U.S. patent number 3,920,501 [Application Number 05/363,836] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-18 for sheet binding machine.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Invention is credited to Robert D. Carlton, Davis W. Chamberlin, Thomas W. Featherstone.
United States Patent |
3,920,501 |
Carlton , et al. |
November 18, 1975 |
Sheet binding machine
Abstract
An automated machine for binding stacks of sheets along one
edge. The machine has two spaced clamping stations for receiving
stacks of sheets to be bound. A single cutting mechanism and a
single heated platen are movable to either clamping station from a
central location between the stations to respectively groove one
edge of a stack of sheets therein and apply a length of binding
material dispensed from a central dispensing mechanism to the
grooved edge.
Inventors: |
Carlton; Robert D. (St. Paul
Park, MN), Chamberlin; Davis W. (St. Paul, MN),
Featherstone; Thomas W. (North St. Paul, MN) |
Assignee: |
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
Company (St. Paul, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
23431948 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/363,836 |
Filed: |
May 25, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/364; 156/368;
156/510; 156/535; 156/538; 156/583.7; 156/908; 412/16; 412/37;
412/900 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42C
9/0068 (20130101); Y10T 156/14 (20150115); Y10S
156/908 (20130101); Y10T 156/17 (20150115); Y10T
156/12 (20150115); Y10S 412/90 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B42C
9/00 (20060101); B42C 013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/477B,212,216,221,257,351,354,355,359,360,361,367,475,477R,499,510,535,364
;11/1R,1AD,1CP,5 ;281/21R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Van Horn; Charles E.
Assistant Examiner: Lewris; Basil J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Alexander, Sell, Steldt &
DeLaHunt
Claims
We claim:
1. A machine for binding a stack of sheets by applying a strip of
flexible heat softenable binding material to a spine edge of the
stack, said machine including:
a frame;
first and second clamps each having two clamp members relatively
movable between an open position affording manual insertion of a
said stack of sheets between said clamp members and a clamping
position adapted to clamp a said stack of sheets between said clamp
members on opposite surfaces thereof;
cutter means adapted for transversely scoring the spine edge of a
said stack of sheets in either of said clamps when its clamp
members are in said clamping position, said cutter means being
mounted on said frame for movement along a cutter path from a
disengaged position between said clamps in a first direction to
afford cutting engagement with the spine edge of a said stack of
sheets in said first clamp and in a second opposite direction to
afford cutting engagement with the spine edge of a said stack of
sheets in said second clamp;
a platen having a support surface, said platen being mounted on
said frame for movement from a receiving position between said
clamps to a first applying position with said support surface
adjacent the spine edge of a said stack of sheets in said first
clamp and in an opposite direction to a second applying position
with said support surface adjacent the spine edge of a said stack
of sheets in said second clamp;
dispensing means adapted for dispensing a said strip of binding
material to the support surface of said platen when the platen is
at said receiving position;
means for heating said support surface adapted to heat and soften a
said strip of binding material on said support surface; and
means affording relative movement between either one of said clamps
and said platen when said platen is adjacent the clamp for pressing
the spine edge of a said stack of sheets in the clamp into
engagement with a said strip of heated binding material on said
support surface.
2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein each one of said clamps
is mounted on said frame for independent movement along a clamp
path between a first position and a second position, said cutter
means is adapted to engage a said stack of sheets in either one of
the clamps upon movement along the cutter path toward that clamp
when the clamp is in the first position, said platen is movable to
the applying position to position a said strip of binding material
thereon in closely spaced relationship from the spine edge of a
said stack of sheets in either one of the clamps when the clamp is
in said second position, and said machine further includes;
biasing means for biasing each of said clamps toward said first
position when the clamp is in said second position;
clamp operating means coupled to each of said clamps for moving
said clamp members between said open position and said clamping
position;
cutter drive means for cycling said cutter means along said cutter
path from said disengaged position to afford cutting engagement
with the spine edge of a said stack in either one of said clamps
and back to said disengaged position;
platen drive means for moving said platen between said receiving
position and said applying position;
clamp positioning means coupled to each one of said clamps for
sequentially (1) moving the clamp from said first position to said
second position, (2) allowing movement of the clamp toward said
first position to afford emgagement between the spine edge of a
said stack of sheets in said clamp and a said strip of binding
material on said platen under the influence of said biasing means
when said platen is in said applying position, (3) moving said
clamp to said second position, and (4) returning said clamp to said
first position; and
control means for operating said clamp operating means, cutter
drive means, dispensing means, platen drive means and clamp
positioning means to initially position one of said clamps at said
first position with its clamp members in the open position, said
cutter means in the disengaged position, and said platen in said
receiving position, and upon manual insertion of a said stack of
sheets in the clamp sequentially to (b 0) move the clamping members
to the clamping position, (2) cycle said cutter means to
transversely groove the spine edge of the stack of sheets, (3) move
the clamp to the second position and dispense a said strip of the
binding material to said platen, (4) move said platen to said
applying position adjacent the clamp, (5) allow movement of the
clamp toward said first position to engage the spine edge of the
stack of sheets with the heated strip of binding material, (6)
return the clamp to said second position and said platen to said
receiving position, (7) move the clamp to said first position, and
(8) move the clamping members to said release position to afford
manual removal of the bound stack.
3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein said dispensing means is
adapted to dispense a said strip of binding material having a
predetermined width which is wider than the width of the spine edge
of a said stack to which it is to be applied, and includes means to
position a said dispensed strip of binding material on said heated
support surface to center said strip of binding material beneath
the spine edge of a said stack of sheets in the adjacent clamp when
said platen is in said applying position; and said machine further
includes jaw means positioned on said frame along the clamp path of
each one of said clamps adapted for engagement with the edges of a
said strip of binding material extending beyond the spine edge of a
said stack of sheets in the clamp to press said edges into
engagement with the adjacent surfaces of the stack of sheets upon
movement of the clamp from said second position to said first
position.
