Taurus Holdings, Inc.

Taurus Impressions, Inc.

Taurus Tetraconcepts, Inc.

Velobind, Inc.

Charles T Groswith, Iii

Barry C Kockler

Eugene F Duval

Roger M Gray

Robert E Smith

Rickson Sun

Richard Dean Phipps

Robert L Lathrop, Jr

Raymond D Heistand, Ii

Rick J Kaufmann

Warren K Shannon

William A Banks

John F Stewart

William H Abildgaard

William J Usitalo

Daniel T Noonan

Edwin A Seipp, Iii

Gerald D Perry

Edwin A Seipp Iii

William J Usitale

Ralph M Woodley

Thomas P Myers

A tape cartridge for a debossing stamper includes a casing, a tape-containing supply spool and a tape take-up spool in the casing, the supply spool having at least one reflector pad visually accessible from the exterior of the casing by an optical reflective sensor for detecting and indicating an amount of tape remaining on the supply spool. In one embodiment the at least one reflector pad is a series of equally spaced reflector pads on an outer periphery of the supply spool. The sensor provides a feedback on each 1/4 revolution of said supply reel, the feedback being received by firmware to track the number of motor steps to drive the take-up spool and to rotate the supply spool a 1/4 turn, and wherein a computer calculates the amount of tape remaining on the supply spool based on supply spool core diameter, take-up spool core diameter and total tape length.

Hot stamper foil tape cartridge with reflector pads

A dual station hot debossing stamper for a report or book cover includes a print engine having a character finger daisy wheel forcer and a logo die forcer which are actuatable independently by a common servo motor through respective gear trains. A heat and pressure transferable foil tape character cartridge and print wheel are inserted and locked into the engine in a character debossment operation with a motor driving the print wheel. Removal of the character cartridge and insertion of a logo transfer tape cartridge shifts the gears in the print engine. The tape of the character cartridge used with the print daisy wheel has a narrower tape width than that of the logo cartridge. Each of the tape cartridges includes an anti-back rotation spring attached to a reel in the cartridge and may include an adjustable tape advance and indicating means for determining the remaining length of tape on a supply reel. A method of loading heat and force transferable material-containing tape into the cartridges is disclosed.

Hot stamper foil tape cartridge and method of loading the cartridge

A method of debossing character and indicia-forming pigmented tape onto a report or book cover workpiece positioned under a print engine having a character finger daisy wheel forcer and a logo die or other indicia die forcer is described. Steps of inserting a print wheel and a first tape cartridge into the engine, heating a character-containing portion of a character finger, forcing and printing a desired character in a character debossment operation are included. In another operation, the steps of removing the daisy wheel and the first tape cartridge, inserting an indicia-forming debossment die and a second tape cartridge, heating the die and forcing and thermally printing desired indicia on the workpiece, is set forth. In another aspect of the method, the steps of holding the tape on reels in the cartridges, striking the tape to deboss the pigmented media, stripping a struck portion of the tape from the workpiece and then advancing a tape take-up reel are set forth. In another embodiment, the steps of determining residual heat in a character portion or die and varying the dwell time of subsequent strikings of the workpiece accordingly, are included.

Method of debossing from character and indicia-forming pigmented tape

A dual station hot debossing stamper for a report or book cover includes a print engine having a character finger daisy wheel forcer and a logo die forcer which are actuatable independently by a common servo motor through respective gear trains. The print engine moves line-by-line and a platen moves character-by-character. A print wheel is inserted and locked into the engine in a character debossment operation with a motor driving the print wheel. When using a logo die, the print wheel and casing is removed and using a loader-unloader tool the die is articulated under the logo die forcer. Insertion of a logo transfer tape cartridge shifts the gears in the print engine. A second character tape cartridge is used with the print wheel. A dedicated personal computer and associated software and firmware programs control the stamping apparatus.

Flat bed daisy wheel hot debossing stamper

Hot debossing stamper machine

A binding apparatus having a base portion and a binding mechanism is disclosed which binds a stack of punched paper sheets with a plastic binding element having an elongated linear spine and integral spaced resilient curled fingers extending from the spine. The binding mechanism includes a fixed binding comb and a series of push fingers. The binding comb has a series of upstanding fixed spaced pickets having sufficient clearance between each other to allow the binding element curled fingers to be manually shifted laterally relative to the fixed pickets such that each of the curled fingers surrounds a portion of the push fingers. The binding mechanism also has a device for moving the push fingers outwardly from the pickets to uncurl the curled fingers so that a stack of punched paper sheets can be placed on the uncurled fingers.

