bar disposed above the punches and mounted on
the frame for vertical movement with respect to the punches, power
means arranged for cooperation with the pressure bar for vertically
moving the pressure bar in a punching and return direction. There
are provided a stationary comb which extends upwardly from the
frame and is spaced from the row of punches, and a slide member
having uncurling fingers extending therefrom along the upright
comb, the slide member being arranged to move transversely with
respect to the frame along the comb and longitudinally of the frame
toward and away from the comb. An adjustable punching back gauge
plate is provided with adjustment means mounted on a common shaft
to adjust both the position of the punching back gauge plate to
correspond with the depth the holes are to be punched along the
border of the sheets to be bound, and the movement of the slide
member to correspond with the diameter of the binding element by
which the punched sheets are to be bound.
Inventors: |
Sims; Raymond E. (Round Lake
Beach, IL) |
Assignee: |
General Binding Corporation
(Northbrook, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23168376 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/302,584 |
Filed: |
October 31, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
412/40 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42B
5/103 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B42B
5/10 (20060101); B42B 5/00 (20060101); B42c
019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;11/1R,1A,1AC |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Charles; Lawrence
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross &
Simpson
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A combined powered punching and manual binding machine for
binding books with an element having a backbone and resilient
curled fingers, said machine comprising:
a frame having a base;
a row of punches mounted on said frame and guided for vertical
movement with respect thereto;
a pressure bar disposed above said row of punches and guided for
vertical movement with respect to said punches;
power means mounted on the base of said frame for vertically moving
said pressure bar in a punching and return direction;
a stationary comb extending upwardly from said frame, said comb
being engageable with the backbone of said binding element;
a slide member having uncurling fingers extending therefrom along
said comb, said slide member being arranged to move toward and away
from said comb;
a back gauge bar movably mounted within said frame and spaced
rearwardly of said punches, said bar being arranged to move toward
and away from said punches while remaining parallel thereto;
and
adjustment means supported on said frame for both said uncurling
slide member and said back gauge bar, said means being mounted for
relative axial and rotational movement on concentric shafts and
having means thereon to interrupt adjustably movement of said slide
member and to position said back gauge bar with respect to said
punches.
2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment means for
adjusting the back gauge bar includes a rack movable longitudinally
with respect to said frame by rotation of one of said shafts, said
rack having a camming engagement with said back gauge bar to move
the bar to a predetermined position with respect to the
punches.
3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment means for
said uncurling slide member includes a cam carried by one of said
shafts and adjustably positioned in the path of means moving with
the handle by which the slide member is moved.
4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the power means include
reciprocating bell cranks connected to rocking arms engaged with
said pressure bar.
5. A machine according to claim 2, wherein said rack has a diagonal
slot in a camming engagement with a nib extending from said back
gauge bar, whereby the movement of the rack positions the back
gauge bar.
6. A machine according to claim 1 wherein each of said concentric
shafts is held in adjusted angular position by a detent disengaged
by axial movement of the respective shaft.
7. A machine according to claim 6 wherein the said concentric
shafts are moved axially in opposite directions to disengage their
respective detents in preparation for respective rotational
adjustment.
8. In an apparatus for punching and/or binding a plurality of
sheets, including a punch having a plurality of reciprocal punches
and cooperating dies, electric motor drive means for actuating said
punches including a clutch and a manual switch operable for
engaging said clutch to reciprocate said punches once upon each
actuation of said switch, and a binding apparatus including a
cooperating comb and slide elements for respectively supporting and
uncurling a multi-toothed binding member upon separation of said
elements, the improvement comprising means for adjustably
separating said elements by a pulling movement of a manual lever in
the forward direction toward the operator, said means including a
pivot for said lever below said elements and a connection between
said lever and said slide elements above said pivot.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to bookbinding machines and more
particularly to a combination bookbinding machine having a powered
punching action and a manually operated binding action.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are several bookbinding machines which combine the punching
operation and the binding operation in one machine. For the most
part, these machines are manually operated and have the operations
separated on the machine where they may be actuated by one handle
which operates the punching aspect in one portion of its action and
the binding aspect in another portion of its action. For example,
the handle may be pulled forward to punch sheets of paper to be
bound and then pushed backward or in the opposite direction to bind
the punched sheets with a plastic element as is well known in the
art.
