Patent ID: 6142721
Filing Date: 2000-11-07
Classification: B29C,B42C

Abstract:
A system for binding a book, the later comprising a book block having a plurality of paper pages stacked together to form the pages of the book to be bound, the thickness of said book block ranging between a predetermined minimum number of pages and a predetermined maximum number of pages, and a paper cover adapted to wrap around the back, one edge, and the front of said book block, said one edge of said book block constituting the spine of the book block, said spine having a generally flat outer surface of a width corresponding generally to the thickness of said book block, said cover having an outer face, an inner face, and a center portion therebetween with said center portion being in register with said spine of said book block, said system comprising:an adhesive station for depositing a quantity of adhesive relative to the inner face of said center portion of said cover and to said outer face of said spine of said book block, said adhesive being a heat activatable adhesive which is substantially at room temperature when applied; anda binding station for receiving said cover with the inner face of said cover disposed to receive said book block to be bound; said binding station having,first and second pressing members disposed on the outside of said cover on opposite sides of said cover proximate said spine of said book block with at least one of said pressing members being movable toward said other pressing member for compressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine; andan ultrasonic member rendered resonant and operatively engageable with the outer surface of said center portion of said cover for applying sonic energy thereto sufficient to activate said adhesive and to effect adhesive engagement between the edges of the pages of the book block constituting said outer surface of said spine and the inner surface of said cover proximate said spine such that upon removal of said sonic energy, said adhesive bonds said pages to one another and to said cover thereby to form a bound book.