Book trimming apparatus and method

A book trimmer for trimming the edges of a perfect bound book, the latter comprising a plurality of text pages and a cover, said book being rectangular and having major and minor edges, said book to be trimmed along two of its minor edges and along one of its major edges to predetermined finished dimensions, the other of the major edge of said book constituting a spine along which said text pages are bound to said cover, said trimmer comprising a trimming blade movable between an open position in which said book may be inserted between the blade and a blade platen and a closed position in which said book is sheared between said blade and said platen along a shearing plan, a holder for gripping said book as said book is trimmed, a carriage supporting said holder, said carriage being movable laterally with respect to said blade between a first position in which a first edgs of said book may be trimmed, a second position in which a second edge of said book may be trimmed, and a third position in which a third edge of said book may be trimmed, an indexing mechanism for shifting said carriage between its said first, second and third positions, said carriage along with said holder being movable toward and away from said blade so as to position said book with respect to said blade such that said with said carriage in its said first, second and third positions, said first, second and third edges of said book are positioned with respect to said shearing plane such that predetermined amounts of said book may be trimmed from said first, second and third edges thereby to produce a book trimmed to its predetermined finished dimensions.

Apparatus for trimming a perfect bound book to a predetermined rectangular size, said perfect bound book having a multiplicity of pages and a cover, said book having first and second minor edges to be trimmed and one major edge to be trimmed, the other major edge of said book constituting a spine along which said pages are bound to said cover, said book before trimming having a major dimension ranging up to a maximum major dimension and said book having a minor dimension ranging up to a maximum minor dimension, said book to be trimmed to predetermined having major and minor finished dimensions, said apparatus having a trimming blade and a blade platen with the blade being movable in horizontal direction relative to said platen between a retracted position in which said book to be trimmed may be inserted between said blade and said platen and a cutting position in which said book is trimmed between said blade and said platen along a horizontal shearing plane, a holder for gripping said book, a carriage carrying said holder movable horizontally relative to said blade between a first position in which a first minor edge of said book is to be trimmed to a second position in which a second minor edge of said book is to be trimmed and a third position in which one major edge of said book is to be trimmed, said carriage being vertically movable with respect to said shearing plane thereby to position said edges relative to said shearing plane such that predetermined amounts of said book along said first and second minor edges and along said one major edge may be trimmed therefrom so as to produce said book or predetermined finished dimensions, and a control system for controlling operation of said holder, said carriage and said shear blade, the finished dimensions of said finished book being known to said control system such that the latter positions said first and second minor edges and said one major edge relative to said shear plane when said carriage is in its first, second and third positions, respectively, so as to trim portions of said book along said first and second minor edges and along said one major edge thereby to result in a trimmed book having said predetermined finished dimensions.