US 6,185,832 B1 · Apparatus and method for calipering book signatures

Abstract

Calipering the thickness of individual books during production, independent of caliper bounce due to elastic resiliency of the books. A caliper roller is held apart from an anvil roller while a book is positioned between the two rollers. The caliper roller then is moved toward the anvil roller with sufficient resilient force to cause an initial maximum compression of the book between the caliper elements, followed by rebound movement of the caliper roller. The initial movement of the caliper roller is coupled to a measuring element through a lost-motion connection, so that the measuring element is not affected by rebound movement of the caliper roller. Movement of the measuring element thus corresponds to the initial maximum compression of the book by the caliper roller, which in turn corresponds to the actual thickness of that book.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method of calipering a book of signatures to determine the number of pages in the book by measuring the thickness of the book, comprising the steps of:

placing the book between a pair of mutually opposed caliper elements;
urging one of said caliper elements to move toward the other such element so as to compress the book between the caliper elements whereby the moveable caliper element initially reaches maximum compression of the book between the caliper elements as determined by the thickness of the book, and then rebounds from that maximum compression in response to resilience of the book;
using a measuring element to detect the maximum movement of the one caliper element toward the other of said caliper elements before the rebound, said measuring element being nonresponsive to the rebound;
and
using that maximum movement to produce a signal indicative of the thickness of the book.

2 more elements

Apparatus for sensing the thickness of a book comprising a group of signatures to determine whether the book contains a predetermined number of pages, comprising:

a pair of mutually opposed caliper elements between which the book may be inserted, one of the caliper elements being moveable relative to the other such element;
an element selectively urging the one caliper element toward the other such element so that the one caliper element initially compresses the book between the caliper elements at a maximum compression corresponding to the actual pages making up the book, and then rebounds from that maximum compression in response to resilience of the book;
and
a sensing element responsive to the movement of the one caliper element toward the other caliper element before the rebound and nonresponsive to the rebound movement, the sensing element operative to produce a signal indicative of the maximum movement toward the other caliper element, whereby the signal indicates the thickness of the book.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for calipering book signatures

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for calipering book signatures

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13