Field

[0001 ] The present invention relates to a system for creating photobooks. Background

[0002] The present applicant's WO 2006/092027, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety, describes book hardcovers having a spine between front and back covers all integrally formed from a single blank of foldable board material.

[0003] The present applicant's WO 2012/140491 , which is also hereby incorporated in its entirety, describes double-side printing of the book hardcovers of WO 2006/092027 using dye sublimation printing.

[0004] The double-sided printed book hardcovers of WO 20 2/140491 are particularly well suited for producing high quality, hardcover photobooks.

[0005] A need therefore exists for turnkey solutions for creating high quality photobooks using the book hardcovers of WO 2006/092027 and the dye sublimation, double-sided printing process of WO 2012/140491.

Summary

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a system, including:

a non-stick planar support for carrying workpieces, each of which includes inside and outside dye sublimation sheets respectively superposed on inside and outside surfaces of front and back covers of a photobook hardcover in an open flat condition; a double-sided heat press having upper and lower heat platens at least one of which is reciprocally movable relative to the other between open and closed positions; and

a transfer feed assembly for reciprocally transferring and feeding the non-stick support and workpieces carried thereon into and out of the double-sided heat press. [0007] The transfer feed assembly may include transfer tracks, rails or rods extending on opposite sides of the double-sided heat press for movably guiding the non-stick planar support and workpieces carried thereon through the doubie-sided heat press between the upper and lower heat platens in the open position.

[0008] The transfer feed assembly may further include skids, wheels or sliders on peripheral portions of the non-stick planar support that are respectively movably guided on the transfer tracks, rails or rods.

[0009] The transfer feed assembly may be arranged and oriented laterally or forwardly of the double-sided heat press so that the non-stick planar support and workpieces carried thereon are respectively movable through the double-sided heat press laterally, or into and out of the double-sided heat press forwardly inward and rearwardly outward.

[0010] The system may further include computer software for selecting and arranging cover images and page images of a photobook.

[001 1] The system may further include a dye sublimation printer for printing the cover images on the inside and outside dye sublimation sheets.

[0012] The system may further include a workpiece assembly jig including a vertically- inclined planar support for respectively aligning and superposing the inside and outside dye sublimation sheets on the inside and outside surfaces of front and back covers of the book hardcover in the open flat condition.

[0013] The system may further include a digital colour printer for printing the page images on photobook pages. The system may further include a stapler for stapling the photobook pages together using a binding strip to form a photobook book block.

[0014] The system may further include a photobook book block binding jig for binding the photobook book block to a double-sided printed photobook hardcover via the binding strip. The photobook book block binding jig may include a vertical plate for horizontally supporting a spine of the double-sided printed photobook hardcover in an opened condition with front and back covers folded back against the spine to angularly overlie the vertical plate. The photobook book block binding jig may further include an inverted L-shaped rest member vertically extending from an upper end section of the vertical plate, wherein the inverted L-shaped rest member has a parallel vertically- pivotable arm, and wherein in use the inverted L-shaped rest member and the vertically- pivotable arm support the photobook book block in an overlying sandwiched relationship vertically above the spine of the double-sided printed photobook hardcover. The upper end section of the vertical plate of the photobook book block binding jig further includes a horizontal rest for a pair of slot wedges for opening a pair of slots formed in the front and back covers of the double-sided printed book hardcover along the spine thereof.

[0015] The system may further include a photobook hardcover folding jig for foldably forming a photobook hardcover from a single blank of foldable board material having polymer coated inside and outside surfaces, wherein the photobook hardcover includes a spine between two end covers all integrally formed from a single blank of foldable board material, wherein each end cover is integrally formed into a solid and rigid panel from four layers of the blank that are folded over each other and glued, and wherein the four layers of each end cover are formed from a central section with opposing elongate flaps each hinged to the central section on opposite sides of the central section along first fold lines that are at only a part of one side of the elongate flaps, each elongate flap being folded onto itself for forming a smaller two layered flap that is folded over the central section, and a large flap foldably connected to another side of the central section along a second fold iine and folded over the elongate flaps and the central section. The photobook hardcover folding jig may include a planar central support for supporting the spine and the central section of each end cover of the blank, and four pairs of flap supports hinged on opposite sides of the central support, wherein in use each flap support is hingedly movable relative to the central support to fold the flaps of the blank onto one another and the central sections thereof to form the photobook hardcover. Each flap support may have a folding handle projecting therefrom. The central support of the folding jig may further include a pair of centrally positioned, spaced apart locator projections for locating the spine of the blank thereon.

