Patent ID: 6837290

Claim:
An informational item processing apparatus, comprising: a forming apparatus that forms a plurality of informational items from a plurality of sheets of paper having printed information thereon, each of said informational items having a first face and a second face opposite said first face; and a bonding unit operatively coupled to automatically receive said informational items formed by said forming apparatus, said bonding unit comprising: a conveyor unit that transports said informational items from a first location to a second location; an adhesive applicator unit comprising an adhesive applicator and a controller that controls the operation of said adhesive applicator, said adhesive applicator unit causing adhesive to be applied to one of said faces of a first of said informational items and causing said one face of said first informational item with said adhesive disposed thereon to make contact with one of said faces of a second of said informational items so that said one face of said first informational item is adhesively bonded to said one face of said second informational item and so that said first informational item is aligned with said second informational item, said controller comprising a processor and a programmed circuit, said controller being programmed to cause said, adhesive applicator to successively apply adhesive to each of a preselected number of informational items that consecutively pass from said first location to said second location, said controller being programmed to cause said adhesive applicator not to apply adhesive to an informational item that immediately follows said preselected number of informational items to which adhesive was applied, and said controller being programmed to successively apply adhesive to a preselected number of informational items that consecutively follow said informational item to which adhesive was not applied; a guide tray having a pair of sidewalls and an entrance, said side walls being spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to a dimension of said informational items so as to maintain alignment of said informational items, said conveyor unit conveying said informational items to a loading position disposed adjacent said entrance of said guide tray; and a pusher unit that forces said second informational item from said loading position into said guide tray so that said second informational item is forced against said first informational item when said first informational item is disposed in said guide tray.