Book/disc product and method of making the same

A method of providing a book/sleeve/computer disc product, where the disc is inserted into an open end of a pre-made sleeve to form a sleeve/disc package, which is then directed through a conventional binding operation to form the book/sleeve/computer disc product. More specifically, a sleeve blank is provided, and is then folded and glued to form a pre-loaded sleeve into which the computer disc is inserted. The sleeve/disc package is placed into a gathering line along with signatures or page groups which are assembled into a book block, with the sleeve/disc package being part of the book block. This is bound (either glued or stitched), and trimmed to form the finished product.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
This application claims the benefit of the priority date of U.S. 
Provisional Application 60/002,337, filed Aug. 15, 1995, entitled 
"BOOK/DISC PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME" now abandoned. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
a) Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a combination of a book (including a 
magazine) with a sleeve containing a computer disc mounted therein, and 
more particularly to a book having a perfect type of binding (which is 
intended to include a case binding), or a stitch binding and a method of 
providing a containing sleeve with a disc or diskette therein which is 
incorporated in the binding of the book, this being done in a manner that 
is compatible with use of present day automated methods and machinery 
designed for making such bindings. 
b) Background Art 
It has become increasingly common to provide a computer disc or diskette 
along with a book, as a single unit. One way of doing this is simply to 
place the disc or diskette against the outer cover of the book and shrink 
wrap these as a unit. Another method is to place the computer disc or 
diskette in an envelope or sleeve and in turn fasten this into the book by 
use of glue, an adhesive strip, or some other means. This usually involves 
a separate packaging operation, and this is often accomplished manually. 
The applicant is also aware of a method of placing a disc in a book where 
there is first provided an empty envelope with a pair of open pockets. An 
open sealable flap is provided at the open end of the pockets. At the 
opposite edge of the envelope, the two layers of the envelope are bonded 
together along an edge portion. At a side edge portion of the envelope, 
the envelope has an edge portion approximately a half an inch wide that is 
bonded together. During the book making process, this envelope is 
incorporated as a page in a book block which then goes through the book 
binding process of grinding the spine portion of the block applying glue 
and an outer cover, and then trimming the three edge portions to make a 
finished book. After this, the disc or discs are placed in the two open 
pockets of the envelope, and the envelope sealed. To the best knowledge of 
the applicant, this final step of placing the disc in the envelope page of 
the book is done manually, or at least as a separate operation after the 
entire book is assembled.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
I. FIRST MAIN EMBODIMENT--PERFECT BINDING PROCESS 
a) Introduction 
In FIG. 1, there is shown the finished end product 10 of the first main 
embodiment of the present invention, comprising a "book/sleeve/disc 
combination", and comprising a book 12 having a perfect binding. (In the 
present invention, the term "perfect binding" is used in a broader sense 
to include not only the binding where the spine edges of the book block 
are bonded directly to the spine of the cover, but variations of the same. 
For example, the binding could have a piece of fabric or crepe which is 
bonded to the spine of the book block and also the front and back covers, 
this often being called the "lay open" binding. Also, as indicated above, 
this is intended to include a case binding, or other binding having a 
similar basic configuration and/or incorporating similar manufacturing 
techniques in manufacturing the book. 
The disc 14 is a conventional disc having information encoded thereon, and 
in FIG. 1 this is shown as a CD disc. In FIG. 2, the same combination is 
shown, designated 10', and this differs from the combination shown in FIG. 
1 in that the disc is a floppy diskette which is designated as 14' to 
differentiate this from the disc 14 shown In FIG. 1. The sleeve 16 
contains the disc 14 and is positioned in the book 12 in the manner of a 
page which is part of the perfect binding. 
A significant aspect of the present invention is that it combines three 
different operation or process components in a manner that the overall 
process lends itself to the use of prior art automated machinery or 
systems which can readily be adapted, with minor modifications at most, to 
the present invention. Further, the present invention makes it possible so 
that the various component processes of the present invention can be 
combined in a manner which is particularly compatible to the timing 
demands and other constraints which are imposed in the printing, book 
binding, and computer disc industries. Commonly, when an order to placed 
and to be filled in the printing/book binding industry, the time 
constraints can be very severe. One person in the industry stated the 
situation as follows, "When an order comes in, they usually want it 
delivered five days ago." Accordingly, delays and potential bottle necks 
in the system must be avoided. 
In the following detailed description of the present invention, it will 
become apparent how each of the process components are structured in such 
a way that these can be combined in a particularly effective manner. 
Further, each of the process components in the overall process can be 
accomplished to meet the requirements of the overall process of the 
present invention without interfering with the present procedures and 
steps already practiced in the industry. This will become more apparent 
from the following detailed description. 
b) Making the Sleeve 16 
The making of the sleeve will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 
through 7. In FIG. 3, there is shown a preformed blank 18 made from 
conventional paper stock, such as would be used as a page of a book, such 
paper stock could be up to 8 pt point board stock. 
The blank 18 can be cut to the configuration shown in FIG. 3 by 
conventional means. This blank 18 can be considered as having five (5) 
portions, namely a rectangular base ply 20, a rectangular cover ply 22, a 
gluing flap 24, a trim flap portion 26, and a closure and access flap 28. 
The base ply 20 and the cover play 22 join to one another about a fold line 
30. When the cover ply 22 is folded over onto the base ply 20 along the 
fold line 30, the fold line 30 becomes the inner edge of the completed 
sleeve which is adjacent to the spine of the book into which the sleeve is 
bound. 
The bonding flap 24 joins to the base play 20 about a fold line 32, which 
in the end configuration will be the upper edge of the completed sleeve 
when the sleeve is placed in the book. The flap portion 26 is a trim flap, 
and when the sleeve is completed, this flap 26 will comprise part of the 
trim foot which is trimmed off in the final cutting operation when the 
three trimmable edges of the pretrimmed book are finally cut. The closure 
and access flap 28 joins the base ply 20 along a fold line 34 which is 
parallel to the fold line 30. In the end configuration of the sleeve with 
the disc 14 contained therein, the flap 28 is folded over and sealed, and 
the flap 28 will be opened or torn loose to provide access into the 
interior of the sleeve to remove the computer disc 14 and/or replace the 
same. 
