Book binding apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137719-B2
Application number	US-201615768619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2016
Priority date	May 16, 2016
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A book binding apparatus is provided with a conveyor belt 5 having a book block conveyance surface 13 extending obliquely downward toward a pair of clamp plates 3 and 4 of a clamper 2 at a book block supply position A. A guide plate 21 is attached to the clamp plate 4 on the conveyor belt side and can swing between a standing position and a tilted position. When the pair of clamp plates is placed in a closed position, the guide plate is held in the standing position. When the pair of clamp plates is placed in an open position at the book block supply position, the guide plate swings from the standing position to the tilted position and connects to the book block conveyance surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A book binding apparatus comprising:
one or more clampers movable along a predetermined path while gripping a book block in a standing state, each of the clampers including a pair of clamp plates movable between an open position in which the pair of clamp plates receives the book block therebetween and a closed position in which the pair of clamp plates grips the book block therebetween;
a series of processing units arranged along the path to carry out perfect binding; and
a book block supplying unit arranged at a book block supply position upstream of the series of processing units on the path to supply the book block to the pair of clamp plates of the clamper, wherein
when the clamper is arranged at the book block supply position, the book block is supplied from the book block supplying unit to a gap between the pair of clamp plates which takes the open position, and the pair of clamp plates takes the closed position, thereafter,
the book block is bounded while the clamper leaving the book block supply position and passing through the series of processing units, and
the book block supplying unit is arranged at one side of the book block supply position in a direction of the path, and includes a book block conveying surface extending at a right angle to and obliquely downward toward the pair of clamp plates at the book block supply position, the book block being conveyed to the pair of clamp plates on the book block conveying surface with a spine in the head thereof, wherein
the clamper includes:
a guide plate attached to a top end of one of the pair of clamp plates so as to be rotatable around a horizontal pivot extending at a right angle to a direction of conveying the book block by the book block conveying unit, the one of the pair of clamp plates being nearest to the book block supplying unit at the book block supply position, the guide plate being movable between a standing position in which the guide plate upwardly extends from and along the associated clamp plate and a tilted position in which the guide plate tilts outward from the standing position; and
a spring arranged between the guide plate and pivot to constantly bias the guide plate toward the standing position, wherein
the book binding apparatus comprises a guide plate drive mechanism arranged independently of or at the clamper to rotate the guide plate of the clamp plate from the standing position to the tilted position against the biasing force of the spring in such a manner that the guide plate is connected to the book block conveying surface when the pair of clamp plates takes the open position at the book block supply position.

2. The book binding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide plate has a lever-like extension portion rotatable around the pivot together with the guide plate at least at one end of the pivot, the extension portion taking a first position when the guide plate takes the standing position and a second position when the guide plate takes the tilted position, wherein
the guide plate drive mechanism is arranged independently of the clamper in such a manner that the guide plate drive mechanism can rotate the extension portion of the guide plate from the first position to the second position when the pair of clamp plates takes the open position at the book block supply position.

3. The book binding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the guide plate drive mechanism is a linear actuator.

4. The book binding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the book block supplying unit is a conveyer belt.

5. The book binding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the book block supplying unit is a chute.

Assignees

• Horizon Int Inc

Inventors

• Nakanishi Hirohito
• Fukuda Shigenobu

Classifications

• B42C1/125

  Sheet sorters combined with binding devices · CPC title

• B42C19/08 Primary

  Conveying between operating stations in machines (conveyors in general B65G) · CPC title

• B42C1/12

  Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures · CPC title

• B42C9/0018

  for binding stacks of sheets one at the time · CPC title