Nisca Corporation

Katsumasa Takagi

Keiichi Nagasawa

Hiroshi Nakagomi

Akihiko Tsukui

Hiroyuki Sorita

Jun Kondou

Kazuyuki Kubota

Masaya Takahashi

Shuji Ishimaru

Norihiro Ohno

Yoshinobu Kono

Misao Kobayashi

Shinya Sasamoto

Atsushi Tsuchiya

Takehiro Yamakawa

Kouichi Kitta

Takeshi Harada

Misao Koabayashi

In bookmaking, a sheet bundle is held in a substantially vertical posture. At first an adhesive is applied to a bottom edge of the sheet bundle in a condition that the bottom edge of the sheet bundle and an adhesive application member are pressed together with a first contact pressure to apply the adhesive between the sheets. Then, the adhesive is applied to the bottom edge in a condition that the bottom edge of the sheet bundle and adhesive application member are pressed together with a second contact pressure weaker than the first contact pressure, or are in a non-contact situation.

Bookmaking method

Bookbinding unit that in binding an inner-leave sheet bundle together with a cover enables accurate binding of the cover onto the bundle's spine and meanwhile forms folding scores in the cover flaps. Furnished with: a stacking tray unit; a process path for sequentially transporting bundles from the tray unit into adhesive-application and cover-binding locations; an adhesive application unit, disposed in the adhesive-application location, that applies adhesive to bundles from the tray unit; a cover-supply unit that supplies covers to the cover-binding location; and a cover-binding unit, disposed in the cover-binding location, that binds sheet bundles from the adhesive-application location together with covers. The cover-binding unit has a shoulder-pressing unit that forms spine creases in the spine portion of the covers, and a flap-pressing unit that forms folds in the spine-creased sides of the covers.

Bookbinding method, and bookbinding unit and image-forming system equipped with the same

An adhesive applicator forms adhesive to a smooth surface at a predetermined thickness when applied to a sheet bundle edge. An adhesive storing container is disposed at an adhesive application position, and is equipped with an applicator roller device and a scraper blade that adjusts the thickness of the adhesive layer applied. A moving device drives the applicator roller device or the sheet bundle holding device so that the applicator roller device and scraper blade move relative to the sheet bundle. The scraper blade is configured to push or sweep away excess adhesive from one end of the sheet bundle to the other end thereof across the backside, removing excess adhesive while forming a smoothly finished surface of adequately softened and flow-able adhesive.

Adhesive applicator and bookmaking apparatus using the same

Bookbinding-unit adhesive application device that does not interrupt the unit to replenish adhesive when consecutively applying adhesive to sheet bundles, and can shorten the time the system is interrupted. An adhesive storage container () that stores adhesive; an applicator roller () rotatably disposed in the adhesive storage container (); an adhesive supplier () that refills hot-melt adhesive to the adhesive storage container (); heater () that melts the adhesive in the adhesive storage container (); and refill volume controller () that controls the amount of refill adhesive of the adhesive supplier () are provided. The refill volume controller () is configured to set the adhesive refill volume based on information from adhesive detector () disposed in the adhesive storage container (); and remaining sheets determiner () that determines the number of sheets to coat for the sheet bundles to be coated with adhesive.

Adhesive applicator and bookbinder in bookbinding apparatus, and image-forming system associated therewith

A glue container receiving hot-melt adhesive, an applicator roll, an apparatus casing, and disposed therein, a cooling unit and its control unit, for cooling a post-cover-sheet-processed sheaf, are provided. The control unit is configured to halt the cooling unit when adhesive is being applied to a sheaf with the applicator roll, and to actuate it after adhesive application. The control unit: (1) cools the apparatus casing interior by actuating the cooling unit when a sheaf is conveyed toward a glue application position; (2) halts the cooling unit when adhesive is being applied to a sheaf conveyed into the glue application position; and (3) reactivates the cooling unit after adhesive application. Thus controlling the apparatus-internal temperature appropriately in applying a hot-melt adhesive to a sheaf, and binding the sheaf together with a cover, etc. enables secure binding adhesion in a short time frame, without bookbinding defects such as missing leaves.

