Eastman-kodak Company

William C Wilson

David Bowen Anderson

Richard C Baughman

Michael H Green

Stephen J Flamini

A finishing apparatus is adapted to receive sheets that are to be formed into booklets from a copier/duplicator or other reproduction apparatus. The sheets are fed along a sheet transport in the finishing apparatus to an assembly station where they are jogged and formed into booklets. The sheets of the booklet may be secured together by staples, an adhesive, or other binding means. The finisher has a covering having an opening directly above support that receives a stack of booklet covers. The covers are fed from the support to the sheet transport for delivery to the assembly station in timed relation to the sheets of the booklet so that the covers are inserted at the front and/or back of the booklet.

Finishing apparatus with cover inserter

Booklets are produced from sets of sheets fed seriatim to finishing apparatus from a copier/duplicator or the like either by adhesively binding the sheets together or by stapling them together. The finishing apparatus has first and second adhesive binders used for securing sets of sheets together with adhesive, and first and second stapler/finishers for securing sets of sheets together with one or more staples. The sets of sheets are directed alternately either to the first adhesive binder and to the second adhesive binder or to the first stapler/finisher and the second stapler/finisher. The finished booklets from the binders or the stapler/finishers are collected in a collection station. By providing two adhesive binders and two stapler/finishers booklets can be finished on an 'on-line' basis at full machine speed and without interrupting the flow of sheets of a second booklet until the first booklet has been completely finished. In addition, if one finishing station is disabled, the apparatus can be used to produce booklets using the station that is not disabled.

Booklet finishing apparatus

In an adhesive binder sheets received in an upper tray are driven past an adhesive applicator, through an inverting path and into a lower tray where the sheets are jogged and aligned. As the sheets are moved past the adhesive applicator, adhesive is applied to all but one sheet so that the sheets in the lower tray have adhesive between each two adjacent sheets. After a complete set of sheets are received in the lower tray, a bar applies pressure to the sheets in the area of the adhesive to form a booklet, and then the completed booklet is removed from the lower hopper. In accordance with the apparatus and method of the present invention, the first two sheets of a set of sheets are offset and then stopped during movement between the upper tray and the lower tray in order to provide sufficient time for the preceeding booklet to be finished and removed from the lower tray.

Apparatus and method for offsetting and delaying delivery of sheets in

A mechanism for positioning a control valve for an oscillating vacuum feeder which automatically adjusts the position of the control valve in relation to the width of the sheets to be fed. The mechanism includes at least one coupler member selectively engageable by the side guides which align the opposing marginal edges of the stack of sheets to be fed from a sheet supply hopper. The control valve, located within the oscillating vacuum feeder adjacent the outboard ports thereof, has an outwardly extending arm which passes through a longitudinal slot in the feeder. The arm is captured by the coupler member whereby movement of the side guides will be directly imparted to the valve through the coupler member to position the valve for controlling opening or closing of the outboard ports.

Control valve for vacuum sheet feeding apparatus

A latch assembly which both selectively latches and accurately positions separable members relative to one another. The latch assembly includes pawls pivotably mounted on a first member, the first member being biased toward a separated position relative to a second member. The pawls, which are biased toward a latched position, are interconnected by a handle for selectively urging the pawls toward an unlatched position. The first member supports guide pins adjacent to the pawls, the guide pins having a positioning flange located thereon. The second member carries latching posts having a recess for receiving the guide pins and a shoulder accurately positionable relative to the second member. The shoulders have oppositely facing surfaces, one surface engageable by the flange of the guide pin and the other by a latching surface of the pawl when the first member is in its latched position. A compression spring located on the guide pins between the flange and the first member urges the members in the direction of separation when the surfaces of the shoulder are engaged by the flange and the latching surface of the pawl to effect positive latching action therebetween.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

William C Wilson