CA2100373A1 - Single pass pressure sealer for planar or nested media - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A machine allows the production of pressure sealed business forms either by a "steam roller"
effect for two ply forms, or by using a number of dual roller cassettes spaced from each other along an axis of rotation when forms with inserts are handled. The first roller in each cassette, after sealing a portion of the leading edge of the form that it engages, will rock out of the way when engaged by the form at the insert, and then will drop back down and seal the trailing edge. The narrow width rollers of end cassettes will seal the longitudinal edges of the form. The stationary axis rollers that are common to both the "steam roller"
and cassette embodiments have a dead-shaft construction, and are driven by a motor. Side frame plates mount all of the components, except the motor, within a housing, on rails, so that they can be easily moved out of the housing for changeover from one roller system to the other. The steam roller type idler rollers also have a dead-shaft construction and are suspended in the X, Y, and Z
axes by leaf spring cantilevers.

Description

SINGLE PASS PRESSURE S~ALER FO~
PLANAR OR NESTkw MEDIA

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF T~E INVENTION

Because of numerous operational advantages, equipment for pressure sealing business forms, having pressure activated adhe~ive patterns thereon, have become increasingly popular. Two commercial systems that effect pressure sealing of business forms are the Moore 4800 equipment, sold by Moore Business Forms, Inc. of Lake Forest, Illinois ("Moore"), and the Moore-Toppan 870, sold by Toppan Moore of Japan.
The Moore-Toppan ~ystem uses two full width roll pairs to uccessively engage an advancing busine~o form over the full faco of the form. Such oquipmont i~ very efective for two ply busines~
forms having pre~sure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed thereon, such as the pre~sure sen~itive adhesive shown in U.S. patent 4,918,128, and such as sold by Toppan-Moore under the trade desiqnation "TM
124". While such a system is very ~uccessful, it has components that are more massive than desired to apply a preferred pre6sure of at least about 100 pound~ per lineal inch to the forms.
In order to handle busine~s forms with inserts (and other surface interruptions such as labels, windows, etc.) the Moore 4800 system is utilized.
The Moore 48~0 design is ba~ed on perimeter sealing only, and u3es two succe6sive edge sealing mechanisms with a turn mechani~m between the two sealer module~. While thi~ machine i~ very effective, it requires more floor space than is desired, and requires close alignment with the folder or sheeter to which it is attached.
According to the present invention, a machine is provided that in a simple, low cost manner, allows one to have the product flexibility of the Moore 4800 (that is handling media with inserts, windows, unequal folds, labels, and other surface manifestations) without jamming or crushing of components of the forms, yet -- when the forms being handled are two ply forms -- allows the production of forms in the same way as the Toppan-Moore steam roller system, i.e, producing flat forms that have an aesthetically pleasing appearance when stacked and sorted. The invention also allows these de~irable end result~ to be accompli~hsd without regyiring the comparatively high floor space area of the Mooro 4800 (all edges of forms, even with insert~, being sealed in a single pass), and provides a lower cost alternative to the massive Moore-Toppan 870.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for sealing pressure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms and that can produce very flat aesthetic two ply forms, yet -- after conversion -- can handle forms with inserts, in a single pass, comprises the following elements: First and second rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second 6tationary axes, respectively, the rollers each having an axial length of at least about five inches~ Means for rotating the first and second rollers about said first and second axes~ Main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with the first and second rollers so that the idler rollers cooperate with the first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pounds per lineal inch. A first idler roller assembly for cooperation with the main frame means, comprising: Third and fourth rollers mounted for rotation about sub~tantially parallel third and fourth axes, which are parallel to the first and second axes, each of the third and fourth rollers having an axial length of at least about five inches; and fipring means for applying spring pressure to the third and fourth rollers which provides the compres~ive pressure to business forms. And, a second idler roller as~embly for cooperat~on with the main frame means in place of the first idler roller assembly, the second idler roller assembly comprising: At least three narrow width roller couples, the rollers of the narrow width roller couples being mounted on common fifth and sixth axes, parallel to the first and second axes, the roller couples being spaced along the fifth and sixth axes; spring means for applying spring pres~ure to each of the roller couples which provides the compressive pressure to business forms;
and means for mounting the couples so that a roller from each of the plurality of couples cooperates with each of the first and second rollers, and 80 that business forms with inserts, labels, windows, or other surface interruptions without damage to the business forms.

' ., . - - , : .

A conveyor may be provided for conveying business forms into operative association with the first roller. A housing is also preferably provided with various components mounted in one or more di6crete units, and the discrete units are mounted within the housing -- such as on a plurality of railQ mounted in stationary bushings, at least some of which are open-top -- for movement into and out of the housing.
Typically, the first and ~econd rollers are "dead-shaft" construction rollers, with a non-rotating support shaft that is as short as possible to reduce deflection due to spring load.
In this construction, the rollers are hollow and have a central stationary shaft, with roller bearings disposed between the hollow interior of the roller and the ~tationary shaft. A gear i~
connected to at least one end of each of tihe rollers and the motor, through gearing means, drives the roller~.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for ~ealing prescure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms i8 provided which can handle busine~s forms with inserts, or having other surface interruptions.
This apparatus comprises: First and second stationary axis rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively. Main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in a~sociation with the first and second rollers 80 that the idler rollers cooperate with the first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing : .. : - . . . . . , . : . . . ....... ~ ....... ........- . - .
. : ~, .. .. ,. - . .- ,: , ................. . . . -~ . . . . .. . . . .. . .

