Patent ID: 7731468

Claim:
A machine for cutting and crimping at least one end of a helical coil formed from a filament coiled around a longitudinal axis of the coil so that an outer surface of the filament lies in a generally cylindrical surface, which coil is inserted into aligned holes at an edge of a collated book for binding the book, the machine being adjustable to receive a book carried by an operator and to accommodate different thickness of book and respective different diameter of coil as presented by the operator, the machine comprising: a frame; a guide member mounted on the frame for receiving and locating an outer peripheral surface of the coil so as to locate the axis of the coil relative to the frame, the guide member being arranged to receive the coil adjacent an end of the coil; a cutting device mounted on the frame adjacent the guide member for operating on the coil at the end of the coil; the cutting device having an anvil portion, a blade portion and a clamp portion; the anvil portion being arranged for lying between two turns of the coil with a side anvil surface facing one turn of the two turns; the anvil portion having a cutting slot at the anvil surface; the blade portion being movable relative to the anvil portion in a direction longitudinal of the coil axis so as to enter the slot through the anvil surface; the anvil portion and the blade portion being arranged to provide a shearing action therebetween on one side of the blade portion and a bending action therebetween on an opposed side of the blade portion, such that said one turn of the filament is cut at said one side to form an end portion of the filament in the shearing action and such that the end portion of the filament is crimped to one side of said one turn at said opposed side in said bending action; the clamp portion being configured to hold the filament while the blade portion shears and bends the filament; the guide member being arranged to locate the center of the coil relative to the cutting device such that the blade portion contacts said one turn at a location thereon to cut the end at a first predetermined location and to bend the end at a second predetermined location; the cutting device being mounted on the frame for adjustment movement relative thereto in a direction to change an angle of the anvil surface relative to a plane radial to the axis of the coil.