4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein each clamp in said
machine further includes:
a plate having a contact surface and being mounted on said frame
for movement between a first position with said contact surface
extending across an end of said clamp members to engage the spine
edge of a said stack of sheets inserted between said clamp members
when the clamp members are in the open position, and a second
position with said contact surface spaced from said end of the
clamp members, said plate being adapted for engagement by said
cutter means to move said plate toward said second position upon
movement of said cutter means along said cutter path toward the
clamp; and
means for biasing said plate toward said first position.
5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said dispensing means
comprises:
a hopper adapted to receive a roll of said binding material, said
hopper including means adapted for rotatably mounting a said roll
of said binding material in said hopper, and wall means for
providing a guide chute for an end of a roll of binding material
rotatably mounted in said hopper, said guide chute having an outlet
end adjacent one side of said support surface when said platen is
in the receiving position;
a knife;
means mounting said knife for movement along the outlet end of said
guide chute to sever a said strip of binding material projecting
beyond said outlet end of the guide chute;
a pair of rollers rotatably mounted on opposite sides of the guide
chute and adapted for driving engagement with the opposite surfaces
of a said end of a said roll of said binding material in the guide
chute;
roller drive means for rotating said rollers to drive the end of
said roll of binding material through said guide chute;
support plates projecting toward each other from opposite ends of
said hopper between said hopper and said platen to receive a said
strip of binding material severed by said knife; and
means on said platen adapted to engage and remove a said strip of
binding material from said support plates upon movement of said
platen from said receiving position toward one of said applying
positions.
6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said machine further
includes means coupled between the clamp members for each of said
clamps and said dispensing means to operate said dispensing means
for a time proportionate to the spacing between said clamp members
in said clamping position to dispense a said strip of binding
material having a width proportionate to the thickness of a said
stack of sheets in said clamp.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improvement in sheet binding
machines.
Prior art machines are known for binding a stack of sheets by
applying flexible heat softenable binding material to one edge of
the stack. Such machines are suggested in U.S. Pat Nos. 3,518,143
and 3,616,074. These prior art machines both include a clamp for
releasably clamping a stack of sheets to be bound which clamp then
provided means to support the sheets to move them to various
stations to carry out the binding operations. In the machine of
Pat. No. 3,616,074 the clamped sheets are moved to a second
position or station including a platen having a heated surface for
heating a strip of the binding material and means for pressing the
heated strip on the platen into engagement with one edge of the
stack. The sheets are then again moved to a third station where the
binding material is folded about the end sheets in the stack. At
this third station the clamp is removed and the stack of sheets is
moved manually downward between spring rollers to fold the strip
about the stack. The machine of Pat. No. 3,518,143 requires a
similar series of manual operations. The operations required to
operate either of these machines, to essentially manually perform
each of the bookbinding operations, results in an inefficient use
of the equipment and operator. Additionally the success of the
binding operation is largely dependent upon operator performance
and dexterity. It is therefore desirable to overcome the manual
operations, utilize the machine elements to a greater extent and
produce consistent quality in the binding operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A machine for binding stacks of sheets according to the present
invention provides two spaced stations, each of which receives a
stack of sheets to be bound, and is automated so that after a stack
of sheets is placed in one of the stations, the stack will be bound
without further manipulations by the operator. Thus the operator
remains free to alternate between the stations removing bound
stacks and preparing and inserting new stacks.
The machine has a novel arrangement of parts to provide two
stations for processing stacks of sheets while utilizing a single
mechanism for grooving the edges of the stacks to improve the
adherence of the binding material, and a single material dispensing
mechanism and heated platen to apply the binding material to the
grooved edges. The cutting mechanism and platen are normally
disposed at a central location between the stations with the platen
at a binding material dispensing station. The cutting mechanism and
platen are sequentially movable to either of the stations to
respectively groove and apply dispensed binding material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will be further described with reference to a
preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying
drawing wherein like numbers refer to like parts in the several
views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sheet binding machine according
to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken approximately along lines 2--2 of
FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 through 6 are fragmentary sectional views taken
approximately along the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1 illustrating certain
steps in the operational sequence of the machine according to the
present invention, with FIG. 3a being a sectional view taken
approximately along lines 3a--3a of FIG. 3 and illustrating only a
cam and follower for moving a clamp in the machine, and FIG. 5a
being taken along lines 5a--5a of FIG. 5 and also illustrating the
cam of FIG. 3a;
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1 with portions broken
away to show interior details;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken approximately along lines 8--8 of
FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along
lines 9--9 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a drive
for a heated platen for the machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a
mechanism in the machine of FIG. 1 for dispensing heat softenable
binding material to the heated platen; and
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the electric circuitry for the
machine of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing there is shown a machine 10 according
to the present invention for binding a stack of sheets in the known
manner of releasably clamping a stack of sheets to be bound,
scoring an edge (called "spine edge" herein) of the stack intended
to be the spine edge of the bound stack, heating a strip of heat
softenable binding material on a heated support surface and
pressing the strip of heated binding material on the support
surface into engagement with the spine edge.
As is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the novel machine 10 according to
the present invention has spaced first and second stations 12 and
14 each of which includes a clamp (16 and 17 respectively) adapted
for receiving a stack of sheet material. A cutting mechanism 18 and
a heated platen 19 are mounted for movement in either direction
from a first central position between the stations 12 and 14 so
that during the operational cycle of the machine 10 the cutting
mechanism can groove the spine edge of a stack in either of the
clamps 16 or 17, after which the heated platen 19 can apply to the
grooved spine edge a strip of binding material dispensed to the
platen by a centrally located dispensing mechanism 21.
