Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/650,541 filed on Jan. 8, 2007, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,580, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/281,458 filed on Nov. 18, 2005, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,672, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/774,505 filed on Feb. 10, 2004, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,503, which is a Divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/309,229, filed on Dec. 4, 2002, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,551, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/721,860, filed on Nov. 25, 2000 (now abandoned), all of which are herein incorporated by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The following invention relates to pressing a stack of pages in a machine. More particularly, though not exclusively, the invention relates to pressing a stack of pages where each page travels along a path and has binding adhesive applied to at least one surface transverse the path. 
   It is well known to print individual pages of a volume to be bound, then to place all of the printed pages into a stack, to then crop one or more edges of the stack and to then bind the pages together by applying a binding adhesive to an edge of the stack of pages. This is a time consuming and labour-intensive process. 
   It would be more efficient to provide pre-cut, uniformly sized pages, to print one or both surfaces of each page and to provide a strip of binding adhesive to one or both surfaces of each page adjacent the edge to be bound, to accurately place the printed and pre-glued pages in a stack, and to press the pages adjacent the spine so that the adhesive binds the page edges together. 
   OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for pressing a spine portion of a stack of pre-glued pages. 
   DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
   There is disclosed herein apparatus comprising: 
   a support surface for supporting a stack of pages, at least some of which have adhesive applied to at least one surface adjacent an edge, and 
   a binding press operable to bear upon the stack of pages adjacent an edge of the stack so as to compress the adhesive and bind the pages. 
   According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is provided an apparatus comprising a glue dispenser and a support in which pages travel sequentially along a path past the glue dispenser onto the support to form a stack, 
   wherein the glue dispenser applies adhesive to at least some of the pages along at least one line extending substantially transversely to said path. 
   Preferably the pages have binding adhesive applied to an upper side of all but the top page. 
   Alternatively, the pages have binding adhesive applied to a bottom side of all but the bottom page. 
   Alternatively, a first part of a two-part adhesive is applied to the top surface of all but the top page and a second part of a two-part adhesive is applied to the bottom surface of all but the bottom page. 
   Preferably the binding press is forced by a mechanical drive toward the support surface upon which the stack of pages rests. 
   Preferably the mechanical drive includes a pneumatic and/or hydraulic cylinder or cylinders. 
   Alternatively, the mechanical drive includes a rack attached to the press and a pinion meshing with the rack and driven by a motor. 
   Alternatively, the mechanical drive includes a pivot arm to which there is affixed a plurality of disks or arms which press down upon the stack upon pivotal rotation of the pivot arm. 
   Preferably the support surface is a bottom floor of a tray. 
   Preferably each page is delivered to the tray such that the pre-glued edge is a leading edge of the page. 
   Alternatively, each page is delivered to the tray such that the pre-glued edge is a trailing edge of each page. 
   Preferably the floor of the tray is adjustable vertically so as to present an upper page of the stack at a preset level to limit the stroke length of the binding press. 
   There is further disclosed herein a method of binding pages of a volume, the method including the steps of:
         supplying a plurality of uniformly sized pre-printed pages along a path past a glue dispenser with at least some of the pages having adhesive applied along at least one line substantially transverse to the path;   placing the pages one above another to form a stack on a support;   ensuring alignment of the pages;   adjusting the position of the support vertically so as to present a top page of the stack at a preset level; and   pressing at least a portion of the pages so as to compress the adhesive so as to adhere the pages together.       