[0016] The blank of the photobook hardcover may include a metallic film between the foldable board material and the polymer coated inside and outside surfaces, so that dye sublimation printed images on the photobook hardcover formed from the blank have a metallic or metalised appearance. [0017] The system may further include a framework for supporting and arranging two or more components of the system closely together so that overall physical size and footprint of the system are minimised.

[0018] The framework may include planar workstations for creating double-sided printed hardcover photobooks using two or more components of the system. The workstations may include two or more of a dye sublimation printing station, a photo book hardcover folding station, a workpiece assembly station, a photobook page printing station, a photobook book block assembly station, a photobook binding station, and combinations thereof. The framework may further include planar sections for supporting the dye sublimation printer or the digital colour printer.

[0019] The present invention also provides a photobook kiosk including the above system.

[0020] The present invention further provides a double-sided printed hardcover photobook that includes a display device with a battery, a memory and a data interface to transfer digital images or video to the memory, wherein in use digital images or video associated with the double-sided printed hardcover photobook are displayable by the display device. The display device may be an LED video card that is bound to a photobook book block of the double-sided printed hardcover photobook.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0021] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a small footprint turnkey system for creating double-sided printed hardcover photobooks according to one embodiment of the invention; and

Figures 5 to 9 illustrate a small footprint, high throughput turnkey system for creating double-sided printed hardcover photobooks according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figures 10 and 1 1 illustrate sequential folding and gluing steps to form book photobook hardcovers for use in the system of the invention; Figures 12 to 16 illustrate a photobook hardcover folding jig for forming the photobook hardcovers;

Figures 17 to 21 illustrate a photobook book block binding jig for use in the system of the invention; and

Figure 22 illustrates a hybrid digital display/double-sided printed hardcover photobook according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

[0022] Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a small footprint, turnkey system 10 for creating high quaiity, double-sided printed hardcover photobooks according to one embodiment of the invention. The system 10 generally includes a non-stick planar support 12 for carrying workpieces 14, a double-sided heat press 16, and a transfer feed assembly 18 for reciprocally transferring and feeding the non-stick support 12 and workpieces 14 carried thereon into and out of the double-sided heat press 16.

[0023] The non-stick planar support 12 is, for example, Teflon ^® sheet material stretched over and attached to a rectangular frame. Other equivalent non-stick sheet material may also be used. Each workpiece 14 includes inside and outside dye sublimation sheets respectively superposed on inside and outside surfaces of front and back covers of a photobook hardcover in an open flat condition. The photobook hardcovers are illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 , and are described in detail in WO 2006/092027, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety. The double-side printing of the photobook hardcovers using dye sublimation sheets is described in detail in WO 2012/140491 , which is also hereby incorporated in its entirety.

[0024] The double-sided heat press 16 has upper and lower heat platens 20, 22 at least one of which is reciprocally movable relative to the other between open and closed positions. For example, the upper heat platen 20 of the double-sided heat press 16 is movable relative to the lower heat platen 22. The upper and lower heat platens 20, 22 have non-stick coatings or coverings, for example, Teflon ^® coatings. The doubie-sided heat press 16 includes controllers for controlling heat, pressure and duration of pressing to optimise the quality of dye sublimation printing of cover images on the photobook hardcovers. [0025] The transfer feed assembly 18 includes a pair of transfer tracks or rails 24 extending on opposite lateral sides of the double-sided heat press 16. The transfer feed assembly 18 further includes skids, wheels or sliders 26 on peripheral portions of the frame of the non-stick planar support 12 that are respectively movably guided on the transfer tracks or rails 24. The transfer feed assembly 18 is arranged and oriented forwardly of the double-sided heat press 16 so that the non-stick planar support 12 and workpieces 14 carried thereon are respectively movable into and out of the double- sided heat press 16 forwardly inward and rearwardly outward.

