(19)
(11) EP 0 450 733 B1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Mention of the grant of the patent:
28.12.1994 Bulletin 1994/52

(21) Application number: 91200802.6

(22) Date of filing: 05.04.1991
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)5B42B 5/10

(54)

Method of book binding

Buchbindungsverfahren

Méthode de reliure


(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IT LI LU NL SE

(30) Priority: 05.04.1990 NL 9000799

(43) Date of publication of application:
09.10.1991 Bulletin 1991/41

(73) Proprietor: HEPADRU COVER B.V. I.O.
NL-5281 LL Boxtel (NL)

(72) Inventor:
  • Hexspoor, Robert Johannes Petrus
    NL-5283 RB Boxtel (NL)

(74) Representative: Smulders, Theodorus A.H.J., Ir. et al
Vereenigde Octrooibureaux Nieuwe Parklaan 97
2587 BN 's-Gravenhage
2587 BN 's-Gravenhage (NL)


(56) References cited: : 
US-A- 3 044 804
   
       
    Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).


    Description


    [0001] This invention relates to a method of binding books using a ring binding system wherein interconnected, uniformly spaced rings are bendable from an open to a closed position, as disclosed e.g. in US-A-3 044 804, the method comprising centering a pack of leaves, which may or may not comprise end leaves, with a perforated back edge facing a ready length of the ring binding system with the rings in open position, and bending the rings through the perforations.

    [0002] An example of a ring binding system is the Wire-O ® binding system, wherein a wire is formed into narrow, curved loops at uniformly spaced intervals by means of forward and backward turns, with the loops being held at a fixed pitch by the intermediate wire portions. For forming a back binding it is sufficient for the narrow loops to be bent through perforations in a book section (the term book section as used herein refers to the inner part of a book, as distinct from the book covers), a calendar, etc. until the loops form a virtually closed circle. This system has many advantages. In the first place, the binding can be effected quickly. Further, the book section can be opened flat and laid out completely flat. It is also possible to turn over parts of the book section into back-to-back arrangement, with the sheets remaining securely interconnected in perfect register. Hard covers, sheets of different size and different materials, such as envelopes, protective folding sheets of transparent plastics, tab sheets, suspension brackets and the like can be included in the binding, according to the same principle. All operations described hereinabove can be performed mechanically.

    [0003] Drawbacks of this binding system are, among others, that it does not permit marking of the spine by means of printing or by attaching a label, that books bound in this way cannot easily be juxtaposed on edge in surface-to-surface engagement or stacked levelly and that in the event of the rings in the spine being flattened, the book cannot be properly used anymore.

    [0004] When the covers are provided with a continuous spine, no mechanical manufacture of a high-quality product is possible.

    [0005] The existing mechanical binding technique in the case of conventional sewn bindings comprises moving a pack of leaves disposed astride a book blade and joined at the back by a gauze but not yet provided with a cover, toward the underside of a cover opened at a 180° angle. During approaching of the cover, at least the end leaves of the pack are provided with glue and adhered to the underside of the front and rear cover.

    [0006] When this technique is applied to a pack of leaves bound by a Wire-O ® binding, problems arise, since the Wire-O ® ring binding does not provide a rigid connection between the leaves and end leaves and it is difficult to accurately position the end leaves against the insides of the front and rear cover.

    [0007] The invention is based on the insight that this drawback can be avoided by fixating the back of the pack of leaves by means of glueing before providing the pack of leaves with the Wire-O ® ring binding.

    [0008] By using this technique traditionally known from conventional book binding, wherein sewn signatures are fixated by adhering a gauze strip - which technique, however, is alien to the Wire-O ® technique, since in the latter the rings take over the function of the back binding - a stabilization of the book section, to be subsequently provided with a ring binding, is accomplished so that in mechanical processing, a perfect centration and positioning of the book section relative to the ready cover is ensured. The glueing of the back has a function only during the binding of the book. When, as is customary in ring-bound books, an opened book is laid out flat or even opened at a 360° angle, the glueing of the back will break, but that has become irrelevant by then.

    [0009] In further elaboration of the invention, the book section is provided on either side of the pack of leaves with an end leaf.that is folded double. This has the following advantage.

    [0010] In the case of a book section that is held together exclusively by a ring binding and a cover with a continuous spine, the book section and the cover are exclusively connected to each other through the ring binding and the perforations of the end leaves connected to the covers. In the first place this connection is not strong. Indeed, in the event of rough handling of such a book (school books, cook books, memorandum books for day-to-day use, and note-books), the book section will soon come off the cover or at least end up suspended crookedly in the cover.

    [0011] Further, the appearance of a book with a book section loosely mounted in the cover is considerably less appealing than that of a conventionally bound book.

    [0012] By virtue of the fact that in accordance with the invention the covers are connected to the book section via the double-folded end leaves and the glued back of the book section, the book section is at all times held securely in centered position within the cover. The appearance of the book resembles much more that of a conventionally bound book, both in the closed and in opened position. This holds in particular when the spine is rounded in conformity with the contour of the ring binding. The book thus obtained combines the solid appearance and the stability of a conventionally bound book with the advantages inherent to the Wire-O ® system.