The first step in forming the blank 18 into a sleeve is to apply an 
adhesive to the closure/access flap 28. The manner in which this is 
accomplished in an automated manner is illustrated in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, 
there is shown somewhat schematically a stack of blank 18 which are 
stacked one on top of the other in a manner that these are somewhat 
staggered along a longitudinal axis 36 of the blanks 18 (see FIG. 3). The 
staggered distance between the blanks 18 is equal to the width dimension 
(indicated at "a" in FIG. 4) of the area 38 to which the adhesive is to be 
applied. 
These blanks 18 are then directed through an apparatus 40 which already 
exists in the prior art. It is to be understood that the glue applying 
apparatus 40 is shown rather schematically, and components which are not 
necessary for an understanding of the method of the present invention are 
not disclosed. For example, there are various guide members or holding 
devices to properly control the precise movement of the blanks 18 through 
the process. 
The blanks 18 are directed around a guide roller 41 and then directed to 
pass around a second roller 42 where there is an adhesive applicating 
assembly 44, comprising a container 46 containing the adhesive 48. There 
is a first pickup roller 50 which in turn applies the glue or adhesive to 
the applicator roll 52 that has a width dimension the same as the length 
dimension of the adhesive application area 38 (see FIG. 4). 
Since the only exposed surface area of each blank 18 is that portion of the 
closure/access flap 28 that extends beyond the edge of the adjacent flap 
28, and since the width of the roll 52 is equal to the width of the 
application area, the adhesive 48 ends up being applied only to the area 
at 38. This applied adhesive is indicated in 54 in FIG. 4. This adhesive 
layer 54 is either a moistenable adhesive (one that becomes adherent only 
when it is moistened) or a pressure sensitive adhesive (one that become 
adhesive only when an adequate pressure is applied to press the adhesive 
surface 54 against another surface). 
After the adhesive layer 54 has been applied and is permitted to cure, the 
next step is to apply glue strips to the blank 18 at the locations 
illustrated in FIG. 4. Prior to applying the glue, however, the glue flap 
24 is folded over as shown in FIG. 4. Then a longitudinally extending glue 
strip 56 is applied to the upwardly facing surface 58 of the glue flap 24, 
and a second longitudinally extending glue strip 60 is applied parallel to 
the longitudinal axis 36 just a short distance inwardly to a line drawn 
parallel to the far edge 62 of the cover ply 22. In addition, there is a 
shorter transverse glue strip 64 applied to the upper surface of the base 
ply 20 at a location adjacent to, but spaced a short distance from, the 
fold line 30. 
The manner in which this is accomplished in an automated fashion is 
illustrated in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7 there is shown a conveyor 66 having a 
continuous conveyor belt 68 on which the blanks 18 are positioned, spaced 
a short distance from one another, and longitudinally aligned. FIG. 7 is 
taken from a location above and off to one side of the belt 68. Thus, 
since the blanks 18 are shown at an angle, the lengthwise dimensions of 
the blanks 18 appear longer than the width dimensions, and it is to be 
understood that the dimensions of the blanks 18 are substantially shown in 
FIG. 3. 
In FIG. 7, the blanks 18 move from left to right, and the adhesive area 54 
is at the trailing end of the blank 18. The front end 69 of the blank 18 
initially encounters a cam plate 70 which functions to fold the glue flap 
24 over 180.degree. to the position of FIG. 4. Thus, the cam plate 70 has 
a rear portion which extends horizontally below the flap 24 when it 
initially encounters the cam plate 70. The cam plate 70 twists a full 
180.degree. along its length, and thus has a transition portion 74 and a 
front end portion 76 which is immediately over and adjacent to the upper 
surface of the conveyor belt 68, to complete the folding of the flap 24 
and press it against the upper surface of the main ply portion 20. 
With the flap 24 pressed fully against the base ply 20, the blank 18 
continues into the glue application area 78. This is a hot glue 
application, and there is a glue container 82 having the glue 84 therein, 
a pickup roller 86 continuously picks up glue 84 from the container 82 and 
applies this to the applicator roller 88. There is a rotating applicator 
89, comprising two side members 90 which have respective arcuate surfaces 
92 of the same length as the glue strips 56 and 60. Also, there is a 
middle glue applicator member 94 having a transverse applicator edge 96 
having a length the same as the transverse glue portion 64. These three 
applicator components 90 and 94 are mounted to a shaft 97 that rotates 
continuously and in proper timed relationship with the travel of the 
conveyor belt 68. It can readily be seen that as the applicator 89 
rotates, the edges 92 and 96 pick up glue from the roller 88 and thus 
apply the glue to form the glue strips 56, 60 and 64 (see FIG. 4). 
The final steps in the sleeve forming process are to fold the cover ply 22 
about the fold line 30 over on to the upper surface of the base ply 20, to 
bond the cover ply 22 to the base ply 20, and also to form the spine edge 
98 of the sleeve, this spine edge 98 formally being the fold line 30. 
Also, perforations are made adjacent to the spine edge 98 (at a location 
spaced a short distance therefrom) through both ply sections 20 and 22 to 
form tear lines 100. 
This completes the formation of the finished sleeve designated 102. The 
sleeve 102 is sealed on three sides, and a fourth side adjacent to the 
flap 28 remains open. The adhesive area 54 is, as indicated previously, 
either a pressure sensitive adhesive or a moisture sensitive adhesive. 
Thus, in the condition as shown in FIG. 5, the sleeves 102 can be stacked 
one on top of the other, without the adhesive surface binding any two 
sleeves 102 together. 
In the configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the sleeve 102 can be considered 
as comprising four functional components. First, there is a pocket section 
106 which defines a pocket 108 having an open end portion at 110, and 
enclosed along three sides at the bonding strips coinciding with the glue 
strips 60 and 64, and the folded edge 37. Next, there is the binding edge 
portion 112, which is that portion of the sleeve 102 between the edge 98 
and the tear line 100. Then there is the closure and access flap 28 which 
remains in its position, extending outwardly from the base ply section 20. 