The machine 10 will be more readily understood from the following
brief description of its operational cycle (which is schematically
illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 6) to bind a stack of sheets 23 at
the first station 12, the operational cycle of the machine 10 to
bind a stack of sheets at the second station 14 being essentially
the same.
With the first station 12 of the machine 10 in a non-operative
condition (FIG. 3), the stack of sheets 23 is inserted into an
opening 26 in the machine 10. The bottom of the opening 26 is
defined by a plate 27 mounted on a frame 28 of the machine 10 for
horizontal sliding movement. The plate 27 is biased by a spring 29
to a first position at which an upper contact surface 31 on the
plate 27 supports and aligns the spine edge 32 of the stack 23. The
walls of the opening 26 adjacent the surfaces of the stack of
sheets 23 are defined by the clamp 16 which includes a first clamp
member 34, and a second clamp member 35 mounted on the first
clamping member 34 for relative movement from an open position with
the members 34 and 35 spaced to receive the stack of sheets 23
(FIG. 3), and a clamping position with the clamp members 34 and 35
in clamping engagement with the stack of sheets 23 (FIGS. 4, 5 and
6). The first clamp member 34 is mounted on the frame 28 for
vertical movement via a cam and follower assembly 33 (best
illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 5a) between a first lowered position
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, and a second raised position slightly
above the position illustrated in FIG. 5.
The operational cycle is initiated to bind the stack of sheets 23
by manually actuating a control circuit. The control circuit first
actuates a clamp operating mechanism 36 (later to be explained) to
move the clamp 16 to the clamping position.
Next, the control circuit actuates the cutting mechanism 18 to
transversely score the spine edge 32 of the stack of sheets 23. The
cutting mechanism 18 includes a housing 37 movably mounted on the
frame 28 and carrying projecting from its upper surface, a
rotatably mounted roller 38 having eight rows of axially spaced
tangentially projecting teeth 39. A housing drive mechanism 40 (to
be explained later) moves the housing 37 from the central position
spaced from the stack of sheets 23 (FIG. 3), along a path with the
teeth 39 contacting the spine edge 32 (FIG. 4), and a cutting
roller drive, including a gear reduction unit 41 driven by a
cutting roller drive motor 42 supported on the housing 37, is
actuated to rotate the roller 38 for a sufficient period so that
the teeth 39 will score the spine edge 32. The housing 37 is then
returned to the central position. The housing 37 is adapted to
engage a pin 43 attached to the plate 27 to cause movement of the
plate 27 with the cutter housing 37 along the path to space the
plate 27 from the stack of sheets 23 during cutting engagement of
the teeth 39 with the spine edge 32.
Next the control circuit actuates a clamp positioning mechanism.
The clamp positioning mechanism includes a gear reduced clamp
positioning motor 44 which through a shaft, worm gear 45 and gear
46 drives the cam and follower assembly 33. The cam and follower
assembly 33 includes a cam 47 coupled to the gear 46. The cam 47
has a race engaged by a follower 48 on the first clamp member 34
(FIGS. 2, 3 and 3a ). The cam 47 is rotated to raise the clamp 16
along a vertical path to the second raised position which is
slightly above the position illustrated in FIG. 5 and which is
attained when the cam 47 is rotated slightly from the position
illustrated in FIG. 5a. Upon movement of the clamp 16 to the raised
position, the control circuit actuates the dispensing mechanism 21
which includes a pair of rollers 50 on opposite sides of a guide
chute 51 for an end of a rolled supply 52 of the heat softenable
binding material supported on a removable rotatably mounted core 53
in a hopper 54. Via a sensing means later to be explained, the
control circuit drives the rollers 50 for a sufficient time to
project a predetermined length of the binding material beyond an
end 55 of the guide chute 51, which length is adapted (when
centrally positioned) to extend beyond each side of the spine edge
32 by a predetermined distance. The projecting predetermined length
of binding material is then severed by a knife 56 driven along the
end 55 of the guide chute 51 by a knife drive mechanism 51 (to be
explained later) and is retained adjacent the bottom of the hopper
54 above a heated support surface 58 of the platen 19 on a pair of
support plates 59 spaced from the bottom of the hopper 54 and
projecting toward each other from opposite ends of the hopper
54.
The heated platen 19 is mounted on the frame 28 for movement
between its central position beneath the dispensing mechanism 21
and an applying position with the support surface 58 transverse of
the path for the clamp 16. After the clamp 16 has reached its
second position, the control circuit activates a platen drive
mechanism 60 (to be explained later) to move the platen 19 to the
applying position. During movement of the platen 19 from the
central position, one pair of two pairs of pins 61 on the platen 19
engage an edge of the dispensed length of binding material on the
support plates 59, thereby removing the length of binding material
from the supporting plates and positioning it in a predetermined
position against the pins 61 on the heated support surface 58 so
that the binding material will be supported in a predetermined
position extending equal distances beyond each side of the spine
edge 32 when the platen 19 reaches the applying position.
The control circuit then causes further rotation of the cam 47 to
move the follower 48 to an offset 62 in the race of the cam 47
(FIG. 5a ) thereby allowing the weight of the clamp to move it
toward the platen and provide biasing means for pressing the spine
edge 32 into engagement with the softened binding material on the
heated support surface (FIG. 5). After a predetermined time the cam
47 is again rotated to move the follower 48 from the offset 62,
thereby returning the clamp 16 and stack of sheets 23 to the second
position, after which the platen drive mechanism 60 is again
activated to return the platen 19 to its central or receiving
position. The cam 47 is further rotated to move the clamp 16 and
stack of sheets 23 toward the first position, thereby moving the
applied strip of heat softenable binding material between a pair of
smoothing jaws (FIG. 6) to press the edges of the strip extending
beyond the sides of the stack of sheets 23 into engagement with the
adjacent surfaces of the stack 23. The jaws include a jaw 63 fixed
to the frame 28, and an opposed movable jaw 64 mounted for
horizontal movement relative thereto. A pin 65 in the second clamp
member 35 engages an opening in the movable jaw 64 when the clamp
16 is in its first position to initially position the movable jaw
64 with respect to the thickness of a stack of sheets in the clamp
16, and the pin 65 has a tapered end adapted to engage the opening
in the movable jaw 64 to position and properly retain it as the
binding material on the spine edge 32 of the stack of sheets 23
moves between the jaws 63 and 64 during the return of the clamp 16
to its first position.
