A METHOD AND A DEVICE FOR AFFIXING SUPPLEMENTS TO MOVING OBJECTS

Abstract: A method for affixing supplements (2) to moving objects (12) such as pages of quires, wherein a stack of supplements (2) is placed in a holder (1). Supplements (2) are taken from said stack one at a time and adhered to a passing object (12) by means of an adhesive. A film of adhesive (3), which is capable of rebonding, is applied to at least part of one side of each supplement (2) before composing the stack of supplements (2).

Description: A METHOD AND A DEVICE FOR AFFIXING SUPPLEMENTS TO MOVING OBJECTS The invention relates to a method for affixing supplements to moving objects, wherein a stack of supplements is placed in a holder, after which supplements are taken from said stack one at a time and adhered to a passing object by means of an adhesive. The supplements can be adhered to any object provided that such object has an appropriate surface for receiving the supplement. The objects can be packages or containers of a product, which packages or containers are moved by a conveyor for example. In particular the objects can be news papers or quires. When hereinafter quires are mentioned, any other object is also be meant. The term quires should be given a wide interpretation. It includes magazines as well as parts of magazines and brochures and any other sheet of paper or other material that is subjected to a processing step wherein a number of copies are moved in a continuous row. It is known to add supplements to magazines and similar printed matter, for example for advertising a product mentioned on the supplement or appended to the supplement. In this manner it is possible to distribute for example sample bags of a shampoo or other products among the potential buyers of said product by means of the magazine. Furthermore it is for example possible to affix reply cards to a magazine in this manner, which reply cards can be dispatched by post by the reader of the magazine. Supplements of this kind are usually affixed to a page of the quire by means of an adhesive during the selecting and putting together of the quires. The supplements are thereby stacked in a holder and removed from the holder one at a time, followed by the application of glue, after which the supplement is affixed to the page in question. A method of this kind is usually carried out at a very high speed, so that it is important that the affixation of the supplement takes place faultlessly, without any malfunctions. A brief malfunction may have major consequences with regard to the progress of the process of putting together magazines, for example. In particular in the production of magazines having a high topical value, wherein any risk of malfunction must be excluded because of the required speed at which the binding process must be carried out, it is often decided to refrain from adding supplements because of the increased risk of disruption of the production process. The object of the invention is to provide a method for affixing supplements to objects such as pages of quires, wherein the supplements can be placed in the holder in a form which enables easy handling, and wherein the supplements can be affixed to the respective objects at a very high speed and in a very reliable manner. In order to accomplish that objective a film of adhesive, which is capable of rebonding, is according to the invention applied to at least part of one side of each supplement . Then the supplements can be separated from the stack one at a time by engaging a respective supplement at a place where no adhesive is present, after which the supplement is separated from the supplement being in contact therewith in the stack by moving the contacting surfaces of the supplements apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces, i.e. without shifting the supplements over each other. A coherent stack of supplements which is easy to handle and wherein the supplements are correctly positioned with respect to each other whilst maintaining said position can be obtained by applying an adhesive to the supplements before composing a stack of supplements. Thus the supplements are prevented from shifting with respect to each other upon or after being placed in the holder. Since the presence of a facility for applying glue is not required when the supplements are being affixed, it will suffice to use a simpler device to carry out said affixing, as a result of which the device is less liable to malfunction, whilst moreover the speed at which the supplements are affixed no longer depends on the speed at which glue can be applied to the supplement and/or on the drying time of the glue. By carrying out the method with an adhesive which is capable of rebonding, that is, an adhesive which can be used several times whilst retaining its bonding action, it becomes possible not only to bond the supplements together and separate them from each other again, but also to remove the supplement easily from the page of the quire without damaging said page . Another advantage of the use of an adhesive which is capable of rebonding is the fact that the supplement can subsequently be adhered to another object. An adhesive of this type, which can be inseparably applied to a surface in a thin layer, possibly with the interposition of a coating, and which can be adhered to a surface, such as