210~373 between them of at least about 100 pound per lineal inch. An idler roller assembly mounted on the main frame means and comprising: at least three narrow width roller couples, the rollers of said narrow width roller couples being mounted on common third and fourth axes, parallel to the first and second axes, the roller couples being spaced along the third and fourth axes; spring means for applying spring pressure to each of the roller couples which provides the compressive pressure to business forms;
and mean6 for mounting the couples 80 that a roller from each of the plurality of couples cooperates with each of the first and second rollers, and 80 that busineQs forms with inserts, labels, windows, or other ~urface interruption~ without damage to the busines~ forms. And, means for mounting the idler roller a~sembly to the main frame means 80 that the po6itions of at least two of the narrow width roller couples are adjustable along the third and fourth axes 80 as to allow proper positioning of the at least two couples along the edges of business forms in the direction of travel through the apparatus.
The narrow width rollers typically have an axial extent of between about 0.1 and one inch.
Each couple comprises a center body defining a pair of ball bearing races, a pair of side plates, and a pair of narrow width ball beariny rollers mounted within the races and mounted for rotation about third and fourth axe~ by arbors mounted to the side plates. Each couple also further comprises means for defining a spring mount in the center body at a central portion thereof between the race~, a bore extending into the center body at the ~pring mount . . . .

in a direction perpendicular to the third and fourth axes for receipt of a screw, and a spring bac~er. A
coil spring i8 mounted in the spring mount with a first end thereof abutting the center body, while the spring backer engages the coil spring on a second end thereof opposite the first end. The screw passes through the spring bacXer. The frame means engages the spring backer.
The couples are mounted by, for each couple, first and second positioning bars engaging opposite ends of the center body to prevent substantial movement in a first direction perpendicular to the third and fourth axes, but to allow movement in the second direction perpendicular to the third and ourth axes. A pair of cross bar~ engage the spring back plate so that movement in the second direction will be again~t the bias of the coil spring, and the positloning bars and cross bars are connected to the main frame means, the positioning bars being connected via a locator plate with numerous holes therein to allow adjustment of the position of the couples with respect to each other and the forms to be handled.
The invention also relates to individual cassettes for the pressure sealer described immediately above. The cassettes per se, which comprise the roller couples, include the center body, side plates, narrow width ball bearing rollers, and arbors, as well as a coil spring, screw, and spring backer.
The invention al~o comprises the partlcular unit for, in a low cost manner, effecting "steam roll" sealing of two part form~ with pressure sensitive adhesive. The apparatus according to this aspect of the present invention comprises: First and second stationary axis rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively. Main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with the first and second rollers 80 that the idler rollers cooperate with the first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pound per lineal inch. And, a first idler roller assembly for cooperation with the main frame means, comprising: third and fourth hollow rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel third and fourth axes, which are parallel to the fir~t and ~econd axes, each o the third and fourth roller~ having an axial length of at least about five inches; ~pring means for applying spring pres~ure to the third and fourth rollers wh~ch provides the compressive pres~ure to business forms;
a frame module comprising a pair of side support~;
and means for mounting the third and fourth rollers for rotation about the third and fourth axes, comprising a pair of 6tationary shafts mounted to the side supports and one disposed within each of the hollow third and fourth rollers, and bearing means disposed within the hollow third and fourth rollers between the stationary shafts and the third and fourth rollers.
The main frame comprises first and second side plates, and the ldler roller a~sembly further comprises a generally T-shaped bar associated with each of the third and fourth rollers, and extending .. , , . ......... .

.. :: . : ~ . : . : - . .

210~373 between the first and second side plates. A cross ~3upport of the frame module; and locating means formed in the T-shaped bars and the frame module cross support for receiving the spring means (typically at least four, and normally æix, symmetrically spaced coil springs) therein. A
plurality of leaf springs suspend the stationary shafts in X, Y and Z axefi, which allow adjustment or ..
movement in the X and Y planes with no frictional re~traint.
The invention also contemplates a method of sealing perpendicular first and ~econd edges of a business form having top and bottom sheets and an insert between them with pressure sensitive adhesive strips disposed along the face and second perpendicular edges of the top and bottom sheets, and along the third edge parallel to the second edge, in a single pass through a machine having at least three narrow width rollers mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the first edge of the bu~iness form, the rollers spaced from each other along the axis of rotation, and two of the rollers comprising end rollers spaced apart from each other along the axis a distance substantially egual to the length of the first edge between the second and and third edges. The method comprises the following steps: (a) Feeding the business form in a first direction, parallel to the second and third edges, 80 that the first edge of the business form is engaged by the at lea~t three rollers. (b) Applying pressure to the rollers 80 that they effect sealing of the pressure ~ensitive adhesive of the business form wherever the rollers engage the 21~0373 bu~iness form. (c) Aligning the business form with respect to the rollers 80 that the end rollers engage the second and third edges of the form and effect pressure sealing along the entire length thereof as the form passes in the first direction.
And, (d) causing the rollers, after engaging the first edge of the form and effecting sealing thereof where engaged by a roller, to rock out of the way of the form insert if a portion of the form containing the insert engages the roller, so that the insert and the form at the insert will not be crushed.
Step (b) is typically practiced by applying a pressure of at least 100 pounds per lineal inch, and more typically between 150 and 250 pounds per lineal inch (e.g. about 200 lbs. per linear inch). ~l~o there typically are a plurality of roller~ between the end roller~. Also, the bu~iness form typically has a fourth edge, parallel to the first edge, and pres~ure sensitive adhesive is disposed along the first and ~econd sheets at the fourth edge. There is also the further step (e) of causing the rollers, after being rocked out of the way by the form insert, to engage the fourth edge of the business form and effect ~ealing thereof where engaged by a roller.
The business form produced by the method described above i8 also unique. While the normal business forms produced utilizing the Moore 4800 and thç Moore-Toppan 870 have the pressure sensitive adhesive ~ealed along the entire length of all four edges thereof, or in some circumstances have only interrupted strips of adhesive along one or more of the edges which are then sealed only at those 2~00373 interrupted strips, the business form according to the invention has pressure sensitive adhesive disposed along the entire length of all of the edges, but on the two edges that are transver~e to the direction of movement of the insert-containing business form through the machine (as descri~ed in the above method), those edges will be sealed only at regularly spaced discrete portions along the length thereof, despite the existence of the pressure sensitive adhesive along the entire length. It has been found that this construction is totally acceptable for all normal purposes, as long as the longitudinal edges of the form (those edges in the direction of movement of the form through the machine) are sealed along the entire length, the regularly ~paced di~crete portions sealed along the transverse edge do not in any way adversely affect the integrity of the form. The discrete portions are typically each less than one inch long and greater than 0.1 inches long (i.e. have a length corresponding to the axial extent of the narrow width roller~ of the ca~settes).
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a highly versatile, low cost, alternative to conventional steam roller or two-pass pressure sealing machines, as well as a simple but unigue method, for producing pressure sealed business forms with inserts, and the forms 80 produced. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.

