US2366064A - Book-sewing machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec 26, 1944. H. SIEB BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed 001;. 6, 1942 5 Sheets-sheaf, l

Dec. 26, 1944. H. suzs BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed 00%. 6, 1942 Deco 26 1944 H. $IEB 2,366,064

BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 6, 1942 3 sheets sheet 5 A III I a Patented Dec. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES "PATENT. OFFICE BOOK-SEWING MACHINE Henry Sieb, Hammond, Ind.

Application October 6, 1942, Serial No. 461,013

books B and delivering the books, opened in in- 3 Claims.

It has long been common practice to secure together the sections of thin books, such as work books for children and magazines that are long and wide, but fairly thin, by means of metal staples. While this expedient has not been wholly satisfactory, the low cost of stapling made this type of fastening attractive during ordinary peace conditions. Now however, since the steel that is thus consumed in the form of staples can be used to better advantage for more essential things, it is desirable that the more effective securing means, comprising a continuous line of stitching along the fold of the book sections, be adopted.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to sew books of the aforesaid type speedily, effectively, and at a minimum cost.

Machines now in use for automatically stapling together book sections are expensive, and it is an object of my invention to make it possible to convert them quickly and at a moderate cost into machines that will sew books.

Thus, for example, one machine contains a very elaborate and efficient mechanism, including an endless conveyer, for assembling book sections and delivering them to the stapling mechanism, together with other mechanisms for carrying the stapled books away anddischarging them. By my invention these mechanisms are retained intact, except the stapling mechanism for which a:

novel sewing and edge binding means are substituted.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,

for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be .had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a book stapling machine converted into one that sews books in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of a fragment of the machine, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, illustrating the sewing and binding mechanisms; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on a still larger scale on line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. '5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, in the same scale as Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an edge viewof one end of a book sewed and bound in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 7 is a section through the book along the center, illustrating the stitching throughout a fragment of the book.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, l is a sewing machine which may be f any suitable standard or preferred type. All of the parts of the machine to the right of the sewing machine are those now present in amachine for the purpose of assembling book sections A into so-called verted V shape, to the stapling operation. There is only one part of these parts to which particular reference need be made, namely the endless conveyer on which the assemblies are made and by which they are carried to the sewing machine, in the present instance. This conveyer, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2', comprises an endless chain 2, on the exterior of which are short saddle sections 3 approximately triangular in cross-section. These sections, along the upper horizontal run of the conveyer, are positioned end to end to form, in effect, a continuous ridge of inverted V shape. On the conveyer are lugs or pins 4 projecting above the saddle sections to engage the trailing ends of the book sections or assemblies thereof to move them along.

The conveyer stops short of the sewing machine and close to one end of a hollow stationary saddle bar 5 of inverted V shape which is aligned with the upper run of the conveyer, or creeping saddle bar 3, and forms, in effect, a continuation of the latter, The axis of the sewing machine needle 6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, lies in the vertical plane extending lengthwise of the stationary saddle bar at the center thereof. The bar 5 has in the top 'a window 1 for the passage of the needle and to expose the upper end of the work support 8 of the sewing machine. The parts are so proportioned that the advance end of each book reaches the sewing machine while the trailing edge is still in engagement with a driving pin or projection, or rather with two of them as they are arranged in pairs. After the sewing machine takes hold, the book is fed onward thereby as the sewing progresses.

As the advance end of a book leaves the sew ing machine it is engaged by pairs of feed rollers distributed along the stationary saddle bar. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, each pair of rollers comprises a lower roller 9 mounted within the saddle bar and extending up through a window In in the latter, and an upper roller Ii above the bar. The lower rollers have peripheral marginal portions l2 that are V shaped in radial section, so that continuations of the slopingfaces of the bar are tangent to these frustoconical portions of the rollers. The rollers, l l, on the other hand contain deep circumferential V grooves I4 into which the ridge portion of the bar and the cooperating edge portions of the lower rollers extend. The upper rollers do not contact either the saddle bar or the lower rollers, a sufficient clearance being left for the reception of the mar ginal portions of the books along the back edges.

The rollers 9 and H serve as. feed rollers to carry the books along to the discharge end C of the machine. after they leave the sewing machine. Therefore, since books of different kinds are not all of the same thickness, means are provided to adjust the rollers to adapt them to the thickness of the particular books that are being sewed. This can best be accomplished by mounting the upper rollers so that they may be shifted up or down, as a unit.