    [0013] To clarify the invention, by way of example, one embodiment of the book binding method will now be discussed, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

    Fig. 1 is a schematic end view of an intermediate phase of the book binding method; and

    Figs. 2 and 3 show the subsequent phases of the method.



    [0014] Referring to the drawings, there is shown a cover 1 opened at a 180° angle, comprising a front cover 2, a rear cover 3 and a round spine 4. A book section 5 comprises double-folded front and rear end leaves 6 and 7, a pack of leaves 8 and a ring binding 9. According to the invention, the back of the assembly of end leaves 6,7 and the pack of leaves 8 is fixated by a glueing 10. In the intermediate phase of the book binding method shown in Fig. 1, the book section 6-10, supported astride a blade 11, is fed to the underside of the opened cover 1. During the upward movement according to arrow 12, the outer halves 6a and 7a brush along glue rollers 13. The glued outer surfaces of the outer halves 6a and 7a of the end leaves 6 and 7, upon further upward movement of the blade 11, are pressed against the insides of the cover members 2 and 3 by means of hold-down rollers 14. The assembly is moved off the blade 11 (Fig. 2), the finished book is snapped shut and handled further.


    Claims

    1. A method of binding books using a ring book binding system wherein interconnected uniformly spaced rings are bendable from an open to a closed position, the method comprising centering a pack of leaves, which may or may not comprise end leaves, with a perforated back edge facing a ready length of the ring binding system with the rings in open position, bending the rings through the perforations and, for joining the book section thus formed to a cover with continuous spine, feeding the book section in partly opened position to the underside of the widely opened cover, the front and rear end leaf being provided with glue before they are pressed against the insides of the front and rear covers, characterized by fixating the back of the pack of leaves (6,7,8) by means of glueing (10) before providing the pack of leaves (6,7,8) with the ring binding (9).
     
    2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that use is made of a book section comprising on both sides of the pack of leaves (8) an end leaf (6,7) that has been folded double.
     
    3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spine (4) of the cover (1) is rounded so as to fit around the ring binding (9).
     
    4. A book manufactured using the method according to any one of the preceding claims.
     


    Ansprüche

    1. Buchbindungsverfahren unter Verwendung eines Ringbuchbindungssystems, bei dem miteinander verbundene, einheitlich mit Zwischenräumen angeordnete Ringe aus einer offenen in eine geschlossene Position biegbar sind, wobei das Verfahren das Zentrieren eines Packens von Blättern einschließt, der Abschlußblätter aufweisen kann oder nicht, bei dem eine perforierte rückwärtige Kante einer vorgegebenen Länge des Ringbindungssystems mit den Ringen in offener Position zugewandt ist, bei dem die Ringe durch die Perforationen hindurch gebogen werden, und bei dem, zum Zusammenfügen des so gebildeten Buchteils mit einem Buchdeckel mit einem damit zusammenhängendem Buchrücken, das Buchteil in teilweise geöffneter Position zu der Unterseite des weit geöffneten Buchdeckels zugeführt wird, und bei dem das Deckblatt und das rückwärtige Abschlußblatt mit Kleber versehen werden, bevor sie gegen die Innenseiten der vorderen und rückwärtigen Buchdeckel gedrückt werden, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Rückseite des Packens von Blättern (6,7,8) durch Klebemittel (10) fixiert wird, bevor der Packen von Blättern (6,7,8) mit der Ringbindung (9) versehen wird.
     
    2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß ein Buchteil verwendet wird, das auf beiden Seiten des Packens von Blättern (8) ein Abschlußblatt (6,7) aufweist, das doppelt gefaltet wurde.
     
    3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Buchrücken (4) des Buchdeckels (1) so gerundet ist, daß er passend um die Ringbindung (9) reicht.
     
    4. Buch, hergestellt unter Verwendung des Verfahrens nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche.
     


    Revendications

    1. Procédé de reliure de livres utilisant un système de reliure de livres à anneaux dans lequel des anneaux interconnectés espacés uniformément peuvent être courbés d'une position ouverte vers une position fermée, le procédé comprenant les étapes consistant à centrer un paquet de feuilles qui peuvent ou peuvent ne pas comprendre des feuilles de garde, avec un bord arrière perforé orienté vers une longueur préparée du système de reliure à anneaux, les anneaux se trouvant en position ouverte, à courber les anneaux à travers les perforations et, pour relier la section de livre ainsi formée à un couvercle avec un dos continu, à amener la section de livre dans une position partiellement ouverte au côté inférieur du couvercle grand ouvert, les feuilles de garde avant et arrière étant encollées avant d'être pressées contre les côtés intérieurs des couvercles avant et arrière, caractérisé par la fixation du dos du paquet de feuilles (6, 7, 8) par encollage (10) avant de munir le paquet de feuilles (6, 7, 8) de la reliure à anneaux (9).
     
    2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce qu'on utilise une section de livre comprenant sur les deux côtés du paquet de feuilles (8) une feuille de garde (6, 7) qui a été pliée en double.
     
    3. Procédé selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que le dos (4) du couvercle (1) est arrondi de façon à s'adapter autour de la reliure à anneaux (9).
     
    4. Livres fabriqués en utilisant le procédé selon l'une des revendications précédentes.
     




    Drawing