Patent ID: 7134822

Claim:
A guide apparatus for applying a cover to a bound stack of sheets to produce a covered book having first and second cover sections separated by a spine section, said apparatus comprising: a base unit which includes a book receiving surface, a first reference line disposed along a periphery of said book receiving surface and a second reference line, orthogonal to said first reference line, disposed along a periphery of said book receiving surface; a first lower cover stop defining a cover engaging surface disposed along the first reference line; a first upper cover stop defining a cover engaging surface disposed along the first reference line, with the cover engaging surfaces of the first lower and upper cover stops being disposed in a common plane normal to the book receiving surface; a first book stop defining a stack engaging surface, with said stack engaging surface being disposed at a height relative to the book receiving surface intermediate a height of the respective cover engaging surfaces of the first upper and lower cover stops and with said stack engaging surface extending a first distance past said first reference line towards the book receiving surface; a second lower cover stop defining a cover engaging surface disposed along the second reference line; a second upper cover stop defining a cover engaging surface disposed along the second reference line, with the cover engaging surfaces of the first and second cover stops being disposed in a common plane normal to the book receiving surface; and a second book stop defining a stack engaging surface, with said stack engaging surface being disposed at a height relative to the book receiving surface intermediate a height of the respective cover engaging surfaces of the second upper and lower cover stops and with said stack engaging surface extending a second distance past said second reference line towards the book receiving surface, with the guide apparatus being configured such that, when a covered book is produced using the guide apparatus and placed with the first cover section resting on the book receiving surface and the first cover section contacting the cover engaging surface of each of the first and second lower cover stops, the second cover section will contact the cover engaging surface of each of the first and second upper cover stops and the bound stack will contact the stack engaging surface of each of the first and second book stops.