Although the combination bookbinding and punching machines are
effective and have been quite useful there is need for easing the
physical task of punching. This is necessary in order to easily and
quickly bind books of many paper sheets. While manually operated
machines can be equipped with means for reducing the operator
punching load which is generally done by a female, it is done so by
greatly increasing the machine cost, shortening the life of the
machine or lowering the esthetic values thereof which affects the
marketability of the machine. Thus, there is a need for the
punching aspect of the machine to be powered. This is desirable
only if the punching aspect can be powered without excessive cost
and without the possibility of impairing the binding operation of
the machine.
It, therefore, would be an advance in the art if a bookbinding
machine were developed that had a powered punch in combination with
a simple low cost binder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have, accordingly, provided an improved bookbinding machine which
has a powered punch action and a manually operated binder. The
combination powered punching and binding machine for binding a
stack of sheets with a binding element having a backbone and a
resilient curled fingers comprises a frame having a base, a row of
punches mounted on the frame and guided for vertical movement with
respect thereto and cooperating apertures spaced beneath the
punches in the base of the frame. A pressure bar is mounted on the
frame for vertical movement with respect to the row of punches and
power means are provided in cooperation with the pressure bar for
vertically moving the pressure bar in a punching and return
direction. An upright comb mounted on the frame has fingers
extending upwardly therefrom which are engageable with the backbone
of the binding element, the comb being spaced rearwardly of the
punches. A slide member is movably mounted on the frame and has
uncurling fingers extending therefrom along the comb. Guide means
are provided for guiding the slide member for movement transversely
of the frame along the comb and longitudinally of the frame away
from the comb. An adjustable punching back gauge plate is provided
with adjustment means mounted on a common shaft to adjust both the
position of the back gauge plate to correspond with the depth, or
spacing, of the holes away from the edge of the sheets to be bound,
and the movement of the slide member to correspond with the
diameter of the binding element by which the punched sheets are to
be bound.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide an
inexpensive, efficient combination powered punching and binding
machine for punching and binding sheets of paper into a book.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a
combination powered punching and binding machine for punching and
binding a stack of sheets of paper with a bookbinding element
having a backbone and resilient curled fingers on which the stack
of punched sheets are impaled.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
readily apparent from the following description of the preferred
embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected
without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts
of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a bookbinding machine constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the back gauge and binding
opening control mechanisms of the bookbinding machine shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view partially in section of the
bookbinding machine taken substantially along the line III--III of
FIG. 1 with certain parts removed;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken
substantially along line IV--IV of FIG. 3 with certain parts
removed;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view showing
certain details of the control mechanism for the one-way clutch,
controlling operation of the punch; and
FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram showing the circuit diagram controlling
the operation of the punch.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a bookbinding machine 10 embodying
the present invention is shown which includes a frame 12 having a
base 14 and a detachable casing 16 enclosing the rear end portion
of the punching mechanism and power means therefor and enclosing
and forming a support and guide for the binding mechanism.
The casing 16 opens to the front of the machine to expose a guide
plate 17, mounted on and extending in advance of a pressure bar 18
as illustrated in FIG. 3. The guide plate 17 with the pressure bar
18 form a guide means for a series of set pins 19 positionable to
register with individual punches 20 to effect operation thereof in
a selectable pattern.
The base 14 of the frame 12 has a front table or platform 36 in
front of the pressure bar 18 and guide plate 17 upon which a stack
of sheets (not shown) to be punched are placed and moved or
inserted beneath a stripper plate 21 into engagement with a back
gauge plate 22 adjustable to vary the positions of the punch holes
from the back of the stack of sheets as desired and described
further hereinbelow.
The table 36 has a slot 34 extending transversely thereacross for a
portion of the width of the table and parallel to the gang of
punches 20. The slot 34 has a stopper gauge 37 mounted therein for
adjustable movement therealong to gauge the position of the punch
holes with respect to the sides of the stack of sheets to be
punched.