paper, in such a manner as to be capable of rebonding, that is, be used several times whilst retaining its bonding action, is known per se. An example is described in EP-A-0 276 557, and in the publications referred to therein. Preferably the surfaces of the supplements being in contact with each other are moved apart by blowing air between the supplements to be separated, in the direction of the adhesive present between said supplements. In practice this has appeared to be an effective way of separating the respective supplements from each other, whereby the surfaces of the supplements are moved apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces, which is necessary for separating the supplements from each other without causing damage thereto and undoing the rebonding action. A plate-shaped separating element, which is moved between the supplements, may be used for separating the supplements from each other, possibly in combination with the aforesaid blowing of air between the pages. In one preferred embodiment a supplement is separated from a stack by pulling a part of said supplement away from the stack by means of a suction nozzle, after which said part is bent over and the bent-over part is subsequently engaged and moved in a direction away from the stack. The use of a suction nozzle makes it possible to draw the supplement against a surface in a reliable manner. The suction nozzle may thereby be provided on a separating element, which rotates about an axis which extends substantially parallel to the supplements in the stack, which suction nozzle is provided on a sloping surface of said separating element, which surface extends obliquely relative to the radial plane, whereby said part of the supplement is pulled away from the stack as a result of said sloping surface moving along the surface of said supplement, whereby the supplement is sucked against said sloping surface. In this manner space is created, so that subsequently a substantially flat part lying in a radial plane of the rotating separating element is slid between the aforesaid part of the supplement and the rest of the stack, after which a guide portion of said rotating separating element bends over said part of the supplement in such a manner that the edge of the supplement to be engaged is directed away from the stack. Then said edge can be readily engaged so as to carry off the supplement to the page of a quire that passes at that moment . In another embodiment the suction nozzle is provided on the cylindrical surface of a rotating roller which rolls over the supplement of the stack that is to be separated, so that said part of the supplement is sucked against said cylindrical surface and is bent to conform with said surface. A second roller may thereby rotate against the former roller, so that the supplement is engaged and carried off as a result of the pinching action between the two rollers. In one preferred embodiment the supplement consists of a container containing a liquid, such as a shampoo or other detergent to be removed from said container. The container may also contain other products, for example one or more samples of an object. Since the supplements present in the stack are provided with an adhesive, the contours of the supplements may differ from those of the holder, which is usually rectangular. In another preferred embodiment of the invention the supplement consists of a sheet of paper with for example an advertising text or other message present thereon. An example of this is a supplement with a pre-printed telephone number, which can be detached from a magazine and which can subsequently be affixed to a telephone set. It is preferred to use an adhesive which bonds more strongly to the supplement, or to a coating provided on the supplement under said adhesive, than to the material of the quire, so that the page of the quire will remain undamaged, free from adhesive, after the supplement has been removed from said page. The invention furthermore relates to a device for affixing supplements to pages of quires comprising a holder, in which a stack of supplements can be placed, and means for separating supplements from the stack one at a time and affixing them to a page of a passing quire by means of an adhesive, wherein said means are designed such that a respective supplement is separated from the supplement being in contact therewith in the stack by moving the contacting surfaces of the supplements apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces . Preferably said means are provided with a blow nozzle for blowing air between surfaces of the supplements that are in contact with each other, in the direction of the adhesive present between said supplements. Said means may furthermore be provided with a plate-shaped separating element, which is capable of movement between the contacting surfaces of the supplements. Further features of the invention, which may be used both separately and in combination with each other, will be described hereafter with reference to the embodiment and be defined in the claims . In order to explain the invention two embodiments of a device for affixing supplements will be described hereafter with reference to the drawing. The Figures are merely schematic illustrations and only serve to explain the invention. Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment provided with a blow nozzle; Figures 3 and 4 show an embodiment provided with a plate-shaped separating element; Figure 5 is a bottom view of a rotatable separating element; Figures 6 and 7 are sectional views along lines VI-VI and VII-VII respectively in Figure 5; Figure 8 shows another device provided with a rotatable cylindrical roller; and Figures 9-11 show the operation of the device according to Figure 8. The Figures are merely diagrammatic representations, which are only shown by way of illustration and wherein like parts are numbered alike. The device comprises a holder 1 containing a number of supplements 2. Supplements 2 form a stack and are all provided with a film of glue 3 covering part of the surface area on one side, which film of glue is illustrated in thin lines in the Figures. Film of glue 3 is composed to bond inseparably to a supplement on one side, with the interposition of a coating, for example, and to be affixed on the other side to the surface of an adjacent supplement, in such a manner that rebonding is possible. Said film of glue 3 is present on the upwardly facing side of supplements 2. An opening 4 is present near the bottom side of holder 1, through which opening the lowermost supplement of the stack of supplements 2 can be engaged. Said engaging of the lowermost supplement 2 takes place by means of clamping elements 5, which are mounted on a rotatable disc 6. Disc 6 rotates in the plane of the drawing, about axis 7. Each disc 6 is provided with two clamping elements 5. Each clamping element 5 is capable of rotation about an axis 8 with respect to disc 6, between a position in which a supplement is engaged and a position in which said supplement is released. Figures 1 and 3 show the upper clamping element 5 in the engaging position, in which a supplement 10 is engaged, said supplement extending along the surface of a rotatable disc. While clamping element 5 passes opening 4, clamping 5 is pivoted about axis 8 from its releasing position into its engaging position, so that the edge of the lowermost supplement from the stack of supplements can be engaged. Disc 6 then rotates in the direction of arrow 11 and the supplement 10 being engaged is pulled from holder 1 and transferred to a passing quire 12, which is being moved in the direction of arrow 14 by means of a conveyor belt 13. Clamping elements 5 and rotatable disc 6 may be driven hydraulically or electrically, or by different means. A supplement 10 being engaged may be pressed against the shell surface by a guide (not shown) , or be drawn against said shell by air channels (not shown) . The supplements 2 present in holder 1 form a stack in which the supplements are positioned with respect to each other by means of the film of glue 3. Due to the presence of said film of glue the stack of supplements can be handled and placed in the holder without any difficulty, whereby the supplements 2 cannot move with respect to each other. The presence of the adhesive between the supplements makes it impossible to separate the lowermost supplement 2 of the stack from the next supplement by pulling the lowermost supplement from the holder. The surfaces of the two supplements 2 must be separated from each other by moving them apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces. Said moving apart may take place by blowing air between the supplements, as is shown in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2. The end of a blow pipe 15 is thereby present near opening 4 in the holder, which blow pipe is capable of blowing air between the supplements in the direction of film of glue 3 , as is indicated by arrow 9 in Figure 2. Said blowing of air facilitates pulling the lowermost supplement from the holder without the film of glue 3 coming into contact with the next supplement 2 again in a disadvantageous manner. Preferably air is thereby supplied under a pressure of more than 2 atmosphere, and the blow pipe is provided with a wide nozzle. In Figures 3 and 4 a plate-shaped separating element 16 is used instead of said blow pipe, which element is capable of movement in the direction indicated by arrow 17. Separating element 16 can be inserted between supplements 2 to the position shown in Figure 4. The separating of the supplements by means of a blow pipe on the one hand and by means of a plate-shaped separating element 16 on the other hand may also take place simultaneously by combining the two separating methods. The separating element may also function to support stack 2. Figures 5, 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 is a bottom view of a separating element 16 which is rotatable about axis 20. Axis of rotation 20 extends substantially perpendicularly to the supplements 2 in the stack. Figure 5 shows the stack of supplements located directly behind the supplement 2 that is to be separated. The stack is viewed from below, as it were. Disc-shaped separating element 16 rotates right along supplement 2 in the direction indicated by arrow 21. When the elongated suction nozzle 22 (illustrated in a broken line) passes supplement 2, a part 23 of supplement 2 is bent forwards relative to the plane of Figure 5, so that said part 23 will land on the front side of separating element 16. Suction nozzle 22 is provided on a sloping surface 24, which is illustrated in a broken line in Figure 7. Surface 24 extends