Combination plastic spiral forming machine and semi-automatic plastic spiral binding machine

• US 6,547,502 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spiel Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spiel Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Spiel, Norton
• Primary Examiner(s): Wellington, A. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henderson, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US09/677,489
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 412/9, 412/38, 412/39, 412/40, 140/92.4, 140/92.94, 140/92.9, 140/71.C, 425/143, 425/160, 425/509
• US Class Current: 412/40
• CPC Class Codes: B42B 5/123 Devices for assembling the elements with the stack of sheets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49881 of separate helix [e.g., screw thread]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5102 Binding or covering and cutting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5142 and means to sever work from supply

Abstract

A combination book binding machine with a plastic coil forming machine, whereby a plastic spiral coil is formed at a first raised temperature, then cut to a length sufficient for the plastic spiral coil to bind a book, cooled and then advanced toward a receiving coil conveyor of a coil binding machine, for binding the book with a plastic coil at the lowered cooled temperature. The binding machine and method for spirally binding a sheaf of papers into a book uses an adjustable speed drive to rotate the cooled flexible plastic spiral coil into respective holes in the book. The book has a plurality of holes in a row adjacent one edge of the book to receive the leading edge of the plastic spiral binding coils. A cylindrically shaped mandrel is spaced apart from a glidable block. The plastic pre-formed spiral binding coil is fed onto the mandrel from the distal end thereof, with the leading edge of the binding element facing and spaced apart from the book. A pair of leading edge spreaders, one of which has a guidance groove, engages the plastic spiral coil to spread its joined coil portions just enough to permit the coil to enter the successive holes of a sheaf to be bound. A trailing spreader at the opposite end insures that the last hole is accommodated with a portion of the plastic spiral coil.

Claims

1. A combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine comprising:

a coil forming machine forming hot binding coils at a first higher temperature;

a binding machine for binding said cooled coils into holes of a book being bound; and

a conveyor for carrying said binding coils from said coil forming machine to said binding machine under ambient air conditions, the length of said conveyor being selected to provide enough slow cooling time to bring the temperature of said binding coils down to close to room temperature and a solid, non-brittle state.

2. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 1 wherein said conveyor has a plurality of compartments each containing a binding coil.

3. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 1 wherein said binding machine interacts with said plastic spiral forming machine at compatible speeds to each other, said coil forming machine having a means for taking plastic thread from a spool, a heating chamber for preheating said plastic thread, an advancement means advancing and then winding said plastic thread on a mandrel, a discharge element discharging said heated plastic thread in free air as a hot spiral coil, a cutter cutting said hot spiral coil being cut to a predetermined size as a hot coil, said hot coil being transferred to said linkage cooling conveyor, said linkage cooling conveyor moving said coil intermittently.

4. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 1 further comprising a drive motor moving said linkage cooling conveyor.

5. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 4 wherein said drive motor is a DC direct current gearmotor.

6. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 4 wherein said drive motor is an AC alternating current gearmotor.

7. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 4 wherein said drive motor is a stepping motor.

8. A combination plastic spiral coil forming machine and binding machine for spirally binding a sheaf of papers into a book with said plastic spiral coil comprising:

a. a coil forming machine forming a plurality of hot plastic spiral coils,

b. a cooler cooling said hot plastic spiral coils,

c. means for clamping together the sheaf of papers making up said book, said book having a plurality of holes in a row adjacent one edge of said book to receive the leading edge of said spiral binding element;

d. a stationary base spaced from one end of said book;

e. a block slidably mounted on said base having an arm extending outwardly and supporting at its distal and thereof a cylindrically shaped mandrel spaced from said slidable block and the bottom edge of said mandrel horizontally in a line with said row of holes in said book, said arm being attached at its distal end to said mandrel at the proximate end of said mandrel facing said row of holes and spaced from said book and said arm attached to said block at the proximate end with means for adjusting the distance between said mandrel and said block;

f. feeding conveyor means for feeding onto said mandrel from the distal end thereof said plastic pre-formed, cooled spiral binding coil terminating at the proximate end of said mandrel with the leading edge of said binding coil facing and spaced from said book, the internal diameter of said spiral binding coil being slightly in excess of the outer diameter of said mandrel;

g. spring means mounted on said slidable block for engaging and biasing adjustably said spiral binding coil on said mandrel upwardly against said mandrel so that the upper portion of said binding element is spaced from the top of said mandrel;

h. means comprising a wheel having an outer frictional surface for engaging a top outer surface of said spiral binding element and motor means for driving said wheel to feed said spiral binding coil into said row of holes in said book for binding same; and

i. means for adjusting the position of said block on said base for positioning said mandrel to obtain proper alignment of the leading edge of said spiral binding element with said row of holes.

9. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 8 further comprising a means for significantly spreading apart each coil of said spiral binding element for initial insertion into respective first and last holes of a row of holes, said means comprising two hole spreader members insertable within said respective coils of said spiral binding wherein at a point before the spiral enters the leading hole of a sheaf to be bound, one of said two spreader members being a leading hole spreader member being disposed adjacent to said leading hole and wherein another being a trailing hole spreader member which is located adjacent to said final hole, wherein a predetermined space between each said coil is widened by contact of a binding edge of each said spreader member around each said coil.

10. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 8, wherein said feeding conveyor comprises a horizontal coil conveyor for moving a succession of plastic spiral coils into position for mounting on said mandrel and spreading by contact with said leading-hole spreader member, said conveyor comprising a feed end and a mandrel end, said conveyor comprising an elongated horizontal chute horizontally disposed in alignment with said mandrel, said chute comprising a pair of opposing walls and a floor, said floor having motive means for urging a succession of coils fed into said feed end of said chute in the direction of said mandrel end of said chute.

11. A combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine comprising:

a coil forming machine forming hot binding coils at a first higher temperature;

a cooler comprising a linkage cooling conveyor cooling said formed hot binding coils to a solid, non-brittle state;

a binding machine for binding said cooled coils into holes of a book being bound; and

said linkage cooling conveyor comprising;

a wide belt supported by a stationary horizontal platen, wherein said wide belt has a rigid chain construction with a plurality of fins attached thereto;

a drive pulley communicating with and advancing said wide belt;

a plurality of fins forming compartments, wherein said compartments allow the placement of plastic coils therein;

a gear motor electrically connected to said drive pulley; and

,

a motor speed controller electrically connected to said gear motor, wherein said motor speed controller causes said drive pulley to intermittently rotate thereby intermittently advancing said plastic coil on said belt towards a binding machine.

12. A combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine comprising:

a coil forming machine forming hot binding coils at a first higher temperature;

a cooler comprising a linkage cooling conveyor cooling said formed hot binding coils to a solid, non-brittle state, and,

a binding machine for binding said cooled coils into holes of a book being bound;

a drive motor moving said linkage cooling conveyor; and

a sensor detecting an end of said plastic spiral, said sensor being adjustable to a required spiral length as dictated by a book being bound by said binding machine, said sensor initiating cutting of said hot spiral by a cutter by a signal amplified by a driver, a signal pulse from said sensor also initiating an index cycle of said motor through a controller and a logic gate, said motor being stopped when a next vane is detected in a predetermined position by a detector.

13. The combination plastic spiral coil forming and binding machine as in claim 12 in which said conveyor has compartments each of which compartments contains a coil, and further comprising a switch indexing advancing movement of said linkage cooling conveyor incrementally to sequentially and discretely empty said compartments of said cooled spiral coils therefrom.