Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
287 words
APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A PIECE OF ADHESIVE STRIP TO A STACK OF SHEETS HAVING A THICKNESS WITHIN ONE OF SEVERAL THICKNESS RANGES, THE WIDTH OF THE ADHESIVE STRIP TO BE APPLIED BEING DEPENDENT ON THE THICKNESS RANGE TO WHICH THE THICKNESS OF THE STACK OF SHEETS CORRESPONDS, COMPRISING: A. A FRAME; B. A PAIR OF SUPPORT PLATES MOVABLY MOUNTED TO THE FRAME; C. A PAIR OF CALIPER MEMBERS, EACH MEMBER BEING COUPLED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OT THE SUPPORT PLATES; D. MEANS FOR MOVING THE SUPPORT PLATES TO BRING THE CALIPER MEMBERS TOWARD EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY COMRESS WITH A PREDETERMINED FORCE A STACK OF SHEETS TO BE BOUND; E. RELEASABLE CLUTCH MEANS FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE SUPPORT PLATES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AS SOON AS THE STACK OF SHEETS HAS BEEN COMPRESSED WITH SAID FORCE; F. A PAIR OF STRIP GUIDES, EACH STRIP GUIDE BEING COUPLED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE SUPPORT PLATES; G. MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CLUTCHED SUPPORT PLATES, FOR MOVING THE STRIP GUIDES INTO POSITION FOR SUPPORTING A PIECE OF ADHESIVE STRIP WHICH IS OF SUITABLE WIDTH FOR BINDING AN EDGE OF THE STACK OF SHEETS; H. A PAIR OF PLATENS FACING EACH OTHER, EACH OF THE PLATENS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE SUPPORT PLATES, THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FACING PLATENS BEING DETERMINED BY THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SUPPORT PLATES; I. MEANS FOR DRIVING, WITH AN EDGE OF THE STACK OF SHEETS, AGAINST THE SPACED FACING PARTS OF THE PLATENS THE ADHESIVE STRIP SUPPORTED BY THE STRIP GUIDES, THEREBY SNUGLY WRAPPING THE STRIP ABOUT SAID EDGE; AND J. MEANS FOR FIXING THE ADHESIVE STRIP TO THE STACK OF SHEETS TO FORM A BOOK.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
287 words
APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A PIECE OF ADHESIVE STRIP TO A STACK OF SHEETS HAVING A THICKNESS WITHIN ONE OF SEVERAL THICKNESS RANGES, THE WIDTH OF THE ADHESIVE STRIP TO BE APPLIED BEING DEPENDENT ON THE THICKNESS RANGE TO WHICH THE THICKNESS OF THE STACK OF SHEETS CORRESPONDS, COMPRISING: A. A FRAME; B. A PAIR OF SUPPORT PLATES MOVABLY MOUNTED TO THE FRAME; C. A PAIR OF CALIPER MEMBERS, EACH MEMBER BEING COUPLED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OT THE SUPPORT PLATES; D. MEANS FOR MOVING THE SUPPORT PLATES TO BRING THE CALIPER MEMBERS TOWARD EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY COMRESS WITH A PREDETERMINED FORCE A STACK OF SHEETS TO BE BOUND; E. RELEASABLE CLUTCH MEANS FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE SUPPORT PLATES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AS SOON AS THE STACK OF SHEETS HAS BEEN COMPRESSED WITH SAID FORCE; F. A PAIR OF STRIP GUIDES, EACH STRIP GUIDE BEING COUPLED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE SUPPORT PLATES; G. MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CLUTCHED SUPPORT PLATES, FOR MOVING THE STRIP GUIDES INTO POSITION FOR SUPPORTING A PIECE OF ADHESIVE STRIP WHICH IS OF SUITABLE WIDTH FOR BINDING AN EDGE OF THE STACK OF SHEETS; H. A PAIR OF PLATENS FACING EACH OTHER, EACH OF THE PLATENS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE SUPPORT PLATES, THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FACING PLATENS BEING DETERMINED BY THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SUPPORT PLATES; I. MEANS FOR DRIVING, WITH AN EDGE OF THE STACK OF SHEETS, AGAINST THE SPACED FACING PARTS OF THE PLATENS THE ADHESIVE STRIP SUPPORTED BY THE STRIP GUIDES, THEREBY SNUGLY WRAPPING THE STRIP ABOUT SAID EDGE; AND J. MEANS FOR FIXING THE ADHESIVE STRIP TO THE STACK OF SHEETS TO FORM A BOOK.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
141 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the releasable clutch means include: a rod coupled to one of the support plates; at least one bearing; a sleeve slidably engaged with the rod, said sleeve having at least one hole, each of said at least one hole being engageable with a different one of said at least one bearing, said bearings being of a size such that when engaged with a corresponding hole their dimension along the axis of the corresponding hole is greater than the length of the hole; a member having a hole, the hole having a section for slidably engaging the outer surface of the sleeve and a tapered section; elastic means coupled to the sleeve for biasing said at least one bearing against the rod and the tapered section; and, means for coupling said member to the frame.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said at least one bearing is a plurality of bearings and said at least one hole is a plurality of holes spaced for guiding the bearings into contact with the rod along points substantially defining a theoretical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, each of the points being substantially equidistant to its next nearest points.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the rod is cylindrical; wherein the sleeve is cylindrical; wherein the section for slidably engaging the outer surface of the sleeve is cylindrical; wherein the tapered section is conical; and wherein the axis of the rod, the axis of the sleeve, the axis of the section engaging the sleeve, and the axis of the tapered section are aligned.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the bearings are spherical and each of the plurality of holes includes an abutment for limiting the extent to which a corresponding bearing protrudes past the inside surface of the slEeve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein at least one abutment is provided by a tapered section in one of the plurality of holes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the hardness of the surface of the tapered section, the bearings, and the rod is substantially the same.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the sleeve includes an external flange and wherein said elastic means is located between the flange and the member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said at least one bearing is a plurality of bearings and said at least one hole is a plurality of holes spaced for guiding the bearings into contact with the rod along points substantially defining a theoretical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, each of the points being substantially equidistant to its next nearest points.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein the rod is cylindrical; wherein the sleeve is cylindrical; wherein the section for slidably engaging the outer surface of the sleeve is cylindrical; wherein the tapered section is conical; and wherein the axis of the rod, the axis of the sleeve, the axis of the section engaging the sleeve, and the axis of the tapered section are aligned.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the elastic means includes a compression spring encircling a part of the sleeve, said spring providing an axial bias to the sleeve for biasing the bearings against the rod and tapered section.