2 1 0 0 3 7 ~3423-448 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a side view, with the near end of the housing removed for clarity of illustration, of an exemplary machine according to the present invention, shown with the insert-handling idler roller assembly;

FIGURE 2 i8 an elevation view of one of the side plates of the frame of the machine of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of one of the module support bars of the machine of EIGURE 1, and FIGURE
4 is an end view of that bar;

FIGURE 5 is a ~ide view of an exemplary rail ~upport bar u~ed in the machine of FIGURE 1, while FI~URE 6 i8 an end view of that bar;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of most of the components of a pressure sealer cassette of the machine of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the central body of tho ca~sotte illustrated in FIGURE 7, shown in a~sociation with a ~pring, cap screw, and spring backer FIGURE 9 i3 a front view of the spring backer illu~trated in EIGURE 8 EIGURE 10 is a front view of an exemplary locator plate utilized with the machine of FIGURE 1;

,. ,. . . . - .. : , ........... ~ : . -. .
. . . . ... . .

FIGURE 11 i~ a front view of an exemplary positioning jib for laterally positioning the cassettes of FIGURE 7 in association with the locator plate of FIGURE 10 in the machine of FIGURE
1, and FIGURE 12 is a side view of the same positioning bar;

FIGURE 13 i8 a schematic perspective view, with portions cut away for clarity of illustration, showing the manner of mounting of the cassettes in the machine of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 14 i8 a schematic side view, partly in cro~s-section and partly in elevation, and with the near side plate of the cassètte removed or clarity of illu~tration, ~howing further detail~ of the mounting of the cassettes in the machine of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 15 is a layout chart showing half of one side of the sealing wheel layouts that may be utilized to handle the seventeen standard busines~
form sizes which typically are used in pressure seallng equipment, and also shows, with portions cut away for clarity of illustration, an exemplary buslne3s form acted upon by the cassette rollers of the machine of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 16 i8 a side view, partly in cros~-section and partly in elevation, of the steam roller ver~ion of pre~sure seal apparatus according to the invention which may be substituted for the cassette components illustrated at the top of FIGURE
l;

. , . ., . ~,, . . .: ~ .

EIGURE 17 is an end view, partly in cross-section and partly in elevation, of the ~team roller design of FIGURE 16, and also showing the construction of a bottom, drive roller, FIGURE 18 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the top "steam roll" rollers of the FIGURES 16 and 17 embodiment shown in association with the frame means in the housing; and FIGURE 19 is a top partial perspective view showing a housing for the machine of FIGURE 1 and with the support rails fully extended out of the housing, in the position they would assume if the sealer were removed rom the housing in order to change over from one idler roller configuration to another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary machine for sealing pressure ~ensitive adhesive patterns on bu~iness forms, according to the pre~ent invention, is shown generally by reference numeral 10 in FI W RE 1. The machine 10 is typically made of metal, and is shown with an idler roller assembly 11 that is designed to be used with busines~ forms having in~erts or other surface interruptions such as labels, windows, or uneven folds, and to effect sealing thereof in a single pas~. According to one a~pect of the present invention, however, the assembly 11 may be replaced with anot~er idler roller as~embly which is used to "steam roll" two ply forms, to produce very flat and .. ~ .. -, . . ... ~ . .

2 1 0 0 3 73 634~3-448 aesthetically pleasing forms. Either idler roller assembly may be uQed with the same other component6 of the machine 10.
Common Housin~, Frame, and Lower Rollers The machine 10 includes a housing 12, receiving forms to be acted upon in direction 14; and a conveyor assembly 13 for conveying business form~
that have been acted upon in the direction of arrow 14'. The conveyor 13 may be any suitable conveyor and does not form a part of the present invention.
The machine 10 further comprises a first roller 15 and a second roller 16 which are mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second ~tat~onary axes 17, 18 respectively. The rollers 15, 16 are axially elongatsd, having an axial length of at least about five inches, and typically about eleven inche~, in order to handle all conventional sizes of business forms. Ihe elongated nature of the rollers 15, 16 i8 made clear in FIGURE 17, which illustrates roller 15 in longitudinal cross-section.
The rollers 15, 16 are preferably powered rollers, being driven ~o that once a form is moved into contact therewith it i8 powered by the rollers 15, 16 in tho direction of arrow 14. The means for rotating the rollers 15, 16 include~ a motor 19 which preferably is stationarily mounted on a pedestal 20 to a pair of cross ~upport~ 21 for the housing 12 (see FIGURES 1 and 19). The motor 19 is connected by a drive belt 22 to a pulIey 23 mounted on a com~on shaft 24 with a gear 25. The gear 25 engages gear~ 26, 27 provided at at least one end of each of the first and second rollers 15, 16. Gear~

