Book block aligning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267275-B2
Application number	US-202017090586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2020
Priority date	Nov 7, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a book block aligning device that forms one processing line with paper processing devices on an upstream side and a downstream side, and is capable of stably performing alignment processing of a book block at a high speed. Provided is the book block aligning device comprising an air blowing control mechanism that controls start/stop of blowing of air from an air outlet, and an air volume of air, in accordance with timing when a book block passes through the air outlet opened in a conveying surface provided in a conveying path, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates a first conveying surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A book block aligning device comprising:
a conveying mechanism that conveys a book block along a conveying path,
an air blowing control mechanism that switches start and stop of blowing of air from at least one air outlet, in accordance with timing when the book block passes through the at least one air outlet opened in a paper conveying surface provided in the conveying path, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the paper conveying surface of the conveying path, wherein the air blowing control mechanism starts the blowing of air from the air outlet when a leading edge of the book block conveyed by the conveying mechanism reaches the air outlet.

2. The book block aligning device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a frame including the conveying path, wherein the paper conveying surface includes a first conveying surface to support one surface of the book block, and a second conveying surface extending from a lower edge of the first conveying surface, and to support one side surface of the book block, the book block aligning device further comprising: at least one blower provided in the frame, and connected to the at least one air outlet opened in the second conveying surface via at least one duct, and the vibration mechanism provided in the frame.

3. The book block aligning device according to claim 2 , wherein the air blowing control mechanism controls an air volume of air to be blown from the at least one air outlet, in accordance with timing when the book block passes through the at least one air outlet.

4. The book block aligning device according to claim 2 , further comprising a butting alignment guide provided in the frame, to butt and align the book block in the conveying direction and/or a direction at right angles to the conveying direction.

5. The book block aligning device according to claim 1 , wherein the air blowing control mechanism stops the blowing of air from the air outlet prior to start of discharge of the book block from the book block aligning device.

6. A book block aligning device comprising:
a conveying mechanism that conveys a book block along a conveying path,
an air blowing control mechanism that switches start and stop of blowing of air from at least one air outlet, in accordance with timing when the book block passes through the at least one air outlet opened in a paper conveying surface provided in the conveying path, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the paper conveying surface of the conveying path,
wherein the air blowing control mechanism controls an air volume of air to be blown from the at least one air outlet, in accordance with timing when the book block passes through the at least one air outlet,
wherein the air blowing control mechanism comprises a shutter plate disposed in the duct opposite to the at least one air outlet, and movable in a width direction or a length direction of the second conveying surface, the shutter plate comprises an opening, and the opening is formed to gradually change in area from one end side toward the other end side of the shutter plate in a moving direction,
wherein the air blowing control mechanism comprises at least one slide guide attached to the frame on an underside of the second conveying surface, and extending in parallel with the second conveying surface and in the width direction or the length direction of the second conveying surface, and the shutter plate is slidably attached to the at least one slide guide, and
wherein the air blowing control mechanism comprises a shutter plate drive mechanism provided in the frame, to slide and move the shutter plate from the one end side in the moving direction toward the other end side in the moving direction while the book block moves over the conveying path, the shutter plate being slid and moved from a first closing position where the shutter plate closes the at least one air outlet, through an opening position where the shutter plate opens the at least one air outlet, and gradually changes an opening area of the at least one air outlet, to a second closing position where the shutter plate closes the at least one air outlet.

7. The book block aligning device according to claim 6 , wherein the opening of the shutter plate is formed to gradually increase in area from the one end side toward the other end side of the shutter plate in the moving direction, and the shutter plate gradually opens the at least one air outlet at the opening position.

8. The book block aligning device according to claim 6 , wherein the shutter plate drive mechanism includes:
a rack fixed to a lower surface of the shutter plate, and extending in parallel with the at least one slide guide, and
a motor attached to the frame below the shutter plate,
a drive shaft of the motor extends toward the shutter plate and vertically to the shutter plate, and
the shutter plate drive mechanism includes a pinion fixed to the drive shaft of the motor and engaged with the rack.

9. The book block aligning device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one air outlet comprises:
a slit-shaped first air outlet extending in the width direction of the second conveying surface on an inlet side of the second conveying surface, and
a slit-shaped second air outlet disposed in the conveying direction at an interval from an end of the first air outlet closer to the first conveying surface, and extending at right angles to the first air outlet toward an outlet of the second conveying surface.

10. The book block aligning device according to claim 9 , wherein the shutter plate is slidably movable in the width direction of the second conveying surface,
the opening of the shutter plate includes:
a first aperture disposed in correspondence with the first air outlet, and
a second aperture disposed in correspondence with the second air outlet,
the first aperture extends in parallel with the first air outlet, and forms a slit shape having at least a length equal to a length of the first air outlet and at least a width equal to a width of the first air outlet,
the first aperture is disposed to match the first air outlet in a length direction of the second conveying surface,
the second aperture includes:
a first aperture edge disposed on a straight line with an edge of the other end side of the first aperture in the moving direction, and extending along at least a length equal to a length of the second air outlet,
a second aperture edge extending from an end of the first aperture edge closer to the first aperture, at right angles to the first aperture edge, from the other end side in the moving direction toward the one end side in the moving direction, and along a length smaller than a length of the first aperture, and
a step-shaped third aperture edge connecting an end of the second aperture edge on the one end side in the moving direction and an end of the first aperture edge away from the first aperture, and
the first aperture edge is disposed to match the second air outlet in the length direction of the second conveying surface.

Assignees

• Horizon Int Inc

Inventors

• Okamoto Kohei
• Fukuda Shigenobu
• Wakimoto Shigeru

Classifications

• B42C9/00

  Applying glue or adhesive peculiar to bookbinding · CPC title

• B42C19/00 Primary

  Multi-step processes for making books · CPC title

• B65H2301/4212

  of articles substantially horizontal · CPC title

• B65H31/38

  Apparatus for vibrating or knocking the pile during piling · CPC title

• B42C5/00 Primary

  Preparing the edges or backs of leaves or signatures for binding · CPC title