IES59872B2 - A method of staggering sheets to form an assembly of sheet and an assembly of sheets - Google Patents

Description

substantially thrice the off-set distance; positioning the first surface of the second staggerable sheet under the second surface of the first staggerable sheet to form an assembly of sheets, with the respective fold lines aligned so that, when folded about the first surface, the respective first longitudinal terminal edges of the second and first staggerable sheets are staggered to form a first indexable area on the first surface of the second sheet and the respective second longitudinal terminal edges of the first and second staggerable sheets are staggered to form a second indexable area on the second surface ©f the first sheet; providing a fold line on further staggerable sheets, as desired, the fold line being off-set by an incremental substantially twice the off-set distance relative to the fold-line of an immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets; positioning the first surface of each further staggerable sheet, if present, under the assembly of sheets with their respective fold lines aligned; optionally providing one or more non-staggerable sheets interposed between the staggerable sheets in the assembly of sheets, the non-staggerable sheets being provided with a fold line adjacent the fold line of the immediately overlying staggerable sheet'in the assembly of sheets; and connecting the staggerable sheets at the respective fold lines.

More preferably, the staggerable and non-staggerable sheets are provided with print on the respective first and second surfaces, the print being arranged about the fold line, the print on the first surface being arranged for reading from the second to the first longitudinal terminal edge and the print on the second surface being arranged for reading froaa the- first to the second longitudinal terminal edge.

The method according to the invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing a method of staggering sheets of substantially identical length which avoids the need to crop the individual sheets to a desired length.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an assembly of sheets, the .assembly comprising a plurality of sheets of substantially identical length, each sheet having a fold line off-set from .a notional longitudinal said-line, each sheet also having first and second surfaces and first and second longitudinal terminal edges, the sheets being stacked with their fold lines aligned and with their first surfaces facing in one direction and their first longitudinal terminal edges adjacent one end, the sheets comprising staggerable sheets and, optionally, non-staggerable sheets; and means for connecting the sheets adjacent their fold lines; the fold line of a first staggerable sheet being off-set by an off-set distance fro® the raid-line, the fold line of a second staggerable sheet being off-set by substantially thrice the off-set distance from the mid-line, the fold line of each further staggerable sheet, if present, being off-set by an incremeratal substantially twice the off-set distance relative to the fold line of an immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets, the fold line of each non-staggerable sheet, if present, being located adjacent the fold line of the immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets so that, when folded about the first surface of the uppermost sheet of the assembly of sheets, the respective first longitudinal terminal edges are staggered to for®! first indexable areas on the first surfaces of the staggerable sheets and the second longitudinal terminal edges are staggered to form second indexable areas on the second surfaces of the staggerable sheets. ( / The assembly of sheets according to the invention has application as an indexed publication, for example, an indexed telephone number book and, in that event, the first and second indexable areas «ay be pre-printed to act as an index.

The assembly of sheets according to the invention also has application as an information guide and, in that event, the first and second indexable areas may be pre-printed with suitable headings to guide a user to the relevant information, which is pre-printed on the first ©nd second surfaces of the sheets.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a plan view of three staggerable sheets for use in the method according to a first aspect of the invention and forming an assembly of sheets according to a second aspect of the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the staggerable sheets of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the staggerable sheets of Figures 1 and 2. f Referring now to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated an assembly of sheets generally indicated as 10.

