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US 4,020,516 AGranted
Apparatus for binding loose sheets
AssigneeSpiral Binding Company, Inc.
InventorAlbert Gomez
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSpiral Binding Company, Inc.
InventorAlbert Gomez
Estimating the term…
The apparatus includes a binding station, means for supporting the straight fingers of a flat comb-like wire binder so that the fingers with the tips thereof foremost are directed toward the binding station, means engageable with the binder for pushing the fingers thereof into the station, and means at the station for progressively bending the fingers into circular form, the supporting means including means to prevent the portions of the binder fingers between the pushing means and the bending means becoming bent under the action of the pushing means, and the pushing means pushing the bent fingers through the perforations of the book to be bound and until the tip ends thereof become situated in the roots of the fingers. The bending means comprises two die members and a mandrel. The mandrel may be a single rod-like member, or may be a split mandrel composed of elements provided on the two die members.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a wire binder composed of a continuous piece of wire having a plurality of reversely disposed loops formed as straight parallel fingers and connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means engageable with the longitudinal portions of the binder for pushing the straight binder fingers thereof lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers under the pressure of said pushing means into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof so that the bent finger portions progressively pass into and through the perforations of the book of sheets, said supporting means including restraining means for each straight binder finger operative to prevent the portions thereof between said pushing means and said operative means becoming bent during the pushing action of said pushing means and until such portions reach said operative means, and said pushing means maintaining an advancing force on the binder fingers only until the tip ends thereof become situated in the gaps at the roots of the fingers between the longitudinal portions of the binder.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a binder composed of straight parallel fingers connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means for pushing the straight binder fingers lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof and directing the bent finger portions through the perforations of the book of sheets to bind the same, said operable means comprising a series of longitudinally spaced, curved die grooves aligned with the straight binder fingers of a binder on said supporting means and having entry ends located in the path of movement of such fingers toward the binding station so as to intercept the same, and a plurality of mandrel portions coactable with said die grooves to bend the straight fingers and direct the bent finger portions into the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, said mandrel portions forming part of a rod-like member having one free end, means supporting the other end of said member and operable to move said member into and out of operable position relative to said die grooves to enable respectively, the binding operation to take place and the discharge of the bound book off the free end of said member.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a binder composed of straight parallel fingers connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means for pushing the straight binder fingers lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof and directing the bent finger portions through the perforations of the book of sheets to bind the same, said operable means comprising a series of longitudinally spaced, curved die grooves aligned with the straight binder fingers of a binder on said supporting means and having entry ends located in the path of movement of such fingers toward the binding station so as to intercept the same, and a plurality of mandrel portions coactable with said die grooves to bend the straight fingers and direct the bent finger portions into the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, said mandrel portions being spaced apart longitudinally and are movable as a whole longitudinally into operative binding position with respect to said die grooves and to retract such mandrel portions from said die grooves so as to enable the bent fingers to be disengaged from said operable means.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a binder composed of straight parallel fingers connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means for pushing the straight binder fingers lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof and directing the bent finger portions through the perforations of the book of sheets to bind the same, said supporting means comprising a member having a vertically disposed face in which is provided vertical grooves for receiving the straight fingers of the binder, and said operable means comprising a horizontally disposed mandrel located at said binding station and extending in adjacent relation across the grooved face of said member, and die means associated with said mandrel and providing a plurality of spaced curved bending surfaces transverse to and coactable with said mandrel to progressively bend the binder fingers contained in said vertical grooves as said supporting means is advanced, said die means comprising a die member disposed on one side of a book to be bound and having edge portions coactable with said mandrel and located adjacent to the grooved face of said member, said edge portions being provided with said curved bending surfaces constructed so that one end of said bending surfaces extend into said vertical grooves and the other ends thereof register with the perforations in the book to be bound, said mandrel being a rod-like member separate from said die member, and said edge portions of said die member being joined by a longitudinally extending curved recess providing a seat for said mandrel, said curved bending surfaces being in the form of transverse grooves in said recess, and means connected to one end of said mandrel and operative to seat said mandrel in said recess at the start of a machine cycle and to unseat said mandrel from said recess when the book is bound to permit removal of the latter from the other end of the mandrel.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a binder composed of straight parallel fingers connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means for pushing the straight binder fingers lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof and directing the bent finger portions through the perforations of the book of sheets to bind the same, said supporting means comprising a member having a vertically disposed face in which is provided vertical grooves for receiving the straight fingers of the binder, and said operable means comprising a horizontally disposed mandrel located at said binding station and extending in adjacent relation across the grooved face of said member, and die means associated with said mandrel and providing a plurality of spaced curved bending surfaces transverse to and coactable with said mandrel to progressively bend the binder fingers contained in said vertical grooves as said supporting means is advanced, said mandrel being a split mandrel composed of a series of spaced, aligned mandrel elements, and means supporting said mandrel elements in coactive relation to said curved bending surfaces.
A machine for binding a book of loose perforated sheets with a binder composed of straight parallel fingers connected together at their roots by longitudinal portions to form a flat comb-like structure, comprising a binding station, means for supporting a binder so that the straight binder fingers thereof with the tips of the fingers foremost are directed toward said station in proper position for entry through the perforations of the book of sheets to be bound, means for pushing the straight binder fingers lengthwise into said station with the tip ends of said fingers in leading position, and means operative at said binding station as the straight binder fingers are pushed thereinto for progressively bending the straight fingers into circular form starting with the tip ends thereof and directing the bent finger portions through the perforations of the book of sheets to bind the same, said supporting means comprising a member having a vertically disposed face in which is provided vertical grooves for receiving the straight fingers of the binder, and said operable means comprising a horizontally disposed mandrel located at said binding station and extending in adjacent relation across the grooved face of said member, and die means associated with said mandrel and providing a plurality of spaced curved bending surfaces transverse to and coactable with said mandrel to progressively bend the binder fingers contained in said vertical grooves as said supporting means is advanced, said die means comprising a die member disposed on one side of a book to be bound and having edge portions coactable with said mandrel and located adjacent to the grooved face of said member, said edge portions being provided with said curved bending surfaces constructed so that one end of said bending surfaces extend into said vertical grooves and the other ends thereof register with the perforations in the book to be bound, a second die member disposed on the other side of the book to be bound and having edge portions coactable with said mandrel and located adjacent to the grooved face of said member, said edge portions of said second die member being provided with spaced curved guide surfaces transverse and coactable with said mandrel and arranged to have one of their ends in registration with the perforations in the book to be bound and the other ends thereof in registration with the vertical grooves of said member, said mandrel being a split mandrel composed of a series of spaced, aligned first mandrel elements mounted on said first mentioned die member intermediate said edge portions of the latter and having reduced binder forming portions overlying said edge portions in spaced relation, and a series of spaced aligned second mandrel elements mounted on said second die member and removably insertable into the spaces between said first mandrel elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.