Sheet-material associating – Associating and folding – Stapling or stitching
Patent
1992-10-06
1994-05-31
Look, Edward K.
Sheet-material associating
Associating and folding
Stapling or stitching
270 45, B41L 4300, B42C 100
Patent
active
053162803
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for fastening together sheets of material, in particular apparatus that stitches and folds sheets of paper into book form.
By the folding of sheets of paper into book form is meant the doubling over of a plurality of overlaid sheets of paper, usually a maximum of about twenty sheets, to form a pamphlet, brochure, magazine or the like. By the reference to stitching is primarily meant the use of metal wire to fasten the sheets together, in the manner of staples.
Known machines which stitch and fold sheets of paper are arranged with a stitching assembly and a folding assembly positioned about a conveyor along which the sheets of material travel in a generally linear horizontal path. To permit access to the moving parts the stitching and folding assemblies must be separate, resulting in a lengthy, bulky device which takes up a lot of floor space. Such machines are also difficult to set up and require continuous minding by a skilled operator.
It is an object of the present invention to rearrange the geometry of the important elements of such a machine, so that the stitching and folding assemblies are substantially one above the other and thus the path that the sheets of material travel through the machine is short. This results in a more compact apparatus that occupies a smaller floor space.
It is another object of the invention to provide a machine in which one can gain easy access to all the working parts. Access to the functional parts is possible with all drives still engaged as at least some of the sub-assemblies pivot in a fan-like movement about the drive shaft. The machine can be opened and closed in the manner of a clam-shell, for inspection, for maintenance or to remove paper jams. The apparatus is easy to set up and can be operated by unskilled personnel.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for stitching and folding sheets of material, comprising in-feed means arranged to receive a plurality of overlaid sheets, stitching means arranged to insert at least one fastening stitch through the sheets, folding means to fold the stitched sheets, and out-feed means for the folded sheets, wherein the sheet path is downwards through the in-feed means, and the stitching and the initiation of the folding is effected on the sheets without the sheets leaving a rectilinear path which is a straight line continuation of the path through the in-feed means.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for stitching and folding sheets of material, comprising in-feed means for sheets of material, stitching means to stitch a plurality of said sheets together, folding means to fold the stitched sheets, and out-feed means, wherein the sheet path is downwards through the in-feed means and generally horizontally at about 90.degree. to the in-feed direction through the out-feed means.
Also in accordance with the invention there is provided apparatus for stitching and folding sheets of material, comprising in-feed means for sheets of material, stitching means to stitch a plurality of said sheets together, folding means to fold the stitched sheets, and out-feed means, wherein the in-feed means the stitching means are pivotable relative to fixed-position folding means and fixed-position out-feed means.
The invention also includes a method of stitching and folding sheets of material comprising the steps of feeding sheets of material downwards into in-feed means, holding the sheets at a first position and effecting stitching of the sheets together, moving the stitched sheets to a second position and effecting a folding of the sheets, and removing the folded sheets from the folding station, wherein the sheets follow a linear path from entry into the in-feed means until initiation of the folding.
The downward motion of the sheets in the apparatus is as near to vertical as is practicable consistent with maintaining stability of the sheets, in practice of the order of 20.degree. from the true vertical.
In order that
REFERENCES:
patent: 3117777 (1964-01-01), Funk
patent: 4270742 (1981-06-01), Kobayashi
patent: 4410170 (1983-10-01), Wertheimer et al.
patent: 4957284 (1990-09-01), Brabant
patent: 5000432 (1991-03-01), Krasuski et al.
Look Edward K.
Ryznic John
Watkiss Automation Limited
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