'J 5 The assembly 1® comprises a first staggerable sheet 12, a second staggerable sheet 14 and a third staggerable sheet 16. Bach staggerable sheet 12-16 has a first surface 18 and a second surface 20. Each staggerable sheet 12-16 also has first and second longitudinal terminal edges 22, 24. Each staggerable sheet 12-16 is provided with a fold line 26 which is off-set from a notional longitudinal 10 raid-line 28. The fold line 26 of the first staggerable sheet 12 is off-set from the mid-line 28 by an off-set distance x, so that, when folded about the first surface 18, the 15 first and second longitudinal terminal edges 22, 24 are staggered to form a first indexable area 30 on the first surface 13. The fold lines 26 of the second and third 20 staggerable sheets 14, 16 are off-set fro® the mid-line 28 by substantially thrice the off-set distance 3x and substantially five times the off-set distance 5x, respectively. 25 The first surface IS of the second staggerable sheet 14 is then positioned under the second surface 20 of the first staggerable sheet 12 to form the assembly 10 of sheets (as will be described in greater detail hereinafter) with their respective fold lines 26 '1 30 aligned so that, when folded about the first surface 18 of the first staggerable sheet 12, the respective first λ longitudinal terminal edges 22 of the second and first staggerable sheets 14, 12 are staggered to form a first indexable area 30 on the first surface 18 of the second 35 staggerable sheet 14 and the respective second longitudinal terminal edges 24 of the first and second staggerable sheets 12, 14 are staggered to for® a second indexable area 32 on the second surface 20 of \ the first stacrgerable sheet 12.

V5 The first surface 18 of the third staggerable sheet is then positioned under the second surface 20 of the second staggerable sheet 14 to form the assembly 10 ©f sheets with their respective fold lines 26 aligned so that# when folded about the first surface 18 of the first staggerable sheet I2e, the respective first longitudinal terminal edges 22 of the third and second staggerable sheets 16# 14 are staggered to form a first indexable area 30 on the first surface 18 of the third staggerable sheet 16 and the respective second longitudinal terminal edges 24 of the second and third staggerable sheets 14, 16 are staggered to form a second indexable area 32 on the second surface 20 of the second staggerable sheet 14.

Such further staggerable sheets as are desired may be provided, each having a fold line 26 off-set by an incremental substantially twice the off-set distance 2x relative to the fold line 26 of the immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly 10 of sheets (not shown).

Bach sheet is provided with print, for example# illustrations and/or typescript# on its first and second surfaces 18, 20, the print being arranged about the fold line 26 (not shown). The print on the first surface 18 is arranged for reading from the second r longitudinal terminal edge 24 to the first longitudinal , terminal edge 22. The print on the second surface 20 is arranged for reading from the first longitudinal terminal edge 22 to the second longitudinal terminal edge 24. ,...( ΊΟ Τ 30 Each sheet may have any desired dimensions, for example, a length of 5-75cm and a width of 3-29c®, preferably a length of 3”cm and a width of 15.8cm.

The off-set distance x may have any desired length, for example, 0.15-0.94α», preferably 0.4-0.6cm, more preferably 0.40-©.55cm, even more preferably 0.45cm. The number of staggerable sheets may be increased by reducing the off-set distance x to a shorter length relative to the sheet length. Conversely, the number of staggerable sheets may be reduced by increasing the off-set distance x to a longer length relative to the sheet length.

A preferred assembly 10 comprises six staggerable sheets, each have a length of 37cm and a width of 15.8cm. The fold lines 26 of the first-sixth staggerable sheets are off-set froas the mid-line 28 by 0.45cm, 1.35cm, 2.25cm, 3.15c®, 4.05c® and 4.95c®, respectively. The staggerable sheets are connected adjacent their fold lines 26 by any suitable connecting means, for example, wire stitches or staples, when the assembly 10 is folded about the first surface 1® of the first staggerable sheet 12, the folded assembly W has a length of 23.45cm and a width of 15.8cm. The sixth staggerable sheet acts as a. cover for the folded assembly 10. Such a cover may be formed from hard or stiffened paper or cardboard, glossy paper or cardboard or the like.

The method of staggering the sheets to form the assembly 10 is as follows. Each sheet is provided with print in conventional manner, having regard to the intended location of the fold line 26 for that sheet. The sheets are then provided with the fold line 26 at the intended location, by vernier adjustment of the - 8 feeder which, in turn, alters the position at which the folding knife of the paper folding saachine strikes the V' sheet. The folded sheets are then collated by another machine or by hand and bound together by staples adjacent the fold line 26.

