Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to an apparatus for sticking
guard pockets on album pages.
Although for a great number of years albums have been
marketed with guard pockets fixed in place by sticking and there
is in fact a great need for such albums, so far no machine has
been designed for sticking the guard pockets in place. In fact,
up till now, the separate guard pockets, which on one side have
a water-soluble sticking coating, have to be wetted and fixed
by hand on the separate album pages, something which is a tiring
operation, needing much time and dear in price, because the
pockets have to be taken in the hand, put in line and at the
right angle, so that they may be fixed by sticking in spaces,
marked by printing, in part symmetrically, it being necessary
for a number of pockets of different size having to be fixed in
different orders.
One purpose of the present invention is that of de-
signing an apparatus for the automatic sticking of guard pockets
on album pages, in the case of which each page has all pockets ;
fixed on it, and which makes it possible for the apparatus to -
be quickly and simply tooled for different divisions of the
pages and different sizes of the guard pockets.
According to the invention there is provided an
apparatus for sticking guard pockets on album pages which com,
prises:
(a) means t~ align album pages; -
(b) transporter means including gripping means to - `
engage the aligned pages on at least one of their edges, to
maintain said pages in fixed alignment in both a vertical plane
and a horizontal plane on said transporter means and to carry
the pages on said transporter means through a series of working
stations (c), (d) and (e);
(c) a wetting station having;
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at least one wetting unit adapted to move outwardly
to apply a glue-like material to a first side of each page;
a pressure takeup plate opposed to the wetting unit
and adapted to move outwardly to engage a second side of the
page when the wetting unit is moved outwardly;
(d) a gluing station positioned downstream of the
wetting station having
at least one store containing stacked guard pockets,
the store adapted to move outwardly, to contact the guard pocket
with the glue-like material on said first side of each page;
a pressure takeup plate opposed to the store and
adapted to move outwardly to engage said second side of the
page when the store is moved autwardly and
(e) an outlet station which includes rneans to release
the album pages having the guard-pockets secured thereto from
the gripping means.
The invention is illustrated in particular and pre-
ferred er~odiments by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which: ~-
Figure 1 is a diagramrnatic view of an apparatus for sticking
guard pockets on pages of albums.
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of a wetting stamp. `
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of a storing stamp.
Figure 4 is a view of two different forms of store walls, seen -~
~5 from above.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a second working example of
a wetting stamp.
Figure 6 is a view of a mask for a wetting starnp, seen from
above.
Figure 7 (which appears on the same page as Figure 9~ is a view
of a nur~er of wetting units, placed on a moving base-
plate, and which by way of pipes are joined with a main
distribution container for a wetting material.
Figure 8 is a view of rails, able to be moved on a base-plate,
on which a base is placed for taking up a wetting unit
or store, so that it may be changed in position. (This
B figure appears on the same page as Figures 4,5 and 6).
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Flgure 9 is a view of a fur~her design of a store.
Figure 10 is a view of a base-plate, able to be moved
backwards and forwards in a horizontal di~
rection, with wetting units on it using a felt
as a wetting takeup ~up'port.
Figure 11 is a view of a wettlng unit with a wetting band
or belt guided by way of two rollers~
In the case of the form of the invention to be seen
in figure 1, the album pages 2, which are to have guard
pockets 1 fixed on them, and which are printed on one
side, are moved by a transporter 3 to a lining-up station ;~
4, where they are put in line electronically or mechani-
cally using a system sensing printed marks to~ether with
a normal lining-up unlt. The album page 2, after being put
in line, is taken up in step by a spring-effect gripper 5.
Dependent on its position and the needs in further proces-
sing, the album page is turned over, or not turned over,
before being gripped by a page turner 6. The spring-effect
grippers 5 take up the centered album pages 2 by gripping
20 ~ them at an edge which is normal to the direction of trans-
port, and keep them gripped as they go through the appa-
ratus, so as to make certain that each album page 2, which
is moved into the apparatus in a centered condition, is kept
in the same position in each processing station. ~
A number of grippers 5 are placed with an equal spa- ~ -;
cing between them, these distances between them being the ~ ~ -
same as the distances between the processing stations. The
grippers have their ends on two endless transport parts
8 such as chains, belts or the like, which are moved in
3~ step with aspace between them over guide rollers 7 so as
766;)
to be parallel to each okher.
