US 2021/0008918 A1 · DISTRIBUTED PARALLEL PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR MAKE-ON-DEMAND BOOK MANUFACTURING

Abstract

A bookmaking system includes sets of redundant cover printers and book block printers and a binder (or set of binders) for binding a printed cover page, printed by an assigned one of the set of redundant cover printers, and a corresponding set of printed pages for a book block, printed by an assigned one of the set of redundant book block printers, together to form a book. A transport mechanism connects the redundant printers and redundant cover printers with the binder. An assigned one of a plurality of book block buffers, intermediate the book block printers and the binders, stores the set of printed pages until the corresponding printed cover page is ready for binding; and/or an assigned one of a plurality of cover buffers, intermediate the cover printers and the binders, stores the printed cover page until binding can be performed.

Claims48

Dependent claims

A bookmaking system comprising:

a set of redundant cover printers, each of redundant cover printers in the set being configured print a cover page for a book;
a set of redundant book block printers, each of the redundant printers in the set being configured for printing a corresponding set of pages for a book block of each book;
a binder which binds a printed cover page, printed by any one of the set of redundant cover printers, and a corresponding set of printed pages for a book block, printed by any one of the set of redundant book block printers, together to form a book;
a transport mechanism connecting each of the set of redundant printers and each of the set of redundant cover printers with the binder;
and
at least one of:
a plurality of book block buffers, intermediate the book block printers and the binders, which store the set of printed pages for each book block until the corresponding printed cover page is ready for binding;
and
a plurality of cover buffers, intermediate the cover printers and the binders which store each printed cover page until the corresponding set of printed pages for the book block are ready for binding.

6 more elements

A bookmaking method comprising:

receiving an order for at least one book;
for each book in the order,
assigning printing of a cover of the book to an available one of a set of redundant cover printers;
assigning printing of a set of pages for a book block of the book to an available one of a set of redundant book block printers;
printing the set of pages to form the book block of the book on the available one of the set of redundant book block printers;
printing the cover of the book on the available one of the set of redundant cover printers, without reference to whether the set of pages to form the book block have been printed;
transporting the printed cover page to an available one of a set of redundant laminators;
laminating the printed cover page with the available one of the set of redundant laminators;
storing at least one of the laminated printed cover page and the set of printed pages for the book block in a respective storage buffer of a set of redundant storage buffers;
when the laminated printed cover page and the printed pages for the book block are ready for binding and one of a set of redundant binders is available for binding, retrieving the stored at least one of the laminated printed cover page and the set of printed pages from the respective storage buffer;
and
binding the laminated printed cover page and the set of printed pages for the book block, together to form a book.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Distributed parallel processing system for make-on-demand book manufacturing

Life of this patent

Distributed parallel processing system for make-on-demand book manufacturing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims48