Binder strip having encoded surface and method

An encoded binder strip for binding a stack of sheets along a length of the stack of sheets, said binder strip comprising:

• an elongated substrate having a length that generally corresponds to the length of the stack of sheets and with the substrate defining a major axis along the substrate length;
• a heat-activated adhesive matrix formed on a first surface of the substrate;
• and
• an encoded pattern readable by a binding machine which identifies the binder strip as one type of a multiplicity of different binder strip types, with the encoded pattern functioning to control operation of the binding machine, with the encoded pattern being sequentially readable by a sensor of the binding machine as the sensor scans the encoded pattern along a path parallel to the major axis.

An encoded binder strip for binding a stack of sheets along a length of the stack of sheets, said binder strip comprising:

• an elongated substrate having a length that generally corresponds to the length of the stack of sheets and with the substrate defining a major axis along the substrate length;
• a heat-activated adhesive matrix formed on a first surface of the substrate;
• and
• an optically encoded pattern readable by a binding machine and formed in the heat-activated adhesive matrix, with the pattern functioning to control operation of the binding machine.

An encoded binder strip to be used for binding a stack of sheets using a binding machine along a length of the stack of sheets, said binder strip comprising:

• an elongated substrate having a length that generally corresponds to the length of the stack of sheets prior to binding;
• an adhesive matrix on a first surface of the substrate which functions to bind the stack of sheets to the substrate;
• and
• an optically encoded pattern which functions to control operation of the binding machine, with the encoded pattern being disposed on the binder strip such that the pattern is not observable once the binder strip has been used for binding the stack of sheets and wherein the encoded pattern functions to identify the binder strip as one type of a multiplicity of binder strip types.

An encoded binder strip to be used for binding a stack of sheets using a binding machine along a length of the stack of sheets, said binder strip comprising:

• an elongated substrate having a length that generally corresponds to the length of the stack of sheets prior to binding;
• an adhesive matrix on a first surface of the substrate which functions to bind the stack of sheets to the substrate;
• and
• an optically encoded pattern which functions to control operation of the binding machine, with the encoded pattern being disposed on the binder strip such that the pattern is not observable once the binder strip has been used for binding the stack of sheets and wherein the encoded pattern is sequentially readable by a sensor of the binding machine as the sensor scans the encoded pattern along a path parallel to a major axis of the substrate.

An encoded binder strip to be used for binding a stack of sheets using a binding machine along a length of the stack of sheets, said binder strip comprising:

• an elongated substrate having a length that generally corresponds to the length of the stack of sheets prior to binding;
• an adhesive matrix on a first surface of the substrate which functions to bind the stack of sheets to the substrate;
• and
• an optically encoded pattern which functions to control operation of the binding machine with the encoded pattern being disposed on the binder strip such that the pattern is not observable once the binder strip has been used for binding the stack of sheets and wherein the encoded pattern identifies the binder strip as one of at least two different binder strip types, with the encoded pattern corresponding to a first one the binder strip types causing binding machine operation which differs from binding machine operation caused by the encoded pattern corresponding to a second one of the binder strip types.