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a page conveyed along a path and passing a pagewidth print head and an adhesive applicator; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of a page having an adhesive strip adjacent one edge thereof; 
       FIG. 3  is a table, schematically illustrating the principles of five alternative adhesive application methods; 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic elevational view of a number of pages with all but the top page having a strip of adhesive applied to an upper surface adjacent to an edge to be bound; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic elevational view of a stack of pages with all but the bottom page having a strip of adhesive applied to a lower surface thereof adjacent to an edge to be bound; 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic elevational view of a stack of pages with a first part of a two-part adhesive applied to the upper surface of all but the top page and a second part of a two-part adhesive applied to the bottom surface of all but the bottom page, 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic perspective view of a page binding support tray situated immediately down-line of the adhesive applicator, 
       FIG. 8  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray of  FIG. 7  showing a first page having a strip of adhesive adjacent its edge at an upper surface en route thereto, 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray and page of  FIG. 8 , with the page closer to its rest position, 
       FIG. 10  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray and page of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , with the page at rest thereon, 
       FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13  are schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray showing a second page as it progresses to rest upon the first page, 
       FIG. 14  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray having a number of pages resting thereon to be bound, with all but the top page having an upwardly facing strip of adhesive adjacent an edge thereof, 
       FIG. 15  shows the progression of a page-binding press toward the edge of the stacked pages, 
       FIG. 16  shows the page binding support tray with pages bound along their edge by application of the binding press, 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray having a number of individual volumes resting thereon, with a top volume ready to be pressed, 
       FIG. 18  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the page binding support tray and volumes of  FIG. 17 , with all volumes having been pressed, one upon another, 
       FIG. 19  is a schematic perspective illustration of a number of volumes having been bound, 
       FIG. 20  is schematic elevational view of a page binding support tray having an alternative press, 
       FIGS. 21 and 22  are schematic perspective views of a portion of the alternative press of  FIG. 20 , and 
       FIG. 23  is a schematic elevational view of a page binding support tray having an alternative press at a trailing edge of a stack of pages to be bound. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In  FIG. 1  of the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a path  10  of a page  11  passing through a printer incorporating an adhesive applicator. 
   Page  11  is driven to the right at a driving station D. Driving station D might comprise a pair of opposed pinch rollers  12  as shown. The page  11  then passes a printing station P and then an adhesive application station A. As an alternative, the adhesive application station A might precede the printing station P, but it is preferred that the adhesive application station follow the printing station so that adhesive on the page  11  does not clog the print head or print heads at printing station P. 
   For single sided page printing, the printing station P might comprise a single print head  13 . The print head  13  might be a pagewidth drop on demand ink jet print head. Alternatively, the print head might be that of a laser printer or other printing device. Where the page  11  is to be printed on both sides, a pair of opposed print heads  13  might be provided. 
   Where the print heads  13  are ink jet print heads, wet ink  15  on page  11  might pass through the adhesive application station A. 
   An air cushion  14  at either side of the page  11  as it passes printing station P can be provided by means of air passing through an air flow path provided in each print head  13 . 
   The adhesive application station A can comprise an adhesive applicator  16  at one or both sides of the page  11 , depending upon which side or sides of the page to which adhesive is to be applied. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , a page  11  having matter printed thereon by printing station P also includes a strip  17  of adhesive as applied at adhesive application station A. 
   As can be seen, the strip  17  can be applied adjacent to the leading edge  27  of page  11 . The application of strip  17  adjacent to the leading edge  27  is suitable for those situations where the adhesive applicator does not contact the page, or contacts the page at a velocity accurately matching that of the page  11  as it passes the adhesive application station A. Alternatively, the strip  17  could be applied adjacent to the trailing edge  28  of page  11  and this position might be more suited to adhesive applicators that make some form of physical contact with the page  11  as it passes adhesive application station A. 
   A margin  29  of about 1 to 2.5 mm is desirable between the strip  17  and edge  27  or  28  of page  11 . 
   Various methods of applying adhesive to the page  11  are envisaged, some of which are schematically depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
   Method 1 in  FIG. 3  is a non-contact method of applying adhesive to the moving page  11 . In this method, a stationary adhesive applicator  16  sprays adhesive on one side of page  11  as it passes the applicator. The adhesive applicator might be formed integrally with the print head  13  or might be located upstream or after the print head. 
   Method 2 also applies adhesive to one side of the moving page  11 , although this time using a contact method. An adhesive applicator  163  is pivotally mounted about a fixed pivot point and is caused to move at a speed matching that at which the page  11  passes through the adhesive application station. A reaction roller  30  comes into contact with the underside of page  11  as the adhesive applicator  163  applies adhesive to the page. 