Finally, there is the trimmable foot portion 114 which is that portion of 
the sleeve 102 that extends approximately from the bottom glue line 60 to 
the edge 116 of the sleeve 102. 
In the configuration of FIG. 5, the sleeve 102 is now arranged to receive 
the disc 14, and this will be described in the following section. 
c) Inserting the Disc 14 into the Sleeve 102 
This task can be accomplished in a automated system, and the steps of 
accomplishing this are shown in FIGS. 8 through 11. 
The first step is to place the sleeve 102 at a loading station where the 
end opening 110 is facing toward a source of pressurized air, which is 
shown herein as an air discharge tube 118 having its discharge end 120 
directed toward the opening 110. A stream of air is discharged from the 
tube end 120 to blow against the upper surface 122 of the closure and 
access flap 28 and into the opening 110 to raise the free edge 124 of the 
cover ply section 22. 
Then the disc 14 is moved through the expanded opening 110 and into the 
pocket 108 defined by a pocket section 106. After this, the air stream is 
temporarily shut off. The sleeve 102 is shown in FIG. 9 with the disc 14 
having been moved completely into the pocket 108. Then the sleeve 102 with 
the disc 14 is moved to a sealing station. Here the closure and access 
flap 28 is folded over about the fold line 34 so that the flap 28 is 
bonded to the upper surface of the cover ply section 22. 
In the configuration of FIG. 10, the sleeve 102 entirely encloses the 
pocket 108 so that the disc 14 is securely retained within the sleeve 102. 
The sleeve 102 with the disc 14 is now arranged and configured to go 
through the binding process to form the finished product as shown in FIGS. 
1 and 2. 
In FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown a round CD disc being inserted into the 
sleeve 102. In the event that a floppy disc 14 is being inserted, the same 
steps are followed as described above. 
The completed sleeve 102 and the disc 14 contained therein, as illustrated 
in FIG. 10, will for the remaining text of this application be referred to 
as the sleeve/disc package 128. 
With reference to FIG. 11, there is shown schematically an apparatus 130 
(shown in plan view in FIG. 11) which can be used to accomplish the 
process described immediately above. This apparatus comprises a conveyor 
132 having a continuously moving conveyor belt 134, having a plurality of 
suction openings 136 along its length. There is a sleeve dispensing 
apparatus 138 in which is stacked a plurality of sleeves 102. The sleeves 
102 are dispensed from the bottom of the apparatus 138 in the proper timed 
relationship relative to a disc feeder 140. 
The disc feeder 140 has a rotatable circular support plate 142 on which are 
five stacks 144 of discs 14. The plate 142 rotates to move a full stack 
144 into a feed location 146 when the stack 144 at the feed location 146 
has the last disc 14 removed therefrom. There is a moveable stop arm 148 
which properly locates the stack 144 at the feed station 146. 
To move each disc sequentially from the feed station 144, there is provided 
an arm 150 pivotally mounted to a post 152, this arm 150 having at its 
swing end a suction cup 154. In operation, the arm 150 is moved with its 
suction cup end 154 over the discs 14 at the feed station 146. The arm 150 
is lowered, with the suction cup 154 engaging the disc 14, after which 
suction is applied. The arm 150 is lifted, rotated, and then lowered so 
that the disc 14 is located a short distance away from the end opening 110 
of the sleeve 102 to be over the flap 128. Just prior to moving the disc 
14 into the sleeve 102 which is at its loading location, indicated at 156, 
the pressurized air tube 118 has a stream of air discharged therefrom to 
open the sleeve opening 110, as indicated in FIG. 8. Then the arm 150 
rotates a short distance further so that the edge of the disc 14 moves 
underneath the outer edge 124 of the upper ply 20 of the sleeve 102. The 
suction at the suction end 154 is released, and the arm 150 is moved back 
to its original position to engage the next disc 14. 
The conveyor belt 134 is then moved by the conveyor system to a following 
station 158 where there is a push mechanism 160 which moves the disc 14 
further into the sleeve 102. Then there is a following station 162 where 
there is a second push member 164 that moves the disc 14 completely into 
the sleeve 102. 
Then the belt moves the sleeve 102 with the disc 14 contained therein to a 
final folding station, where the closure flap 28 is folded about its fold 
line 34 and pressed into sealing relationship with the adjacent surface 
portion of the over ply 22. This completes the formation of the 
sleeve/disc combination 128 as shown in FIG. 10. 
A commercial machine adapted to accomplish the task of inserting the disc 
in the sleeve (possibly with adaptations) is one called the "CD ROM SLEEVE 
INSERTER" produced by the Everhard Company of Lexington, Ky. 
d) Manufacturing the Book/Sleeve/Disc Combination 10 
This process is illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 26. It should be noted that 
this entire process which follows (as shown in FIGS. 12 through 26) an be 
substantially accomplished in a totally automated fashion utilizing 
presently existing machinery. For example, a Mueller Martini Star Binder 
would be suitable. 
The several steps in this final process of forming the finished product 
will now be presented under separate heading. 
d-1) The Gathering Process 
With reference to FIG. 12, there is shown somewhat schematically in side 
elevational view a gathering line 176 which can be used in the present 
invention. This gathering line comprises a plurality of pocket assemblies 
178, a lower conveying section 180, and an intermediate transfer section 
182 by which groups of book pages (called "signatures") 184 and the sleeve 
disc package 128 are transferred onto the conveying section 180 in a 
manner to form the book blocks. 
As a preliminary comment, it is common to provide the signatures 184 as 
follows. First, as an example, the printing for 32 pages of a book are 
imprinted on a larger sheet of paper having an area somewhat larger than 
the total area of the sixteen sheets of the end pages, and with the 
printing for each page being spaced moderately from one another. Each such 
sheet of paper is folded over on itself four times to make sixteen layers 
of paper stacked on top of each other, with each layer being a moderately 
oversized sheet having printing on both sides, and with the printing on 
the sheets being in numerical order as these are printed in the book. The 
sheet is perforated along the fold lines. 
