US 12,330,440 B2
Printed book production plant with digital technologies with one or more book block forming stations and one or more cover binding machines and related method
Giovanni Antonuzzo, Milan (IT)
Assigned to S.E.M. Servizi Editoriali Milano S.P.A.
Appl. No. 18/574,465
Filed by S.E.M. Servizi Editoriali Milano S.P.A., Milan (IT)
PCT Filed Jun. 27, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/067586
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 27, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/274968, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 5, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 102021000016826 (IT), filed on Jun. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0308261 A1, Sep. 19, 2024
Int. Cl. B42C 11/04 (2006.01); B42C 1/12 (2006.01); B42C 19/08 (2006.01)
CPC B42C 1/12 (2013.01) [B42C 11/04 (2013.01); B42C 19/08 (2013.01); B65G 2207/24 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plant for the production of books printed with digital technologies comprising one or more book block forming stations, one or more cover binding machines for assembling book blocks with respective covers, and accumulation and transport means for receiving the book blocks supplied by the book block forming stations and transferring the book blocks to the cover binding machines, and wherein the book blocks have corresponding graphic book codes while the covers have respective cover codes associated with the respective graphic book codes of a given working order, wherein:
said accumulation and transport means comprise a plurality of spiral towers, wherein each spiral tower has a conveyor belt that can be moved along a multi-level spiral path, a belt moving group, and an electronic control unit for the belt moving group;
each spiral tower has a function of temporary storage for the book blocks along the spiral path and capability of movement between loading areas adjacent to the book block forming stations and unloading areas adjacent to the cover binding machines and wherein the electronic control units, in the loading areas, can set up the towers for receiving and storing in an orderly way along the conveyor belt the book blocks from the book block forming stations, while, in the unloading areas, the electronic units can set up the spiral towers for feeding the cover binding machines with the stored book blocks;
the electronic control units are provided for obtaining and storing databases of identification for the stored book blocks; and
said plant has an electronic center with a server, interfaced with the electronic control units of the spiral towers and the cover binding machines for taking charge loading data and for a functional coupling of the loaded spiral towers with the cover binding machines jointly with the working order.