Abstract: A device for applying a liquid adhesive to an object conveyed past the object includes a trough for containing the liquid adhesive and an electric motor. The motor includes a stator held by the trough and a rotor arranged at least partially in the trough and operatively associated with the stator for rotating when an electric current is applied to the stator. The rotor includes an application roller for applying liquid adhesive contained in the trough to the object conveyed past the device.

Abstract: The backbones of successive stacks of signatures of a series of such stacks are trimmed by a rotary implement having two annuli of substantially radially extending orbiting trimming or cutting tools. The tools of one annulus extend radially outwardly beyond the tools of the other annulus, and the tools of one annulus extend axially forwardly beyond the tools of the other annulus. The tools which extend axially forwardly beyond the other tools orbit at a higher speed. The two annuli of tools can be orbited in the same direction or in opposite directions.

Abstract: A perfect binder wherein the grippers of a transporting unit advance discrete stacks of paper sheets along a horizontal path past a series of successive treating stations from a stack receiving location of the grippers are located in a common plane, and those portions of the stacks which require treatment extend downward beyond the respective undersides. A second unit of the perfect binder includes a set of treating devices (which can include aligning panels, milling tools, grinding tools, adhesive applicators and cover applicators) which are mounted on a platform beneath the path for the stacks and are individually adjustable toward or away from the common plane. In addition, the perfect binder is provided with an apparatus which can move the transporting unit and/or the second unit toward or away from the other unit in order to simultaneously alter the spacing of all treating devices relative to the common plane.

Abstract: Successive sheets are drawn from a magazine by a gripper which is movably mounted on a drum-shaped rotary conveyor and serves to transfer successive sheets into a gathering machine. The position of the gripper with reference to the conveyor is indicative of the thickness of the sheet or sheets which are transported from the magazine, and such position is ascertained by a monitoring device in cooperation with an input element which is movable with the gripper. The input element can constitute a soft iron core which extends into a coil of an oscillatory circuit constituting the monitoring device, a plate which extends between the plates of a capacitor forming part of the monitoring device, or an arm for a disc bearing encoded information which is monitored by a photoelectronic transducer. The monitoring device transmits signals to a circuit which is adjacent the path of movement of the gripper and includes the transducer or a winding cooperating with a winding of the oscillatory circuit.

Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously accumulating two stacks of paper sheets has a first conveyor which advances a series of sheets into the range of a first transfer member so that successive sheets are respectively adjacent the front and rear surfaces of the transfer member. The transfer member is reciprocable transversely of the path of movement of oncoming sheets, and each of its forward strokes is utilized to expel a sheet into a first stack forming station. Each return stroke of the transfer member is utilized to advance a sheet into the range of a second conveyor which transports sheets forwardly beyond the first stack forming station and into the range of a second transfer member. When the first transfer member performs a forward stroke, the second transfer member expels the foremost sheet from the second conveyor into a second stack forming station.

Abstract: A machine for trimming the edges of stacked paper sheets at a trimming station has a conveyor which delivers successive stacks to the trimming station, several knives which are movable from raised positions to lower end positions to thereby trim the respective edges of a stack at the trimming station, anvil blocks which are penetrated into by the cutting edges of the knives when the knives complete their working strokes subsequent to trimming of a stack, and a control unit which prevents the knives from contacting the respective blocks if the knives perform working strokes in the absence of a stack at the trimming station. The control unit can shift the working strokes of the knives and/or lower the blocks to thus ensure that the cutting edges of the knives are arrested short of the respective blocks when a photocell detects the absence of a stack at the trimming station while the knives perform their working strokes.

Abstract: Apparatus for opening folded paper sheets, each of which has a first and a second set of layers and each of which has an edge portion along which the layers are pivotable relative to each other, has a horizontal conveyor which transports each of a succession of folded sheets in such a way that the edge portion is located at the top and the layers extend downwardly. A group of suction heads, one for each layer of a set of layers, is adjacent to one side of the path of movement of successive folded sheets, and the suction heads orbit about axes which are inclined with respect to the vertical so that each suction head moves upwardly during that stage of each of its orbital movements when it approaches and attracts the respective layer and flexes it outwardly whereby the inner side of the layer can be intercepted by a stationary retaining element which follows the respective suction head.