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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for continuously printing uncased
folded books, and to apparatus serving this purpose. In accordance with
the prior art folded books are made, for example, by printing on one or
both sides of a web or sheet. The sheets are then cut, folded, and
collected in folded condition, and are then stitched or stapled to form an
uncased book.
The German Pat. No. 335,110 discloses a rotary printing machine in which
several printing plates can be placed on each platen cylinder with the
longitudinal direction parallel to the respective cylinder axis. The
imprinted web is then longitudinally cut, the cut web portions
superimposed, and supplied to a folding apparatus where, in accordance
with a number of pages which corresponds to the size of the machine, the
sheets are folded to form a book and transversely cut. In the German Pat.
No. 485,000, a method for printing books is disclosed, which does not
start out from the usual bookbinder sheet, but provides on each sheet the
same number of pages. The sheets are then assembled, superimposed, and
separated into individual folded books. It is a disadvantage that each
sheet of each kind must be first deposited, then assembled, and then cut
so that such an arrangement is not suitable for rotary printing machines.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,769 discloses a method for printing of books in
which the production is to be increased by putting together a number of
longitudinal web portions obtained by longitudinally dividing printing
webs so that at the same time, two books can be made. The paper web is
first printed by printing plates on which the columns extend in
longitudinal direction about the cylinder, whereupon the web is cut into
web portions which are superimposed whereupon the web portions are cut
into sheets. The sheets are then transversely folded to obtain folded
sheets with a predetermined number of pages, whereupon the respective
number of folded sheets is assembled, sewn at two opposite edges, so that
after binding of the folded sheets and separation of the twice bound
folded sheets, two finished books are obtained. This method requires a
number of steps which cannot be carried out with rotary printing machines.
The West German Pat. No. 1,107,640 also discloses a method for continuously
manufacturing books in which several web portions are superimposed.
Particularly for making brochures, two webs are longitudinally cut, the
cut web portions superimposed, stapled, and so forth, and then
transversely cut and deposited. This method is suitable for rotary
printing machines, permits, however, only the manufacture of books having
a limited number of pages, as required for school writing books.
Similar methods for making uncased books are disclosed in the British Pat.
No. 948,710 in which also two books are manufactured at the same time, and
in which the last step of the method is the separation of the two books.
Safety devices are known which automatically stop the printing machine when
the web breaks or a sheet is not transported. Such devices operate
mechanically or electrically, and it is also known to provide devices in
which the machine is automatically stopped if a sheet is omitted, and
starts again when the next sheet is supplied. Such a device is disclosed
in the German Pat. No. 529,326 in which the stopping and starting of the
printing machine is obtained by electromagnets.
Another apparatus which permits an intermittent printing by sheet printing
machines, is disclosed in the West German AS No. 1,062,256. This device
has the purpose to make any sequence of printed or empty pages by
accordingly controlling the starting and stopping of the machine. Such
control means are required for the printing of forms so that after the
printing of a predetermined number of pages with consecutive numbers,
pages can follow which are empty and unnumbered. The publication No.
1,062,256 uses for the starting and stopping of the printing rollers a
mechanical eccentric control device.
Rotary printing machines for color prints are provided with devices for
starting and stopping the printing rollers, as disclosed in the DDR patent
44672 in printing machines of this kind. After the printing operation of
the cylinder of the first printing device, it is necessary that the
cylinders of the second printing device become operative only after
several revolutions depending on the number of sheets transported between
the printing devices. The same procedure must take place when the printing
is stopped, and the second printing device must be stopped later than the
cylinders of the first printing device by a number of revolutions
corresponding to the number of sheets so that all sheets have past the
first printing device, and are also imprinted by the cylinders of the
second and following printing devices.
The West German AS No. 1,239,322 discloses an apparatus for starting and
stopping the blanket cylinders of an offset printing machine. The printing
blanket cylinder and the counter blanket cylinder, and also the respective
platen cylinders, can be moved between a printing position and an
inoperative position. For this purpose the two cooperating blanket
cylinders are mounted in eccentric bearings which are angularly displaced
by a linkage in such a manner that at the beginning of a printing
operation, first the printing blanket cylinder is placed in a position
cooperating with the respective platen cylinder, whereupon the counter
platen cylinder is in a position cooperating with the respective counter
blanket cylinder, whereupon the two blanket printing cylinders are placed
in a cooperating position. When the machine is stopped, the two blanket
printing cylinders are separated from each other, whereupon each blanket
printing cylinder is separated from its associated platen cylinder, and
the counter platen cylinder is separated from the associated counter
blanket cylinder.