The spacing between the two transporter parts 8 is so
designed that the edges, normal to the gripped edge,
of the album pages 2 may be supported by the transporter
S parts 8. In order for other sizes of album pages 2 to
have guard pockets 1 fixed on them as well, the spaclng
between the two transporter parts 8 may undergo adjust-
ment, for example using a driving screw or by way of spa-
cers, and in this case the supports for the spring-effect
grippers 5 on the transporter part 8 is so designed that
these changes in spacing may ta}ce place. This may be made pos-
sible for example by having the spring-effect parts them-
selves only placed on one section, which is the same as
a certain lowest possible spacing, and it is made longer
to the two sides as parts which may be moved and fixed
in position in the parts supporting the transporter
parts 8. For stopping the album pages 2, which are not
very stiff, from hanging downwards at the fourth side,
it is possible, between the two transporter part groups,
to have supports (not figured~ for the edge, opposite
to the grippers 5, of the album pages 2 in question, the
supportsbeing designed so as to be able to have their
place taken by other supports when needed for other page
sizes.
In the case of an other form of the invention, not
to be seen in tha figures, the spacing between the two
transporter part groups may not be changed and is the
same as the greatest possible size of an album page 2,
which is to have guard pockets 1 fixed on it. For proces-
sing narrower album pages 2, supporters for pins are
fixed in the two transporter part groups, so that the
free space bet.ween the transporter part groups may be
narrowed and the sides of a narrower album page 2 will
no longer be supported on the transporter part groups
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themselves, but on the pins~ ~f the transporter parts
8 are changed, these pins may be placed in the ~oin
bushes of the chains.
By way of the transporter parts 8, moved in steps,
each album page 2 is first moved into a wetting station
9. As soon as the album page 2 has taken up a certain
position in the wetting statlon 9, the transporter part
8 is stopped and, worked by a switch, for example a mag~
. netic switch or a photo-electric sensing system, motion
takes place, towards the unprinted side of the album
page 2, of a pressure takeup plate 11, worked by a piston
and calinder unlt 10, and, towards the printed side of the
wetting units 14, which are placed on a base-plate 12 and
have piston and cylinder units 13 able to be mov~d up-
wards. The motlons are so kept in step, so that, when the
pressure takeup plate 11 has got to the back side of the
album page 2, the wetting units 14 with their working
faces are resting on the front side and, dependent on
their size, have the effect of wetting spaces on the al-
burn page 2. The size of the space which is wetted, for
producing sticking joins which are neat at the sides, is .
somewhat less than the sticking face on the guard pockets
1. The time wetting is undertaken is dependent on the
nature of the material of the album page 2, for example
the which in which the glue is taken up by the material,
the sort of water-soluble glue used for sticking on the
guard pockets, the porosity of the wetting part itself,
and the wetting material used, and it is worked out by
experience. Then the wetting units 14 and the pressure
takeup plate 11 are moved by the cylinders 10 and 13, who
se direction of motion is changed, away from each other
and the transporter parts 8 are started moving, so that the
wetted album page 2 is moved on by one step to the
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sticking station l 5 . The distance between the sticking
station 15 and the wetting station 9 is so designed that,
= when an album page 2 is rightly positioned in the sti-
cking station 15, at the same time an other album page 2
will be in the right position in the wetting station 9.
The sticking station 15 is designed in a way like
the wetting station 9. It as well has a pressure takeup
plate 17 able to be moved towards the back side of the
album page 2 and from it again by way of a piston and
cylinder unit 16, and a base-plate 18, on which moving
stores 20, able to be moved up against the printed
side of the album page 2 and back clear of it ayain by
a piston and cylindex unit 19. The stores 20 are used
for the guard pockets 1.
A wetting station 9, to be seen dlagrammatically
in figure 2, is made up of a cyllnder housing 21 with
~wo chambers 23 and 24, separated by a moving piston 22,
the volume of the chambers 23 and 24 being able to be
changed. An inlet and an outlet joiner 25 for a driving
medium are placed running into each chamber 23 and 24.
The piston 22 is at one end joined with a piston rod 26
guided through the housing 21, which at its free end has ~-
a hole 27, in which the nosepiece 28 of an upwardly
open vessel 29 may be fixed in position, for example by
a fixing screw. Because of this system, it is possible,
in the case of a change in the size of the space to be wet- -
ted, only to make use of an other vessel 29 in place of
the one used so far.
The vessel 29 has a wetting lnner part 30, which goes
up to a higher level than its top edge, and is best made
of a sponge-like material. By way of a joiner 31, able
to be shut7 it is possible for an inlet pipe 32 (see
figure 7~ to be joined wi~h the vessel 29~ T~is inlet pipe
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32 is joined with a main dlstribution vessel 33 for
water or glue.