:. . . . ..
.. . .
,. . , ~ , .
. . , . ~: ,, . ~, ;
- : , . , can be provided at both ends of the rollers, cooperating with like gears 25, if de~ired (e.g. see gear~ 26,26' in FIGURE 17).
The machine 10 also comprises a main frame means, which may include an integral unit mounting the shaft 24, rollers 15,16, idler roller assembly 11, and the like thereon for movement in and out of the housing 12 to effect changeover of the idler roller assembly ll, or repair of the unit. The preferred main frame means comprises first and second side plate~ 28,29 seen in FIGURES 1,2, and 17. The side plates 28,29 include a plurality of openings therein for receipt of various components of the rollers 15,16, rotating means, and idler roller assemblies, such as a~sembly 11. For example, the opening~ 30 (one formed in each of the plates 28,29) receives a bearing supported shaft 24 therein, while the openings 31 receive bolts connecting the plates 28,29 to module support bars 32 (see FIGURES 1,3, and 4), receiving bolt~ (not shown) that go into the tapped holes 33 in the ends of the support bars 32. The support bars 32 have, at the bottoms thereof, open semi-circular grooves 34, about one inch in diameter, that are supported by a pair of circular in cross-section rails 35 (see FIGURES 1 and 19). The rails 35 are in turn supported by bushing~ 36 (see FIGURE l9) in the support bars 21, and by another support bar 37 at the outlet end of the housing 12. The support bar 37 (see EIGURES 1, ~,6, and l9) has bushings 38 in the top surace thereof that are semi-circular, and open at the top, ~o that the plates 28,29, and all the tructures mounted thereon, may move completely .

- . . : :,. . - : . .

out of the discharge end of the housing 12. FIGURE
19 shows the rails 35 moved to a position where the structures ~upported thereby would be entirely exterior of the housing 12. The support bars 37 (see FIGURES 5 and 6) have tapped holes 39 therein through which bolts extend connecting the support bars 37 to the sides of the housing 12. Also (although not shown) the ends of the rails 35 clo~est to the open, discharge, end of the housing 12 are tapped 80 that they can be bolted to whatever folder or other precedent piece of forms handling equipment is to be associated with machine lO.
The first and second rollers 15, 16 preferably have "dead shaft" constructions. As illustrated in FIGURE 17, thi# means that the rollers 15, 16 are hollow and have a stationary shaft 40 extending through each, and connected by bolts 41 at either end thereof to the side plate~ 28, 29. The openings in the side plates 28, 29 for receiving the bolts 41 for the rollers 15, 16, are shown by reference numerals 42 in FIGURE 2. The qurrounding holes 43 are provided for receipt of bolts which connect two steel collars 44 (see FIGURE 17) 80 that the ~ection modulus becomes much greater than than the modulus of the shaft 40 alone, reducing deflection of the shaft assembly. This increa~ed stiffness provides roll closure relief which is desired to reduce the drive torque required to feed a document/business form into the high pre~ure roll nip.
With thi~ construction, bearings 45 are mounted interiorly of the rolls 15, 16 (see FIGURE 17), the rolls 15, 16 rotating about the bearings 45, which in turn engage the stationary shaft 40. Since the .. . . . . .

: .

2100~73 bearings 45 are inside the roll6, the "effective"
length~ of the shafts 40 are as short as possible, reducing deflection due to spring loading.
In order to provide further rigidity to the discrete unit which comprises the main frame mean6 (side plate~ 28, 29), cross ~upports 46 (see FIGURE
1) are provided, the cross supports being attached by bolts received by the openings 47 (see FIGURE 2) in the side plate~ 28, 29.
Multi~le Cassette Embodiment What has been described 80 far i~ the common base, drive, unit for both constructions of sealing machine according to the invention. Now the idler roll a~sembly 11, which is u~ed with business forms having in~ert~, will be described.
The a~embly 11 i~ made up of a plurality of individual ca~ette~ or roller "couple~", each cassette having two rollers ~paced from each other in the direction of arrow 14, and rotatable about parallel axes, and axe~ that are parallel to the axe~ 17, 18, and aligned with them, as indicated by the center line alignments 48, 49 illustrated in EIGURE 1. A plurality of cassette~ are provided, a~
many as desired to efect the appropriate sealing, and to accommodate a wide variety of different form dimension~ in the dimension perpendicular to the direction 14.
Ma~or components of a typical cassette, referenced generally by reference numeral 50, are illustrated in FIGURES 7 through 9 and 13. Cassette 50 includes a center body 51 having a pair of semi-circular open ended bearing races 52, 52' (see FIGURE 7) therein. On the opposite side of the ... .

... , . . . . . : . .. .

center body 51 from the open end6 of the races 52, 52' is a 6pring mount 53, with a through-extending bore 54 being provided in the body 51 extending from the cpring mount 53 to the side of the ~enter body 51 having the race6 52, 52'.
The cassette 50 further comprises side plates 55, 55' connected to opposite faces of the center body 51, and having cut outs 56, 56' therein corresponding to the spring mount 53. They also each have a pair of openings 57, 57', therein for receipt of the shaft stubs 58, 58' of arbors 59, 59'. The arbors 59, 59' are received within the central openings 60, 60', of ball bearing rollers 61, 61', the roller 61 being received within the race 52, and the roller 61' within the race 52'.
The ball bearing roller 61, 61' extend out paet/beyond tho side plates 55, 55' in the center body 51 80 as to engage the rollers 15, 16 and busines~ forms therebetween, as illustrated in F$GURES 1, 13, and 14.
As seen most clearly in FIGURES 8, 13, and 14, the spring mount 53 mounts a coil spring 62 therein, the central opening through the spring 62 being in alignment with the bore 54, and a screw 63 extending through the center passageway in the spring 62, and throuqh the bore 64, out the other end of the body 51. One end of the spring 62 engages the spring mount 53, while the other end engages a spring backer 64 (FIGURES 8, 9 and 14). The backer 64 is a 6trip o metal having a through-extending opening 65 therein for receipt of the screw 63, and typically down turned edges 66 (see FIGURES 9 and 14). The head 67 of the ~crew 63 (~ee FIGURE 14) .,: , , . ' ' :