obliquely relative to the plane in which separating element 16 rotates, so that part 23 of supplement 2 will bend over when suction nozzle 22 moves directly past supplement 2, whereby part 23 will slide over the sloping surface 24. Figure 7 furthermore shows suction pipe 28, which extends towards suction nozzle 22. Separating element 16 is furthermore provided with guide portion 25, which comprises a sloping guide surface 26. Further rotation of separating element 16 brings guide portion 25 near supplement 2, whereby sloping guiding surface 26 bends part 23 of supplement 2 further forwards relative to the plane of Figure 5. Part 23 of supplement 2 can then be readily engaged so as to be pulled away from the stack, whereby rebondable film of adhesive 3 lets go. Said engaging may take place by means of disc 6 as shown in Figures 1-4. Figures 6 and 7 are sectional view of fastening element 27, by means of which separating element 16 can be fastened to a rotating shaft. Suction pipe 28 is connected to a vacuum pump via said shaft (not shown) . Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 are very diagrammatic views of one embodiment of the invention wherein one or more suction nozzles are incorporated in roller 30. The suction nozzles themselves are not shown, but they are disposed on the cylindrical surface of roller 30, which is shown in elevational view. Figure 8 is a side view of a stack of supplements 2, which is illustrated in the form of a square. Roller 30 moves along the stack along the side of the stack where a supplement is to be separated. Roller 30 pivots about stationary pin 31, and the drive of roller 30 is diagrammatically indicated by an endless belt 32 which is passed over a driving wheel 33. The pivoting movement of roller 30 about pin 31 is effected by rotating disc 34 in the direction indicated by arrow 35, which disc 34 is connected with a crank 36 to the connecting rod between roller 30 and pin 31. By configuring the distance between pin 31 and rod 30 sufficiently large, roller 30 makes a substantially rectilinear movement along the stack of supplements 2. The operative movement of roller 30 along the stack, which is illustrated in Figures 9-11, takes place from the top to the bottom. Roller 30 thereby rolls on the supplement 2 of the stack that is to be separated. The suction nozzles in the cylindrical surface of roller 30 ensure that supplement 2 is sucked against said surface and is carried along by the surface of roller 30. The film of adhesive 3 of the supplements is present near the side of the supplements that is shown on the bottom side in Figures 8-11. Figure 8 shows a second roller 37, which is pressed against roller 30, so that a pinching action is effected between said two rollers 30, 37, as a result of which supplement 2 being carried along is engaged and carried off. Roller 37 pivots about stationary pin 38 when roller 30 pivots about pin 31. The supplements carried off as a result of the pinching action can be readily engaged by means which place the supplement on a page of a quire . Such means may be formed by the disc 6 shown in Figures 1-4. The illustrated embodiments are merely shown by way of illustration, the invention may be implemented in many different ways .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for affixing supplements (2) to moving objects (12) , wherein a stack of supplements (2) is placed in a holder (1) , after which supplements (2) are taken from said stack one at a time and adhered to a passing object (12) by means of an adhesive, characterized in that a film of adhesive (3) , which is capable of rebonding, is applied to at least part of one side of each supplement (2) before composing the stack of supplements (2) . 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the objects (12) are news papers or quires and that the supplements (2) are adhered to pages of such news papers or quires . 3. A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supplements (2) are separated from the stack one at a time by engaging a respective supplement (2) at a place where no adhesive is present, after which the supplement (2) is separated from the supplement (2) being in contact therewith in the stack by moving the contacting surfaces of the supplements (2) apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces . 4. A method according to any of the preceding claim 1, characterized in that the surfaces of the supplements (2) being in contact with each other are moved apart by blowing air (9) between the supplements (2) to be separated. 5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surfaces of the supplements (2) being in contact with each other are moved apart by moving a plate-shaped separating element (16) between said surfaces. 6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a supplement (2) is separated from a stack by pulling a part of said supplement (2) away from the stack by means of a suction nozzle (22) , after which said part is bent over and the bent-over part is subsequently engaged and moved in a direction away from the stack. 