Each set of signatures 184 is placed in a related one of the pocket 
assemblies 178. Each pocket assembly 178 is in the form of a bin or 
container, having side walls 186 and a floor 188 which is at least 
partially open at its front discharge end to permit access to the 
lowermost signature 184. In FIG. 12, the pocket assemblies 178 are shown 
rather schematically and the forward side facing outwardly from the 
drawing is shown as an open side. The signatures 184 are placed in a stack 
in each of the pockets 189 formed by the pocket of the pocket assembly 
178. 
The conveying section 18 comprises a conveyor belt 190 having an upper run 
192 and belt engaging rollers, one of which is shown at 194. The conveying 
belt 190 is provided with a plurality of moving collecting stations 196 
located at longitudinally spaced locations along the belt 190. Each 
collecting station 196 is defined by an upstanding push rod 198. 
There is provided an elongate slideway 200 comprising an elongate slanted 
support platform 201 and an upwardly directed and moderately slanted 
elongate side wall 202 extending out from the lower edge 204 of the 
platform 201. This slideway 200 extends along the full length of the 
gathering line 176, and the push rods 198 extend through a slot 205 in the 
platform 201. 
The transfer section 182 comprises a plurality of transfer units 206, each 
of which comprises a pair of spaced transfer drums 208 and a pair of 
transfer arms 210. Each pair of transfer arms 210 is mounted about a pivot 
location 212, and at the outer end of each arm 210 is a suction cup 214. 
Also, there is at a peripheral location on each drum 208 a clamping finger 
216. 
FIGS. 13A through 13C illustrate the manner in which the signatures 184 
moved from its related pocket 189 and deposited on the slideway 200 at 
stations along the conveying belt 172. The manner in which the sleeve disc 
package 128 is deposited on the stack of signatures 184 is in large part 
the same as that in which the individual signature 184 are placed at each 
transfer station 186. However, there are some differences in the manner 
the sleeve disc package 128 is transferred and this will be described 
later. 
To describe the operation of one of the transfer units 206, initially, as 
shown in FIG. 13A, the pair of transfer arms 210 are moved so that their 
two suction cups 214 engage the lower left hand bottom surface portion of 
the lowermost signature 184. Then the pair of arms 210 are rotated 
downwardly to position the left end 218 of the signature 184 adjacent to 
the upper surface of the pair of drums 208. The clamping fingers 216 move 
downwardly to grip the left end of the signature 184, as shown in FIG. 
13B. 
Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 13B, the two drums are rotated 
approximately 180.degree. to carry the signature 184 downwardly onto the 
related collecting station 196. The clamping fingers 216 are released, and 
the signature 184 drops into place onto its related stack of signatures 
184 or (in the case of the first signature 184) directly onto the platform 
201. Each pocket assembly 178 and its related transfer unit 286 comprise a 
stationary transfer station 213. 
In operation, the upper run 192 of the conveyor belt 190 moves in the 
direction indicated by the arrow 218. As each push rod 198 is moving 
closely toward each stationary transfer station 217, the related transfer 
unit 206 moves one of its related signatures 184 downwardly onto the 
slideway portion located directly below, in the manner shown in FIGS. 13A 
through 13C. Then as each rod 198 on the conveyor belt 190 continues to 
move from one transfer station 217 to the next location, another signature 
184 is moved by the related transfer unit 206 onto the moving collecting 
station 196 to be engaged by the push rod 198. 
In FIG. 12, there is shown a gathering line where there is a total of ten 
pocket assemblies 178. Nine of these are pocket assemblies 178 contain 
conventional signatures 184. The pocket assembly 178 positioned the 
furthermost left contains the sleeve/disc packages 128. Thus, as each of 
the signatures 184 is deposited sequentially onto the slideway 200 to form 
the stack of signatures 184, the book block that is being formed is 
essentially complete at the ninth transfer station 217. When the book 
block reaches the last transfer station 217 at which the sleeve/disc 
packages 128 are located, each sleeve/disc package 128 is deposited onto 
the stack of signatures 184. 
The manner in which the sleeve/disc packages 128 are deposited onto the 
conveyor belt is shown in FIGS. 14 through 17. As indicated previously, 
this is rather similar to the manner in which the signatures 184 are 
deposited onto the slideway 200. In the following description related to 
FIGS. 14 through 17, the components which are the same as the 
corresponding components at the other transfer stations 217 will first be 
described, and then the differences in the transfer station 217 showning 
FIGS. 14 through 17 will be indicated. The transfer unit 206 shown in 
FIGS. 14 through 17 comprises the pair aforementioned rotating drums 208, 
and a pair of transfer arms 210 with the pivot location 212 and each with 
the end suction cup 214. Also, there is the pocket assembly 178. 
This pocket assembly 178 is shown somewhat schematically in FIGS. 12 and 
13A through C. In the actual machine which has been adapted for use on the 
present invention, in each of the pocket assemblies 178, the side walls 
186 are formed as part of vertically aligned "L" shaped brackets 220, with 
one leg of the "L" being a sidewall 186, and a forward wall portion 222 
being the other leg. Thus, the side wall portions 186 engage only the 
forward portions of the sleeve/disc package 128, and the forward wall 
portions 222 engage only the outside portion of the front side edges of 
the signatures 184 or packages 128. There is a rear wall 224 and the 
aformentioned bottom wall 188. 
There is a pair of downwardly extending stationary front arms 226 having at 
their lower ends small tan members 228 that extend horizontally into the 
pocket a short distance. Also, there are two adjustable set screws 230 
which are threaded into the pocket area a short distance. The function of 
these two tabs 228 and the adjustable positioning set screws 230 are to 
temporarily prevent the bottommost signature 184 or sleeve/disc package 
128 from dropping before the next cycle at which that lowermost signature 
184 or sleeve/disc package 128 is to be removed. 
There is a center hold and release arm 232 which is pivotally mounted at 
234. This arm 232 has a right angle extension 236 which retains the 
lowermost signature 184 or sleeve/disc package 128 within the pocket 186. 
