Abstract: A book cover assembly apparatus includes a cover table and a transport arm. The transport arm has a vertically moveable suction head which carries cover boards to the cover table which is initially in an inclined acquiring position. The transport arm establishes an initial line of contact between an adhesively coated cover cloth disposed on the cover table and the cover boards. The cover table is pivoted to a horizontal position in synchronization with movement of the transport arm thereby progressively diminishing the angle included by the cover cloth and cover boards. Such combined movement causes the contact line to move across the cover cloth, rolling the cover cloth into contact with the cover boards.

Abstract: The palletizing and retrieval from palletized storage of stacks of printing works products, folded sheets of paper for example, is facilitated by associating an upper and a lower interleaf sheet with each layer of stacks of the products. This provides a pair of interleaf sheets between adjacent layers of the stacks and the uppermost stack layer may be caused to slide relative to the adjacent lower stack layer by imparting a pulling force to the lower interleaf sheet associated with the stack layer to be moved while applying a restraining force to the upper interleaf sheet associated with the adjacent lower stack layer. Apparatus for use in the practice of the invention provides for withdrawing the interleaf sheets from magazines and feeding them into position as the stack layers are formed and the invention also encompasses apparatus for separating the interleaf sheets from a stack layer being retrieved from storage and directing the separated interleaf sheets to storage magazines.

Abstract: An apparatus for stacking cards, printed sheets or similar products has feeder stations situated in a row and a conveyor with pushers. The feeder stations include spaced inner and outer tables. Individual products are deposited on the tables at the feeder stations. The inner tables are provided with lateral stops and a plurality of nozzles which emerge from the upper surface at a shallow angle towards the stop. Compressed air emitted from these nozzles creates a suction force which stabilizes the products on the tables. The pushers extend between the tables and push the product through a cut-out in the outer table onto a stack of products moving in synchronization on the conveyor below the tables.

Abstract: The corners of stacked sheet material, for example overlay material being employed in the formation of book covers, are simultaneously removed by a cutting appliance having plural knives. Stacks of the sheets of overlay material are delivered to the cutting appliance by carriers which move along a continuous path and, after the cutting operation, the carriers deliver the sheet material to the feed station of a downstream processing machine.

Abstract: A book shaping and pressing machine comprises a plurality of uniformly spaced pressing appliances which are propelled along an endless path, each of these pressing appliances possessing a pair of pressing plates which face each other across a gap that can be varied, their function being in exert pressure on the pages of a book, this pressure being generated through the agency of spring elements, the machine further comprising heated joint-forming appliances which are installed on the pressing appliances, each of these joint-forming appliances possessing a pair of joint-forming rails which face together across a gap that can be varied, their function being to form the book cover joints by impression.

Abstract: A method of palletizing and depalletizing stacks of products in continuous, layer-by-layer succession, the products being substantially flat and thin, such as folded sheets of paper, in which a fully automatic mode of operation is achieved by depositing the stacks of a stack layer on an intercarrier in order to load a pallet. Transport elements, which are associated with a loading and unloading station, may be positioned beneath the stacks and caused to move through or into the intercarrier in order to effect the deposition on and lifting from an intercarrier of stacks which partly defines a stack layer, the stack layers and the associated intercarriers being stacked on a pallet, as a unit, and being destaked from the pallet in like manner.

Abstract: The rounding of the backs of book blocks in a bookbinding machine is accomplished through the use of rotatable rounding rollers which acquire the book blocks from continuously moving clamping devices of a block transport system, the rounding rollers moving in synchronism with the clamping devices along a portion of the path of book block motion defined by the transport system during the rounding operation. The rotational motion of the rounding rollers against the book block sides is superimposed on movement of the rounding rollers along the book block sides in a direction transverse to the path of motion thereof. Subsequent to completion of the rounding operation, the rounding rollers are returned to their initial position along return paths which are displaced from the book block motion path and the rounding operation is performed on a book block subsequently arriving via the transport system.

Abstract: In a method of backing book blocks, simultaneous backing operations are performed on the two halves of the block back by two backing elements which simultaneously execute a rolling movement on the block back in opposite directions starting from its center, so as to compress the printed sheets in its central region, and also execute a tangential sliding, rubbing movement on the book block back, so as to bend the printed sheets over in its side regions.

Abstract: A press for stitching book block sections employs a transport system for transporting book sections to a stitching station. Carriages are mounted to an endless conveyor. A saddle is pivotally mounted to each of the carriages. The book sections are received on the saddle and transported to the stitching station in a continuous fashion. The pivotal swing of the saddles is controlled by rollers engaging cam paths as the conveyor is circulated.