~100373 engages the "top" of the backer 64, on the opposite side thereof as the spring 62. Preferably, the bore 54 is ~crew threaded to receive the exterior screw threads of the screw 63 80 that by rotating the screw 63, by grasping the head 67, the compression spring 62 can be unloaded (by closing the position between the spring backer 64 and the top of the center body 51).
The manner in which each of the cassettes 50 is mounted to the main frame side plates 28, 29 i8 best ~een from FIGURES 10 through 14. FIGURE 10 shows a locator plate 68 having tapped openings 69 at the ends thereof, and numerous through-extending openings 70 through the thickness thereof. A pair of locator plates 68 are prov~ded, as seen in FIGURES 1 and 14, they are connected by bolts (not shown) extending through the opening 71 (see FIGURE
2) in the eide plates 28, 29.
Connected at numerous locations along the plate 68, via openings 70, are a plurality of positioning bars 72. The positioning bar~ 72, mo~t clearly seen in FIGURES 11 through 14, have a pair of openings 73 at the "top" thereof for connection by bolts 74 (see FIGURE 3) through holes 70 in a locator plate 68.
l~e width 75 of each positioning bar 72 is e~ual to the width of the spacing between the side plates 55, 55' of a cassette 50. The positioning bars 72 thus engage the ends of the body 51, holding the cas~ette S0 in place. However, there is no means of attachment of the bar~ 72 to the cassette 70 80 that there is freedom of movement in at least some modss of the cassettes 50 with re~pect to the main frame plate~ 28, 29.

, :, : . . , Note that preferably the cassettes 50 are placed (~ee FIGURE 13) right next to each other 80 that the side plate 55 of one tolerably locates the ~ide plate 55' of another to be at minimum clearance; that is, the side of one cassette 50 is clear of the next one. In this way, it is possible that the rollers 61, 61' can be provided 80 that they are only spaced about 0. 8 inches from each other along the axes of rotation thereof defined by the arbor stubs 58, 58', these axes being indicated by reference numerals 76 and 76 ' in FIGURES 13 and 14.
The further structure for mounting the cas~ettes 50 in place comprise the cross bars 77, seen in FIGURES 1, 13, and 14. The cro~s bars 77 are mounted to the side plate~ 28, 29 by bolts (not shown) extending through tapped openings 78 ( ~ee FIGURE 14) in the ends of the cross bars 77, and received in the openings 79 in the side plate~ 28, 29.
In order to effect installation of the cassette~ 50, one of the locator plates 68, together with its associated positioning bar~ 72, is bolted to the slde frame plates 28, 29. Then the cap screws 63 for each cassette 50 are turned down as far as possible, and the cassettes are aligned to fit with the positioning bars 72. The second positioning bars on locators plates 68, 72 are then installed in between the side plates 28, 29 and are bolted into position, thus locking the alignment of the cassettes 50. Next the two center cros~3 bar~ 77 are bolted into position on the plates 28, 29, and then the cap screws 63 on each cassette 50 are 2iO0373 completely backed off 80 that the spring backer 64 rests on the two center cross bars 77, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 14.
It is important that forms of different dimensions can be properly handled by the machine 10. To provide that versatility, the mounting of the cassettes 50 to the main frame side plates 28, 29 accommodates adju~tment of the position of at least two of the cassettes 50 along the longitudinal (~ide) edges of the business form being handled (that is those edges parallel to the direction 14).
This adjustability iB accommodated by numerous holes 70 provided in the locator plate 68 which are positioned 80 a~ to accommodate all normal forms to be handled by a pressure sealer.
FIGURE lS is a ~chematic illustration showing the glue lino and ~ealing wheel layouts that may be utilized to provide the maximum flexibility that is provided according to the invention (that iB the illustration in FIGURE 15 shows center lines 80, 80' and it is understood that it is symmetrical about the center lines 80, 80'). Dimension 81 along the axes 76, 76' thereof (see FIGURE 7) is less than an inch, and typically between about 0.1 and one inch.
FIGURE 15 also illustrates a typical business form 82 that is to be handled by the machine 10, utilizing the idler assembly 11. The business form 82 contain~ fir3t (leading) and fourth (trailing) edges 83, 84 respectively and second and third (longitudinal, side) edges 85, 86. Each of the edges 83-86 prefera~ly ha a continuous strip pattern of pressure sensitive adhesive, 86', 87, 88, and 89, respectively. The strips of adhesive 86' - . . , . . ,, - , ,,; . ~: . . .. .

through 89 are preferably applied both to the top sheet 90 and the bottom ~3heet 91 of the business form 82, although they may be applied only to one sheet under some circumstances. A typical ~ingle insert 92 is shown between the sheets 90, 91, and also within the area circum~cribed by the adhesive strips 86 ' through 89. The adhesive of the adhesive strips 86' through 89 preferably i 8 of the type shown in U.S. patent 4,918,128, or sold commercially by Toppan-Moore under the trade designation "11 124", and typically requires at least about 100 pounds per lineal inch of pressure to effect its sealing action (and more typically 200 to 250 pounds per lineal inch). Thi6 ~ealing pressure i8 provided by the springs 62 of each of the cassettes 50.
OPeration of Multi~le Ca~ette Embodiment In the utilization of the unit illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 15, to seal a bu~ine~s form 82 having an insert 92, the form 82 is transported by the conveyor means 13 in the direction 14 to the nip between the roller~ 15, 61. The positions of the cassettes 50 are adjusted 80 that rollers 61, 61' of the end cas~ettes 50 are mounted by the locator plate~ 68 at Fositions corresponding to the strips 88, 89 adjacent the longitudinal edges 85, 86 of the form 82. Unused cassettes 50 beyond the business form 82 width can either be removed from the machine or the ~pring 82 of each can be individually relieved.
The form 82, with the strips 88, 89 thu~
aligned with rollers 61 of the end cassettes 50, are gra~ped and driven by the rollers 15, 61 of the nip. All of the rollers 61 of the cassettes 50 . - .. , .: .