Certain portions of the machine will now be described in more
detail. Throughout the description those members of the second
station 14 which are similar to members already described at the
first station 12 will be similarly numbered and designated with the
letter a.
The two clamp members 34 and 35, or 34a and 35a at each station
each consist of a horizontally extending C-channel 67 supporting a
guide plate 68 flanged at its upper end to guide a stack of sheets
into the opening 26 or 26a. The first clamp member 34 or 34a has a
pair of spaced bearings 70 slidably mounted on spaced vertical rods
71 attached to the frame 28 to afford vertical movement of the
clamp 16 or 17 via the clamp positioning mechanism.
The clamp operating mechanism 36 for opening and closing the clamp
16 or 17 includes a pair of spaced horizontal shafts 73 extending
between the clamping members on opposite sides of the opening 26 or
26a. Each shaft 73 is rotatably mounted and restrained for axial
movement within a bearing 74 attached in the C-channel 67 of the
first clamp member 34 or 34a and has a threaded end in engagement
with a nut 75 fixably attached in the C-channel 67 of the second
clamp member 35 or 35a. The threaded shafts 73 for the clamp 16 or
17 may be rotated in either direction (when the clamp 16 or 17 is
in the first position) by activation of a reversible gear reduced
clamp operating motor 77 mounted on the frame 28 and coupled to the
shafts 73 by a pair of mated gears 78 and 79 driving an axle 80
rotatably mounted on the first clamp member 34 or 34a and carrying
a pair of spaced worms 81 each engaging a worm gear 82 coupled to
one of the spaced shafts 73. Movement of the clamp to the closed
position is terminated when a predetermined pressure is reached
between the clamp members 34 and 35 or 34a and 35a through the use
of a pressure sensing limit switch 83 mounted on the first clamp
member 34 or 34a and having a sensing member positioned to contact
a stack of sheets in the clamp 16 or 17. When the clamp 16 or 17 is
moved toward the second position the gear 78 (which is rotatably
mounted on the frame 28) will separate from the gear 79 on the axle
80, but the clamping pressure will be retained by the engagement
between the worms 81 and the worm gears 82.
The housing 37 of the cutting mechanism 18 is mounted by a pair of
ball slides 84 for movement along a path in either of two opposed
directions from the central position to afford engagement between
the teeth 39 and the spine edge of a stack of sheets clamped at one
of the stations 12 or 14. The term ball slide as used herein refers
to a slide of the type sold under the trade designation of
"Accuride" by Standard Precision, Incorporated, which includes
inner and outer longitudinally extending members mounted for
longitudinal movement relative to each other via a plurality of
balls retained in races defined between the corresponding edges of
the members (FIG. 8).
The housing drive mechanism 40 (best seen in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8)
includes an endless chain 86 extending around a pair of end
sprockets 87, an adjustable idler sprocket 88, a first drive
sprocket 89 and a second drive sprocket 90. A pin 91 projects
upwardly from a link in the chain 86 and engages a slot 92 in a bar
93 fixed to the housing 37. The slot 92 extends transverse of the
direction of movement of the housing 37 and the sprockets are
positioned so that with the housing 37 initially in the central
position, movement of the pin 91 for a distance equal to half the
length of the chain 86 will cycle the housing 37 along its path
beneath the clamp at one station 12 or 14 to afford grooving a
stack, and return the housing 37 to the central position, and
further movement of the pin 91 in the same direction for the same
distance will similarly cycle the cutter assembly beneath the other
station 12 or 14.
As is best seen in FIG. 7, the housing drive mechanism 40 includes
a gear reduced high speed housing drive motor 94 to swiftly move
the cutting mechanism 18 from the central position to a position
adjacent a station 12 or 14, and a gear reduced lower speed housing
drive motor 95 to move the housing 37 and driven cutting roller 38
along the path during the grooving of a stack of sheets. The high
speed housing drive motor 94 is coupled by a chain 97 to a sprocket
98 and the sprocket 98 is coupled through a first one-way clutch 99
to the first drive sprocket 89; and the low speed housing drive
motor 95 is coupled by a chain 102 to a sprocket 103 and the
sprocket 103 is coupled through a second one-way clutch 104 to the
second drive sprocket 90. The one-way clutches 99 and 104 are of a
conventional type and each is oriented to afford rotation of the
associated drive sprocket 89 or 90 at a speed greater than the
associated sprocket 98 or 103. Thus the high speed housing drive
motor 94 may be activated to swiftly propel the housing 37 to a
position with the cutting roller 38 adjacent a stack of sheets in
the clamp 16 or 17, which position is indicated by a limit switch
interacting between the clamp 16 or 17 and the housing 37,
whereupon the high speed housing drive motor 94 is deactivated and
the low speed housing drive motor 95 activated to move the housing
37 at a slower rate along the portion of the cycle at which the
teeth 39 in the roller 38 grooves the spine edge of a stack, after
which the high speed motor 94 is again reactivated by a second
limit switch to return the housing 37 to its central position.