Also, there is a pivotally mounted spring arm 238 for each transfer drum 
208, having a retainer roller 240 at its swing end, and a pivotally 
mounted end 242. The spring arms 238 are urged by tension springs 244 to 
come into engagement with the perimeter of the transfer drum 208. 
The components described above are present in each of the ten transfer 
stations 217 shown in FIGS. 212. However, for the transfer station 217 
which contains the sleeve/disc packages 128, there is a modification made 
in the pocket assembly 178. More specifically, there is provided a wedge 
support member 246 having an upper moderately slanted surface 248 that 
extends downwardly to a forward edge 250 of the lower wall 188. Thus, as 
can be seen in FIG. 14, the sleeve/disc packages 128 extend downwardly and 
forwardly at an angle of about 30.degree.. Also, the "L" shaped wall 
members 220, and the bars 226 are positioned somewhat lower so that the 
tips of the set screws 230 and the tabs 228 are positioned in supporting 
engagement with the front edge of the lowermost sleeve/disc package 128. 
Likewise, the lower finger member 236 of the arm 232 is at a lower 
supporting position in engagement with the lower front edge of the 
lowermost sleeve/disc package 128, and the vertical arm member 232 is in 
engagement with the several lower sleeve/disc packages 128. 
This is a modification of the transfer station apparatus as it exists in a 
commercially available machine. In the commercial machine, the wedge 
member 246 is not present, and the signatures 184 lay flat against the 
bottom wall 188. Also, the "L" shaped wall members 230, the bars 226 and 
the retaining arm 232 are positioned higher so that these engage the 
lowermost signature 184 which is aligned horizontally on the bottom wall 
188. The reason for this modification will be better recognized by 
perusing the next several paragraph where the operation of this transfer 
station 217 for the sleeve/disc package is described. 
In FIG. 14, there is shown the transfer station apparatus at its initial 
position. The two drums 208 are rotated to a position slightly forward of 
the forward edges of the sleeve/disc package 128, and the clamping fingers 
216 are positioned at a more forward location. The transfer arms 230 reach 
upwardly to cause the suction cups 214 to come into engagement with the 
lower forward surface of the lowermost sleeve/disc package 128, and at 
that time the retaining arm 232 is retracted to the position shown in FIG. 
16. 
The suction is applied in the cups 214, the arms 210 are rotated downwardly 
to pull the lowermost sleeve/disc package 128 downwardly, and the clamps 
216 are moved rearwardly to grasp the forward edge of the lowermost 
sleeve/disc package 128 and hold it against the surfaces of the drums 208. 
The tips of the screws 230 and the tabs 228 engage the forward portion of 
the sleeve/disc package 128 which is immediately above is dropping down to 
the next lower level. 
In FIG. 16, the drums 208 have rotated a short distance after gripping the 
front end of the sleeve/disc package 128, so that the package 128 has 
moved a short distance down the slopped surface 248. The disc 14 in the 
package 128 is sufficiently flexible so that it can bend a certain amount, 
and the angle of the slope surface 248 is selected so that the sleeve/disc 
package 128 does not rotate about the front edge 250 of the lower wall 188 
as a fulcrum so as to be exerting a force to lift all of the packages 128 
upwardly in the pocket. 
As the drums 208 continue their rotation in the position of FIG. 17, the 
sleeve/disc package 128 moves by the roller 240, to the lower location as 
shown in FIG. 13C, where the clamping fingers 216 release the sleeve/disc 
package 128. 
FIG. 18 is a top plan view illustrating the total book block 252 which is 
to proceed through the remainder of the processing line. Each book block 
252 comprises a vertical stack of signatures 184, on top of which is the 
sleeve/disc package 128 as shown in FIG. 10. It will be noted that the 
binding edge 98 of the edge portion 112 is adjacent to the side wall 202 
of the conveying section 180. Also, the trimmable foot portion 114 of the 
sleeve/disc package 128 is positioned adjacent to the positioning rod 198. 
This assembled book block 252 (making up the stack of signatures 184 and 
the single sleeve/disc package 128) is now ready to go through the next 
step. 
d-2) The Application of Glue to the Book Block 252 
Reference is now made to FIGS. 19A-19G, which show somewhat schematically 
the book block 252 moving along a conveying system from right to left. The 
spine portion 254 of the book block 252 is located adjacent to the slanted 
sidewall 202 of the slideway 200. As shown in the three right hand 
sequential illustrations of FIG. 19A-C, the book block 252 is moved from 
location of FIG. 19A to FIG. 19C where the book block is rotated about 
70.degree. so that the spine 254 is located downwardly. 
When the book block 252 has reached the location at 19C, the lower side 
portion of the book block 252 is positioned between two jaws or bars 256 
which are moved from the position of FIG. 21 to that of FIG. 22 to hold 
the book block (including the signatures 184 and the sleeve/disc package 
75) firmly in place. 
The book block 252 continues to the location indicated at 19E, where a 
grinding wheel 258 having teeth 260 on its perimeter engages the edge 
portions at the spine 254 of the book block 252 (including the exposed 
edge of the binding edge portion 112 of the sleeve/disc package) to 
roughen the edge portions. This is done in a conventional perfect or case 
binding process to make the edge portions of the sheets in the book block 
better accept the glue that is applied. 
The book block 252 now moves to the next location where there is an 
application of glue, this being shown somewhat schematically. There is a 
lower container with a supply of glue 262, and an applicator wheel 264 
which rotates its perimeter carrying surface into the glue 128 and brings 
a layer of glue upwardly to be applied to the roughened surface 266 at the 
spine of the book block 252. 
After this, the book block 120 proceeds to the next processing location. 
d-3) Applying the Cover to the Book Block 252 
FIGS. 23A through 23C illustrate the manner in which, in the perfect 
bonding process, a cover 268 is applied to the book block 252. The cover 
268 comprises a central spine 270 having a width dimension matching the 
width dimension of the book block 252, and front and rear panel portions 
272 and 274, respectively. 