[0026] Figures 5 to 9 illustrate an alternative, high throughput embodiment of the system 10. In this embodiment, the non-stick planar support 12 is lengthened to increase its capacity to carry multiple workpieces 14 spaced apart, side-by-side. In addition, the transfer feed assembly 18 is arranged and oriented laterally of double- sided heat press 18 the so that the non-stick planar support 12 and multiple workpieces 14 carried thereon are respectively movable through the double-sided heat press 18 laterally. This advantageously allows workpieces 14 to be prepared on opposite sides of the double-side heat press 16 while another workpiece 14 is inside the double-sided heat press 16.

[0027] In this embodiment, the transfer feed assembly 18 includes a pair of transfer rods 24 extending on opposite front and rear sides of the double-sided heat press 16. The transfer feed assembly 18 further includes sliders 26 on peripheral portions of the frame of the non-stick planar support 12 that are respectively slidably guided on the transfer rods 24. As illustrated by the arrow in Figure 9. the upper heat platen 20 of the double-sided heat press 16 is able to lift and swivel away from the non-stick planar support 12 once double-sided dye sublimation printing of book hardcovers is complete. This advantageously allows the non-stick planar support 12 to be removed so that the underlying work areas can be used for other operations involved in the creation of double-sided printed hardcover photobooks, for example, forming photobook book blocks, and binding the photobook book blocks to double-sided printed photobook hardcovers produced by the system 10.

[0028] The system 10 optionally further includes a computer (not shown) executing computer software for selecting and arranging cover images and page images of a photobook. The system 10 further includes a framework 28 for supporting and arranging the double-sided heat press 16 and the transfer feed assembly 18 closely together so that overall size and footprint of the system 10 are minimised. The framework 28 optionally includes wheeled legs to allow the system 10 to be moved into convenient positions in small space retail settings.

[0029] Referring to Figure 2, the framework 28 include planar workstations for creating double-sided printed hardcover photobooks. The workstations include, for example, a dye sublimation printing station 30, a workpiece assembly station 32, a photobook page printing station 34, a photobook book block assembly station 36, and a photobook binding station 38. The framework 28 optionally further includes further planar sections or workstations for supporting other components of, or consumables used in the system 10, for example, photobook hardcovers or a folding jig therefor.

[0030] The dye sublimation printing station 30 includes a dye sublimation printer 40 for printing the cover images on the inside and outside dye sublimation sheets of the workpieces 14.

[0031 ] The workpiece assembly station 32 includes a workpiece assembly jig 42 for respectively aligning and superposing the inside and outside dye sublimation sheets on the inside and outside surfaces of front and back covers of the photobook hardcovers in the open flat condition. The workpiece assembly jig 42 includes, for example, a vertically-inclined planar support extending from a horizontal base.

[0032] The photobook page printing station 34 includes a digital colour printer 44 for printing the page images on photobook pages.

[0033] The photobook book block assembly station 36 includes a manual or electric stapler 46 for stapling the photobook pages together using a binding strip to form a photobook book block. This is described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5 of

WO 2012/140491 .

[0034] The photobook binding station 38 includes a photobook book block binding jig 48 for binding a photobook book block 50 to a double-sided printed photobook hardcover 52 via a binding strip 54. The binding jig 48 includes a vertical plate 56 for horizontally supporting a spine 58 of the double-sided printed photobook hardcover 52 in an opened condition with front and back covers 60, 62 folded back against the spine 58 to angularly overlie the vertical plate 52. The photobook book block binding jig 48 further includes an inverted L-shaped rest member 64 vertically extending from an upper end section of the vertical plate 56. The inverted L-shaped rest member 64 has a parallel vertically-pivotable arm 66. As illustrated in Figures 19 to 21 , the inverted L-shaped rest member 64 and the vertically-pivotable arm 66 support the photobook book block 50 in an overlying sandwiched relationship vertically above the spine 58 of the doubie-sided printed book hardcover 52. The upper end section of the vertical plate 56 of the photobook book block binding jig 48 further includes a horizontal rest 68 for a pair of slot wedges 70, 72 for opening a pair of slots formed in the front and back covers 60, 62 of the double-sided printed book hardcover 52 along the spine 58 thereof.