A pair of brushes 106 extend across the housing 37 parallel to and
on opposite sides of the roller 38. The brushes 106 are adapted for
engagement with the frame 28 and clamp members 34 and 35 or 34a and
35a during grooving of a spine edge to retain paper chaff within
the housing 37. The paper chaff is directed by an inclined wall 107
of the housing 37 to a compartment within the housing 37 from which
it may be withdrawn by a vacuum means (not shown) attached as by a
flexible hose at an opening 108.
The platen 19 is mounted on the frame 28 for movement from the
receiving position to the applying position by a ball slide
assembly 110 transversely attached at each end thereof. Each ball
slide assembly 110 includes two ball slides positioned one above
the other with the outer member 111 of the upper ball slide
attached to the platen 19, the adjacent inner and outer members of
the two ball slides attached together to form a central portion 112
of the slide assembly 110, and the inner member 113 of the lower
ball slide attached to the frame 28. This relatively short ball
slide assembly 110 affords the required degree of movement between
the central and either applying position of the platen 19. The
central portion 112 of each ball slide assembly 110 has a rotatably
mounted idler gear 114 in engagement between a first rack 115 on
the portion attached to the platen 19 and a second rack 116 on the
portion attached to the frame 28 to insure return of the central
portion 112 to a position between the members 111 and 113 when the
platen 19 returns to its central position.
The platen drive mechanism 60, best seen in FIGS. 2, 5, 7, and 10,
includes a gear reduced platen drive motor 120 coupled to a shaft
121 carrying a worm 122 in engagement with a gear 123 rotatably
mounted on the frame 28. One end of an arm 125 is fixedly attached
to the gear 123. The other end of the arm 125 is formed with a
longitudinally extending slot 124 in which is slidably mounted a
block 126 supporting a pin 127 and biased away from the gear 123 by
a spring 128 mounted over a guide rod. The pin 127 has a projecting
head 129 adapted to engage a mating groove 130 in the platen 19
extending transverse to the direction of movement thereof. Upon
activation of the platen drive motor 120 to move the platen 19 from
its central position, the arm 125 will be swung about the gear 123
from a position generally parallel with the groove 130 and the head
129 of the pin 127 will slide along the groove 130 and drive the
platen 19 to its applying position at one of the stations 12 or 14.
When the platen reaches the station 12 or 14, a pair of dependent
pins 132 spaced at the opposite ends of the second or horizontally
movable clamp member 35 or 35a will contact mating tabs 133 on the
ends of the platen 19 (as is illustrated in FIG. 5) to center the
binding material beneath the spine edge of a stack of sheets in the
clamp 16 or 17. Upon further rotation of the arm 125, the block 126
supporting the pin 127 will slide within the slot 124 against the
bias of the spring 128 until the arm 125 is disposed at right
angles to the platen 19, after which still further rotation of the
arm 125 will allow the block 126 and pin 127 to return to the end
of the slot 124 and subsequently return the platen 19 to its
central position.
The sensing means for determining the predetermined time of
operation for the rollers 50 to project a proper length of the
binding material beyond the end 55 of the guide chute 51 includes
means for sensing the spacing between the first and second clamp
members 34 and 35 or 34a and 35a (and thus the thickness of a stack
of sheets therebetween) and for rotating the rollers 50 for a time
proportionate to that spacing to dispense the binding material. The
guide plates of the second clamp members 35 and 35a each have a tab
with a vertically extending slot 135 (FIG. 2). A pair of brackets
136 and 137 (FIG. 9) are mounted for horizontal sliding motion on
the side of the frame 28 at the ends of the clamps 16 and 17 by a
pair of pins 138 which slidably engage slots 139 in the brackets
136 and 137, and by rods 142 and 143 attached to the brackets 136
and 137 respectively, each of which extends through a horizontal
slot 144 in the frame 28 and engages one of the vertical slots 135
in the clamp members 35 and 35 a. The brackets 136 and 137 carry
limit switches 146 and 147 respectively. Thus the horizontal
position of the limit switch 146 is determined by the horizontal
position of the clamp member 35 at the first station 12, and the
horizontal position of the limit switch 147 is determined by the
horizontal position of the clamp member 35a at the second station
14. A pair of racks 149 and 150 are each slidably mounted in a
bearing block 151 attached to the frame 28 for movement in a
horizontal direction and are positioned so that when the rack 149
is positioned under the limit switch 146, the rack 149 will contact
and operate the limit switch 146, and that when the rack 150 is
positioned over the limit switch 147, the rack 150 will contact and
operate the limit switch 147. A pinion 152 is in driving engagement
with the racks 149 and 150 and may be driven by a reversible gear
reduced roller drive motor 154 through a pair of gears 155 and a
shaft 156 rotatably mounted on the frame 28. The shaft 156 is
attached through a one-way clutch 157 to a gear 158 in driving
engagement with gears 159 fixed to the shafts of the rollers 50.
The one-way clutch 157 is oriented so that the shaft 156 can only
drive the rollers 50 in a direction to dispense material from the
chute 51. To cycle the dispensing mechanism 21 to dispense a length
of the binding material, the control circuit activates the roller
drive motor 154, which rotates the pinion 152 and moves both racks
149 and 150 away from predetermined starting positions, and rotates
the rollers 50 to dispense the binding material. The material is
dispensed until the rack 149 or 150 associated with the clamp 16 or
17 for which the binding material is being dispensed loses contact
with its associated limit switch 146 or 147 and thereby allows that
limit switch to assume its normal condition. A proper length of
binding material having thus been dispensed, the control circuit
then reverses the roller drive motor 154 to return the racks 149
and 150 to their starting positions which are determined by limit
switch 161 at the end of the rack 149 (FIG. 9). During the return
of the racks 149 and 150 the clutch 157 prevents rotation of the
rollers 50 so that the binding material will not be returned to the
hopper 54.