Initially, as shown in FIG. 23A, the book block 252 is positioned so that 
its roughened spine surface 266 with the glue applied thereto faces the 
spine 270, and the cover 268 is elevated to make contact with the book 
block 252. Then as the book block 252 and the cover 268 move further along 
in the processing lines, the bottom surfaces of the panels 272 and 274 are 
engaged to move these upwardly to be pressed against the front and rear 
surfaces of the book block 252. Since the components of the machinery 
which accomplish this operation are well known in the prior art, these are 
not shown in FIGS. 23A through 23C, and these will not be described in any 
detail in this text. 
If the binding for the book is a lay open book where a piece of fabric is 
bonded to the spine of the book block, then the fabric is intended to be 
considered as part of the spine of the book cover, and the claims of this 
patent application are to be interpreted to include this type of binding, 
as well as other variations in the binding and/or book cover. 
The sequence shown in FIGS. 23A, 23B and 23C is illustrated somewhat 
schematically at three different stages of the operation. In FIG. 23A, 
there are shown schematically middle and side rollers 276 and 278, 
respectively. In FIG. 23B, there is shown a second set of rollers 280 and 
282 which have begun to move the panels 272 and 274 upwardly. At FIG. 23C 
a further downstream set of rollers 284 and 286 have pushed the book block 
252 and the cover 268 further along so that the panels 272 and 274 are 
flush against the front and rear surfaces of the book block 252. This 
forms the book which is nearly completed, but which yet needs to be 
trimmed. 
This pretrimmed book 288 is illustrated in plan view (looking at the front 
cover of the book) in FIGS. 24A, B and C, and it has a spine 290, an outer 
edge 292, a top edge 294 and a bottom edge 296. There is shown in phantom 
lines the outline of the sleeve/disc package 128 bound into the book 288. 
The spine 290 is in its completed form and is not subject to further 
processing. However, the remaining three edge portions 292, 294 and 296 
and require a finished trimming operation to form smooth edge surfaces, 
the trim lines being shown as broken lines. This is accomplished by 
machinery which is already in existence, and is part of the overall 
processing line described thus far with reference to FIGS. 12 through 23. 
To describe the trimming operation, reference is made to FIGS. 24A, B and 
C. The pretrimmed book 288 is moved to a cutting station, shown 
schematically in FIGS. 24A, B and C. At this station first a plate 298 is 
pressed downwardly on top of the book 288. Then a knife blade descends 
downwardly to trim the book at the outside edge 292, as shown in FIG. 24B, 
and the trimmed edge is illustrated at 299. In FIG. 24B, the top and 
bottom edge portions of the book 288 are trimmed at lines 300 and 302, and 
this produces the finished book. 
To illustrate another feature of the present invention, reference is made 
to FIGS. 25 and 26. The pretrimmed book is illustrated at 288 positioned 
on a cutting table 302. Two side cutting blades are shown at 306 and 308. 
It can be seen that the sleeve/disc package 128 is at the lower position 
cover of the pretrimmed book 288. There is provided on the cutting base 
304 an "L" shaped filler plate or member 310 having a thickness of 
substantially the same as that of the sleeve/disc package 128. It has been 
found that this alleviates a tendency for the knives 306 and 308 to engage 
the book 288 and cause the portion of the spine 290 that is not 
immediately adjacent to the sleeve/disc package 128 to become misaligned 
along the spine at the location of the edge extending beyond what is 
termed the upper edge 302 of the sleeve/disc package 128. As can be seen 
in FIG. 26, when the clamp 314 is pressed on top of the pretrimmed book 
288, and when the knife edges 306 and 308 come down, the spine portion 290 
is uniformly supported. This has been found to be particularly important 
when the computer disc is a "floppy" disc with a greater thickness 
dimension. 
With the trimming operation complete, there is the finished product 10 of 
the present invention, shown in FIG. 27, with the back cover being raised. 
There is the sleeve/disc combination 328 connected into the binding of the 
book, with the binding edge portion 112 connecting to the spine of the 
book 12. The closure and access flap 28 is positioned adjacent to the 
outer edge portion of the book 12. 
e) Modified Version of the Envelope Used in the Present Invention 
A method of making another type of sleeve usable in the present invention 
will now be described with reference to FIGS. 28 through 30. In FIG. 28, 
there is shown a preformed blank 318 made from conventional paper stock. 
In describing this blank 318 and the subsequent steps by which it is formed 
into the finished sleeve 316, the terminology used to identify portions of 
the blank 318 will correspond to where these portions are located when 
placed into the book 12. Accordingly, the blank 318 has an inner portion 
320 which will at the end of the manufacturing operation be near the back 
or spine of the book 12. There is an opposite outer portion 322 which in 
the end configuration of the book will be nearer to the outer loose edges 
of the pages of the book 12. There is a bottom portion 324 which in the 
end configuration of the book will be along the lower edge of the book 12. 
Finally, there is an upper portion 326 which in the end product will be 
positioned closer to the top edge of the book extending from the spine 
toward the outer free edge of the book 12. 
The blank 318 comprises a rectangular base ply section 328. At the inner 
edge portion 320, the inner edge of the base section 328 connects to a 
binding flap 330 along a tear line 332. The free edge 334 of the binding 
flap 330 becomes positioned in the end product adjacent to the spine of 
the book and is glued into the spine section. The tear line 332 is formed 
by perforations so that the main portion of the sleeve can easily be torn 
free from the book 12. 
At the outer portion 322, the base section 328 joins to an outer flap 336 
along a fold line 338. The function of this outer flap 336 is essentially 
to be folded over to form a closed outer edge for the sleeve. 
At the upper portion 326 of the blank 318, there is a closure and access 
flap 340 which in this particular embodiment is formed in two portions. 
First, there is a tear strip 342 which connects directly to the base 
section 328 along a first tear line 344 (which is simply a line which has 
spaced perforations to permit the tear action. Then there is a second 
lengthwise extending tear line 346 which extends along the lengthwise 
dimension of the flap 340 along approximately a lengthwise center location 
on the flap 340. As will be disclosed hereinafter, these two tear lines 
344 and 346 enable the tear strip portion 342 to be easily removed to 
provide an opening through which the disc 14 can be easily removed from 
the sleeve 316 and also be placed back onto the sleeve 316. 