[0035] As described in detail in WO 2012/140491 , the photobook book blocks formed using the photobook book block binding jig 48 are subsequently permanently bound to the double-sided printed photobook hardcovers by placing spine portions thereof in the double-sided heat press 16 to form the completed double-sided printed hardcover photobooks.

[0036] The system 10 optionally further includes a photobook hardcover folding jig 74 for foldably forming a photobook hardcover 52 from a single blank of foldable board material having polymer coated inside and outside surfaces. As illustrated in Figures 10 and 1 1 , and described in detail in WO 2006/092027, the photobook hardcover 52 includes a spine between two end covers all integrally formed from a single blank of foldable board material, wherein each end cover is integrally formed into a solid and rigid panel from four layers of the blank that are folded over each other and glued, and wherein the four layers of each end cover are formed from a central section with opposing elongate flaps each hinged to the centra! section on opposite sides of the central section along first fold lines that are at only a part of one side of the elongate flaps, each elongate flap being folded onto itself for forming a smaller two layered flap that is folded over the central section, and a large flap foldably connected to another side of the central section along a second fold line and folded over the elongate flaps and the central section. The photobook hardcover folding jig 74 generally mirrors the fold lines of the blank, and includes a planar central support 76 for supporting the spine and the central section of each end cover of the blank, and four pairs of flap supports 78, 80, 82, 84 hinged on opposite sides of the central support 75, wherein in use each flap support 78, 80, 82, 84 is hingedly movabie relative to the centra! support 76 to fold the flaps of the blank onto one another and the central sections thereof to form the photobook hardcover. Each flap support 78, 80, 82, 84 has a folding handle projecting therefrom. The central support 76 of the photobook hardcover folding jig 74 further includes a pair of centrally positioned, spaced apart locator projections 86 for locating the spine of the blank thereon. The photobook hardcover folding jig 74 is optionally used on a planar section or workstation of the framework 28 of the system 10, or separately from the system 10.

[0037] The blank from which the photobook hardcover is formed optionally includes a metallic film layer between the foldable board material and the polymer coated inside and outside surfaces, so that dye sublimation printed images on a book hardcover formed from the blank have a metallic or metalised appearance. The metallic film backing of the polymer coating is, for example, gold, silver, copper or bronze coloured, so that the resulting dye sublimation printed cover images of the photobook hardcovers have a high quality and high resolution gold, silver, copper or bronze metallic or metalised appearance.

[0038] Embodiments of the system 10 are advantageously suitable for installation as small footprint turnkey photobook kiosks in retails outlets such as photoshops.

[0039] Referring to Figure 22, the double-sided printed hardcover photobooks 80 created by the system 10 optionally include a display device 82 with a battery, a memory and a data interface, for example a USB port, to transfer digital images or video to the memory. This forms a unique hybrid digital display/double-sided printed hardcover photobook 80 in which digital images or video associated with the double- sided printed hardcover photobook are displayable by the display device 82. The display device is, for example, a thin LED display that is incorporated into a card that is bound to a photobook book block of the double-sided printed hardcover photobook. Other equivalent thin and flexible digital displays may also be used, for example, bendable LED displays.

[0040] Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide small footprint, high throughput turnkey solutions for creating high quality photobooks using the book hardcovers of WO 2006/092027 and the dye sublimation, double-sided printing process of WO 2012/140491 . Embodiments also advantageously provide hybrid digital display/double-sided printed hardcover photobooks. Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to photobooks, but may also be implemented for any and all other types of hardcover books and book-like products such as pamphlets, menus etc.

[0041 ] The above embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims that follow.