The knife drive mechanism 57 includes a carriage 163 for the knife
56 slidably mounted on a bar 164 extending parallel with, and
positioning the knife 56 to travel along, the end 55 of the guide
chute 51. Two lengths of wire cable 166 are attached to opposite
ends of the carriage 163. The lengths of cable 166 extend in
opposite directions and then around a pair of pulleys 167 rotatably
mounted on the hopper 54, and have their ends wrapped around a
shaft 168 also rotatably mounted on the hopper 54 axially parallel
with the bar 164. Rotation of the shaft 168 in either direction
will wrap one length of cable 166 and unwrap the other causing the
carriage to move along the bar 164. A reversible gear reduced knife
drive motor 171 is coupled to the shaft 168. When the binding
material is to be severed the control circuit activates the knife
drive motor 171 in the proper direction to move the knife 56 along
the end 55 of the guide chute 51 from one end to the other and
sever the material, the motor 171 being deactivated at the end of
the guide chute 51 by engagement of the carriage 163 with one of a
pair of limit switches 173. Subsequent activation of the knife
drive motor 171 to sever a length of material will return the
carriage 163.
As is best seen in FIG. 11, the machine 10 also includes means for
properly positioning a dispensed length of the binding material on
the support plates 59 for engagement by the pins 61 as the platen
19 moves to the applying position. A bearing rod 180 is rotatably
mounted across a lower corner of the hopper 54. A drive rod 182
extends radially from one end of the bearing rod 180 and the distal
end of the drive rod 182 is coupled to the plunger 184 of a
solenoid 186. A pair of spaced parallel bars 188 are attached at
one end to the bearing rod 180 and extend tangentially therefrom to
the opposite side of the hopper 54. Each bar 188 carries a normally
projecting pin 190 at its end opposite the bearing rod 180. The
pins 190 extend through openings in a heat shield forming the
bottom wall of the hopper 54 and each pin 190 supports a pressure
foot 192. The pressure feet 192 extend toward the bearing rod 180
parallel to the bars 188 along the lower surface of the heat shield
and are positioned above the support plates 59. The solenoid 186
can rotate the bearing rod 180 to move the pressure feet 192 from a
release position against the heat shield spaced from the support
plates 59, and urge the pressure feet 192 toward the upper surface
of the support plates 59. The solenoid 186 is normally deactivated
to allow a spring 193 to maintain the pressure feet 192 in the
release position. After a length of binding material has been
dispensed to the support plates 59, the control circuit activates
the solenoid 186 thereby causing the pressure feet 192 to press the
dispensed binding material against the support plates 59 to insure
that it is flat and in the proper position for engagement by the
pins 61 when the platen 19 is moved to the applying position.
The binding material or bookbinding tape comprises a
thermoplastic-elastomeric hot melt adhesive adhered to a flexible
polymeric backing. The binding material is dispensed to position
the polymeric backing on the heated surface 58 of the platen 19 so
that the adhesive is heated through the backing. The adhesive is
selected to adhere well to the edge of each sheet in the stack and
to have elastic properties such that it will allow adjacent sheets
to lay flat when a bound stack of sheets is opened (i.e. is not
sufficiently elastic to tend to close the sheets) and yet will
elastically recover to its original shape after a user has closed
the bound stack. The backing is selected for strength, for adhesion
by the adhesive, and to afford flexing without fracture during
repeated openings of the bound stack. The binding material should
be resistant to curl and resist the tendency of the adhesive to
flash out under pressure.
A preferred binding material is disclosed in a copending
application, Ser. No. 363,835, (Attorney Docket No. 28,204) filed
concurrently with this application, the content of which is
incorporated by reference herein. In the preferred binding material
the backing material is biaxially oriented polyethylene
terephthalate film, and the adhesive contains a segmented polymer
of the A - B - A type comprising styrene and butadiene segments.
Such an adhesive is sold under the trade designation "34-1080" by
the National Starch Corporation. The backing is preferably about 2
mils thick and carries an adhesive coating about 10 to 20 mils
thick covering one surface of the backing.
Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown a schematic diagram of a
portion of the electrical circuitry that provides means for
controlling the operational cycle of the machine 10 and includes 14
circuit branches 200-214. Only that portion of the control
circuitry which relates to a binding operation performed in the
first station 12 is shown and described since the circuitry for
performing a binding operation in the second station 14 is
generally the same.
The circuitry of FIG. 12 is shown in a standby condition with a
power switch 240 turned on in readiness to begin a binding
operation at the first station 12, thereby activating a motor 242
on the vacuum system for removing paper chaff from the housing 37
(circuit branch 200) and a thermostatically controlled resistance
heating element 244 (e.g. 550 watts controlled at 350.degree.F.) in
the platen 19 (circuit branch 201). The clamp members 34 and 35 are
in their open position, the clamp 16 is in its first position,
platen 19 is in its central position, and the cutting mechanism 18
is in a position slightly on the side of its central position
adjacent the clamps 16. In this position the housing 37 of the
cutting mechanism 18 is just out of contact with a normally closed
limit switch 250 (circuit branch 202), thereby energizing a relay
251 connected in series with the switch 250 having two normally
open relay contacts, 251a and 251b (circuit branch 203) (shown
closed because the relay 251 is energized). The closed contact 251a
establishes a complete circuit through a normally open limit switch
253 (circuit branch 203) that is closed by contact with the second
clamp member 35 when the clamp members 34 and 35 are open, and a
signal lamp 254 that denotes that clamp 16 is ready to be loaded
with a stack of sheets.
When the operator loads a stack of sheets in the clamp 16, he jogs
and positions the stack to one end of the clamp 16 so that the end
of the stack engages and closes a normally open limit switch 255
(circuit branch 203). The switch 255 provides a sefety feature to
restrict operation of the machine unless a stack of sheets is in
the clamp. The operator then starts the binding operation by
pressing a push button 256 (circuit branch 203) so that a complete
circuit is momentarily established through the relay contact 251a,
the limit switch 253, the push button 256, the limit switch 255, a
normally closed contact 260a (circuit branch 203) of a relay 260
(circuit branch 213), and a relay 261 (circuit branch 203).
