Bookbinding Movable Saddle Transport and Binding Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sewing machines in the bookbinding industry are cumbersome and difficult to manage due to the presence of a fixed saddle, making it challenging for operators to control the correct operation visually and efficiently load signatures onto movable saddles, especially when signatures have complex structures.
Innovation Solution
The use of two movable saddle elements, one for loading and one for sewing, allows for a compact design by eliminating the need for a fixed saddle, enabling easier management and visual control, with the loading saddle having a smaller opening angle to facilitate signature placement and the sewing saddle having a larger opening for housing sewing members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed saddle is used to transport signatures, then the signatures can be reliably transported to the sewing station, but the machine takes up considerable room and the feeding station and sewing station are spaced apart making operator management difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixed saddle and movable saddle into a single integrated saddle structure that performs both transport and binding functions. This eliminates the need for separate fixed and movable saddles, reducing machine footprint while keeping feeding and sewing stations closer together for better operator accessibility and visual control.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated saddle serves multiple functions: it acts as both a transport mechanism for signatures and a binding platform. By combining these functions into one component, the machine achieves space efficiency without compromising the reliability of signature transport or the effectiveness of the binding operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If the movable saddle is made wide to house sewing members, then the sewing function is improved, but the signature may not fall correctly onto the movable saddle when it is only partially opened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a signature guiding mechanism that preliminarily positions and guides the signature onto the correct location of the saddle before the binding operation begins. This preliminary guidance ensures accurate signature placement even when the saddle is wide, preventing misalignment issues.
Solution Approach 2:
A signature guide or alignment mechanism acts as an intermediary between the signature delivery system and the wide saddle. This intermediary component ensures that signatures are correctly positioned on the saddle surface, bridging the gap between the wide saddle design and precise signature placement requirements.
3Device complexity
If the feeding station and sewing station are spaced apart, then the signature transport path is simplified, but the operator has difficulty controlling the correct operation visually and managing the machine efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the transport and binding functions into a single integrated saddle, the patent reduces the spatial separation between feeding and sewing stations. This brings the stations closer together, improving operator visual control and management while maintaining a relatively simple transport path through the integrated design.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A binding machine (100) is proposed. The binding machine includes a feeding station (115,120) for feeding a signature (105) in succession, a binding station (125,135), a binding movable saddle element (140s) for receiving the signature, driving means (145) for maintaining the binding movable saddle element stationary at a binding position for binding the signature to a forming block of signatures (130) in the binding station and for moving the binding movable saddle element between the binding position and a releasing position for releasing the signature being bound to the forming block of signatures, and loading means (140c,150) for loading the signature from the feeding station onto the binding movable saddle element; in the solution according to an embodiment of the invention, the loading means includes a loading movable saddle element (140c) arranged at a side of the binding movable saddle element, the driving means (145) being further adapted to maintain the loading movable saddle element stationary at a loading position for loading the signature from the feeding station and to move the loading movable saddle element integrally with the binding movable saddle element at least in part while the binding movable saddle element moves from the releasing position to the binding position, and transferring means (150) for transferring the signature from the loading movable saddle element to the binding movable saddle element while the binding movable saddle element and the loading movable saddle element move integrally.