All the devices known for rotary printing machines printing on sheets,
cannot be used for rotary printing machines with printing rollers because
one blanket printing cylinder must be fixed for receiving the paper sheet.
Finally, the German Pat. No. 419,149 discloses a drive for a rotary offset
printing machine with rollers in which by means of one linkage, the two
blanket cylinders, which serve as printing cylinders, are moved into
contact with the platen cylinders, and away from the same. The distance of
displacement is so small that it is not sufficient for an acceptable
separation of blanket printing cylinders on both sides of the web.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a very simple method, and a
very compact apparatus consisting of few parts, for continuously printing
books or brochures at a high productivity.
Another object of the invention is to obtain a continuous production of
books by a printing apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for
transforming an unprinted roll of a web into a finished printed and folded
uncased book.
Another object of the invention is to provide a printing apparatus for
continuously printing on a web so that the imprinted web can be
transformed into a folded book.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus which can
also be used for making color prints.
Another object of the invention is to provide a control device by which a
pair of cooperating cylinders can be quickly moved between a cooperating
printing position, and a spaced inoperative position.
With these objects in view, a paper web is transported through a series of
printing machines each of which has a pair of cooperating printing rollers
for imprinting both sides of a section of the web with an exact number of
pages in a specific pattern, while the imprinted web section is not again
imprinted by the printing rollers of the other printing machines, except
if a multicolor print is intended. Each following printing machine prints
the respective next following number of pages on a sector of the web which
was left free by the first preceding printing machine, and the printing
machines following the first printing machine so that each printing
machine prints only one sector of the web during a cycle for producing one
folded book, whereupon the sheets are assembled and folded to form a
folded uncased book.
The method of the invention can be applied to rotary offset printing
machines, but also to other printing machines which do not operate on the
offset printing principle. By selecting a correctly defined number of
pages and the sequence of the pages, and by successive imprinting, it is
possible to obtain by following rotary folding machines, and longitudinal
and transverse cutting devices, a completely printed assembled, folded,
and if required also stapled folded book which can be encased.
In accordance with the apparatus of the invention, the printing cylinders
or rollers are moved to an operative and inoperative position in a
predetermined sequence, and in this sequence, time dependency in relation
to the number of printing machines used for each printing operation can be
selected wherein the control of the printing cylinders can be carried out
by means of electronically controlled devices together with other
mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic devices. The printing
rollers which cooperate with opposite sides of the web, are controlled by
a common control device to move between an inoperative spaced position,
and an operative position for imprinting a web section located between the
two printing rollers. Both printing cylinders are mounted on angularly
displaceable arms which preferably turn about the axes of the respective
associated platen rollers, and the arms are connected by two articulated
toggle levers whose joint is controlled by a rod reciprocated by a cam so
that springs acting on the shafts of the printing rollers can move the
printing rollers to the printing position when the rod is retracted and
the toggle levers assume an angular position.
However, the arms on which the two printing cyliners or rollers on mounted,
may also be turnable about an axis spaced from the axis of the respective
associated platen cylinder or roller. It is preferred that the devices for
moving the printing cylinders or rollers between the inoperative and
operative positions, are disposed at the ends of the cooperating printing
cylinders or rollers.
The apparatus of the invention can also be used for making color prints, if
the arm means supporting the printing cylinders or rollers are secured so
that the printing rollers are always in the printing position. The above
described mechanical control device for the printing rollers can be
replaced by control devices using electromagnets for operating the
printing rollers between inoperative and printing position.
A method of the invention comprises the steps of continuously moving a
paper web through a series of printing stations; successively imprinting
with different imprints a series of web sections at the printing stations
so that the web is cyclically imprinted with series of different imprints;
cutting the imprinted web sections into sheets, and assembling and folding
the sheets to form an uncased folded book. The imprints are made on both
sides of each web section and include a plurality of imprinted areas
representing printed pages arranged in a predetermined pattern on each web
section so that after cutting, assembling and folding, consecutive printed
pages follow each other in the folded book.