Accordingly, the relay 261 is energized to close normally open
contacts 261a and 261b (circuit branch 203) associated with the
relay 261. Closing of the contact 261a seals the relay 261 in an
energized condition around the push button 256. Also, as a result
of closing both of the relay contacts 261a and 261b there is
established a closed circuit through these contacts together with a
normally closed contact 83a of the pressure operated limit switch
83 mounted on the first clamp member 34 for contact by the stack of
sheets, and the clamp operating motor 77. The motor 77 moves the
clamp members 34 and 35 toward their closed position until the
stack of sheets is clamped with a predetermined pressure and the
limit switch 83 is thus actuated to open the contact 83a and close
a normally open contact 83b, thereby disrupting the closed circuit
for the clamp operating motor 77.
Closure of the limit switch contact 83b energizes a relay 267
through the relay contacts 261a, 261b, 83b and 251b, (circuit
branch 203), thereby closing associated normally open relay
contacts 267a (circuit branch 203) and 267b (circuit branch 205).
Closure of relay contact 267a seals the relay 267 in an energized
condition. Upon the closure of the relay contact 267b (circuit
branch 205), a circuit is completed through a normally closed relay
contact 268a of relay 268 (circuit branch 204), a normally closed
contact 269a of a relay 269 (which is not shown but opens when the
cutting mechanism 18 is set for movement to the second station 14),
and the high speed drive motor 94 for advancing the cutting
mechanism 18 toward the clamp 16. when the toothed roller 38 nears
the stack of sheets in the clamp 16, the housing 37 contacts and
closes a normally open limit switch 274 (circuit branch 204),
thereby completing a circuit through a normally open limit switch
275 (which is contacted and closed by the clamp 16 when the clamp
16 is in its first position) and energizing the relay 268 to open
normally closed contact 268a (circuit branch 205) and close
normally open contact 268b (circuit branch 206) and 268c (circuit
branch 204). Closure of the contact 268c seals the relay 268 in an
energized condition around the switch 274. When the contact 268a
opens, this breaks the closed circuit for operation of the fast
drive motor 94 (circuit branch 205), and concurrently, the closure
of the relay contact 268b completes a circuit for both the slow
drive motor 95 and the cutter motor 42 (both in circuit branch 206)
to advance the cutting mechanism 18 at a slow speed to groove the
spine edge of the sheets.
After the cutting mechanism 18 has passed through the stack of
sheets the housing 40 momentarily closes a normally open limit
switch 278 (circuit branch 212), thereby energizing a relay 279 to
close normally open contacts 279a (circuit branch 208), 279b
(circuit branch 213) and 279c (circuit branch 212). The relay 279
is held energized by contact 279c which seals around the limit
switch 278. The closure of contact 279a (circuit branch 208)
actuates a relay 285 closing normally open contacts 285a (circuit
branch 208) and 285b (circuit branch 207) and opening a normally
closed contact 285c (circuit branch 213). Upon closure of the
contact 279b (circuit branch 213) a complete circuit is made
through the clamp positioning motor 44 which drives the cam and
follower assembly 33 to raise the clamp 16. As the clamp 16 raises
it allows the limit switch 275 to open (circuit branch 204) thereby
breaking the circuit of relay 268 so that contacts 268b (circuit
branch 205) and 268c (circuit branch 204) return to their normal
open state, and contact 268 a (circuit branch 205) returns to its
normal closed state. Accordingly, the cutter mechanism 18 is driven
again by the fast drive motor 94 and is returned to a position
slightly on the side of its central position away from the first
clamping station 12 at which the housing 37 will engage and open
the limit switch 250 (circuit branch 202), thereby deenergizing the
relay 251, so that the opening of contact 251b (circuit branch 203)
will break the latch of relay 267, opening contacts 267b (circuit
branch 205) and deenergizing the fast drive motor 94.
When the clamp 16 is raised to a position at which the spine edge
of the stack is slightly above the upper surface of the heated
platen 19, the clamp 16 engages and actuates limit switch 292 to
close normally open contact 292a (circuit branch 213) and open
normally closed contact 292b (circuit branch 214). When the clamp
16 reaches its second or uppermost position (with the follower 48
adjacent the offset 62 in the race of the cam 47) it engages and
opens a normally closed limit switch 284 (circuit branch 212) to
break the closed circuit of relay 279, whereupon contact 279b
(circuit branch 213) returns to its normal open condition and the
clamp positioning motor 44 is deenergized.
Although contact 279a (circuit branch 208) opens when the circuit
of relay 279 is broken, the relay 285 remains on because of the
contact 285a that seals around contact 279a. Accordingly, contact
285b remains closed and because the heated platen 19 is centered,
the platen 19 engages and operates a limit switch 287 (circuit
branch 207) to open normally closed contact 287a and close normally
open contact 287b. The closing of contact 287b completes a circuit
through contact 285b and a normally open contact 146a of the limit
switch 146 which is initially maintained in a closed position by
contact with the rack 149 (FIG. 9) as was previously described, so
that a first winding 154a of the roller drive motor 154 is actuated
to begin dispensing binding material. If the heated platen 19 is
not centered, as when it is applying a strip of binding material at
the second station 14, the dispense mechanism will remain
inoperative via the open contact 287b until the platen 19 is
centered.
