Combination binding and laminating machine

Abstract: A device for simultaneously or sequentially edge binding a sheaf of papers (20) and separately laminating single sheets (15). A heat applying assembly includes a body (25,26,27,28) of heat conducting material having a generally horizontal elongated slot (29) extending through the body and two pairs of rollers (23,24;30,31), one at an input end of the slot and the other at an output end thereof for feeding a document (15) between two thermoplastic sheets (16,17) through the slot. Upper and lower imbedded heating coils (25b,28b) apply heat above and below the slot for fusing the thermoplastic sheets to effect lamination of the document. The body of heat conducting material provides an upper surface (28a) slanted at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal. A rigid guide surface (18,19) oriented by an equal angle with respect to the vertical provides for gravity retention of a sheaf of paper (20) to be edge bound against the aforementioned upper surface, a heat setting adhesive being introduced along the common end of the sheaf of papers thereby binding the papers along a spine.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to multipage document binding and to single sheet document lamination in a common machine. In the prior art, both of those technologies are known separately. Thus, separate machines have been required to accomplish both functions sequentially or contemporaneously. The disadvantages of separate machines both physically and economically are obvious. These disadvantages are addressed by the unique structure of the invention as described hereinafter. Typical of prior art binding machines is that of U.S. Patent 4,367,116. In that disclosure a sheaf of paper to be edge-bound is inserted between guides vertically (on edge). The guide comprises two panels, one movable to hold the sheaf of papers in compression. The hot plate which sets the adhesive material is essentially horizontal in that reference. This device is relatively slow in operation because of the mechanical adjustment required. However, it does define the basic prior art of edge binding of a sheaf of papers. U.S. Patent 4,818,168 discloses another form for the basic binding device with converging guides which narrow at a lower apex to compress the multi-page document at the spine during the thermal binding operation. Separate laminating machines are extant in the prior art. Basically these machines rely on heating of a document sandwiched between sheets of a thermoplastic material - polyethelene, for example. Temperatures on the order of 300 degrees F. produce enough softening of the thermoplastic to produce fusion. The manner in which the invention advances the state of this art will be understood as this description proceeds. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a novel combination and certain novel features taken alone. A particularly novel aspect of the combination is the gravity loading of the binding portion of the machine. A plurality of sheets (sheaf) to be edge-bound stacks at an angle with respect to the vertical and lies against an angled rigid guide panel. To accomodate this loading arrangement, the top surface of the underlying heat applying (edge-heating) assembly is angled so that its planar surface is normal to the angled guide panel such that the spine of the bindable edge rests against the heated surface as fully as in the prior art case when the sheaf of papers stack vertically on a horizontal hotplate. For the laminating function, the body of the heating assembly includes an elongated slot through the body from an input to an output. An input pair of rollers grips the document to be laminated which is sandwiched between thermoplastic sheets and advances it through the slot thereby subjecting it to heating which softens the thermoplastic. Imbedded in the body are upper and lower electrical heating coils. The upper heating coils are the main source of heating at the top (angled) surface of the heat-applying assembly for the binding function. The heating assembly may be one piece above the slot or may be two pieces. If two pieces are employed, the portion containing the upper heating coils may be very similar to the lower piece (below the slot). An additional elongated piece of trapezoidal cross-section is closely mated to the upper heating coil-containing piece for enhancement of heat conduction to the upper (angled) surface of the trapezoidal piece. The input roller pair effects advancement of the document to be laminated until it disappears within the slot. Subsequently the output roller pair pulls the document through the slot and at the same time affords same forging action against the softened thermoplastic. The details of a typical embodiment of the invention with certain variations described will be understood from the detailed description hereinafter taken with the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.1 is pictorial showing the general form of a typical machine embodiment according to the invention. FIG.2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG.1. FIG.3 is a sectional view of the heat applying assembly of FIG.2. FIG.4 is a variation of FIG.3 in which the upper planar member and the trapezoidal heat sink are combined as a single monolithic piece. Referring now to FIG.1, the typical unit according to the invention is depicted at 10. A housing 11 includes a bottom panel 11a, and deck sections 11b and 11c and a bonnet 12 (see also FIG.2). Switches 13 and 14 conventionally control the power to the heating coils and roller drive motor,, respectively. A document 15 sandwiched between thermoplastic sheets 16 and 17 of polyethelene, for example, has a width of 279,4 mm (11inches) in typical case and the width of the gap "L" in the same direction is approximately 304,8 mm (12 inches) in a typical embodiment. FIG.2 affords a view of the internal structure of the apparatus of FIG.1. The input for a document to be laminated is at 22 where document 15 and thermoplastic sheet 16 and 17 are inserted and are "picked up" between rollers 23 and 24 and moved inward (left in FIG.2) to the aperture defined by chamfers 25a and 26a on elongated planar members 25 and 26, respectively, and through gap 29. Reference to FIG.3 is desirable at this point in the description. As the document passes beyond the grip of rollers 23 and 24, its passage within gap (slot) 29 is continued by the grip of rollers 30 and 31 until exited over deck section 11c. During its time passing through gap 29, the thermoplastic sheets are softened by the heat of members 25 and 26 and rollers 30 and 31 have some "forging" effect on the still soft plastic although cooling occurs quickly thereafter and the laminated document exits over deck section 11c. Referring to FIG.3, heating of members 25 and 26 is effected by resistance coils 25b and 26b so that gap 29 is heated from above and below. A typical temperature for polyethelene plastic lamination is on the order of 149 degrees C (300 degrees F). Electrical connections for heating coils 25b and 26b are at 25c, 25d, 26c and 26d and are typical and may be anywhere as long as there is no interference with the operation of the device. The heat sink 27 is in thermal contact with member 26 along an interface 27b. A variation in the structure of the elongated planar members is depicted in FIG.4. The elements 26 and 27 of FIG.3 are combined into a single monolithic element 28 with a corresponding imbedded upper resistance heating coil 28b and comparable electrical connections. It should be understood that the structures of FIG.3 and FIG.4 are elongated in the "L" direction as identified on FIG.1. Referring back to FIG.2, the guide panels 18 and 19 are seen tilted at an acute angle with respect to the vertical. A sheaf of papers to be edge-bound 20 is inserted betwen panels 18 and 19 so as to lie against panel 18 and abut top surface 27A (or 28A if the FIG.4 variation is used). Guide panel 19 is spaced from panel 18 to conform to a predetermined maximum thickness of the sheaf of papers to be bound but may in fact be eliminated in the general case since the angle of panel 18 provides the support needed. As is conventional in this art, a tape with a layer of thermally curable adhesive is inserted against surface 27A (or 28A) and the heat of that surface effects the binding operation. The electric motor drive for the rollers 23,24, 30 and 31 is conventional and the related electrical connections are similarly conventional and are, therefore, not specifically described.