By way of the pipe 32 the vessel 29 may be topped
up with water or with the glue, as the case may be,
all the time, so that for each wetting operation the
same amount of wetting material or glue is put on each
time. The distribution vessel 33 may be changed in le-
vel for maklng certain that the vessel 29 has the same
level of liquid in it all the time. The wetting unit
30 may be made of any desired porous material such as
ceramic material, rubber, plastics, felts, fabrics
etc. As a glue, it is possible to make use of any liquid
glue substance able to be put on in a thin coating, as
for example glues based on plastics such as polyvinyl
acetate or an animal glue which has to be heated, etc.
In a further form of the invention, on the vessel
29 cover plates 35, having openings 34 are placed on
top of the opening of the vessel 29 and are fixed on
it for example by springs 36 on the cover plates 35, going
into grooves 3~'.This system is of good effect if small
spaces have to be wetted, because in this case it is not
necessary for the complete vessel 29 to be changed over.
The store 20 to be seen in figure 3 with the piston
and calinder unit 19 of the sticking station 15 has generally
the same structure as the wetting unit 14 with its piston
and cylinder unit 13. In place of the vessel 29 there is,
however, in the hole 27' a lower plate 37, which may
be exchànged against an other plate, having a nosepiece
38. The size of the lower plate 37 is the same as the
size of the pockets 1 to be fixed by sticking, or is ~;
smaller than them. At least two opposite edges of the lower
plate 37 (and in any case at the edges which are normal
to the direction of transport) on the cover plate of the
- .. .. .
cylinder ho~lsing 21' side walls 39 are placed, which
are parallel to the edges, and may be moved and then
fixed in position. The side walls 39 take the form of
the one group of side walls of the store 20. The other
side walls may be in the form of round pins 39'
(figure 4) or narrow strips, which, as well, may be
moved and fixed in position on the cover plate of the
housing 21'. The good effect of this system is that in
the case of a change in the size of the pockets 1, it is
only necessary for the side walls 39 and 39' to be moved
out against the stack of pockets 1, lhich have a diffe-
rent size, and then fixed in position, that is to say
locked. In some cases it may furthermore be necessary
for the lower plate 37 to be exchanged against an other
such plate.
If at each side of the lower plate 37 at least one,
or, better, two pins 39' are placed so as to be able to
be changed in position, and the bottom plate 37 has guide-
ways in line with the lines of motion of the pins 39' and
with a size dependent on the pin dlameter, even in the case
of changing over the size of the pockets, the lower plate
37 does not have to be taken off and exchanged for an other
and it is only necessary for the pins 39' to be run up
against the side faces of the new stack of pockets 1, in
which respect, dependent on the size of the pockets 1,
a part of the pins 39' will be moved into the guideways.
The walls 39 and, in the other case, the pins 39' are
placed pointing towards a foot part 40, resting on the
cover plate of the cylinder houslng 21', with a guideway
41 (figure 4). On the cover plate a threaded pin or screw
42 is fixed, whic:h is so sized that it goes into the
guideway 41. The parts are fixed in position by a nut 43
(figure 3) with a rough edge and which may be screwed on
,
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to the screw 42.
The stores 20 may furthermore have the form to he
seen in figure 9. In this case as well each lower pla-
te 37 is placed on a piston and cylinder unit 19. The
store walls are, however, formed by two angle pieces
46, which are fixed in position on the base-plate 18 by,
for example, magnetic force. For better positioning one
upright wall part is made thicker. In one of the wall parts 47
of each angle piece 45 there is a plate 50 let in, which
is acted upon by a spring 49 and has a curved top edge.
This plate 50 goes to a somewhat higher level than the
edge of the storeO On the other wall part 48 in each case,
there is at the top sticking out strip spring 51, which
is used as a stripper and makes certain that for each
gluing operation only one pocket 1 is taken from the stack.
By the strip spring 51 the opening is so decreased in
size that on liftin~ the topmost pocket 1, the pocket is
bent, so that it comes clear of the pocket 1 placed under
it. For stopping any sllpping out of position of the lower -
pockets 1, on lifting up the topmost pockett use is made
of the sticking out plates 50 acting by springs 49.
As will be clear from figure 3, the side walls 39
may, at the top, have a fixed sloping edge 51' running
into the store 20 and furthermore, like the strip
springs 51, used for separating the pockets from each
other.
The lower part of the cylinder housings21, 21' or
the base-plates 12 and 18 may have permanent magnets or
electromagnets 'ln them, in which respect the other part,
in each case, i~ made of steel or iron, so that it is
possible for the cylinder housings 21 and 21', and, for this
reason, the wetting units 14 and the stores 20 to be posi-
tioned in any possible positions on the base-plates 12 and 18.
o
It is bestr in this case, for ~he base plates 12 and
- 18 to have a square network 43 of llnes (figure ~) for
making it simpler for the cylinder housings 21 and 21'
(the housings having at least one stop edge at a right
angle) to be lined up as desired.