The closure and access flap 340 comprises a second flap portion 348 which 
has on its surface a layer of adhesive 350. This second flap portion 348 
joins to the tear strip portion 342 along the second tear strip line 346. 
At the bottom portion 324, there is a cover ply section 352 which joins to 
the base ply section 328 along a lower fold line 354. In this particular 
configuration, the cover ply section 352 has the same shape and size as 
the base ply section 328. 
As with blank shown in FIGS. 3-5, the blank 318 can be manufactured by 
machinery which already exist in the prior art, with some modification or 
adaptation. The basic blank 318 can have its outside edges cut from paper 
stock by conventional means. Then the three tear lines 332, 344 and 346 
can be made by perforating the paper at spaced intervals along those 
lines. The adhesive layer 350 is preapplied to the blank 318, and this can 
be done by making an adaptation to existing machinery to add the step of 
applying such adhesive layer 350. 
The first step in forming the sleeve is (as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 
26) to fold the outer flap 336 along its foldline 338 to a position where 
it overlies the adjacent upper surface portion of the base section 328. 
After that, as shown in FIG. 29, a glue layer is applied in a U shaped 
pattern where there are three strips of glue, namely an inner glue strip 
356 which is applied to the upper surface of the base section 328 a short 
distance from the tear line 332, an outer glue strip 357 which is applied 
to the upper exposed surface of the outer flap 358, and a bottom glue 
strip 360 which is applied over the upper surface of the base section 328 
and extending also over part of the outer flap 336 to join to the bottom 
end of the outer glue strip 358. 
This bottom glue strip 360 is spaced from the fold line 354 of the cover 
ply portion by a distance which is sufficient to provide what is called a 
"trimmable foot". As disclosed previously, in the actual book making 
operation, this edge (along with the adjacent portions of pages of the 
book) is trimmed off after the book is formed. By providing this trimmable 
foot and spacing the glue line 360 upwardly relative to the fold line 354 
the bottom portion of the book can be trimmed away while still leaving the 
bonded bottom portion of the sleeve 316 intact to properly contain the 
disc 14. 
The next step is, as shown in FIG. 30, to fold the cover ply portion 352 
about its fold line 354 to position it against the upper surface of the 
base play 328 so that the cover ply section 352 becomes bonded to the base 
ply section 328 along the glue lines 356, 357 and 360. With this being 
accomplished, the sleeve 316 is in the configuration as shown in FIG. 30. 
In the configuration, as shown in FIG. 30, the sleeve 316 can be 
considered as comprising four functional components. First, there is a 
pocket section 362 which defines a pocket 364 having an open top end 
position at 366, and enclosed along three sides at the bonding strips 
coinciding with the glue strips 356, 358 and 360. Next, there is the 
binding flap 330 which remains extending from the pocket section 362. Then 
there is the closure and access flap 340 which remains in its open 
position extending from the base ply section 328, as shown in FIG. 26. 
Finally, there is the trimmable foot portion 368 which is that portion of 
the sleeve 316 that extends approximately from the bottom glue line 360 to 
the location of the fold line 35 which is now at the bottom of the sleeve 
316. 
FIG. 31 shows a slightly modified configuration of the finished sleeve 102 
shown in FIG. 5. The sleeve of FIG. 31 is designated 102a, and it is 
substantially the same as the sleeve 102 of FIG. 5, except that the tear 
line 100 has been eliminated. Thus, the sleeve 102a remains permanently 
bound into the book, this being done so that the computer disc 14 can 
later be stored into the sleeve 102a of the book 12. 
FIG. 32A shows a further modified version of the sleeve. This sleeve, 
designated 316a, is substantially the same as the sleeve 316 as shown in 
FIG. 30, except that the binding flap 330a is connected by a fold line 
332a, instead of the tear line 322 of the sleeve 316 shown in FIG. 30. 
FIG. 32B shows a further modification of the sleeve 316 shown in FIG. 30. 
This sleeve 316b of FIG. 32B is substantially the same as in the sleeve 
316a shown in FIG. 32A, except that the closure flap 340b is not formed 
with the two tear lines 344 and 346 shown in FIG. 28. Rather, the flap 340 
is joined by a fold line 344b to the sleeve 316b. 
FIG. 33 and 34 show a further modified version of the sleeve 102 of FIG. 5. 
In FIG. 33, there is shown a blank 18b having a base ply 20b and a cover 
ply 22b, joined along a fold line 30b. The two plys 20b and 22b each have 
a tear line 100b a short distance away from the fold line 30b. 
The two longitudinal glue strips are applied at 56b and 60b, and a single 
spot of glue is applied at 64b. Then the cover ply 22b is folded over onto 
the base ply 20b. 
The base ply 20b has a closure flap 28b with a pressure sensitive or 
moisture sensitive glue strip 54b. The finished sleeve 102b is shown in 
FIG. 34, and this sleeve 102b then has the disc 14 inserted into the 
sleeve 102b in the manner described previously herein. 
II. SECOND MAIN EMBODIMENT-STITCH BINDING PROCESS 
Reference is made to FIGS. 35 and 36, which show the process of making the 
sleeve for this second embodiment, and also the configuration of the 
sleeve itself prior to inserting the disc 14 therein. 
There is provided a blank 400 having a generally rectangular configuration. 
The blank 400 has a base ply 402, a cover ply 404, and two counter 
balancing plys 406 and 408. As will be described later herein, the two 
plys 406 and 408 simply serve what might be termed a "counter balancing" 
function during the stitch binding process. There is a transverse fold 
line 410 extending entirely across the width of the blank 400, this fold 
line 410 separating the two ply sections 406 and 408 from one another and 
also separating the ply sections 402 and 404 from one another. 
There is also a longitudinally extending fold line 412, separating the ply 
sections 408 and 404, and also separating the ply sections 406 and 402. 
Further, there is a tear line 414 (in the form of spaced perforations) 
extending parallel to the longitudinal fold line 412, and spaced a short 
distance from this longitudinal line 412 toward the edge 413 of the plys 
402 and 404. There is an access and close flap portion 416 joined to the 
base ply 402 along a fold line 418. 