   Method 3 applies adhesive to both sides of a page  11  as it passes through the adhesive application station. A pair of pivotally mounted adhesive applicators  1633  move pivotally at a speed corresponding with that at which the page  11  passes through the adhesive application station. They both come into contact with the page  11  and mutually counteract each other&#39;s force component normal to the page  11 . 
   Method 4 employs a pair of adhesive applicator rollers  16333  spaced from either side of the page  11  until activated to apply adhesive whereupon they move toward and touch the page  11 , leaving a strip of adhesive  17  at either side of the page. The rollers would mutually counteract each other&#39;s force component normal to page  11 . 
   Method 5 employs a pair of adhesive spray applicators  16333 , one at either side of page  11 . The applicators do not contact page  11 . Each applicator would apply one part of a two-part adhesive to a respective side of page  11  so as to apply strips  17   a  and  17   b . Like Method 1, Method 5 could employ an adhesive applicator formed integrally with the print head. That is, a channel for the flow of one part of a two-part adhesive might be provided in each print head. 
   Also, the use of a two-part adhesive could be beneficial in situations where there might be some delay in the printing/binding operation. For example, if there were a computer software or hardware malfunction part-way through a printing/binding operation, the use of a two-part adhesive could provide sufficient time within which to rectify the problem and complete the binding process. 
     FIG. 4  illustrates a stack of pages  11  with all but the top page provided with an adhesive strip  17  at an upper surface adjacent one edge to be bound. 
   An alternative is depicted in  FIG. 5  wherein all but the bottom page has an adhesive strip  17  applied to its bottom surface adjacent an edge to be bound. 
   In  FIG. 6 , a stack of pages is shown with part A of a two-part adhesive applied to the upper surface of all but the top page and the second part of the two-part adhesive applied to the bottom surface of all but the bottom page. 
   When the stacks of pages of  FIGS. 4 and 5  are pressed together, adhesion of the pages occurs once the adhesive  17  has dried. 
   When the pages  11  of  FIG. 6  are pressed together, the respective parts of the two-part adhesive in strips  17   a  and  17   b  combine so as to react and set. 
   Where print head  13  is an ink jet print head, and non-contact adhesive application Methods 1 and 5 are employed, the adhesive strip  17  is applied to page  11  before ink on the page passing through the adhesive application station  10  has dried. Air passing through air gap  14  accelerates the drying process. That is, adhesive is applied to the page as it passes out of the print head  13 . The velocity of the page  11  does not change as a result of the application of adhesive strip  17 . 
   Where the strip  17  is applied alongside the leading edge  27  of the page  11 , any alteration to the velocity of page  11  would adversely affect print quality. Hence application of adhesive strip  17  alongside the leading edge  27  is only possible without adversely affecting print quality using non-contact adhesive application methods or methods where the velocity of the adhesive applicator coming into contact with the page is very close to that of page  11 . 
   Where the adhesive strip  17  is applied alongside the trailing edge  28  of page  11 , a non-contact method or method of very close speed matching is also desired. For example, if the speed of the adhesive applicator of Methods 2 to 4 was faster than that at which the page  11  was passing the print head, the page could buckle. 
   A most desirable embodiment of the present invention would use a two-part adhesive and would incorporate the adhesive applicators within the print heads themselves. That is, a passage or passages for the flow of adhesive through the print head would be space and cost-effective. 
   The likelihood of adhesive “gumming” and blocking such channels would be diminished where a two-part adhesive was employed. That is, only one part of the two-part adhesive would pass through any particular channel or channels of the print head. 
   Where respective parts of a two-part adhesive are applied to opposed sides of pages  11 , those respective parts could pass through dedicated channels in the respective print head at either side of the page. This would greatly reduce the likelihood of adhesive blockages in the flow channels. 
   The adhesive or respective parts of a two-part adhesive can be provided in a chamber of a replaceable ink cartridge providing ink to the print head. 