,, . . . ~. : -between the edges 85, 86 of the business form 82 will come into contact with the leading edge 83 of the business form 82, and because of the spring pressure applied by spring 62 will effect a seal of the adhesive 86' at the portions contacted thereby.
However since the rollers 61 will be spaced at least about 0.8 inches from each other along the length of the edge 83, there will be regularly spaced discrete portions of the adhesive 86' along the length of the edge 83 -- illustrated schematically at 93 in EIGURE
15 -- where sealing does take place, but there will also be the spaces 94 between them that even though there i8 adhesive 86' thereat no sealing takes place becau~e no roller 61 engagsd it.
As the form 82 continue~ to be drlven in the direction 14, those roller~ 61 o the cassettes 50 engaging the portion of the business form 82 including the insert 92 will be cammed upwardly by the insert. Thi~ upward camming action is allowed because of the particular mounting of the cassettes 50, wherein they are not connected rigidly to the po~itioning bars 72, and the coil spring 62 i~
connected in the center of the cassette 50. A small "rocking" action taXes place, allowing the insert 92 to pass completely through the nip between the rolls 15, 61 without being crushed or without splaying of the form, until finally once the in~ert 92 pas~e~
the rollers 61 they rock ~ack downwardly and effects sealing -- such as at discrete portion~ 9S (see FIGURE 15) of the adhesive ~trip 87 at spaced discrete portions thereof corresponding to the portions 93 along the front edge 83. 0 cour~e since some cassette 50 were directly aligned with the adhesive strips 88, 89, the longitudinal edge~
85, 86 of the form 82 will be sealed together along the entire length thereof (the length of the ~trips 88, 89).
Of course the same action with respect to the insert and engaging of the leading and trailing edges of the business form 82 takes place with respect to the roller 61' as with respect to the roller 61.
Steam Roller Embodiment The simplified, relatively low cost, steam roller embodiment of idler rollers according to ~he present invention is shown in FIGURES 16 through 18. The steam roller assembly i8 shown generally by reference numeral 97 in FIGURE 16, and includes third and ourth rollers 9B, 99 which cooperate wlth the roller~ 15, 16, respectivoly to define nips.
The rollers 98, 99 also are elongated axially, a~
seen in FIGURE 17, and have an axial length that preferably is the same as the lengths of the rollers 15, 16, i.e. at least about five inches and typically about eleven inche~. The roller~ 98, 99 are rotatable about axes 100, lO0', respect~vely.
The axes 100, 100' are parallel to the axe~ 17, 18, and aligned with them.
The rollers 98, 99 are of the "dead shaft"
construction ~u~t li~e the rollers 15, 16. That is, for example, with respect to the roller 98 illustrated in FIGURE 17, the roller 98 is hollow with a central stationary ~haft 102 therein, mou~ted by bolts 103 to side ~upports 104 of a frame module, which in addition to the ~ide ~upports 104 includes a T-shaped cros~ bar 105 (one for each roller 98, 2 ~00373 99) and a cross support 106 connected ~etween the side supports 104 of the frame module. Note that the bolts 103 do not interfere with the platec 28, 29 despite their relative position6 illustrated in FIGURE 17 because t.he bolts 103 extend through the openings 107 in the plates 28, 29 (see FIGURE 2).
Bearings 101 engage the interiors of the rollers 98, 99 and the stationary shafts 102 to provide the relative rotational movement of the rollers 98, 99.
lrhe T-~haped bars 105 may be connected by bolts to the tops of the plates 28, 29, the bolts passing through the cross portion of the T of each of the supports lOS (see FIGURES 16 and 17) and extending into tapped holes 109 in the top of each of the plates 28, 29 (see FIGURE 2).
The crose ~upport 106 and the T-shaped bars 105 are provided with locator means for mounting a plurality of coil springs 110. The locator mean~ .
preferably comprise circular indentations 111, 112 (see FIGURES 16 and 17) formed in the bars 105 and cross support 106, respectively. A plurality of springs 110 are provided, at lea~t four symmetrically spaced coil springs, and preferably six symmetrically spaced coil springs 110, as illustrated in FIGURES 16 through 18. Of course the springs 110 provide the necessary pressure lof at lea~t about 100 pounds per lineal inch) to effect sealing of two sheet business forms passing between the rolls 15, 9B and 16, 99.
ll~e idler rollz 98, 99 are also preferably mounted 50 that there i8 no frictional resi~tance in X and Y planes. A leaf ~pring cantilever, comprising a plurality of leaf springs (at least one on each side of the rollers 98, 99) are provided.
The leaf springs 114, 115 are mounted by clamps 116, and in a cantilever manner engage the leaf spring bearing blocks 117 which are extensions of the shafts 102, and which are engaged by the bolt~ 103.
The leaf springs 114, 115, and associated clamps 116, and blocks 117 suqpend the rolls 98, 99 in the X, Y and Z axes (see FIGURE 16), which permit adjustment or movement in the X and Y planes with no frictional resistance. The Y direction is the working direction of the rolls as business forms are processed through the roll nips, while freedom in the X direction permits intentional out of parallel aligrlment to compen~ate for the small but finite deflection o~ two cooperating rolls due to spring loadlng.
The leaf springs 114, 115 hold the upper roll pair 98, 99 in operating position with respect to the lower roll pair 15, 16 in a frictionless support system. The normal force loading on the roller~ is on the order of 150-200 lbs./linear inch (the sealing pressure on the forms), with a net sealinq width of the rollers 98, 99 of 11.25 inches. Thus the normal force is about lS00 lbs. When a document comes between the roll~ 98, 15, this normal force vectors into horizontal and vertical components, with typical side loading of 1150 lbs. times the target angle from true vertical at the position where the document enters the nip (e.g. 6 degrees), and thus a resultant horizontal load of about 250 lbs. This would be a difficult transient lc>ad to handle, and would be noisy, prone to wear, and would undesirably decrease the effective vertlcal .. . . ~ .. . . . ........................ ..... .
. ~ .. .