Abstract: A collating machine having a sweep element (6) for pre-accelerating the printed sheets (1) before they are acquired by the pusher dogs (5) of a collecting conveyor (2). The sweep elements (6) are connected to the pusher dogs (5), and are each able to be swung backwards and forwards in the transport direction. In addition, each element (6) is synchronized with the pusher-dog transport speed, via cam control means (8, 10), such that on approaching the printed sheet (1) which is resting on the supporting table (4) the element (6) swings backwards from an initial position (Position I) into which it has been swung forwards, comes into contact with the printed sheet (1), preferably at the moment when the speed of the backward swing is at a maximum (Position II), and is brought back to the pusher-dog transport speed during the further backward swing (Position III).

Abstract: In a delivery unit for bookbinding machines, book blocks released by the transport grippers of an adhesive-binding apparatus are transported by a conveyor along a downward-inclined linear path segment which is followed immediately by a horizontal path segment. The conveyor comprises an endless chain drive, routed around reversing sprockets, which transport carrier plates are positioned on the chain at regular intervals. The carrier plates are comprised of individual plate links which are pivotally interconnected but which support each other so that they cannot sag in the loading direction. The leading side of each carrier plate is pivotally coupled to the chain drive, while its trailing side is coupled to the chain drive via a slide-guide.

Abstract: Book blocks are transferred between vertically displaced levels via a first conveying path which extends upwardly at an angle, the conveying path being intercepted by a movable feed table which engages the book blocks and re-orients the motion thereof into a generally horizontal plane wherein the blocks are engaged by block clamps. The upstream edge of the feed table is caused to move along a closed generally circulatory path which extends above and below the inclined conveying path while the downstream edge of the feed table is constrained to move along an arcuate path which extends from the upper end of the first conveying path to a path which is parallel to that of the block clamps.

Abstract: A variable speed chain drive includes a driven pulley which supports radially adjustable drivers, the drivers defining a wedge-shaped opening in which the chain is received and frictionally captured. The drivers, which may include cooperating clamp and drive members mounted from the disks which define the pulley, are positioned by an adjusting mechanism.

Abstract: An inner book clamp for clamping and conveying inner books in an inner book processing machine includes a pair of clamp jaws having parallel clamp plates, the jaws being movable together in a first direction and one of said jaws being movable in a second direction, transverse to the first direction, to vary the spacing therebetween. The movement in the transverse direction of the movable jaw permits adjustment of the clamping force to be applied to an inner book position between the jaws and the movable jaw will self-lock in the book engaging position in response to a force in the opening direction.

Abstract: Apparatus for supporting book blocks during the movement thereof comprises a pair of flat plate-like jaws, one of the jaws being relatively movable with respect to the other. A clamping force for the movable jaw is developed through the use of a spring element comprising a plurality of series connected cup-type springs.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating the bottom sheet of a stack of sheets contained in a stationary magazine. A rotating disc supports substantially the entire bottom surface of a stack of sheets contained in a sheet stack magazine disposed above the disc, the corner of the magazine pointing oppositely to the direction of rotation of the disc. The latter has a recess (17,18) extending radially from its periphery and also another recess (20,21) extending in the direction of rotation from the first-mentioned recess and covering an angle of rotation of about 90.degree.. A suction element (19) is adapted to be moved through the recess to the corner of the stack of sheets and in synchronism with the rotating recesses grips the corner of the bottom sheet, tips it over, and transports it to a table under the disc. A clamp lever takes over the corner of the sheet, which has been tipped over from the stack of sheets, before it is released by the suction element and holds it on the table during the peeling-off operation.

Abstract: Cutting apparatus with three blades, for trimming three sides of an inner book or the like, having a drive system which permits the simultaneous trimming of two opposed sides of the work closely followed by the trimming of the third side. Operation of the third cutting blade while the other two are still in motion is permitted by driving the simultaneously operated blades along a multi-directional orbital path.

Abstract: A device for thread stitching layers to form a book wherein the stitching apparatus comprises a conveying mechanism for transporting a plurality of open layers in spaced relation to each other, the conveying device transporting the layers with respect to at least one spiral sewing needle which is rotationally driven, the point of the spiral needle penetrating into the layer backs and exiting the layer backs to stitch the layers together in sequence.

Abstract: A process for opening folded proof sheets, particularly for their positioning on the conveyor plate of a thread stitching machine, involves moving a stack of the proof sheets along devices which separate the individual sheets until they reach the point where they are all opened. The separating devices comprise blown air suction plates which cause the free outer corner of the adjacent sheet to be drawn up by the suction effect of air jets and thus separated from the rest of the stack. The portion of the sheet which was separated is then guided away from the next blown air suction plate to permit the next proof sheet to be opened.

Abstract: A device for thread stitching layers to form a book wherein the stitching apparatus comprises a conveying mechanism for transporting a plurality of open layers in spaced relation to each other, the conveying device transporting the layers with respect to at least one spiral sewing needle which is rotationally driven, the point of the spiral needle penetrating into the layer backs and exiting the layer backs to stitch the layers together in sequence.