US 6,142,721 AGranted

Apparatus for and method of binding a book

OwnerJeffrey D. Marshinventor

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Abstract

A system for the perfect binding of a book block (14) within a soft paper cover is disclosed in which the center portion (18) of the cover is sized relative to the thickness of the book to be bound. An activatable adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the center portion of the cover. The book block is inserted into the cover such that the spine (S) of the book block is generally in register with the adhesive. The cover is forcibly compressed onto the book block by pressing members (60a, 60b). An ultrasonic horn (66) is brought into forcible working engagement with the outer surface of the center portion of the cover and is rendered resonant so as to transmit ultrasonic energy to the adhesive sufficient to melt the adhesive and to force the adhesive into the edges of the pages of the book block along the spine and to force the pages of the book block into the adhesive along the center portion of the cove such that upon the cessation of the ultrasonic energy the adhesive hardens substantially instantaneously thus binding the cover to the book block. A method of binding a book is also disclosed.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A system for binding a book, the later comprising a book block having a plurality of paper pages stacked together to form the pages of the book to be bound, the thickness of said book block ranging between a predetermined minimum number of pages and a predetermined maximum number of pages, and a paper cover adapted to wrap around the back, one edge, and the front of said book block, said one edge of said book block constituting the spine of the book block, said spine having a generally flat outer surface of a width corresponding generally to the thickness of said book block, said cover having an outer face, an inner face, and a center portion therebetween with said center portion being in register with said spine of said book block, said system comprising:

an adhesive station for depositing a quantity of adhesive relative to the inner face of said center portion of said cover and to said outer face of said spine of said book block, said adhesive being a heat activatable adhesive which is substantially at room temperature when applied;
and
a binding station for receiving said cover with the inner face of said cover disposed to receive said book block to be bound;
said binding station having,
first and second pressing members disposed on the outside of said cover on opposite sides of said cover proximate said spine of said book block with at least one of said pressing members being movable toward said other pressing member for compressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
and
an ultrasonic member rendered resonant and operatively engageable with the outer surface of said center portion of said cover for applying sonic energy thereto sufficient to activate said adhesive and to effect adhesive engagement between the edges of the pages of the book block constituting said outer surface of said spine and the inner surface of said cover proximate said spine such that upon removal of said sonic energy, said adhesive bonds said pages to one another and to said cover thereby to form a bound book.

4 more elements

A system for binding a book said book comprising a book block having a plurality of pages and a cover, said book block having a minimum number of pages and a maximum number of pages within a predetermined range of pages thus defining a range of book thicknesses which can be accommodated by said book binding system, said cover having a front face, a back face and a center portion, with the cover adapted to wrap around the front, the back, and at least one edge of said book block with this one edge of said book block constituting the spine of said book block, said binding system comprising:

a carriage for receiving said pages constituting said book block, said carriage holding said pages and transporting said book block along a track;
an adhesive applying mechanism for applying a quantity of adhesive between the inner face of the cover and said spine of said book block;
a binding station located along said track, said binding station receiving said cover with said cover being disposed for receiving said spine of said book block with the latter in register with said center portion of said cover;
said carriage stopping at said binding station with said spine of the book in register with the center portion of said cover and with said adhesive disposed between said spine and said center portion of said cover;
said binding station having first and second pressing members disposed on opposite sides of said cover proximate said spine with at least one of said pressing members being movable toward said other pressing member for pressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
and
an ultrasonic horn operatively engageable with the outer surface of the center portion of said cover for applying ultrasonic energy thereto sufficient to activate said adhesive such that upon removal of said ultrasonic energy, said adhesive bonds said pages to one another and bonds said pages to said cover thereby to form a bound book.

4 more elements

A method of binding a book, said book comprising a paper cover and a book block comprising a plurality of paper pages ranging between a minimum and a maximum number of pages within a predetermined range of pages, said book block having a length corresponding generally to the height of the book to be bound and a width corresponding generally to the thickness of the book to be bound, one edge of said book block constituting a spine, said cover having an inner face and an outer face and a center portion for receiving said spine, said method comprising the steps of:

applying an adhesive between said center portion of said inner face of said cover and said spine of said book block;
assembling said book and said cover with said spine of said book block generally in register with said with said center portion of said cover and with said adhesive disposed between said center portion of said cover and said spine of said book block;
forcibly clamping said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
applying ultrasonic energy to the outer surface of said center portion of said cover to activate said adhesive for adhesive engagement with the edges of said pages forming said spine and with the inner face of said cover such that upon removal of said ultrasonic energy, said adhesive cures thereby to bond said pages to one another and to bond said cover to said book block along said spine.

