Improved operation of a cyclically operable signature gathering machine is achieved by latching the gripper, which feeds a signature from a hopper, against the signature pile in response to a command signal that signatures are not to be fed from the hopper.
A method of collating binder production of books in a sequence of different editions, which differ as to content, to another sequence on a conveyor so they will be delivered in the other sequence from the conveyor.
Supports (18) are provided on a conveyor chain (16), which can be driven in a circulating manner in the conveying direction (F). To the left and right of the conveyor chain (16), guide plates (24, 24') are arranged on a frame (22). One of these guide plates (24) at the same time forms a part of one side flank of the V-shaped receiving part (12). The conveyor chain (28), which can be driven in a circulating manner in the conveying direction (F), is provided in the gap between the lower end of this guide plate (24) and the short flank (32) of the bent guide plate (34), the driving parts (30) fixed to the conveyor chain (28) protruding into the receiving part (12). At the feed locations, printery products (10, 10') can thus be deposited astride onto the supports (18) for collecting or fed into the receiving part (12) for inserting or assembling. These printery products (10, 10') are then taken either by the supports (14, 20) or the driving parts (30) to the next feed location in each case or to the removal location arranged downstream.
A method and apparatus provide for the personalization of magazines and like "book" publications. A book, having a cover which provides address information, is formed from a number of signatures. This is accomplished by automatically printing at least one personalized signature with variable personalized printing (such as by ion deposition), assembling the personalized signature with at least one other signature, detecting the personalized printing on the personalized signature (as by optically scanning OCR characters), and in response to such detecting, printing address information on the cover. The personalized printing can be the addressee's name, photograph, or identification number. The personalized signature may be assembled with other business documents, such as a business reply envelope, and may be perfed to provide a return form. Alternatively, complete address information may be printed on the signature and a die cut window formed in the cover, through which the address information is visible once the book is assembled. All of the books having address information with common postal codes are produced in a sequence--regardless of the demographic form of the signature that has been personalized--so as to maximize the chances for securing a minimum postal rate.
A booklet maker, including a pivotable collecting device including two supporting sides formed as a saddle shape, and a rotatable transferring device including a displaceable clamping component, where the transferring device delivers a folded sheet material to the collecting device along a non-linear path, and where the collecting device pivots to receive the folded sheet material from the transferring device such that different portions of the folded sheet material are supported by different sides of the two supporting sides of the collecting device.
A pivotable collecting device for handling a folded sheet material, including a supporting edge for supporting a fold of the folded sheet material, two supporting sides opposing one another, and means for pivoting the supporting edge and supporting sides about a first axis to receive the folded sheet material such that each supporting side receives a different portion of the folded sheet material, where the supporting sides converge at the supporting edge, and where the first axis is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the supporting edge.