7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the suction nozzle (22) is provided on a separating element (16) , which rotates about an axis (20) which extends substantially perpendicularly to the supplements (2) in the stack, which suction nozzle (22) is provided on a sloping surface (24) of said separating element (16) , which surface extends obliquely relative to the radial plane, whereby said part of the supplement (2) is pulled away from the stack as a result of said sloping surface (24) moving along the surface of said supplement (2) , whereby the supplement (2) is sucked against said sloping surface (24) . 8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that subsequently a substantially flat part of the rotating separating element (16) , which lies in a radial plane, is slid between the aforesaid part of the supplement (2) and the rest of the stack, after which a guide portion of said rotating separating element (16) bends over said part of the supplement (2) in such a manner that the edge of the supplement (2) to be engaged is directed away from the stack. 9. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that said suction nozzle is provided on the cylindrical surface of a rotating roller (30) , which rolls on the supplement (2) of the stack that is to be separated, and that said part of the supplement (2) is sucked against said cylindrical surface during said rolling, and is bent over while abutting against said surface. 10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that a second roller rotates whilst bearing against the former roller, so that the supplement (2) is engaged and carried off as a result of the pinching action between the two rollers. 11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supplement (2) consists of a container containing a product to be removed from said container. 12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supplement (2) consists of a printed sheet of paper. 13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an adhesive is used which bonds more strongly to said supplement (2) , or to a coating provided on said supplement (2) under said adhesive, than to the material of the object (12) , so that object (12) will remain undamaged, free from adhesive, after the supplement (2) has been removed from said object (12) . 14. A device for affixing supplements (2) to moving objects (12) comprising a holder (1) , in which a stack of supplements (2) can be placed, and means for separating supplements (2) from the stack one at a time and affixing them to a passing object (12) by means of an adhesive, characterized in that said means are designed such that a respective supplement (2) is separated from the supplement (2) being in contact therewith in the stack by moving the contacting surfaces of the supplements (2) apart in a direction substantially perpendicularly to said surfaces. 15. A device according to claim 14, characterized in that said means are provided with a blow nozzle (15) for blowing air between surfaces of the supplements (2) that are in contact with each other, in the direction of the adhesive present between said supplements (2) . 16. A device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that said are provided with a plate-shaped separating element (16) , which is capable of movement between the contacting surfaces of the supplements (2) . 17. A device according to any one of the preceding claims 14-16, characterized in that said means are provided with a suction nozzle (22) , which is capable of pulling away a part of a supplement (2) , and with gripping means for engaging said part of the supplement (2) . 18. A device according to claim 17, characterized in that said suction nozzle (22) is provided on a separating element (16) , which rotates about an axis which extends substantially perpendicularly to the supplements (2) in the stack, which suction nozzle (22) is provided on a sloping surface (24) of said separating element (16) , which surface extends obliquely relative to the radial plane, whereby said part of the supplement (2) is pulled away from the stack as a result of said sloping surface (24) moving along the surface of said supplement (2) , whereby the supplement (2) is sucked against said sloping surface (24) . 19. A device according to claim 18, characterized in that said separating element (16) comprises a substantially flat part lying in a radial plane, which can be slid between the aforesaid part of the supplement (2) and the rest of the stack, and a guide portion (25,26), which is capable of bending over said part of the supplement (2) in such a manner that the edge of the supplement (2) to be engaged is directed away from the stack. 20. A device according to claim 19, characterized in that said suction nozzle is provided on the cylindrical surface of a rotating roller (30) , which is capable of rolling on the supplement (2) of the stack that is to be separated, so that said part of the supplement (2) is sucked against said cylindrical surface during said rolling, and is bent over while abutting against said surface. 21. A device according to claim 20, characterized in that a second roller (37) is capable of rotating whilst bearing against the former roller, effecting a pinching action in conjunction with said former roller (30) , as a result of which said part of the supplement (2) can be engaged and carried off.

Inventors: ROS RAYMOND EDMUND, ROS, RAYMOND, EDMUND
Applicants: ROS RAYMOND E, VIANEN DE BINDERIJGROEP BV, B.V. DE BINDERIJGROEP VIANEN, ROS, RAYMOND, EDMUND
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65H37
IPC codes: B65C1, B65H37