1 more element

A method of on demand printing and binding a copy of a book, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting one of a multiplicity of books stored in the memory of a computer;
printing the pages of said book on paper stock;
forming a book block comprising a plurality of said pages, said book block having one edge thereof constituting a spine with the width of said spine corresponding generally to the thickness of said book block, said book block having a length corresponding generally to the height of the book to be printed;
printing a paper cover corresponding to said selected book, said cover having an inner face, an outer face, and a center portion;
applying an adhesive between the inner face of said center portion of said cover generally and said spine of said book block;
assembling said book block and said cover with said spine in register with said center portion of said cover with said adhesive disposed therebetween;
compressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
applying ultrasonic energy to the outer surface of said cover center portion thereby to activate said adhesive into adhesive engagement with said pages of said book block along said spine and into adhesive engagement with the inner face of said center portion of said cover;
and
ceasing the application of said ultrasonic energy thereby to effect the bonding of said pages to one another and to said cover in the region of said spine thereby to form a bound book.

7 more elements

A system for binding a book, the later comprising a book block comprising a plurality of paper pages stacked together to form the pages of the book to be bound, said book block having a minimum number of pages and a maximum number of pages within a predetermined range of pages, and a paper cover adapted to cover the front, the back and at least one edge of said book block, said one edge of said book block being referred to as the spine of the book block, said cover having an outer face and an inner face, said system comprising:

a binding fixture for receiving the cover with the inner face of the cover disposed for receiving said book block to be bound;
an adhesive applying mechanism for applying adhesive between the inner face of the cover and said spine of said book block;
a carriage for transporting said book block along a path, said carriage positioning said book block relative to said cover such that said spine of said book block to be bound is generally in register with said cover with said adhesive disposed therebetween;
first and second pressing members disposed on opposite sides of said cover proximate said spine with at least one of said pressing members being movable toward said other pressing member for compressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
and
an ultrasonic horn movable between a retracted position in which it is clear of said cover and an operative position in which it is operative engagement with the outer surface of said center portion of the cover for applying ultrasonic energy thereto sufficient to activate said adhesive such that said activated adhesive is caused to be in adhesive engagement with the edges of the pages of the book block proximate said spine and with said center portion of said cover such that upon removal of said vibratory energy, said adhesive bonds said pages to one another and to said cover along said spine thereby to form a bound book.

3 more elements

A system for perfect binding a book, said book comprising a book block having a plurality of paper pages and a paper cover, said book block having a minimum number of pages and a maximum number of pages within a predetermined range of pages thus defining a range of book thicknesses which can be accommodated by said book binding system, said cover having a front face, a back face and a center portion adapted to respectively wrap around the front, the back, and at least one edge of said book block with this one edge of said book block constituting the spine of said book block, said perfect binding system comprising:

a carriage for receiving said pages constituting said book block, said carriage having a clamp for holding said pages, said carriage transporting said book block along a track;
an adhesive applying station along said track for applying a quantity of adhesive between the inner face of the cover and said spine of said book block;
a binding station located along said track, said binding fixture receiving said cover with said cover being disposed for receiving said spine of said book block with the latter in register with said center portion of said cover;
said carriage with said book block stopping along said track at said binding station with said spine of the book in register with the center portion of said cover and with said adhesive disposed between said spine and said center portion of said cover;
said binding station having first and second pressing members disposed on opposite sides of said cover proximate said spine with at least one of said pressing members being movable toward said other pressing member for pressing said cover onto said book block proximate said spine;
an ultrasonic horn operatively engageable with outer surface of the center portion of said cover at said binding station for applying energy thereto sufficient to activate said adhesive such that upon removal of said energy, said adhesive bonds said pages to one another and bonds said pages to said pages to cover thereby to form a perfect bound book;
and
a trimming station along said track for trimming at least one edge of said bound book.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.