Abstract: A pollution control system is disclosed wherein condensable pollutants are removed from a high-temperature gas stream by counterflow contact in a vertical tower with downwardly flowing, relatively cool absorbent oil. The absorbent is at a sufficiently low temperature so as to rapidly condense a portion of the pollutants in order to form a fog of fine droplets of pollutant entrained by the gas stream, which fog is incapable of being absorbed by the absorbent. The remainder of the condensable pollutants is removed by downwardly flowing absorbent oil, and the gas and entrained fog are directed from the tower to gas/droplet separation means, such as an electrostatic precipitator. The fog is thereby separated from the gas and substantially pollutant-free gas is discharged to the atmosphere.

Abstract: An improved book which is bound ready to be covered or cased consists of a pack of signatures plus front and back end sheets, with the signatures closed along the spine and a multiplicity of closely spaced, wide open notches penetrating the entire spine and all the closed sides of sheets in the pack to greatly enlarge the area of the spine to which adhesive may be applied. A wrap-around coating of adhesive covers the surfaces of the notches, the spine between the notches, and the faces of the end sheets between the notches.

Abstract: A vacuum system for operating a member, such as a signature gripper of a collator which must be actuated and released at regular intervals, conventionally has a slide-type valve which is constantly reciprocated by a cam-operated pushrod between an open position to connect the member to vacuum and a closed position to isolate the member from vacuum. To selectively disable and enable the gripper for selective feed of signatures, an air cylinder and piston unit is used as part of the pushrod so the length of the pushrod may be changed by retracting or extending the air cylinder piston. When the piston is retracted the valve is reciprocated between an open and a normal closed position; while extension of the piston causes the valve to be reciprocated between the normal closed position and a second closed position.

Abstract: A training aid of the simulator type for use in teaching the techniques of adjusting the cylinders of a multi-color rotary web printing press to achieve acceptable registration between the successive impressions forming a printed color page. Four superimposed positive colored film transparencies mounted on a light box provide facsimiles of the red, yellow, blue and black images successively printed on a web; and all but the black transparency are carried separately on adjustable frames which are movable to effectively simulate the endwise (button-to-gear), the circumferential and the cocking adjustments of the plate cylinders of a rotary press. Endwise and circumferential simulating movements are by electric motors each of which is controlled for forward and reverse drive by a manual switch that is identical with the switch on a press cylinder adjustment control panel, and the manual cocking control precisely simulates that for a press cylinder.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming thin paper sheets or signatures into an upright stack first arranges said sheets on a generally horizontal endless belt conveyor in a shingled stream with the leading edge of each sheet beneath the immediately preceding sheet and the trailing edge portion of each sheet projecting behind the trailing edge of said preceding sheet, and moves said conveyor continuously forwardly to bring the sheets successively into abutment with a stop so the driving force of the conveyor causes a stack to form from the bottom. The endless belt conveyor has a perforate bet, and a vacuum system below the perforate belt draws the sheets constantly and firmly downwardly against said perforate belt in a part of the path which ends at the stop, so that each sheet is conveyed positively forwardly against the stop.

Abstract: Signatures of a book are identified with a binary coded indicia on the backbone. A signature verifier having a row of indicia sensors associated with the stack of signatures in the stream feeder of a gathering machine senses the coded indicia. In the event of an error, the verifier gives an alarm or stops the stream feeder. A book of plural signatures has a plurality of indicia on the backbone. A verifier has corresponding plural rows of sensors which detect the indicia and are sampled sequentially.

Abstract: A proximity caliper for sensing the correct thickness of printed signatures is mounted on an apparatus for feeding printed sheets. A metal gripper which retains a signature against a rotatable drum traverses the caliper as the drum transfers the signature from one point to another. The proximity of the metal gripper with respect to the caliper is a function of signature thickness. Hence, the signature having too many or too few pages is detected. The proximity caliper includes at least two proximity sensors which do not come in contact with the metal gripper. The position of the sensors is adjustable with respect to the rotatable drum to accommodate signatures having a wide range of different thicknesses. The sensors are also adjustable with respect to each other to control the sensing tolerance. Signatures of the correct thickness are transferred by the drum and normal operation of the feeding apparatus proceeds. Signatures which are detected as having an incorrect number of pages may be removed.

Abstract: A dryer for a freshly printed web from a gravure printing press achieves greatly improved performance as compared with prior art dryers by the use of the following novel structure and operating features:(1) Air drawn into the dryer housing through the web inlet slot and heated air from nozzles in the upstream part of the housing, which air removes a great percentage of the solvent vaporized from the ink, goes directly to exhaust.(2) Heated air from nozzles in the downstream part of the housing, and air drawn into the housing through the web outlet slot, goes to the blower and heater for recirculation through the nozzles. That air removes only residual solvent and thus has only a low concentration of vaporized solvent.The foregoing features assure a very low solvent vapor concentration in the heated air.(3) Make-up air goes directly to the blower and the heater from an adjustable air intake.(4) The velocity of air impinging the web is maintained at or about 12,000 f.p.m.

Abstract: Each signature feeder along a collating conveyor is selectively actuated under control of coded signals containing mailing information. A dot matrix printer, located between the feeders, is responsive to the coded signals to selectively print custom information within books of signatures. A second dot matrix printer, located after the stitcher and trimmer, prints mailing labels under control of the coded signals. Optical scanners located downstream of the dot matrix printers scan each line of possible printing to detect printing errors. A replacement book feeder, which inserts standard replacement books to fill empty spaces left by rejected books, has a hopper which is automatically refilled by diverting books of signatures from the conveyor. The entire collating line is controlled by a programmable controller and a computer which also reorders or replaces defective books of signatures, compensates for variations in calipered signature thicknesses, and controls other special handling procedures.

Abstract: A sheet of thermoplastic material has a planar surface treated to enhance adhesion of paper thereto by means of an adhesive of the class consisting of animal glue and water base adhesives as used in book binding. The sheet is passed beneath a heated diamond knurling roll at a temperature and pressure, and at a rate to produce a dwell time, which are controlled to form in said planar surface a continuous pattern of small, shallow recesses separated by inter-recess planar areas of said surface, and a raised rim of the thermoplastic material bordering each of said recesses and projecting above the planar areas, a large percentage of said rims having at least a part of their outer periphery overhanging a portion of the adjacent inter-recess planar area.

Abstract: A compensating stacker for printed periodicals has lugged endless infeed means to feed periodicals forwardly seriatim in small lifts onto an upper retractable lift supporting means which opens on each cycle to drop the lifts seriatim vertically onto a lower lift supporting means which opens on each cycle to drop each lift into a stacking station. Lift rotating means turns selected lifts 180.degree. while they are supported on the lower lift supporting means, so each stack consists of a predetermined number of lifts of which some are oriented one way and some the other. Delivery means operates intermittently to move stacks seriatim out of the stacking station.

Abstract: A collator of the inserter type is especially constructed to receive a shingled stream of printed sheets from a feeding apparatus such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,943 and to afford positive feed of printed sheets from the hopper to the gatherer chain. A hopper which holds a vertical stack of printed sheets is provided with stack control means which includes lifter hooks operated through a box cam mechanism.