A plurality of assemblies W may be folded by setting up the paper folding machine to fold a desired number of first staggerable sheets 12 at a fold line 26 W which is off-set by the off-set distance x from the mid-line 28 and then to fold a desired number of second staggerable sheets 14 at a fold line 26 which is off-set by substantially thrice the off-set distance 3x from the mid-line 28, and so on, until all the sheets are folded at their intended, but varying, location.

The folded sheets are then collated by machine or by hand.

It will be appreciated that the number of sheets in the assembly 10 according to the invention can vary widely and is limited only by weight, cost and machinery constraints.

Claims (9)

1. A nethod of staggering sheets of substantially identical length to fora an assembly of sheets, the sheets comprising staggerable and, optionally, non-staggerable sheets, the method comprising providing 5 a fold line on a first staggerable sheet, the first staggerable sheet having first and second surfaces and having first and second longitudinal terrains! edges, and the fold line being off-set from a notional longitudinal raid-line by an off-set distance so that, 10 when folded about the first surface, the first and second longitudinal terminal edges are staggered to form a first indexable area on the first surface; providing a fold line on a second staggerable sheet, the second staggerable sheet having first and second 15 surfaces and having first and second longitudinal terminal edges, the fold line being off-set from a notional longitudinal mid-line by substantially thrice the off-set distance; positioning the first surface of the second staggerable sheet under the second surface 20 of the first staggerable sheet to form an assembly of sheets, with - the respective fold lines aligned so that, when folded about the first surface, the respective first longitudinal terminal edges of the second and first staggerable sheets are staggered to form a first 25 indexable area on the first surface of the second sheet and the respective second longitudinal terminal edges of the first and second staggerable sheets are staggered to form a second indexable area on the second surface of the first sheet; providing a fold line on 30 further staggerable sheets, as desired, the fold line being off-set by an incremental substantially twice the off-set distance relative to the fold-line of an immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets; positioning the first surface of each - 10 further staggerable sheet, if present, under the assembly of sheets with their respective fold lines aligned; optionally providing one or more non-staggerable sheets interposed between the staggerable sheets in the assembly of sheets, the non-staggerable sheets being provided with a fold line adjacent the fold line of the immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets; and connecting the staggerable sheets at the respective fold lines.

2. A method of staggering sheets according to Claim 1, in which the staggerable and non-staggerable sheets are provided with print on the respective first and second surfaces, the print being arranged about the fold line, the print on the first surface being arranged for reading fro® the second to the first longitudinal terminal edge and the print on the second surface being arranged for reading from the first to the second longitudinal terminal edge.

3. A method of staggering sheets of substantially identical length to form an assembly of sheets, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4. An assembly of sheets, the assembly comprising & plurality of sheets of substantially identical length, each sheet having a fold line off-set from a notional longitudinal mid-line, each sheet also having first and second surfaces and first and second longitudinal terminal edges, the sheets being stacked with their fold lines aligned and with their first surfaces facing in one direction and their first longitudinal terminal edges adjacent one end, the sheets comprising staggerable sheets and, optionally, non-staggerable sheets; and means for connecting the sheets adjacent their fold Hoes; the fold line ©£ a first staggerable sheet being off-set by an off-set distance from the said-line, the fold line of a second staggerable sheet

5. Being off-set by substantially thrice the off-set distance from the said-line, the fold line of each further staggerable sheet, if present, being off-set by an incremental substantially twice the off-set distance relative to the fold line of an immediately overlying

6. 10 staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets, the fold line of each non-staggerable sheet, if present, being located adjacent the fold line of the immediately overlying staggerable sheet in the assembly of sheets so that, when folded about the first surface of the

7. 15 uppermost sheet of the assembly of sheets, the respective first longitudinal terminal edges are staggered to form first indexable areas on the first surfaces of the staggerable sheets and the second longitudinal terminal edges are staggered to form

8. 20 second indexable areas on the second surfaces of the staggerable sheets. 5. An assembly of sheets, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as

9. 25 illustrated in the accompanying drawings.