Abstract: Books or brochures are produced by transporting a series of elongated piles of superimposed paper sheets longitudinally through at least one stitching station where the sheets of each pile are mechanically connected to each other, thereupon sideways through a folding station where the piles are folded midway between their long sides to constitute folded piles each having a spine and two exposed outermost sheets, and thereupon longitudinally and sideways through a laminating station wherein the folded piles are provided with rigid or semirigid covers which are glued to the outer sides of their outermost sheets. The folded piles are then advanced lengthwise through a backstripping station, are compressed subsequent to stacking, singularized, trimmed, stacked and thereupon subdivided into stacks of superimposed books or brochures.

Abstract: One edge face of each stack of overlapping paper sheets in a series of moving stacks is trimmed and simultaneously roughened by a driven circular knife before the thus trimmed and roughened edge faces are coated with adhesive paste in a step which immediately follows the combined trimming and roughening operation. The edge faces are roughened by teeth which form the cutting edge of the circular knife and/or by particles of hard metal and/or boron nitride on that major surface of the knife which confronts the edge face of the stack at the combined trimming and roughening station.

Abstract: Apparatus for back stripping stacks of paper sheets or the like has a transporting unit which advances suitably staggered stacks along a horizontal path toward, to and beyond a back stripping station. The apparatus further comprises a carrier for an endless suction conveyor which draws requisite lengths of a web of backing strip material from a source of supply and past an adhesive applicator which coats the exposed side of the web with adhesive before the foremost back strip is severed therefrom and is temporarily held by the suction conveyor for application to the selected edge face of the stack at the back stripping station. This is achieved by moving the carrier from below upwardly into the path of an oncoming stack if the edge face about to receive the back strip is the leading edge face of such stack.

Abstract: Apparatus gathering writing pads into stacks has a row of receptacles disposed at a level below the discharge end of a feeding conveyor which delivers several lines of pads, one for each receptacle. The receptacles have a common horizontal floor assembled of spaced-apart elongated strips mounted in a main frame and extending in the longitudinal direction of the row, and the receptacles are separated from each other by separating units having sets of upright rods which extend upwardly through the spaces between the neighboring strips and can be lowered to move out of the way preparatory to removal of assembled stacks of pads by two endless conveyor belts which flank the row of receptacles and have inner reaches movable into engagement with the respective sides of the stacks. The conveyor belts are set in motion after their inner reaches engage the stacks and after the rods are retracted to a level below the floor.

Abstract: Apparatus gathering writing pads into stacks has a row of receptacles disposed at a level below the discharge end of a feeding conveyor which delivers several lines of pads, one for each receptacle. The receptacles have a common horizontal floor assembled of spaced-apart elongated strips mounted in a main frame and extending in the longitudinal direction of the row, and the receptacles are separated from each other by separating units having sets of upright rods which extend upwardly through the spaces between the neighboring strips and can be lowered to move out of the way preparatory to removal of assembled stacks of pads by two endless conveyor belts which flank the row of receptacles and have inner reaches movable into engagement with the respective sides of the stacks. The conveyor belts are set in motion after their inner reaches engage the stacks and after the rods are retracted to a level below the floor.

Abstract: Apparatus for accumulating discrete stacks of superimposed note books has a feeding conveyor which delivers note books seriatim into each of a battery of receptacles forming a row which extends transversely of the direction of feed of note books. Each receptacle has a composite bottom wall with two elongated horizontal carriers which are movable sideways toward and away from each other to constitute a platform for an oncoming note book in those positions in which they are closer to each other and to provide an opening for gravitational descent of a note book onto a stacking table therebelow in those positions in which they are more distant from each other. The carriers are parallel to the direction of feed of note books into the respective receptacles, one carrier of each bottom wall is connected to a first reciprocable support, and the other carrier of each bottom wall is connected to a second reciprocable support.