An embodiment of the apparatus of the invention comprises a series of
printing machines, each including printing roller means, preferably a pair
of blanket rollers, located along a path and being movable between an
inoperative position and a printing position; rotary transporting means
for continuously transporting a paper web along the path so that
consecutive web sections cooperate with consecutive printing roller means
whereby said printing roller means of each printing machine makes an
imprint on a correlated web section when the respective printer roller
means is in the printing position, and makes no imprint in the inoperative
position; control means for operating each of the printing roller means
between the inoperative and printing positions in a predetermined sequence
so that each web is imprinted only by the correlated printing roller means
with a different imprint; and cutting, assembling, and folding means
following the series of printing machines in the direction of the movement
of the web for cutting the imprinted web sections into sheets, and for
assembling and folding the sheets to form an uncased folded book.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself,
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together
with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in
connection with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic side view of an embodiment of the
invention including a series of six printing machines;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary schematic side view of the embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 1 in a different operational position;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic side view illustrating a control device
for operating the printing rollers of one printing machine between an
inoperative and a printing position;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view illustrating a modified control device
for operating a printing roller of one printing machine between an
inoperative and a printing position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line V--V in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line VI--VI in FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a paper web 1 is continuously pulled off a
supply reel 1 by a rotary drive means 9a forming part of a rotary
apparatus 9 including means for longitudinally and transversely folding
the web, cutting the web, assembling cut sheets, and stapling or sewing
the folded sheets until an uncased folded book is formed. The rotary
folding apparatus 9 is conventional, and not an object of the invention.
The paper web 2 is guided over rollers 1a which define a path for the web
2, a great portion of which is straight and horizontal. The web passes
through six printing machines 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, each of which has printing
roller means including a pair of printing rollers 10, 11, and a pair of
platen rollers 14, 15. The printing roller means are operated by a control
means, which will be explained hereinafter, to move between an inoperative
position in which the printing rollers 10 are spaced, as shown for the
printing machines 4 to 8 in FIG. 1, and for printing machines 3 and 5 to 8
in FIG. 2, and a printing position shown in FIG. 1 for printing machine 3,
and in FIG. 2 for printing machine 4. In the position of FIG. 1, a sector
of the continuously moving web 2 will be imprinted on both sides by the
printing rollers 10, 11, but when any other sector passes through the
printing machine 3, the printing rollers 10, 11 will be in the inoperative
spaced position shown for machine 3 in FIG. 2. An other sector of web 2 is
imprinted by the printing rollers 10, 11 of the printing machine 4, as
shown in FIG. 2. In accordance with the invention, each of the printing
roller means 10, 11 is in contact with the web 2 only for the short period
of time required for one revolution of the printing rollers 10 and 11 so
that the length of the imprinted sector depends on the diameter of the
printing rollers 10, 11, and on the speed of movement of web 2.
Immediately after a revolution of a printing roller means 10, 11, the
printing rollers 10, 11 are moved to the spaced position shown in FIG. 2
for the printing machine 3, while the printing rollers 10, 11 of the
second printing machine 4 are moved to the cooperating printing position
shown in FIG. 2 and remain in this printing position for one revolution to
imprint another sector of web 2. In FIG. 1, the printing machine 3 is "on"
and the other printing machines 4 to 8 are "off", while in FIG. 2,
printing machine 4 is "on" and the other printing machines 3 and 5 to 8
are "off". In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the printing
rollers 10 and 11 are offset blanket rollers, respectively cooperating
with platen rollers 14 and 15, and it is preferred that the rollers 10 and
11 have twice the diameter of a standard blanket roller to obtain a
correspondingly long web section. An exactly defined number of print pages
is arranged in a predetermined pattern on the printing cylinders, and the
web is imprinted at different sectors with the required number of pages
and illustratins during passage through the six printing machines 3 to 8.
Evidently, it is not necessary to provide six printing machines, and a
different number of printing machines may be used. In an apparatus having
six printing machines, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, pages 1 to 32 are
printed by the printing rollers 10, 11 of the printing machine 3, the
pages 33 to 64 are printed by the printing machine 4, and so forth that by
each printing machine, 32 pages are imprinted on a web sector, and the
last printing machine 8 prints pages 161 to 192.
The web imprinted in this manner on both sides is transported into the
rotary folding apparatus 9 of conventional construction, folded first in
longitudinal direction, cut into sheets, which are collected, transversely
folded and otherwise treated as desired, whereupon the folded pages are
stitched or stapled together by a rotary book sewing or stapling apparatus
of conventional construction.
In the event that 192 pages are not sufficient, it is possible to
simultaneously supply to the machine 9, a second web 2', schematically
shown at the right end of FIGS. 1 and 2. This web passes through a series
of printing machines 3' and 8' as described above, which produce a
corresponding number of pages in the apparatus 9 which can be combined in
a book with the pages produced by the printing machines 3 to 8 on the web
2. The web 2' is guided over rollers and other guide means above the
machine 9 to the path of web 2, and the webs 2, 2' are together guided to
the folding devices of the machine 9 in which a second longitudinal
folding knife may be provided, and the second series of printing machines
3' to 8' may be arranged in a row on the other side of the machine 9
symmetrical to the row of printing machines 3 to 8. It is also possible to
arrange an additional row of printing machines parallel to the printing
machines 3 to 8. The two imprinted webs in the machine 9 are combined so
that up to 384 pages can be imprinted and assembled to form an uncased
folded book. In accordance with the capacity of conventional folding
machines, further webs may be introduced so that the number of pages could
be further increased.
