Machine for attachment of cover to book block

A machine for attachment of a cover to a book block, comprising:

• a frame (7);
• a press plate (8) attached to the frame (7) for reciprocal vertical movement between a lower end standby position and an upper end press position;
• a press plate elevating means mounted in the frame (7);
• a pair of nip plates (9, 10) arranged on an upper surface of the press plate (8) in parallel to each other for sliding in directions toward and away from each other;
• a nip plate drive means attached to the press plate (8) for causing the pair of nip plates (9, 10) to slide;
• a clamp unit (5) mounted in the frame (7) for clamping a book block (4) at both sides thereof in a way that a back surface of the book block (4) is directed downward, glue being previously applied to the back surface of the book block (4), the clamp unit (5) arranging the book block (4) above a gap between the pair of nip plates (9, 10) in a manner such that the back surface of the book block (4) faces the gap, a cover (12) being arranged on the press plate (8), the cover (12) covering the pair of nip plates (9, 10) and crossing the pair of nip plates (9, 10);
• and
• a control section (30) sending a control signal to the press plate elevating means and the nip plate drive means so as to upwardly move the press plate (8) from the standby position to the press position together with the pair of nip plates (9, 10) and press the cover (12) against the back surface of the book block (4) by the press plate (8) and thereafter, in the press position, nip a lower end of the book block (4) at both sides thereof together with the cover (12) by the pair of nip plates (9, 10) and press the cover (12) against side surfaces of the lower end of the book block (4), thereby attaching the cover (12) to the book block (4),
• wherein the press plate (8) is supported by a shaft (11) rotatably around an axis of the shaft (11) at a portion thereof which is separated from the gap between the pair of nip plates (9,10) by a distance in a direction intersecting at a right angle with the nip plates (9,10), the shaft (11) being attached to the frame (7) and extending in parallel to the nip plates (9,10), whereby the first and second ends (X,Y) of the press plate (8) are vertically reciprocated by the first and second elevation units, respectively;
• wherein the press plate elevating means comprises:
• a first elevation unit for vertically moving a first end (X) of the press plate (8), the first end (X) being located at a top edge side of the book block (4);
• and
• a second elevation unit for vertically moving a second end (Y) of the press plate (8), the second end (Y) being located at a bottom edge side of the book block (4), and
• wherein the first and second elevation units are separately controlled by the control section (30) so that the height of each of the first and second ends (X, Y) of the press plate (8) at the press position can be set separately.