The Mead Corporation

Spiral Binding Company, Inc.

Kenneth Harold Dawson

Paul E Seaborn

An illustrative embodiment of the invention produces comb-like bookbinding wire stock in a manner that significantly reduces wire breakage during manufacture as well as unequally stressing or stretching or marring the surface finish of the wire from which the stock is formed. An indexing unit drives a pair of forming arm members that pivot under the control of a cam surface. These members align and wind a wire strand onto pins that protrude radially from a pair of parallel, axially spaced rings. Operation of a reciprocating side pusher and center pusher shaft press the wire strand onto the adjacent pins and a wire flattening roller presses one side of the partially formed stock against the adjacent pin surfaces to produce the 'back' for the comb-like stock. A rotating pinch roll 'sets' the fingertip portions of the tines on the stock. Because the plane surfaces of the circular rings are parallel, substantially less time is required to set up the machinery that characterizes the invention and undertake a production run than that which characterized prior art devices.

Bookbinding wire stock production method and apparatus

This invention relates to an improved wire forming apparatus of the type wherein a pair of rotatable wheels are disposed alongside of each other, a plurality of pins are secured to each of the wheels about the periphery thereof, and mounting means rotatably support the wheels in such a manner that their axes of rotation are angularly disposed to each other. The improvement herein comprises looping means disposed adjacent to the peripheries of the rotatable wheels, the looping means being discontinuously rotatable about a central axis. The central axis of the looping means is offset from and parallel to a plane defined by the plurality of pins secured to either of the wheels about the periphery thereof. The looping means intermittently engage a strand of wire and impart an undulatory configuration thereto. In addition, pushing means are integrally disposed adjacent the looping means for transferring a looped strand of wire from the looping means to one of the pins disposed about the periphery of the rotatable wheels. The pushing means comprise at least two individual pushing members, the pushing means and the looping means being aligned and operating in cooperative relationship with one another.

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Newark, CA, United States of America

Kenneth Harold Dawson