As noted above, the two printing rollers 10 and 11 are offset blanket
cylinders, and the two rollers 14 and 15 are platen cylinders respectively
cooperating with printing cylinders 10 and 11 which imprint both sides of
the respective web section. For shifting the printing roller means between
the inoperative position in which printing rollers 10 and 11 are spaced,
and the printing position shown for machine 3 in FIG. 1, a control device
is provided which is schematically shown in FIG. 3. The blanket cylinders
10 and 11 are rotatably mounted on the outer end of arm means 12 and 13,
each of which includes two arms at opposite ends of rollers 14, 10 and 15,
11, respectively. The inner ends of the arm means 12 and 13 are mounted
for angular movement about the axes of the correlated platen rollers 14
and 15. However, it is also possible to mount the inner ends of the arm
means for angular movement eccentric to the axes of the platen cylinders
14 and 15. The latter construction, not illustrated, is preferred when for
particular printing operations, it is advisable to separate not only the
blanket cylinders 10 and 11 in the inoperative position, but also to
separate the blanket cylinders 10 and 11 from the correlated platen
rollers 14 and 15.
Springs 22 and 23 act on the outer ends of arm means 12 and 13,
respectively, to turn the arm means 12 and 13 toward each other, but the
outer ends of arm means 12 and 13 are connected with each other by toggle
levers 16 and 17 which form a toggle joint 18 connected to the outer end
of a rod 19. When the toggle levers 16 and 17 are in the illustrated
aligned position, the offset rollers 10 and 11 are in a spaced inoperative
position so that no imprint is made on the web 2 moving between the
blanket rollers 10 and 11, and between the toggle levers 16 and 17 which
are positioned at opposite ends of the blanket rollers 10 and 11. The end
of rod 19 carries a follower roller 20 guided in a circular cam groove 21
of an eccentric member 24 which is rotated by a shaft 24a so that rod 19
is reciprocated during a revolution of the eccentric member 24, and toggle
lever means 16, 17 can be moved to an angular position in which springs
22, 23 urge the offset rollers 10 and 11 to the printing position in which
the blanket rollers 10 and 11 roll on opposite sides of the web 2 to
imprint web sectors whose length corresponds to the circumferential
extension of the blanket rollers 10 and 11. The springs 22 and 23 are
selected in order to obtain in a very short time after the buckling of the
toggle lever means 16, 17, movements of the offset cylinders 10 and 11 to
the printing position in which conventional abutment rings of offset
cylinders 10 and 11 engage each other for obtaining imprinting of the web
by the offset rollers 10 and 11.
During the time period in which the printing rollers 10 and 11 are to be
spaced and inoperative, the eccentric member 24 holds the toggle levers 16
and 17 in the aligned position due to the connection by rod 19 with the
toggle joint 18. Evidently, a modification is possible in which the
springs urge the shafts of the printing rollers 10 and 11 apart, and in
which the operating means 19, 20, 21, 24 effects folding of the toggle
levers 16 and 17 for movement of the printing rollers 10 and 11 to the
printing position.
Printing cylinders 10 and 11 have shafts, not shown, which are mounted in
eccentric bushings within the arm means 12 and 13 so that the usual
operations for separating offset blanket rollers 10 and 11 from the platen
rollers 14 to 15 can be carried out.
The number of revolutions of the eccentric member 24 can be varied by
exchangeable gears of a gear transmission with the motor, not shown, or by
means of a Geneva mechanism, not shown, in a known manner in relation to
the number of printing machines which are used, for example six printing
machines 3 to 8 in the illustrated embodiment. A transmission 25, 27, 28
as shown in FIG. 4, may be used. Parts 12, 13 and 16 to 24 are provided at
both ends of the printing roller means 10, 11, 14, 15. It is also possible
to shift only one of the two printing rollers 10, 11 to an inoperative
position spaced from the other printing roller. Since the printing roller
11 is located below the printing roller 10, a space between printing
rollers 10 and 11 permits the web 2 to sag a little and to separate from
the higher printing roller 10 without engaging the lower displaced
printing roller 11. In such an arrangement, which is shown in FIGS. 4, 5
and 6, the web 2 engages neither printing roller 10 nor printing roller
11, although only the printing roller 11 is displaced.
Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the main drive shaft 25 drives a
conventional variable transmission 26 in which gears 25a of different
diameter are secured to shaft 25, while corresponding meshing gears 27a
are mounted on shaft 27 for rotation. A movable key, now shown, can be
used for connecting any one of the gears 27a with the corresponding shaft
27 so that the ratio of the transmission is varied. The turning movement
of the shaft 27 at the selected speed is transmitted to a bevel gear drive
28 and a shaft 28' to the eccentric member 29 which has an endless cam
groove 30 in which a cam follower roller 31 is located. Cam follower
roller 31 is connected with a push rod 32 which is guided in guide means
33 for rectilinear movement. Between the two machine walls 34 and 34' and
the platen roller 15, two levers 35 and 35' are arranged which support the
bearings 35a of the printing roller 11, which is a blanket roller, so that
the printing roller 11 can swing, within the limits of cutouts 34a in wall
34, 34', about the axis of platen roller 15. The shaft end portions 11a of
printing roller 11 are located in the cutouts 34a. The shaft 36 is also
turnably mounted in the walls 34, 34' and carries outward of walls 34, 34'
fixedly secured tiltable levers 37 and 37'. Levers 37, 37' are connected
by bolts 38, 38' with a lever 39 or 39', respectively. Levers 39, 39' are
turnably mounted on the corresponding ends of the shaft 11a of the
printing roller 11. On the operator controlled side of the machine, the
guided rod 32 acts by means of bolt 38 in such a manner on the joint
connecting levers 37 and 39 that upon a movement of the push rod 32
corresponding to a high point of the cam track 13, lever 39 pulls lever 35
toward the shaft 36, which is due to the fact that the fulcrum of lever 37
is fixed. The bolt 38 is mounted in the push rod 32 as a slide member so
that the bolt 38 can remain in lever 37 when the same is turned out of the
direction of movement of the guides 33, while carrying out a small lateral
movement.
Since the movement of lever 37 by means of shaft 36 through lever 37' and
lever 39' is transmitted to the lever 35', the printing cylinder 11 moves
the required distance away from printing roller 10, and releases the web 2
to prevent printing on either side of the web.
When the follower roller 31 engages the lowest point of the cam track 30,
the push rod 32 is pulled to a lower position, and the levers 37, 39 and
37', 39' again assume the straightened position, and the levers 35, 35'
return to the initial position so that printing takes place.
Depending on the number of printing machines required for a particular
operation, the transmission ratio of transmission 26 is selected. The
eccentric member 29 with cam track 30 must also be exchanged in accordance
with various motions, and therefore is preferably arranged on the operator
controlled side of the machine. The exchanging of the eccentric members 29
is necessary, because depending on the number of operative printing
machines, the lower cam track portion must be greater or smaller, for
example, the cam track portion must extend for an angle of one-sixth of
60.degree. when six printing machines are used, and be staggered from
printing machine to printing machine on the respective shaft 28' for an
angular distance so that the movement of the printing roller 11 to the
printing position takes place at the right moment.
In general, if n printing machines are arranged spaced along the path of
travel of the web, with each so arranged that whenever activated it prints
upon the travelling web always the same respective one of n different page
imprints, then the n printing machines will necessarily be controlled in
the following manner by the illustrated control arrangement: Each printing
machine becomes activated and prints its associated page imprint upon the
web only during each nth cycle and after so printing is kept unactivated
and does not print upon the web for the next-following n minus one cycles.
A cycle is constituted by the time interval required for an arbitrarily
selected reference point on the travelling web to travel a preselected
distance along the path. For example, if each printing machine is
operative when activated for printing on a longitudinal web section having
a certain length, then a cycle would be constituted by the time interval
required for an arbitrarily selected reference point on the travelling web
to travel a distance along the path equal to that length. Also, a
characteristic feature of the disclosed control arrangement is that it
causes the individual ones of the n printing machines to become activated
and print in such a manner that each machine prints upon a longitudinal
section of the paper web not printed upon by any of the others of the n
machines.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or
more together, may also find a useful application in other types of a
method and apparatus for continuously making folded books differing from
the types described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a
series of printing machines imprinting different texts on opposite sides
of moving web sections, it is not intended to be limited to the details
shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made
without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of
the present invention that others can be applying current knowledge
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that,
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and,
therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended
within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set
forth in the appended claims.
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