721,855. Bookbinding. GELIOT, HURNER EWEN, Ltd., and REDMAN, A. J. Sept. 30, 1953 [Oct. 3,1952], No. 24831/52. Class 16. A machine for covering books or pads comprises means for supporting a stack or column of books or pads inclined at about 45 degrees to the vertical, means for displacing the lowermost book or pad from the stack on to a support, means for feeding a cover into alignment with the displaced book or pad, means for applying adhesive to the cover and means for compressing together the cover and the book or pad, whereby they become attached by the adhesive; during ejection to a receiving support. The machine comprises a metal framework 3 with adjustable angle irons 4 as guides for covers resting on a plate 5, the covers being moved one by one manually, or mechanically and automatically if desired, between a pair of rollers 6, 8 which advance the covers past scoring discs 17 and over an adhesive applying wheel 19 on to a pair of conveyer belts 1 which advance each cover up to a stop bar 22 adjustably secured to framework 3, with lugs 23 adjustable to position the cover relative to a book or pad. The roller 6 projects slightly through a slot in plate 5 and is mounted on a shaft 7 connected by a belt 16 to a shaft 15 over which the belts 1 are mounted, the scoring discs 17 being mounted in pairs on shaft 15 and a shaft 14 geared thereto. The wheel 19 is mounted on a shaft 18 connected by a belt 21 to shaft 15 and rests with its lower edge in a bath 20 of adhesive. The main shaft 13 is driven from an electric motor and the conveyor belts 1 are mounted round the shaft 15 and a shaft 70 which is driven from the shaft 13 through a chain 47,and bevel gearing. The roller 8 rests on roller 6 and is mounted on an arm 9 on a shaft 10, the arm 9 and roller 8 being lifted slightly during each rotation of the main shaft 13 by a cam lever 12 thereon moving in a slotted lever 11 secured to shaft 10. A hopper 24 for preformed pads or blocks comprises adjustable angle iron guides 25 and base strips 26 on which slides a plate 27, the plate 27 being reciprocated to move the lowermost pad forward by a lever 28 and returned by a spring 33 to a position behind the rear wall of the hopper 24, the lever 28 being secured to a shaft 29 which has an arm 30 carrying a roller 31 riding against a cam 32 on the main shaft 13. An angle plate 34 is adjustably mounted above the front ends of strips 26 to allow only one pad through at a time. The hopper 24 is arranged so that the base strips 26 lie at an angle of about 45 degrees and the conveyer belts 1 are similarly arranged so that a cover resting against lugs 23 lies with its scored and glued end at right angles to and just above the base strips 26 and movement of the plate 27 presses the lowermost pad against its cover and passes them between adjustable fixed bars 48, which fold the cover about the pad, and thence to rollers 36 and a roller 39 which press the cover on to the pad to secure it thereto. Rollers 36 are fixed to a shaft 35 and roller 39 to a shaft 37, both shafts being driven from the main shaft 13 through the chain 47, the shaft 37 being carried in bearings slidable in supports 38. The shaft 37 and roller 39 are moved towards rollers 36 at each turn of the main shaft 13 by means of a rocking shaft 42 having levers 41 mounted thereon and secured to lugs 40 on shaft 37 and an extension on one lever being connected to a link 43 slotted at its remote end to embrace shaft 13 and carrying a roller 44 riding against a cam 45 on the shaft. The length of link 43 may be adjustable to vary the position of roller 39. The rollers 36, 39 advance the pad and cover while the plate 27 is retracted and eject the covered pad on to a support table 50, which, as shown in Fig. 3, is horizontal and slidably supported on an inclined angle iron frame 49. The table 50 is held up by a chain 51 connected at its ends to the table and the framework of the machine and passing over a gear 52 on frame 49, a lower gear 53 secured to a transverse shaft 56 and a gear 54 connected to the upper end of a tension spring 55, the shaft 56 carrying a freewheel clutch device 57 having an arm 58 linked to a lever 59 mounted on shaft 29 which is rocked by cam 32 so that shaft 56 is intermittantly rotated to lift the chain 51 a small amount to allow the table 50 to drop the thickness of a covered pad at each rotation of shaft 13, the leverage 58, 59 being adjustable to allow variation of thickness. In an alternative support as shown in Figs. 8 and 11, the table 50 is substantially vertical and the frame 49 supports the covered pads on their edges, the frame being horizontal but pivotally mounted at 76 to be set at the inclined position if desired. Two clamps 77, 77<SP>1</SP> fit over the outside of angle members 49 and are held together by two tie rods 78. A third rod 79 is rotatably mounted in bearings in the clamps and at one end an extension carries a pinion in a housing 80 engaged by a rack 81 at one end of a reciprocating rod 82 connected at its lower end to a crank or cam controlled roller on, or driven by, the shaft 13. Secured to the rod 79 are arms 84 onto which an ejected covered pad falls, the arms 84 then being raised by rotation of rod 79 by rack 81 to allow the spine of the pad to rest on the frame 49 and up against the table 50 or other pads. Two side plates 86, 87 are mounted on the clamp 77, and adjustably on rods 78 respectively, the edges of the plates 86 ,87 being outwardly turned adjacent the rollers 36, 39 and strip springs 91 being mounted on the outside of the plates to project through slots, the springs 91 being pressed outwardly as the arms 84 press a covered pad against the table 50 and springing into position behind the pad to hold it upright as the arms 84 swing back. To arrest the pad feeding means, and the cover feeding means when automatic, without stopping the adhesive applying roller 19, a hook-like catch 73 is spring mounted on a rod 74 adjacent the edge of plate 27 and is manually operated by a lever handle so that the catch 73 engages the plate 27 and holds it when it reaches its extreme forward position, the drive roller 31 being then at the top of the throw of cam 32 and therefore unaffected thereby. Reverse throw of the lever handle withdraws catch 73 to release plate 27. If covers are fed automatically, the catch 73 and rod 74 may be mechanically linked with the gate of the cover feeder or the cover feeder may be arrested simultaneously with the plate 27 by electro magnetic or other suitable means.