Adhesive applicator, and bookbinding and image-forming apparatuses equipped with the applicator

A bookmaking apparatus includes a first path to convey a sheet bundle, a second path to convey a cover sheet, a joining stage disposed at an intersection of the first path and the second path, a gripping conveyance device arranged for gripping and a conveyance device arranged at a downstream side of the joining stage for conveying out the cover sheet and sheet bundle. The gripping conveyance device includes clamping members to grip the sheet bundle and clamping control device for opening and closing the clamping members. The clamping control device operates the clamping members to grip a lower edge of the sheet bundle when joining the sheet bundle to the cover sheet, and the clamping members to retract to an upstream side of the first path and to grip the sheet bundle again when conveying the joined sheet bundle to the conveyance device.

Bookmaking apparatus

In replenishing a glue container with hot-melt glue, to enable stable supply of the glue in solid form without it clogging the resupply path from the hopper, provided are: a sheet retaining unit for retaining a sheaf in a glue application position; a glue applier in a hot-melt-glue-receiving container, disposed in the glue application position, for applying glue to an endface of a sheaf there; a heater, disposed in the glue container, for heating/melting the glue inside; a heater temperature controller; a resupply hopper above the glue container for replenishing it with solid glue; a vacuum ducting unit above the container and adjoining the resupply hopper, for suctioning up glue evaporation derivatives; and a control unit configured to run the vacuum ducting unit when the glue container is being replenished with glue, to prevent or mitigate invasion of evaporation derivatives into the resupply hopper.

Adhesive applicator, and bookbinding apparatus and image-forming system equipped with the applicator

A bookmaking apparatus includes a first path to convey a sheet bundle, a second path intersecting the first path to convey a cover sheet, a joining stage disposed at an intersection of the first path and the second path, a gripping conveyance device arranged for gripping and conveying the sheet bundle along the first path, an adhesive application device for applying adhesive to a bottom side edge of the sheet bundle, a backup member arranged to support the cover sheet at the joining stage, and a folding conveyance device for folding and conveying the cover sheet and sheet bundle. After the cover sheet and the sheet bundle are adhered together and before the backup member retracts from the first path to a position outside the first path, the gripping conveyance device is retracted to separate a bottom edge of the sheet bundle from the backup member.

A bookmaking apparatus includes: a first path for horizontally conveying a sheet bundle; a second path for vertically conveying a cover sheet; a joining stage for joining the cover sheet and sheet bundle; a gripping conveyance device at an upstream side of the joining stage for gripping and conveying the sheet bundle along the first path; and a folding conveyance device arranged at a downstream side of the joining stage for folding and conveying out the cover sheet and sheet bundle. The gripping conveyance device includes opening and closing clamping members for gripping the sheet bundle and clamping control device for opening and closing the clamping members. The clamping control device operates to vary a gripping position of the sheet bundle by the clamping members when joining the sheet bundle to the cover sheet at the joining stage and when conveying the joined sheet bundle to the folding conveyance device.

A sheet bundle conveyance apparatus includes a tray arranged substantially horizontally below a discharge outlet of an image forming apparatus. The tray, including a drive device for lowering the tray to a sheet configuration position, is configured to rise and lower a predetermined distance between a sheet stacking position and a sheet conveyance position below the sheet stacking position. The apparatus further includes a gripping conveyance device configured to convey a sheet bundle received from the tray to a finishing device at a substantially vertical posture and turned a predetermined angle.

Sheet bundle conveyance apparatus

An adhesive dispensing apparatus for dispensing an adhesive on a sheet bundle includes a support device for supporting the sheet bundle, a dispensing device disposed adjacent to the support device for dispensing the adhesive on an edge of the sheet bundle supported by the support device, and a transport device disposed adjacent to the support device for transporting the sheet bundle from the edge, to which the adhesive is applied, as a leading edge in a transport direction. A refilling device is provided for refilling the adhesive to the dispensing device, and a moving device moves the dispensing device between a dispending position where the adhesive is dispensed to the edge of the sheet bundle and a refilling position where the adhesive is supplied to the dispensing device from the refilling device.

Adhesive dispensing apparatus and image forming apparatus

An adhesive dispensing apparatus and image forming apparatus include a support device for supporting a sheet bundle, a dispensing device for dispensing an adhesive to an edge of the sheet bundle supported by the support device, and a transport device for transporting the sheet bundle with the edge having the adhesive dispensed by the dispensing device as a leading edge. A cover can be securely attached to the sheet bundle.

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Kofu, Japan

Katsumasa Takagi