Cover feeder and method for supplying book covers

A cover feeder for providing book covers to a production unit of a book completion line, the cover feeder comprising:

• a first receiving device having a transporting direction and receiving book covers of a same format that are deposited at least one of individually, in an overlapping flow and in a stack on the first receiving device;
• a laterally adjustable centering device arranged on the first receiving device for a defined feeding from a side of the first receiving device, relative to the transporting direction, of the book covers deposited individually, in an overlapping flow or in the form of a stack, to a position corresponding to a centering required for the production unit of the book completion line;
• a cover magazine, arranged downstream of the first receiving device, comprising a stacking chute and a first separating out device for withdrawing a respectively lowest book cover from the stacking chute and for providing the withdrawn book cover to the production unit of the book completion line;
• a second receiving device arranged upstream of the first receiving device for accommodating a stack of book covers having different formats, the second receiving device comprising a second separating out device for withdrawing a respectively lowest book cover from the stack of book covers having different formats, which stack rests on the second receiving device, and for conveying in the transporting direction of the first receiving device the separated out book covers of different formats to the first receiving device;
• and
• a control unit to which information is transmitted relating to the format and sequence of the book covers in the stack of book covers with different formats;
• wherein the centering device is connected to the control unit for being controlled to be laterally displaced to effect a defined lateral displacement for aligning the respective book covers withdrawn from the second receiving device and positioned on the first receiving device corresponding to the information on format and sequence of the book covers in the stack of book covers with different formats and corresponding to the centering required for the production unit of the book completion line.