Claims: A thermal binding device (10) comprising: a heat applying assembly (27) and guide means (18, 19) for directing a sheaf (20) of papers to be bound along a common edge to direct said common edge against a top surface (27a) of said heat applying assembly (27), characterized in that it is arranged as a combination laminating and thermal binding device (10), the heat applying assembly (27) being formed by upper and lower blocks of solid heat conducting material, said blocks having spaced facing surfaces forming a generally horizontal enlongated uniform gap (29) therebetween; with upper and lower heating coils (26b, 25b), associated with said upper and lower blocks, respectively, for applying heat above and below said gap (29); with feed means including at least one pair of counter-rotating rollers (23, 24) for conveying a document (15) sandwiched between two thermoplastic sheets (16, 17) through said gap (29) to effect fusion of said thermoplastic sheets (16, 17) to thereby laminate said document (15). Combination according to claim 1, characterized by a second pair of rollers (30, 31) at the exit end of said gap (29) to pull the laminated document (15) therethrough. Combination according to claim 1, characterized in that said conductive material of said heat applying assembly (27) is aluminum. Combination according to claim 1, characterized in that said guide means (18, 19) includes at least one rigid planar surface (18) parallel to said sheaf (20) of papers to tend to hold said sheaf (20) of papers such that said common edge seats against said heat applying top surface (27a). Combination according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat applying assembly has a heat sink member (27) of generally trapezoidal cross-section, said heat sink member (27) having a lower surface (27b) in thermal contact with an upper surface of said upper block and having an upper planar top surface (27a), making a first acute angle with respect to the upper surface of said upper block; and said guide means (18, 19) being oriented such as said common edge of said sheaf (20) of papers lies against said heat sink member upper surface (27a). Combination according to claim 5, characterized in that said guide means (18, 19) holds said sheaf (20) of papers to be bound at a second acute angle with respect to the vertical, said first and second acute angles being equal. Combination according to claim 5, characterized in that said planar members and said heat sink member are aluminum. Combination according to claim 6, characterized in that said planar members and said heat sink member are aluminum. Combination according to claim 5, characterized in that said feed means includes a first pair of rollers (23, 24) for feeding said document (15) and thermoplastic sheets (16, 17) into said gap (29) and a second pair of roller (30, 31) at the exit of said gap (29) for exiting said document (15) from said gap (29) in laminated condition, said second pair of rollers (30, 31) rotating to pull said laminated document (15) through said gap (29). Combination according to claim 5, characterized in that said guide means comprises a rigid sheet (18), said sheaf (20) of papers to be bound resting against said rigid sheet (18) and thereby edge abutting said heat sink upper surface. Combination according to claim 9, characterized in that the aperture of said gap (29) adjacent said first pair of rollers (23, 24) is chamfered adjacent said first pair of rollers (23, 24) to provide ease of guidance for said document (15) and thermoplastic sheets (16, 17) into said gap (29). Combination according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by first and second electric coil heating elements (26b, 25b) imbedded in said assembly above and below said gap (29) respectively to apply heat from above and below said gap (29). Combination according to claim 12, characterized in that said first electric coil heating element (26b, 28b) is proximate to said heat applying assembly top surface (27a, 28a) thereby heating said top surface (27a, 28a) by conduction. Combination according to claim 12, characterized in that said heat applying assembly (27, 28) is fabricated of highly conductive metal. Combination according to claim 13, characterized in that said heat applying assembly (27, 28) is fabricated of aluminum. Combination according to claim 12, characterized in that said feed means comprises first and second pairs of rotating rollers (23, 24; 30, 31) for gripping and feeding said document (15) and said thermoplastic sheets (16, 17) through said gap (29), said first pair of rollers (23, 24) being adjacent an input end of said gap (29) and said second pair of rollers (30, 31) being adjacent the output end of said gap (29).

Inventors: COOK ROY P, PARKHILL ALAN J, COOK, ROY P., PARKHILL, ALAN J.
Applicants: BANNER AMERICAN PROD INC, BANNER AMERICAN PRODUCTS, INC.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B42C9
IPC codes: B42C9, B32B37