The casing 16 has a rectangular opening 23 in the top thereof
extending substantially the width thereof and covering a ring
uncurling slide member 24 extending along and relatively movable
with respect to a slide bar member 25 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The
slide member 24 is first moved laterally of the casing 16 along an
upright comb 26 to engage the binding rings 27 of a plastic binding
element mounted on the comb 26 and is then moved away from the comb
26 by a handle 35 to uncurl the rings 27 of the binding element and
retain the rings in position to accommodate the impaling of a stack
of sheets thereon.
The upright comb 26 extends beneath the top of the casing 16 into
the rectangular opening 23 and is mounted at its lower end on a
support 29 mounted on the underside of the casing 16 and extending
within the opening 23 in parallel thereto and extending forward of
the comb 26 and sliding member 24 to the forward end portion of the
rectangular opening 23. The support 29 is secured at its forward
end portion and mounted on the underside of the casing 16 and
extending within the open portion 23 of the casing.
The uncurling slide member 24 has a plurality of uncurling hooks or
fingers 30 extending angularly rearwardly and upwardly therefrom
through widened laterally extending portions 31 of slots 32
extending through a cover plate 28 closing the opening 23. The
teeth of the holding comb 26 also extend through the widened
portions 31 of the slot 32. The slots 32 have longitudinally
extending portions 33 in registry with the space between the
fingers of the comb 26 and extending forwardly therefrom. The
widened portions 31 of slot 32 thus accommodate movement of the
uncurling fingers 30 of the slide member 24 along the teeth of the
comb 26 into the spaces between its teeth to engage the rings 27 of
a binding element extending in the spaces between the teeth of the
comb 26 and to then move along the longitudinally extending
portions 33 of the slots 32 in a forward direction away from the
comb 26, to uncurl the rings 27 of the binding element and
accommodate a stack of sheets to be impaled thereon. The slots 32
besides forming openings for the uncurling hooks 30 also cooperate
with the slide bar 25 to cam the uncurling slide member 24
laterally upon movement of the slide bar in a longitudinally
backward direction.
The binding element rings shown may be of a type well known to
those skilled in the art having a backbone and curled fingers
extending therefrom such as are shown and described in the U.S.
Pat. to Douvry No. 1,970,285, and are not fully shown herein and
described in detail. The method of uncurling the rings of the
binding element by moving the uncurling hooks or fingers 30 into
the curled rings or fingers of the binding element and then by
moving the uncurling hooks away from the comb 26 to uncurl the
rings of the binding element while the backbone of the binding
element is retained in position by the comb is also a conventional
method except in the present binding machine, the handle 35 to
which the uncurling slide member 24 is secured is pulled forward
when the hooks or fingers 30 are engaged with the fingers 27 of the
binding element to open the binding rings as illustrated in FIG.
3.
The handle 35 is arranged to pivot a transverse shaft 13. The shaft
13 is secured to a pivotal member 15 which is in turn secured to
member 24 by pin 44. When the curling slide member 24 engages the
rings 27 of the binding element, the handle is pulled forward
toward the front of the machine to open the binding rings.
The table 36 has die plates 38 recessed therein and flush with the
top therof, having die sets 39 extending upwardly therefrom. The
die plates 38 and die sets 39 may be placed in an end-to-end
relation (not shown) to extend for the width of the casing 16 in a
conventional manner, so need not herein be shown or described
further.
Each die set 39 includes the die plate 38, and associated stripper
plate 21 extending thereabove and along the top of the back gauge
22. It also includes the gang of punches 20 guided in the stripper
plate 21 and a guide 40 spaced above the stripper plate, a stripper
member 41 for the punches 20, a pin 42 extending through each punch
20 and limiting the upward travel of the punch and also engaged by
the stripper member 41 upon upward movement thereof to effect the
positive stripping of the punches from the sheets being punched.
Each die set also includes springs 43 encircling certain punches
and interposed between the upper side of the stripper plate 21 and
the underside of the stripper member 39 and biasing the stripper
member 39 into engagement with the pins 42.
The stripper plate 21 has a downwardly stepped rear end portion 45
engaging the die plate 38 and supporting the stripper plate 21 on
the die plate 38 in a vertically spaced relation with respect
thereto. The stripper plate 21 also has an upward forward end
portion 46 from which the guide plate 40 is turned inwardly.