Punched paper sheets binding apparatus

A paper punch and binding apparatus has two punch mechanisms, one for punching round holes in a paper sheets stack and one for punching rectangular holes in another paper sheets stack. A single lever or crank simultaneously operates and drives a series of round end punches to shear the round holes and a punch plate with integral rectangular punch elements shear rectangular holes. A four-bar linkage connects the lever to the punch plate and the series of the punches in a manner that both the plate and punches are driven in a vertical straight line and with a greater mechanical advantage at the start and over the first increments of the punching operation. In a preferred embodiment, a binding station is provided in an apparatus base portion particularly for binding with a Douvry-type plastic resilient loops binding element. The binding station has an operating knob which operates a simple gear interconnect train for uncurling the resilient loops and allowing the punched hole stack to be inserted thereon. In an additional embodiment two rows of large and smaller diameter punches are provided in one round punch mechanism with an apertured translatable bar for rendering inoperative one or the other of these rows of punches.

Paper sheets punching apparatus

A binding system, employing a first plastic elongated strip with spaced integral studs and a second plastic elongated strip having similarly spaced apertures and recesses, is provided which resists impact forces caused by dropping a bound book. A first fixed spacing of studs is provided along a mid-span portion of the first strip and a second fixed smaller spacing of studs provided at both end portions of the first strip which reinforces the end portions against stud breakage or extrusion caused by impact forces. In the preferred embodiment, the three end studs at each end of the strip are spaced at a second fixed spacing distance stud center-to-center of only one-half the first fixed spacing at the long mid-span portion of the strip. In another embodiment, a generally second fixed spacing of one-third the mid-span spacing with the at least two of the end portion studs being staggered from the center longitudinal axis of the strip is shown. An additional embodiment includes one or more integral studs of the end portions of the strip having a substantially greater cross-sectional area than the studs in the mid-span portion of the strip. In each embodiment, the binding is end reinforced against impact forces.

End-reinforced bookbinding strip for impact resistance

A paper sheets binder has a pair of elongated strips, one strip mounting a number of spaced integral hinged pawls and the second strip mounting a corresponding number of spaced integral bifurcated ratcheted posts. The strips are mounted on front and back margin edges of a paper sheets stack. The ratchets on the post legs of one strip connect with pawls on the other strip. To prevent disassembly of the bound document, the preferably D-shaped in cross-section post legs are oriented so that the end posts have a major axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the strip. Breakage at the root of the post legs is essentially prevented upon bowing of the document and strips, and from shear forces resultant from slippage of the paper sheets and the force generated by the shifting edges of the paper punch holes. The central post is oriented so that the legs major axis is transverse to the strip longitudinal axis. To minimize document gutter width and aid in opening the bound document fully to allow flattening against an image copier platen, the respective integral pawls and posts are offset from the central longitudinal axis of the strips. A counterbore is included around each pawl so that upon snapping-off excess lengths of post legs, the roughened remaining ends thereof are recessed below an outer surface of the pawl-carrying strip.

Paper sheets binding system with dual orientation binding posts to

A paper punch and binding apparatus has two punch mechanisms, one for punching round holes in a paper sheets stack and one for punching rectangular holes in another paper sheet stack. A single layer or crank simultaneously operates and drives a series of round end punches to shear the round holes and a punch plate with integral rectangular punch elements shear rectangular holes. A four-bar linkage connects the lever to the punch plate and the series of the punches in a manner that both the plate and punches are driven in a vertical straight line and with a greater mechanical advantage at the start and over the first increments of the punching operation. In a preferred embodiment, a binding station is provided in an apparatus base portion particularly for binding with a Douvry-type plastic resilient loops binding element. The binding station has an operating knob which operates a simple gear interconnect train for uncurling the resilient loops and allowing the punched hole stack to be inserted thereon. In an additional embodiment two rows of large and smaller diameter punches are provided in one round punch mechanism with an apertured translatable bar for rendering inoperative one or the other of these rows of punches.

Combined paper punch and binding apparatus

Combined binding strip and paper sheets book

Binding strip

Combined paper sheets and aperture fasteners therefor

A binding member having a pair of spaced ratcheted-surfaced posts which includes a bifurcated rim separated by an open groove, and extending from a binding member head. The binding member head is insertible into a counterbore in a paper sheets stack binding strip, the strip having an aperture through which the binding member posts are inserted. The rim includes a beveled ridge which passes through the strip aperture and snap locks into an exit portion of the aperture on a side of the strip opposite the counterbore. A finger-operated flat push disc binding/debinding tool is utilized to push and ratchet a pawl-containing locking collar on the posts and into a strip counterbore to clamp a paper sheets stack. An edge of the disc is insertible between the posts for breaking off excess length of a post extending from the strip and locking collar. The disc also contains a bifurcated bit for shearing from the posts. In the case of a thin bound stack of paper sheets, the open groove in the bifurcated rim accommodates a sheared pawl and allows debinding of the locking collar from the binding member.

Book binding connector and binding-debinding tool

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Charles T Groswith, Iii