When the predetermined length of the binding material has been
dispensed, which is indicated by the rack 149 moving from beneath
the limit switch 146 (FIG. 9), the normally open contact 146a opens
and a normally closed contact 146b of the limit switch 146 closes
(circuit branch 207) to energize a first winding 171a of the knife
drive motor 171 and drive the knife 56 across the end 55 of the
guide chute 51 to sever the binding material. When the knife 56
reaches the opposite end of the guide chute 51 the normally closed
limit switch 173 (circuit branch 208) is opened deenergizing the
relay 285, and thereby the motor 171 as the contact 285b opens
(circuit branch 207). Also, the contact 285c (circuit branch 213)
returns to its normally closed condition, completing a circuit to
energize the relay 260 and close its normally open contact 260c
(circuit branch 209) to provide current to the platen drive motor
120 and to the solenoid 186 for moving the pressure feet 192 to
press the dispensed binding material against the support plates 59
(FIG. 11). The motor 120 drives the platen 19 toward the first
station 12, removing the dispensed binding material from the
support plates 59, and positioning it on the platen 19.
When the platen 19 leaves its central position it moves out of
contact with the limit switch 287 (circuit branch 207), thereby
allowing the contact 287a to close and energize a second winding
154b of the roller drive motor 154 through the normally closed
limit switch 161 positioned adjacent an end of the rack 149. The
motor 154 drives the rack 149 toward the limit switch 161 until the
rack contacts and opens the limit switch 161 with the rack 149 in
its home or starting position.
The motor 120 drives the platen 19 until it is located in its
material applying position under the clamp 16, and the arm 125
extends generally at a right angle to the platen 19. As is best
seen in FIG. 10, in this position of the arm 125 a limit switch 294
mounted on the frame 28 of the machine 10 is actuated by a pin 295
extending axially parallel to the gear 123 from a projecting
portion of the arm 125. Activation of the limit switch 294 closes
its normally open contacts 294b (circuit branch 213) and 294c
(circuit branch 214) and opens its normally closed contact 294a
(circuit branch 213). When contact 294a opens, the relay 260 is
deenergized which, in turn deenergizes the platen drive motor 120
(circuit branch 209) because the contact 260c returns to its normal
open position.
When the contact 294b closes (circuit branch 214), the clamp
positioning motor 44 is again energized and moves the follower 48
into the offset 62 in the cam race to lower the clamp 16 toward the
platen 19 and apply the binding material on the platen 19 to the
spine edge of the stack of sheets; whereupon the limit switch 292
(circuit branch 213) is deactivated, thus opening contact 292a
(circuit branch 213) to deenergize the clamp positioning motor 44,
and closing contact 292b (circuit branch 214). Closing of the
contact 292b energizes a relay 296 which closes its normally open
contact 296b (circuit branch 210) to start a timer 300; and
energizes a relay 301 to close its normally open contact 301a which
seals around contacts 294c and 292b, and close its normally open
contact 301b (circuit branch 211). When the relay 296 is energized
its normally open contact 296a (circuit branch 213) closes.
Timer 300 is preset for a period of from 5 to 10 seconds to afford
time for the heated platen 19 to melt the binding material and fuse
it to the stack of sheets. After the preset time has elapsed, a
normally open contact 300a (circuit branch 213) of the timer 300
closes. This completes a path of current flow to the clamp motor 44
through the contact 296a and normally open contact 302b which is
held closed by a relay 302 (circuit branch 212) that is normally
activated. The clamp positioning motor 44 raises the clamp 16 until
the clamp 16 contacts and opens the limit switch 284, (circuit
branch 212) thus deenergizing the relay 302 so that contact 302b
opens (circuit branch 213) and a contact 302a closes. The opening
of the contact 302b breaks the path of current flow to the motor
44, and the closure of contact 302a energizes relay 260, closing
contact 260c (circuit branch 209).
Closure of the contact 260c energizes the platen drive motor 120 to
drive the platen 19 to its center position. Upon reaching the
center position, the platen 19 operates the limit switch 287
(circuit branch 207) to close contact 287b and open contact 287a,
thereby energizing a relay 303 (circuit branch 207) to close its
normally open contact 303a (circuit branch 213) and open its
normally closed contact 303b (circuit branch 213). Opening of the
contact 303b deenergizes the relay 260 to open the contact 260c
(circuit branch 209) and deenergize the platen motor 120. Upon
closure of contact 303a, the clamp positioning motor 44 is once
again energized and now drives the clamp 16 downward through the
smoothing jaws 63 and 64 to its first position at which it contacts
and opens a normally closed limit switch 304 (circuit branch 214)
to deenergize the relay 296 (circuit branch 214). Consequently, the
contact 296a (circuit branch 213) opens and terminates operation of
the motor 44 and a normally closed contact 296b (circuit branch
211) of the relay 269 closes to energize a timer 305 through the
closed contact 301b. The clamp 16 is held in this position for a
preselected time of from 1 to 4 seconds which is counted by the
timer 305 so that the binding material between the smoothing jaws
63 and 64 and the stock will have time to set. After the preset
time has elapsed the contact 305a (circuit branch 214) of the timer
305 closes to energize a second set of windings 77b of the motor 77
(circuit branch 214) to open the clamp 16. The clamp 16 opens until
the second clamp member 35 contacts and opens a normally closed
limit switch 307 (circuit branch 214), thereby turning off the
motor 77 and completing the binding cycle for the first station
12.
While the present invention has been described with reference to a
preferred embodiment, modifications thereof will be evident to one
skilled in the art which can be made without departing from the
spirit of the invention. For example, while for the most secure
bond with presently available adhesives it is preferred to score
the spine edge of a stack of sheets to be bound, more inexpensive
machines may be made which afford lesser degrees of adhesion in
which this step is accomplished by abrading the spine edge as with
sandpaper moved into contact with the spine edge on the housing 37,
or is eliminated. Thus the present invention is not limited to the
specific embodiment disclosed herein, but only by the scope of the
claims.
* * * * *