To form the blank 400 into the sleeve in its preloading configuration, glue 
strips are applied at the locations shown in FIG. 36 prior to having the 
two plys 404 and 408 folded over onto the plys 402 and 406. These glue 
strips are two longitudinally extending glue strips 420 and 422 on 
opposite sides of the base ply 402, and also a single longitudinal glue 
strip 424 applied to the ply section 406. Also, there is the glue strip 
426 (a pressure sensitive or moisture sensitive glue strip) applied to the 
closure and access flap 416. A short distance from the fold line 410, 
there is also a transverse glue strip 428. 
It is believed to be evident from reviewing the prior text that the three 
glue strips 420, 422 and 428 define the pocket area 430 between the base 
ply section 402 and the cover ply section 404. The glue strip 424 simply 
holds the outer edges of the two ply sections 406 and 408 together to 
facilitate the process of incorporating the finished sleeve in the binding 
process. 
The two ply sections 404 and 408 are folded to be on top of, respectively, 
the ply sections 402 and 406. The finished preloaded sleeve is designated 
432, and is shown in FIG. 36, where the two ply sections 408-406 lie in 
the same plane as the two ply sections 402 and 404. In this configuration, 
the preloaded blank 432 is directed through the disc inserting line, as 
shown previously herein, in FIG. 11, to have the disc 14 inserted therein. 
After the disc 14 is inserted, the closure flap 416 is folded over about 
one fold line 418, with the glue strip 426 bonding the flap 416 to the 
cover ply 402. At this time, the sleeve 432 with the disc 14 therein can 
be considered as having two sections, namely a sleeve section 434 made up 
of the two plys 402 and 404 and the flap 416, and a counter balance 
section 436 made up of the two plys 406 and 408. At the end of the disc 
inserting process, the sleeve section 434 and the counter balance sections 
436 are folded relative to one another about the fold lines 412, so that, 
in the configuration shown in FIG. 36, the counterbalancing section is 
folded downwardly and under the sleeve section 434 to arrive at the 
configuration shown at 438 in FIG. 38. The configuration in 438 shall be 
termed the sleeve/disc package, and is designated generally as 438. The 
next step is to incorporate the package 438 into the stitch binding 
process to form the stitch bound magazine or book. 
Reference is now made to FIG. 37, where there is shown a plurality of the 
sleeve/disc packages 438 mounted in a pocket assembly 440. It can readily 
be seen that the pocket assembly 440 is substantially the same as that 
shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17. Accordingly, this will not be described in 
detail herein, except to state that there are containing walls 442, a 
bottom wedge member 444 to provide the slanted surface 446 and a release 
arm 448. Also, there are transfer arms 450, each having a suction cup 452 
on the moveable end. There are a pair of transfer drums 454, and each 
transfer drum has a related clamping finger 456. 
It is believed the manner in which the sleeve/disc packages 438 are 
transferred out of the pocket assembly 440 is evident from reviewing the 
discussion relevant to FIGS. 14 through 17, so this will not be described 
in detail herein. Thus, in FIG. 37, the sleeve/disc package 438 is shown 
having been carried by the drums 454 downwardly and thence upwardly along 
the backside of the drums 454 to engage stop members 458, carried on arms 
460. There are guide rollers 462 which (as the name implies) guide the 
sleeve/disc package 438 upwardly toward the stop member 458. At the same 
time as the sleeve/disc package 438 is engaging the stop member 458, the 
clamping fingers 456, to permit the sleeve/disc package 438 to move 
downwardly. 
It can be seen that a lower edge portion 464 of the aforementioned counter 
balance 436 of the sleeve/disc package 432 has moved to a location where 
it is engaged by radially extending surfaces 466 at the perimeters of the 
rotating drums 468. Also, retaining fingers 470 on the drums 468 are 
rotated as shown by the arrow 472 to grip the lower edge of the counter 
balance portion 436 of the sleeve/disc package 432. 
Reference is now made to FIG. 39, which shows the sleeve/disc package 438 
dropping downwardly. The fingers 466 gripping the lower edge of the 
counter balancing sleeve section 436 are moving the entire package 438 
downwardly. In the meantime, there are drums 474, each of which carries an 
arm 476 having an end finger portion 478 which engages the lower edge 480 
of the sleeve/disc portion 434 as the package 438 is dropping downwardly. 
As the drums 468 and 474 continue to rotate, so that the counter balance 
section 436 of the package 438 and the sleeve section 434 move away from 
one another, the package 438 drops onto the group of signatures 482 which 
are being carried by a conveying system schematically shown at 484. It is 
to be understood that the three sets of drums 454, 468 and 474 and the 
components associated there were, namely the clamping fingers 466, the 
arms 476 and the clamping fingers 456 are all conventional and are part of 
the standard stitch binding operation. In fact, one of the advantages of 
the present invention is that these components can be used in their 
present configuration, possibly with minor modifications. (However, the 
pocket assembly 440 has been modified from the conventional configuration 
as discussed previously in the description relating to FIGS. 14 through 
17.) 
The rest of the process proceeds as in the conventional stitch binding 
operation. The signatures 482 shown in FIG. 39 have previously been 
carried from pockets and deposited onto the conveying member 484 in 
substantially the same manner described above relative to the sleeve/disc 
packages 438. 
When the sleeve/disc combination 438 drops onto the group of signatures 
482, it is then carried through the rest of the conventional stitch 
binding operation. More specifically, the stitching or connecting members 
are applied at the crest of 486 of the group of signatures 482. Also, the 
group of signatures 482 plus the sleeve/disc package 438 could go to a 
subsequent station in the gathering line so that additional signatures 
482, or possibly a cover member could be deposited upon the group of 
signatures 482. 
It is to be understood that various modifications could be made to the 
present invention without departing from the basic teachings thereof. 
Also, it is to be understood that while the present invention has been 
shown used in combination with a perfect binding and a stitch binding, 
within the broader scope of the present invention, the present invention 
could be incorporated with other types of binding operations.