The cylindrlcal housings 21 and 21' may furthermore
be placed on parallel rails 44 ~figure 8~ which are pla-
ced on the base:plates 12 and 18, so that they may be
taken from the plates, may be changed in position and,
if necessary, have a system of stops for fixing them in
position. The cylinder housings 21 and 21' may be taken
from the rails, may be moved along them and, if necessary,
may have a system of stops for keeping them in position.
In a further possible design,the cylinder housings
21 and 21' are fixed mechanically on the base-plates
12 and 18, for example by grips, jaws acted upon by
screws or the llke with spacers or the like.
In a further working example of the inventlon, to
be seen in part in figure 5, in placeo a number of
separate piston and cylinder units 21 and 21' for the
motion of the wetting units 14 and of the stores 20,
only their base-plates 12 and 18 may be moved upwards
and downwards by piston and cylinder units 45, that is
to say the piston rod45' is joined with the base-plate
12 and 18 itself. In such a form of the inventlon it is
best, in the case of the wetting station 9, for the
wetting inner part 30 to be put - somewhat more past
the edge of the vessel 29 and, in addition to a better
wetting effect (by pushing against the material) a
damping or steadying effect may be produced. It ls best
for the pressure takeup plates 11 and 17 and the base-
plates 12 and 18 to be fixed on the piston rods of
their piston and cylinder units 10, 16 and 45, so that
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they may be taken off again and exchanged for other
parts. With such a design,a quick change-over of base-
plates 12 and 18 in the right condition may be under-
taken when the album pages 2 are changed in design and
it is furthermore more readily possible for the appa-
ratus to be changed for different page sizes.
In the case of the gluing station 15 it is of good
effect in the casa of this working example of the in-
vention if the wall is made going completely round the
lower plate 37, which may be moved in it, and it will
be necessary for the plate 37 to be so acted upon by
springs that,when the store 20 has no more poc~ets in
it, and when the lower plate 37 has gone into the top-
most working position, the wall does not go out to a
higher level than the lower plate 37. Between the piston ;
rod 26 and 26' and the vessels 29, and, in the other
case, the lower plates 37,damping or spring inner parts
lnot to be seen) may be placed. The pressure takeup
plates 11 and 17 best have elastic coatings 11a and 17a.
A further design of the wetting unit 14, to be ~ ;
seen diagrammatically in figure 5, is so made that on
the base-plate 12', which is able to be moved outwards,
there is an unbroken wetting coating 52, which is covered
by a mask 53 (see figure 6) with windows 54. The si~e
and number of the windows 54 is the same as the size and
the number of the spaces on the album page 2 to be wet- ~ -
ted. The base-plate 12'` may have joiners for inlet of
the wetting material and with a system of pipes for even
distribution of the wetting material in the wetting
coating 52. This pipe system ~not figured) may be in the
form of a separate part of the wetting station 9 or be
produced within the wetting coating 52 itself in the form
of hollowsO
- 11
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In place of a wetting coatlng 52 and in the case
of using a mask 53,it is furthermore possible for
the wetting materLal to be put on using a support as for
example one or more turning bushes, rollers, or belts,
which may, if necessary, be moved bodily as well as
being turned about their axes. In this case parts of them
are designed running into the wetting material and for
even distrlbution of the material on the rollers or the
like, strippers are present on the way to the mask. In
figure 11 we see a wettLng unit l4 which has two rollers
55 over which an endless belt is run as a wetting coat
30", whose lower one goes into the wetting material,
although, as a further possible design, the wetting ma-
terial may be sprayed on by nozzles acting as the wetting
coat 30''' ~see figure 7), in which case masks 53 may
be used, though this is not necessary in all cases.
When the album page 2 has come to a stop in the
gluing station 15, the piston and cylinder units 16,
the pressure takeup plate 17 and the cylinders 45 or
19 of the stores 20 are moved outwards gripping the
album page 2 between themselves~ Because of this,the
topmost guard pockets 1 in the stores 20, with the glue
coating, if any, on them, are pushed against the wetted
or glue-coated spaces of the album page 2, so that the
pockets 1, which in each case are at the top, are fixed
strongly sticking to the album page 2. If necessary,
the moved out piston rods may be kept in this position
for a short time for makLng the glue joins stronger; they
are then moved back into the starting position.
