Patent GB-1014671-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the binding of books
Inventor: THOMPSON JACK EVANS
IPC: B42C11/04
Filed: 1961-11-23
Abstract: 1,014,671. Bookbinding; feeding sheets. R. D. H. THOMPSON & CO. Ltd. Feb. 25, 1963 [Nov. 23, 1961], No. 18624/61. Headings B6A and B6B. A method of applying a cover to a book block comprises the steps of moving the book block along a first path gluing the spine of the book block moving a strip of backing material along a second path which passes closely to and substantially parallel to a selected portion of the first path stopping the book block at said selected portion moving the backing strip along the second path until it is lined up with the book spine pushing the backing strip against said spine moving the book block with the backing strip secured thereto along the first path moving a cover along a third path which eventually coincides with the first path applying glue to the backing strip on the spine of the book block and/or the cover, moving the book block and the cover so that the leading edge of the spine of the book block and the corresponding part of the cover are brought together where the paths merge, moving the book block and the cover along the merged paths so that the cover is applied to the spine of the book block and subsequently smoothing the cover over the sides of the book block. Each book block is moved spine downwards by intermittently moving clamps, or endless belts, past a glue-applying station, comprising a first gluing roller 11, a brush 13 for working the glue into the spine, and a second gluing roller 14, to a back lining applying station. A web of material, such as mull, linen or paper, is fed from a reel 16 by driven rollers 17, 18, between a rotary knife 21 and die 20, to grippers 22. The latter are provided with spaced fingers projecting from their leading edges. The grippers 22 feed the material up to a second pair of grippers 23 on an endless chain 24, the knife 21 being actuated to cut off a strip of the material. Fingers on the grippers 23 intermesh with the fingers on the grippers 24 to facilitate the transfer of the material from one to the other. The strip of material is moved over a gluing roller 25 to a position beneath the book block. A plate 28 reciprocates to apply the strip to the spine of the book block. The book block is next advanced to a cover-applying station wherein the covers are fed one at a time past a gluing roller 43 (see below) around a rotating suction drum 41 and into contact with the spine of the advancing book block. The book block and attached cover are then advanced by a belt 42. The cover lies substantially flat on the belt and on guides spaced each side of the belt to allow the glue to become tacky. The belt 42 is subsequently washed in a trough 47 by a brush 48. Next the cover is nipped about the spine of the book as described in Specification 1,014,673, and finally released from the intermittently moving clamps and allowed to fall between counter-rotating rollers which smooth the covers over the sides of the book. Feeding sheets.-The book covers are separated from a stack 31 by a rotating suction device 33 and fed to rotating rollers 34 and co-operating endless belts 35. Two photo-electric cells or microswitches 36 are spaced transversely of the belts to detect the presence of a cover. Each cell or switch is associated with a fixed rod 38 and movable rod 37. On detecting the trailing edge of a cover the cell or switch activates the corresponding rod 37 to clamp the cover in a registered position. Should the cover be misaligned one cell or switch will operate before the other, whereby initially only one side of the cover is clamped in position to allow the cover to be swung round by the action of the belts 35 until it is correctly aligned. The aligned cover is then released and conveyed up a ramp by the belts 35 and co-operating drop rollers 39, 40. Finally the cover is fed beneath a book block by a rotating suction drum 41 and an endless neoprene belt 42. The suction apertures in the drum lie on either side of the belt.