The punches 20 are rectangular in form and extend through
rectangular openings (not shown) in the guide plate 40 and through
corresponding aligned rectangular openings (not shown) in the
stripper plate 21 and cooperating apertures 47 in the die plate
38.
The pressure bar 18 is shown as being of an inverted U-shaped
formation having a short front leg 48 and a longer rear leg 50
extending downwardly beneath the guide plate 40 along the rear end
portion thereof and having inturned end portions 51 extending under
the stripper member 41 for positively moving the stripper member
upwardly upon upward movement of the pressure bar 18, to strip the
punches 20 from the stack of sheets being punched.
As previously mentioned, the set pins 19 are slidably guided in the
guide plate 17 and pressure bar 18 and are positionable to extend
within the slot 52 to effect a punching operation and are movable
outside of the slot outside of registry with the associated punch
20 to render the punch ineffective to effect a punching operation.
The set pins 19 are moved into their effective and ineffective
positions by manually pulling or pushing thereon, and are retained
in their effective and ineffective positions by the over center
posisions of leaf springs 53. The leaf springs 53 are shown in FIG.
3 as being mounted between spacer bars 58, spacing the guide plate
17 outwardly with respect to the pressure bar 18.
The lower end portions of the leaf springs 53 extend within slots
55 formed in the set pins 19. It may be seen from FIG. 3 that leaf
springs 53 are moved past a dead center position when the set pins
19 are in their inwardly extended effective positions and thereby
hold the set pins in their effective and ineffective positions
during oscillatory movement of the pressure bar 18, and enable the
punching pattern to be selected at the will of the operator without
removing the set pins from the pressure bar 18.
The back gauge 22 is adjustably mounted in the space between the
die plate 38 and the stripper plate 21 and may be adjustably moved
with respect to the punches 20 by the back gauge adjusting means
shown in FIG. 2. Also shown in FIG. 2 are the binding opening
adjustment means for limiting the movement of the uncurling slide
24 along slots 31 to correspond with the size or diameter of the
binding element on which the sheets of paper are to be impaled.
As shown in FIG. 2, the back gauge adjustment means include a back
gauge adjustment shaft 60 on which an adjustment knob 61 is mounted
to be pushed in and turned to adjust the position of the back gauge
bar 22. The shaft 60 is mounted on the end frame 62 and side frame
63 which extend upwardly of the table top 36 beneath the casing 16
and which form the bearing support members for the back gauge
adjustment shaft 60, and with frame supports 73 the binding opening
adjustment shaft 65. Mounted at the inward end of the back gauge
shaft 60 is a back gauge pinion and stop member 66 which is
arranged to engage a back gauge rack 68 to move the rack forward
and backward in the directions of the arrow shown in FIG. 2, by the
turning of the adjustment knob 61. The back gauge bar 22 has a nib
70 which is in a camming engagement with a diagonal slot 69 in the
back gauge rack 68 and a second slot 71 in the rigid base of the
apparatus. A second slot parallel to 71 is provided at the right
end of bar 22 for cooperation with a second pin 70. Accordingly, by
pushing and turning the knob 61 stop member 66 is rotated moving
the rack 68 forward or backward whereby the camming engagement of
the slots 69,71 with the nib 70 moves the back gauge bar 22 in a
parallel path to a desired position of adjustment. Detent 66a
operates in cooperation with arcuately spaced openings 66b, to
provide a plurality of angular positions of adjustment of the back
gauge. The detent is overcome by pressure knob 61 inwardly to the
right against spring 66c before turning the knob.
As shown in FIG. 2, the binding opening shaft 65 is telescopically
mounted within the back gauge adjustment shaft 60 and has an
adjustment knob 72 which is initially pulled outwardly against
spring 66c and, after thus releasing detent 66d, is then rotated to
adjust and limit the movement of the uncurling slide member 24
according to the size or diameter of the binding element to be
opened. On the inner end of the binding opening shaft 65 is an
index cam stop 74 which is set by the adjustment knob 72 according
to the size of the binding element to be opened. The index stop 74
limits the movement of the arm 75 rigidly carried by shaft 13
thereby limiting rotation of shaft 13. Accordingly, the movement of
the handle 35 which is pivotally mounted on shaft 13, is limited
and controlled and with it, movement of slide 24.