If in the case of the gluing station 15 only the
base-plate 18 may be moved inwards and outwards, on the
outward motion :Lt will be firstly the top edge of the
springing wall of the store 20 which comes up against
~ 21~ 7 6 0
the album page 2, and then the pressure takeup plate
11 will be moved out so quickly that the album page
2 is gripped at the same time at its two sides. It ia
only when this has been done that the further outward
motion of the base-plate 18 as fax as pushing the top-
most pocket 1 against the album page 2 may take place.
In this respect the lower plates 37 of the stores 20
are spring-joined with the piston rods supporting them
in order for balancing any unevenness in the amounts
of pockets in the separate stores 20.
As soon as the cylinders of the base-plate and of
the pressure takeup plate, on their way back into the
starting position, have freed the album page 2, it is trans-
ported on one further step, by the transporter parts 8,
to the output station. Here, for example by the working
together of a nosepiece 56, able to be moved upwards and
downwards, the spring parts of the spring-effect grippers
50 are opened, so that the fully processed album page
2 is freed. In the case of the working example of the
invention to be seen in figure 1, the output station
is placed after a guide roller 7 of the transporter parts
8, so that the album page 2 is no longer resting on the
groups of transportex parts and is only hanging in the
gripper 5, so that, after being freed from the grippers
5 it will go down under its own weight, possible on a
slide or other guide part, on to an output stack.
Between the output station and the output stack a
normal sensing and sorting station may be used for
checking the album pages with their guard pockets 1 to
see that the pockets are in fact complete, and if they
are not, they are separated out. Such sorting may take
place optically by light rays or mèchanically by parts
touching the album pages. For making certain that two
pockets are not fixed in the same space, use may be made
13
of nozzles for blowing air along one or more lines at
a slope towards the album pagesO
The apparatus is so controlled that from one step
to the next one at the same time one album page 2 is
gripped by the gripper 5, a seconcl is wetted, or glued,
and a third one is pocXeted while a fourth one is taken
from the gripper 5 and goes out of the apparatus. The
outcome is that the distances between the separate sta-
tions have to be the same. If it is necessary, a num-
ber of wetting or gluing stationsmay be placed side-by-
side, as for example if the pockets have to be placed
very near each other side-by-side. The cylinders may
be liquid- or air-powered and they are controlled by nor-
mal control systems.
An other form of the 1nventlon, not figured, makes
use of a turntable as a transporter part. In this case
the separate stations such as taking up, wetting, gluing
and possibly lining up, checking and output stations are
placed in a circle with the same spacings between them.
Each station has a support, which undertakes the function of -
a sprinq -effect gripper, that is to say the function of
centered supporting and transporting of an album page as
it is being processed in the apparatus and the function
of the pressure takeup plates may be undertaken by it as
~5 well. This may be effected by plates having the same size
as the album pages and which are designed for being moved
in a circle about the axis of the turntable, the plates
having systems of airways in them joined with a suction
pump-at one end and with an air pump at the outer end. The
album pages, put in line in each case, are taken up by a
lowered support at the takeup statlon and transported
through the apparatus and through the separate processing
stations and then ~reed by the blowing of air through the
~4
: ~.. .. , : . , ~
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airways in the plates at the outpuk stativn. In the
case of such a design of the apparatus,the wetting
units or even the stores do not necessarily have
to have their own driving systems for motion upwards
and downwards and in this case systems of springs would
be in order,if the supports are able to be moved out
against springing wetting stations or stores.
In the working examples of the invention of which
an account has been given the alb~ pages are moved into
the separate processing stations; however, it would be
possible for the album pages to be fixed in position and
for the working stations to be moved in xelation to them
using transporters. It would furthermore be possible for
the base-plates with the wetting and gluing stations
to be designed as change-over boxes or units, which might
be run for example on rails, as is noted in figure 1.
A further form of the lnvention, more specially with
respect to the wetting station,is to be seen diagra~ma-
tically in figure 10, in which a base plate 12', which
may not only be moved upwards and downwards, but fur-
thermore may be moved in the transport direction or nor-
mally to it backwards and forwards, is to be seen. The
separate wetting units 14, placed on it, only have narrow
gaps, in which, in each case, a felt is placed as an
inner wetting part 30'. It may, however, be possible to
make use only of a roller turning in the wetting material~
By changing the position of the base-plate 12', which is
moved out in the working position, in one of the hori-
zontal directions by the felt or by the rolling of the
roller a line of glue will be put on.
The working examples of the invention take the form
of some fully detailed forms of the invention, but, however,
it is na~urally possible for measures D given in connection
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with one working example of the inventio~, to be
used together with measures of other working examples.
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' ' ~ ' ,~ ,"
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