In the arrangement shown, each of the rollers l l lies in front of a frame comprising two parallel horizontal bars extending longitudinally of the machine and spaced apart from each other by blocks l6 disposed between corresponding nds and serving as nuts through which vertical crews I? pass. Each of these rbllers is fixed to the forward end of a shaft l8 that extends through and is rotatable in both of the longitudinal mem bers of the frame. Fixed on each of these shafts,

between the two bars I5, is a pinion l9. Between and meshing with consecutive pinions are placed idle pinions also rotatably supported by the frame. The roller shaft at one end of the series is continued rearwardly and may be driven in L any suitable manner, not shown.

The screws I! extend freely through forwardlyprojecting arms 22 on the upper ends of upright standards 24 in rear of the machines; there being a bevel gear wheel 25 on each screw above the corresponding supporting arm. The wheels 25 are connected together to rotate in unison with each other by complementary wheels 26 mounted on the ends of a horizontal shaft 21 rotatably supported by brackets 28 rising from the arms 22. One of the screws I1 is continued upwardly beyond its gear wheel and is provided with a hand wheel 29 for turning the same. It will be seen that by turning the hand wheel the upper set of feed rollers may be accurately adjusted up or down as occasion demands.

The feed rollers also serve another, important purpose, namely that of applying a binding strip to the sewn edges of the books. To this end I have provided means to feed a strip D of paper, cloth or other suitable material, with an adhesive coating on its under face, over the top and lengthwise of the stationary saddle bar, at a point between the sewing needle and the first pair of feed rollers. The strip does not contact either the saddle bar or the lower rollers which are cov ered by the books passing over the same; but it is deformed by the upper, grooved rollers, engaging the uncoated face thereof, into an inverted trough the sides or walls of which are pressed into intimate engagement with the ridges along the sewn edges of the books and with the marginal portions of the outer faces of the books along such edges. By this means I secure a very effective edge bindmg.

Any suitable means may be employed to deliver the binding strip ready for binding to the books; a simple means for this purpose being illustrated more or less conventionally. The strip is shown as being initially in the form of a roll that is suitaby supported adjacent to a receptacle 30 for containing a liquid adhesive or a liquid to moisten a gum coating already on the strip, as the case may be. The strip is carried past and in contact with a roller 3| that takes liquid from the receptacle and wets one side of the strip therewith. Running the strip over suitable guide rollers, 32, if such be needed, the free end is finally carried underneath a final guide roller 33 supported by a bracket 34 on the end of one of the frame members 15 at the inlet end of the feed rollers for the books.

The presence of the binding strip enables me successfully to employ a chain stitch which normally can be pulled out easily. However, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the entire line of strands along the outer side of the back edge of a book, forming parts of the stitches E, are bonded to the binding strip and cannot be loosened without taking off the strip and destroying the glue layer.

The thread and the binding strip may be out between consecutive books at any desired point and in any suitable way, preferably before the books reach the distributing mechanism C in the type of machine illustrated.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a simple and novel mechanism for sewing books and for binding them and, especially, mechanism for that purpose for readily converting existing stapling machines. It will also be seen that through my invention a simple chain stitch can be made to serve as adequately as the more complex lock stitch. Furthermore, books of thicknesses varying over a wide range may be handled efficiently by making a simple adjustment of the feed rollers and without removing or replacing any parts.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in inverted V shape hung over the same, a sewing machine for sewing the book along the line of folds therein while on the bar, a series of rollers above and distributed along the bar from a point near the output side of the sewing machine and each having a circumferential V groove into which the ridge of the bar projects, means simultaneously to raise and lower the said rollers and means to feed a binding strip into the space between the roller and the bar and in contact with books on the bar.

2. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in inverted V shape hung over the same, a sewing machine at one end of the bar to sew the book along the line of folds therein while on the bar, rollers extending up through the bar at intervals and each having the same marginal contour on a plane at right angles to the bar as that of the top of the main portions of the bar, and cooperating rollers above the aforesaid rollers having in the peripheries circumferential V grooves complementary to and embracing the tops of the lower rollers.

3. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in inverted V shape hung over the same, a sewing machine at one end of the bar to sew the books along the line of folds therein while on the bar, rollers extending up through the bar at intervals and each having the same marginal contour on a plane at right angles to the bar as that of the top of the main portions of the bar, cooperatingrollers above the aforesaid rollers having in the peripheries circumferential V grooves complementary to and embracing the tops of the lower rollers, and means to shift the upper rollers up and down to compensate for different thicknesses of books.

HENRY SIEB.

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