Referring now in particular to the drive means for moving the
pressure bar 18 up and down, a motor 76 as shown in FIG. 3 is
mounted on the base 14 of the main frame 12. The motor 76 may be
any well known form of electric motor, and is shown as driving a
transverse drive shaft 77 through a pulley and belt drive 78, and
mechanical gear reducer 85. As shown in FIG. 4, where the reducer
85 is not shown, the drive shaft 77 is suitably journalled in the
main frame 12 in spaced bearings 80.
As shown in FIG. 3, the drive shaft 77 is connected to rocking arms
86 by a crank assembly which includes driving cranks 81 extending
from the drive shaft 77 and connected to links 82 by pivotal shafts
83. The links 82 as shown are connected pivotally to the cranks 86
which have actuator pins 88 that engage the pressure bar 18 as
known in the prior art. Thus, when the drive shaft 77 is rotated,
there is a reciprocating motion of the links 82 which causes the
cranks 86 to move the pins 88 downward against the pressure bar 18
to move the pressure bar vertically downward on the punches to in
turn move them downward through a stack of sheets of paper under
the stripper plate 21.
As shown in FIG. 4, a clutch sleeve 90 which is a part of a one
revolution clutch 92 is journalled on the drive shaft 77. As
illustrated in FIG. 5, the drive shaft 77 is prevented from
rotation by a pin 91, slidably guided in a guide frame part 93 of
the main frame 12 and engageable with a slot 94 formed in the shaft
77 to positively hold the shaft 77 from rotation when the pin 91 is
in its inwardly extended position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
The pin 91 extends within a camming slot 95 formed in the clutch
sleeve 90 and opening to the shaft 77 and slot 94. The camming slot
95 has an angular camming surface 96 engaged by the pin 91 by the
bias of a spring 97 to effect a non-rotation of the drive shaft 77
as the pin 91 is engaged with the camming slot 95 by the spring 97.
The spring 97 is seated at one end on a collar 99 pinned or
otherwise secured to the pin 91 and is seated at its opposite end
on a casing 100 for a seal 101.
The pin 91 is withdrawn from the slot 94 and the camming slot 95 by
a solenoid including an electromagnetic coil 103, and an armature
105, having bifurcated end portion 106 extending along opposite
sides of a flattened portion 107 of the locking pin 91 and
connected thereto as by a pin 109.
The electromagnetic coil 103 is shown in FIG. 6 as being energized
upon the closing of a switch 110, which may be a foot switch. As
shown, the electromagnet 103 is energized through main line
conductors 111 and 113 through the main starting switch 112. The
foot switch 110 and the stationary and movable contacts 114 and
115, respectively of a relay 116. The relay 116 includes a coil 117
initially energized through conductors 119 and 120 and a switch 122
upon closing of the foot switch 110. This will open the circuit
through the stationary and movable contacts 114 and 115 and
deenergize the electromagnet 103 and will close a circuit through
holding contacts 121 and the movable contact 115, holding the coil
117 energized and the switch 115 open after the punching
operation.
As the pins 88 are moved downwardly to effect the punching
operation by pressing the pressure bar 18, one rocking arm 86 comes
into engagement with the switch 122 to close the switch and
complete an energizing circuit to the coil 117 and effect closing
of a circuit through the stationary and movable contacts 121 and
115, holding the coil 117 energized upon opening of the switch 122
by upward movement of the rocking arm 86 as long as the foot switch
110 is in its closed position. This prevents closing of a circuit
through the stationary contacts 114 and energizing of the
electromagnet 103 until the foot is removed from the foot switch
110 and the relay 116 is reset and thereby prevents continued
reciprocation of the pressure bar 18 and operation of the punches
20 in cases where the punches may once be operated and the foot may
remain on the foot switch 110.
While I have herein shown and described one form in which my
invention may be embodied, it should be understood that various
modifications and variations in the invention may be effected
without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts
thereof as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *