Apparatus for tucking hard book covers

An apparatus for manufacturing a hard book cover, said apparatus comprising:

• a framework defining a longitudinal axis of the apparatus;
• an infeed table assembly, supported by the framework, for supporting a cover material having a surface with an adhesive thereon, a pair of opposed panels and a centrally located spine;
• and the cover material, the pair of opposed panels and the centrally located spine, when combined with one another, all forming a cover assembly;
• a pressure device supported by the framework and located between the infeed table assembly and a conveying and rotating mechanism for supply initial pressure to secure adhesively the pair of opposed panels and the spine to the adhesive surface of the cover material;
• the conveying and rotating mechanism, supported by the framework, for receiving the cover assembly from the pressure device and conveying the cover assembly to a fold mechanism;
• the fold mechanism, supported by the framework, for folding an exposed free end of the cover material around a longitudinal perimeter portion of the cover assembly, the folding mechanism including a longitudinally extending brush bar having a plurality of radially extending brushes, and the brush bar is rotatable by a brush bar drive, the folding mechanism further including a plurality of pusher fingers which apply a force tending to oppose a folding action of the exposed free end of the cover material around a longitudinal perimeter portion of the cover assembly, applied by rotation of the brush bar, to prevent inadvertently deflection, by the brush bar, of at least one of the panel and the spine during folding of the cover material;
• and
• a pair of opposed tuck fingers, coupled to a tuck finger drive mechanism to facilitate movement of the pair of opposed tuck fingers toward one another, and the pair of opposed tuck fingers operating during a standard corner fold of the fold mechanism, the pair of opposed tuck fingers being spaced apart from one another by a sufficient distance to facilitate accommodation of the pair of opposed panels between opposed inwardly facing side surfaces of the pair of tuck fingers, and the tuck finger drive mechanism moving the pair of tuck fingers inwardly toward one another with the pair of opposed panels located therebetween, during the standard corner fold by the fold mechanism, so that the opposed inwardly facing side surfaces of the pair of tuck fingers bias the cover material, located adjacent opposed corners of the opposed panels of the cover assembly, against a vertical wall of the panel to adhesively secure the cover material thereto.

A method of manufacturing a hard book cover, the method comprising the steps of:

• defining a longitudinal axis via a framework of an apparatus;
• supporting an infeed table assembly, for supporting a cover material, on the framework;
• placing a cover material with an adhesive on a top surface thereof on the infeed table assembly and thereafter placing a pair of opposed panels and a centrally located spine on the top surface of the cover material to form a cover assembly;
• supporting a conveying mechanism on the framework and receiving the cover assembly from the infeed table assembly and conveying the cover assembly to a fold mechanism;
• supporting the fold mechanism on the framework and receiving the cover assembly from the conveying mechanism and folding, via the fold mechanism, an exposed free end of the cover material around a longitudinal perimeter portion of the cover assembly;
• and
• coupling a pair of opposed tuck fingers to a tuck finger drive mechanism to facilitate movement of the pair of opposed tuck fingers toward one another during a standard corner fold of the fold mechanism, spacing the pair of opposed tuck fingers apart from one another by a sufficient distance to facilitate accommodation of the pair of opposed panels between opposed inwardly facing side surfaces of the pair of tuck fingers, and the tuck finger drive mechanism moving the pair of tuck fingers inwardly toward one another with the pair of opposed panels located therebetween, during the standard corner fold by the fold mechanism, so that the opposed inwardly facing side surfaces of the pair of tuck fingers bias the cover material, located adjacent opposed corners of the opposed panels of the cover assembly, against a vertical wall of the panel to adhesively secure the cover material thereto.