Binding apparatus and method
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsRichard C. Baughman, David S. Bump, Charles R. Hubbard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A set of sheets delivered seriatim from a copier/duplicator or other source are advanced along a sheet path leading from an input station to an assembly station where a booklet is formed. As a sheet is moved along the path a line of adhesive is applied to one surface of the sheet adjacent to one side edge of the sheet. In the assembly station the sheets are jogged to align the sheets of the set and then pressure is applied to the sheets over the line of adhesive. When the entire set has been bound together into a booklet, the booklet is removed from the assembly station and delivered to an output station, such as a tote tray.
Claims16
Apparatus for producing collated sets of copy sheets from a set of document sheets and for adhesively binding each set of copy sheets into a booklet, the apparatus comprising:
- a copier/duplicator for producing a stream of copy sheets from document sheets located at an imaging station;
- a recirculating document feeder adapted to receive a set of document sheets arranged in page sequential order and for circulating the sheets seriatim to the document imaging station of the copier/duplicator for copying of the set of document sheets and producing a set of copy sheets having the same page sequence as the set of document sheets;
- a binder operatively associated with the copier/duplicator to receive the stream of copy sheets produced by the copier/duplicator, the binder comprising a receiving tray for receiving sheets delivered to the binder from the copier/duplicator and with sheets delivered to the tray moving in a first direction with the trailing edge of each sheet comprising the edge that is to be bound to other sheets in the binder, means for registering a sheet in the receiving tray, an adhesive applicator for applying a liquid adhesive to sheets received by the binder, means for driving a registered sheet along a sheet path leading out of the receiving tray and past the adhesive applicator, the driving means being effective to move a sheet along the path in a second direction with the sheet traveling in the second direction having the side edge to be bound to other sheets located along one side edge thereof, the adhesive applicator being located relative to the sheet path so that adhesive is applied to said one side edge of the sheet as it is driven past the applicator, an assembly tray for receiving and stacking a plurality of sheets in the same order the sheets are received from the copier/duplicator and with adhesive between each two adjacent sheets in the stack, and means for applying pressure to the stack of sheets in the area where adhesive is located between the sheets, thereby to form a booklet of copy sheets corresponding in order and orientation to the sheets in the document set.
Apparatus for binding a set of sheets together along one end of each sheet to form a booklet, the apparatus comprising:
- means for receiving the set of sheets seriatim;
- an assembly tray spaced from the receiving means;
- means defining a sheet path between the receiving means and the tray;
- means for driving the set of sheets seriatim along the sheet path from the receiving means to the tray;
- means for stacking the set of sheets in the tray;
- means for applying an adhesive to one side edge of a surface of a sheet moving along the path, the adhesive applying means including an adhesive dispensing nozzle assembly located adjacent to the sheet path;
- and
- means for applying pressure to a plurality of sheets stacked in the tray to facilitate binding of the sheets together to form a booklet.
Apparatus for binding a set of sheets together along one edge of each sheet to form a booklet, the apparatus comprising:
- an assembly tray;
- means defining a sheet path leading to the tray;
- means for driving a set of sheets seriatim along the sheet path to the tray;
- means for stacking the set of sheets in the tray;
- means for applying an adhesive to one side edge of a surface of a sheet moving along the path, the adhesive applying means including an adhesive dispensing nozzle assembly located adjacent to the sheet path;
- and
- means for applying pressure to a plurality of sheets stacket in the tray to facilitate binding of the sheets together to form a booklet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.