PROCESS FOR PERFUMING BOOKS, DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID PROCESS, SO-OBTAINED PERFUMED BOOK

Abstract: The process for perfuming books consists in applying at least a perfumed essence in the liquid state on at least on outer surface of the flyleaves of the book, in the nearby of the back of the volume block which constitutes said book and/or in adding at least one perfumed essence to the glue used for subsequently binding the cover to the outer surfaces of the flyleaves. The application of the perfumed essence to the outer surface of the flyleaves is carried out by means of a couple of rolls revolving into contact with the volume block in the nearby of the back, by means of a first end thereof. The second end of said rolls, diametrically opposite to the first one, is simultaneously dipped in the perfumed essence contained in a tray.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for perfuming books and a device for carrying out such a process. Perfuming books, letters and the like, in order to make the reading thereof, or even only consulting them, particularly pleasant, is already known, see e.g. DE-U-87 08 048. The presently used perfuming process consists in simply generally sprinkling, or spraying, the sheets which constitute the books with sweet-scented essences. Even if such a perfuming process reaches the intended purpose, such a process is laborious, difficult to mechanize, and does not secure the persistence of the fragrance over time, unless a large amount of essence is used. The use of a large amount of essence, to which resort is made in order to obviate the exhaustion of the fragrance over time, on the other hand, causes an increase in costs, above all in case essences having a special perfume are used. Furthermore, in such cases, the initial intensity of the perfume may result annoying, to the extent of reaching on the reader the effect contrary to that desired. Other drawbacks can finally derive from the possible staining, or colour changing, of the pages of the book over time, due to the direct contact with the essence. The purpose of the present invention consists in providing a process and a device for perfuming books, which are capable of obviating the above drawbacks, and which are hence easy to perform and to mechanize, and which make it possible to obtain a persistently perfumed book, with a perfume intensity which is moderately constant over time, and is such as to anyway prevent the pages from discolouring or getting stained because of the essence, even many years after the printing of the book. The invention is intended to be performed in a book binding plant of known type, such as the one disclosed in US-A-4 556 353, wherein printed sheets are folded to form a signature, a plurality of signatures are united in an ordered arrangement and a back is glued onto the ordered signatures to form a book block. A cover is then glued to the outer surfaces of the flyleaves of the book block to obtain a book. The signatures are held and guided vertically by a conveyor during the glueing steps. The above stated purpose is achieved by a process and a device having the features of claim 1 and claim 4, respectively. The process and device are illustrated for merely exemplifying and non-limitative purposes in the figures of the hereto attached drawing sheets, wherein: Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a book; Figure 2 shows a device for applying the perfumed essence. Referring to the above cited figures, a process according to the present invention is carried out by integrating with some steps the traditional process for obtaining a book. During a first step, the printing on both the pages of one or more sheet(s) is carried out, wherein each of said sheets is typographically subdivided into sectors which will constitute the future pages of the book 1. During a second step, the folding of the printed sheet(s) is carried out, so as to obtain a signature 2, which is orderly united with the other signatures (the third step), e.g., by stitching with a thread. The block of the so-united signatures 2 is then sent to means for the application, by glueing, of a back 3 (the fourth step), so as to obtain a book block 4. The book block 4, through transport means constituted by a conveyor belt 5 comes to means which apply to it, by glueing on the respective outer surfaces 6 of the flyleaves 7, a cover 8 (the sixth step), so obtaining the book 1. The conveyor belt 5 (see Figure 2), which comprises a pair of guides 9 which keep the book block 4 in the vertical position with the back 3 being arranged upwards, constitutes an integrating part of a device for the application of at least one perfumed essence, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The device 10 comprises, among others, a pair of rolls 11 having a cross-section of trapezoidal shape, positioned on both sides of the guides 9 on inclined shafts 12 convergent relative to the plane of the outer surfaces 6 of the flyleaves 7 in such a way that a circumferential region of the same rolls 11 rolls in contact with the outer surfaces 6 of the flyleaves 7 of the book block 4, whilst each one of the diametrically opposite circumferential regions dips in a tray 13 filled with at least one perfumed essence. The conveyor belt 5 and the device 10 constitute, together with each other, means for applying said at least one perfumed essence. The book block 4 passing on the conveyor belt 5 between the guides 9 is lapped on both sides, in the proximity of the back 3, by the peripheral surface of each roll 11, which transfers the essence onto the outer surfaces 6 of the flyleaves 7 in an amount proportional to the widths of the peripheral surfaces of the rolls 11, and to the degree of dilution of the essence in the trays 13 (the fifth step). The rolls 11 can indifferently be either idle, or motor-driven. After travelling beyond the device 10 for the application of the perfumed essence, the book block 4 continues its way in order to reach the binding step of the cover 8 with the flyleaves 7 (sixth step). The end perfuming effect can be furthermore improved by also adding said at least one perfumed essence to the necessary glue for uniting the back 3 to the flyleaves 7, and to the glue used for binding the cover 8 to the book block 4, i.e. to the flyleaves 7 of the book block 4. In any case, the perfumed essence is interposed between the outer surfaces 6 of the flyleaves 7 and the inner surfaces 14 of the cover 8, possibly blended with the glue used in order to bind such surfaces and to the glue used in order to also bind the back 3 to the signatures 2. Such a structure in which the essence remains confined between the flyleaves 7 and the cover 8, makes it hence possible the scent to be gradually and continuously released over time, with said scent permeating all the pages of the closed book, but without causing the drawbacks to occur, which affect the present state of the art. Instead of two rolls 11, one roll only could be provided in order to apply the perfumed essence only onto one outer surface 6.

Claims: A process for perfuming books in a book binding plant, wherein at least one printed sheet is folded to form a signature (2), a plurality of signatures (2) are united in an ordered arrangement and a back (3) is glued onto the ordered signatures (2) to form a book block (4), and wherein a cover (8) is glued to the outer surfaces (6) of the flyleaves (7) of the book block (4) to obtain a book (1), characterised in that before binding the cover (8) with the flyleaves (7) at least one type of a perfumed essence is applied to at least one of said outer surfaces (6) of said flyleaves (7). A process according to claim 1, characterised in that said at least one type of perfumed essence is applied in the proximity of said back (3). A process according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said at least one type of perfumed essence is applied with the glue used for glueing said back (3) and said cover (8). A device for carrying out the process of one or more of the preceding claims, comprising means for glueing a back (3) to a plurality of orderly arranged signatures (2) to form a book block (4), each of said signatures (2) being formed by at least one printed sheet, means for glueing a cover (8) to the outer surfaces (6) of the flyleaves (7) of the book block (4) to form a book (1), and a pair of guides (9) associated with a conveyor belt (5) for guiding and conveying the book block (4) vertically in the region of said glue applying means, characterised in that it comprises means for applying at least one type of a perfumed essence to the outer surface (6) of at least one of the flyleaves (7), said perfumed essence applying means comprising at least one rotatable roll (11) having a shaft (12) inclined relative to the plane of said outer surface (6), said roll (11) dipping at a circumferential region into a tray (13) containing said at least one type of perfumed essence and rolling into contact with said outer surface (6) at a diametrically opposite region. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that two rolls (11) are provided having convergent shafts (12), each roll (11) dipping into a respective tray (13) and rolling on a respective outer surface (6) of said flyleaves (7). A device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterised in that said roll(s) (11) has (have) a cross section of trapezoidal shape. A device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that it is arranged between said back glueing means and said cover glueing means. A device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the perfumed essence is added to the glue in said back glueing means and said cover glueing means.

Inventors: MAGGI, DARIO
Applicants: GRUPPO UGO MURSIA EDITORE S.P.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B42D1
IPC codes: B42C9, B42C19, B42D1