Patent ID: 7252472

Claim:
A system for binding a stack of pages along an edge thereof to form a book, the system comprising: an elongated strip having opposed ends, opposed side edges extending between the ends, and an electrical resistivity between the ends, the strip having a plurality of spaced-apart cuts extending therethrough inwardly from and perpendicular to the side edges in alternating fashion, so as to form a substantially serpentine electrically conductive path between the ends, the strip further having an adhesive with a predetermined melting temperature in contact with at least a portion of a first side thereof, the strip first side positionable in contact with a binding edge of a stack of pages to be bound; and means for introducing an electrical current along the strip between the ends, the current sufficient to heat the strip to a temperature at least as great as the melting temperature in order to melt the adhesive and thereby bind the stack of pages together along the binding edge.