   The print head  13  should be as close a possible to the pinch rollers  12 . This is because the rollers  12  provide a mechanical constraint upon the page  11  to enable accuracy of printing. 
   The pinch rollers  12 , print heads  13  and adhesive applicator  16  are illustrated in  FIG. 7  alongside a page support tray  18 . That is, the page support tray  18  receives pages  11  that exit the paper path  10 . The tray  18  is suspended from a frame  21  by means of respective dampers  22  at each corner. The dampers could be elastomeric dampers or small hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders for example. The floor of tray  11  is not level. It has a lower-most corner  23  beneath which there is provided a vibrator  19 . The vibrator  19  might be a subsonic vibrator (i.e. a vibrator having a frequency below 20 hz) or an out-of-balance electric motor for example. A binding press  20  is situated above the tray  18  over the at-rest position of the respective leading edge of the pages  11 . However, as an alternative, the binding press  20  could be provided so as to be situated over the trailing edge of the pages. 
   In  FIG. 8  a first page  11  is shown in its trajectory toward tray  18 . Page  11  has a strip of adhesive  17  on its upper surface adjacent the leading edge. The page  11  might tend to catch a pocket of air beneath it as it floats into position and the leading edge  28  might strike the vertical wall  31  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The vibrations of the tray  18  as a result of the vibrator  19  will cause the page  11  to come to rest with edge  27  alongside the lower edge of wall  23  and with a right angled edge of the page touching the front wall  32  of tray  18 . 
   In  FIG. 11 , a second page  11  is shown in its trajectory toward tray  18 . In a motion similar to that of the first page, the second page comes to rest upon the first page in a position perfectly aligned therewith. The second page comes to rest into the position depicted in  FIG. 13 . Where the pages have the adhesive strip  17  applied to the upper surface, the final page is provided without any adhesive and it comes to rest at the top of the stack as depicted in  FIG. 14 . If, instead, the majority of pages  11  had the adhesive strip  17  applied to their bottom surface, the first page (i.e. the page at the bottom of the stack) would have no adhesive applied to it. This would be suitable for multiple binding compressions. 
   As shown in  FIG. 15 , the binding press  20  commences downward movement toward the stack of pages  11  over the aligned adhesive strips  17 . The stack is then compressed to a bound volume  24  as shown in  FIG. 16 . 
   It should be noted that no subsequent edge trimming of the bound volume is required so long as standard-sized pages  11  had initially been used. This is because the vibrator  19  has aligned the pages into the lower-most corner  23  of tray  18  as described earlier. 
   In  FIGS. 17 and 18 , multiple volume  24  are shown stacked on upon another with the upper-most volumes being progressively compressed by repeated application of press  20 . 
   The binding press  20  is shown schematically in the Figures and could be pneumatically or hydraulically driven, or could be driven by other mechanical means such as rack and pinion, electrical solenoid or otherwise. An alternative embodiment as depicted in  FIGS. 20 ,  21  and  22  incorporates a plurality of semicircular disks  20  each spaced apart, but fixedly mounted to a common rotatably driven shaft extending along an axis of rotation  26 . Each disk  20  could pass through a respective vertical slot  32  formed in the end wall  31  of tray  18 . That is, there would be as many vertical slots in wall  31  as there are disks  20 . The disks could commence in the orientation depicted in  FIG. 21  and upon rotation of the shaft pivot to the orientation depicted in  FIGS. 20 and 22  so as to press down upon the pages. 
   The floor of tray  18  can be driven so as to move downwardly as each page  11  is delivered thereto. This would ensure that the upper-most page always resided at the same level. This could result in reduced noise of movement of the press bar  20  as it need not move very far to effectively bind the pages. 
   Where the pages have applied thereto adhesive strips alongside the trailing edge  28 , the press would be provided to the left as shown in  FIG. 23 . In this embodiment, a pressing bar  20  is provided. Any pressing arrangement could however be provided.

Technology Category: 7