:

(sealing) loading. However, with the leaf spring sy~tem, this horizontal load component i8 taken easily by the column stiffness of the four-leaf system, and no external load beyond that loaded into the four leaf spring blades is carried by the system.
Also, the leaf spring system allows compensation adjustment to fine tune the accuracy of the roll to roll compliance. U6ing the leaf spring mountings 116, 117, it is a simple matter to intentionally through the cooperating rolls 98, 15, etc. slightly out of parallel 80 that load deflection is compensated by forcing the rolls to comply with each other.
According to the invention it is also possible to "stop" the idler rolls 98, 99 axially. By restraining the spring pressed rolls 98, 99 from clo~ing at full force again~t the stationary rolls 15, 16 the entry angle of business forms to the nip formed by the roll~ 15, 98 can be reduced, and accordingly the power reguirement to drive the roll system can also be reduced. This positive stop feature is provided, for each of the rolls 98, 99, by a stop assembly 120 (see FIGURE 17) connected to one of the side supports 42, and limiting lts movement by abutting engagement with a flat top screw 121 extending upwardly from the collar 44.
Thi 6 simple and inexpensive locking cap screw limiter ~top system has the major benefits of:
reducing the tran~ient torque reguirement to fee a document set into the nip between the roll~, permitting a smaller drive motor; reducing gear wear and eliminating fret-corrosion of the rolls since they do not come into metal-to-metal contact with each other; and reducing processing noise.
Also as seen in FIGURE 17, loading collars 124, 125 are provided for loading the bearings lOl surrounding the dead shaft 102. The dead shaft 102 diameter is uniform (e.g. 1.181 inches) and the O.D.
of the bearings may be 2.4401 inches, while the O.D.
of the roll 98 iB 3.183 inches. The bearings 101 are 8.075 inches apart, and there i8 a cantilever section of the roll 98 beyond (outside of) each bearinq of about 1.575 inches. Compliance error between the cooperating rolls 98, 15, etc., must be less than O.OOOS inches in order to maintain effective seal pressure distribution. By using the ~hell roll 98 over a dead shaft 102, it is possible to place, by calculat~d design, each of the bearings 101 in~ide the roll 98 80 that deflection is distributed equally over the fuller roller length.
AB seen in EIGUR~ 16, four 10-3Z screws 127, two in each anchor block 116, mount the entire upper roll suspension in place, allowing low cost, low weight, reduced roll grinding accuracy, and service complexity, and providing easy convertibility of the system between the "steamroller" and "ca6sette"
embodiments.
The machine 10 can easily be converted from the cassette ver~ion to the steam roller version merely by moving the main frame means including the side plates 28, 29, via the rails 3~, out of the housing 12, and unbolting one set of componénts and bolting in the others, into the main frame plate~ 28, 29.

210~373 It will thus be seen that according to the present invention a simple yet effective apparatus, that is extremely versatile, i8 provided, as well as a method for sealing busine~s forms having inserts, and a business form with pressure ~ensitive adhesive, and inserts, 80 formed. While the invention has been herein shown and described in what is presently conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to as to encompass all equivalent structures, processes, and products.

Claims (39)

1. Apparatus for sealing pressure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms, comprising:
first and second rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively, said rollers each having an axial length of at least about five inches;
means for rotating said first and second rollers about said first and second axes;
main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with said first and second rollers 80 that aid idler rollers cooperate with said first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pounds per lineal inch;
a first idler roller assembly for cooperation with said main frame means, comprising: third and fourth rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel third and fourth axes, which are parallel to said first and second axes, each of said third and fourth rollers having an axial length of at least about five inches; and spring means for applying spring pressure to said third and fourth rollers which provides said compressive pressure to business forms; and a second idler roller assembly for cooperation with said main frame means in place of said first idler roller assembly, said second idler roller assembly comprising: at least three narrow width roller couples, the rollers of said narrow width roller couples being mounted on common fifth and sixth axes, parallel to said first and second axes, said roller couples being spaced along said fifth and sixth axes; spring means for applying spring pressure to each of said roller couples which provides said compressive pressure to business forms; and means for mounting said couples so that a roller from each of said plurality of couples cooperates with each of said first and second rollers, and so that business forms with inserts, labels, windows, or other surface interruptions without damage to the business forms.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising conveyor means for conveying business forms into operative association with said first roller.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising housing means for housing said first and second rollers, rotating means, main frame means, and either said first or second idler roller assembly, therewithin in one or more discrete units; and further comprising means for mounting at least one of said discrete units within said housing means for ease of movement into and out of said housing means.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said discrete unit mounting means comprises a plurality of bushings stationarily connected to said housing means, and a plurality of rails mounted in association with said bushings for linear movement with respect thereto, and connection means for connecting said one or more discrete units to said rails for movement therewith.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said rotating means includes a motor; and wherein said motor is stationarily mounted in said housing means;
and wherein said first and second rollers, main frame means, and either said first or second idler roller assembly comprises a discrete unit.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said rails are circular in cross section, and wherein said plurality of bushings comprises, for each rail, an open top, semi-circular bushing.

7. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said main frame means comprises first and second side plates; and wherein said first idler roller assembly further comprises a generally T-shaped bar associated with each of said third and fourth rollers, and extending between said first and second side plates;
a frame module connected to both said third and fourth rollers for mounting them for rotation about said third and fourth axes, and including a pair of side supports and a cross support; and locating means formed in said T-shaped bars and said frame module cross support for receiving said spring means therein

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second rollers are hollow; and wherein said first and second rollers are mounted for rotation about said first and second axes by bearing means located within said hollow first and second rollers, and a non-rotatable support shaft also within each of said first and second rollers and engaging said bearing means.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said rotating means comprise a gear connected to at least one end of each of said first and second rollers, a motor, and gearing means interconnecting said motor and said roller gears.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said first idler roller assembly further comprises a frame module comprising a pair of side supports; and wherein said third and fourth rollers are hollow; and wherein said third and fourth rollers are mounted for rotation about said third and fourth axes by a stationary shaft mounted to said side supports and disposed within each of said hollow third and fourth rollers, and bearing means disposed within said hollow third and fourth rollers between said stationary shafts and said third and fourth rollers.

11. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first idler roller assembly further comprises a frame module comprising a pair of side supports; and wherein said third and fourth rollers are hollow; and wherein said third and fourth rollers are mounted for rotation about said third and fourth axes by a stationary shaft mounted to said side supports and disposed within each of said hollow third and fourth rollers, and bearing means disposed within said hollow third and fourth rollers between said stationary shafts and said third and fourth rollers.

12. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said second idler roller assembly narrow width roller couples each comprises: a center body defining a pair of ball bearing races; a pair of side plates; and a pair of narrow width ball bearing rollers mounted within said races and mounted for rotation about said fifth and sixth axes by arbors mounted to said side plates.

13. Apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein each of said roller couples further comprises means for defining a spring mount in said center body at a central portion thereof between said races; and means for defining a bore extending into said center body at said spring mount in a direction perpendicular to said fifth and sixth axes for receipt of a screw therein; and wherein said spring means comprise a coil spring mounted in said spring mount with a first end thereof abutting said center body, a separate coil spring for each spring mount, disposed around said screw, and a spring backer engaging said coil spring on a second end thereof, opposite said first end, said screw passing through said spring backer;
and wherein said frame means engages said spring backer.

14. Apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said means for mounting said couples comprises, or each couple, first and second position bars engaging opposite ends of said center body to prevent substantial movement thereof in a first direction perpendicular to said fifth and sixth axes, but to allow movement in a second direction perpendicular to said fifth and sixth axes; a pair of cross bars engaging said spring back plate so that movement in said second direction will be against the bias of said coil spring; and means for connecting said position bars and said cross bars to said main frame means .

15. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said narrow width rollers has an axial extent of less than one inch.

16. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said second idler roller assembly further comprises means for mounting said second idler roller assembly to said main frame means so that the positions of at least two of said narrow width roller couples are adjustable along said fifth and sixth axes so as to allow proper positioning of said at least two couples along the edges of business forms in the direction of travel through said apparatus.

17. Apparatus for sealing pressure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms, comprising:
first and second stationary axis rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively;
main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with said first and second rollers so that said idler rollers cooperate with said first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pound per lineal inch;
an idler roller assembly mounted on said main frame means and comprising: at least three narrow width roller couples, the rollers of said narrow width roller couples being mounted on common third and fourth axes, parallel to said first and second axes, said roller couples being spaced along said third and fourth axes; spring means for applying spring pressure to each of said roller couples which provides said compressive pressure to business forms;
and means for mounting said couples 80 that a roller from each of said plurality of couples cooperates with each of said first and second rollers, and so that business forms with inserts, labels, windows, or other surface interruptions without damage to the business forms; and means for mounting said idler roller assembly to said main frame means so that the positions of at least two of said narrow width roller couples are adjustable along said third and fourth axes so as to allow proper positioning of said at least two couples along the edges of business forms in the direction of travel through said apparatus.

18. Apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein said narrow width roller couples each comprises: a center body defining a pair of ball bearing races; a pair of side plates; and a pair of narrow width ball bearing rollers mounted within said races and mounted for rotation about said third and fourth axes by arbors mounted to said side plates.

19. Apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein each of said roller couples further comprises means for defining a spring mount in said center body at a central portion thereof between said races; and means for defining a bore extending into said center body at said spring mount in a direction perpendicular to said third and fourth axes for receipt of a screw therein; and wherein said spring means comprise a coil spring mounted in said spring mount with a first end thereof abutting said center body, a separate coil spring for each spring mount, disposed around said screw, and a spring backer engaging said coil spring on a second end thereof, opposite said first end, said screw passing through said spring backer;
and wherein said frame means engages said spring backer.

20. Apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein said means for mounting said couples comprises, for each couple, first and second position bars engaging opposite ends of said center body to prevent substantial movement thereof in a first direction perpendicular to said third and fourth axes, but to allow movement in a second direction perpendicular to said third and fourth axes; a pair of cross bars engaging said spring back plate so that movement in said second direction will be against the bias of said coil spring; and means for connecting said position bars and said cross bars to said main frame means .

21. Apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein each of said narrow width rollers has an axial extent of less than one inch.

22. Apparatus for sealing pressure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms, comprising:

first and second stationary axis rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively;
main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with said first and second rollers so that said idler rollers cooperate with said first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pound per lineal inch; and a first idler roller assembly for cooperation with said main frame means, comprising: third and fourth hollow rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel third and fourth axes, which are parallel to said first and second axes, each of said third and fourth rollers having an axial length of at least about five inches; spring means for applying spring pressure to said third and fourth rollers which provides said compressive pressure to business forms; a frame module comprising a pair of side supports; and means for mounting said third and fourth rollers for rotation about said third and fourth axes, comprising a pair of stationary shafts mounted to said side supports and one disposed within each of said hollow third and fourth rollers, and bearing means disposed within said hollow third and fourth rollers between said stationary shafts and said third and fourth rollers.

23. Apparatus as recited in claim 22 wherein said main frame means comprises first and second side plates; and wherein said idler roller assembly further comprises a generally T-shaped bar associated with each of said third and fourth rollers, and extending between said first and second side plates;
a cross support of said frame module; and locating means formed in said T-shaped bars and said frame module cross support for receiving said spring means therein.

24. Apparatus as recited in claim 23 wherein said spring means comprise at least four symmetrically spaced coil springs.

25. Apparatus as recited in claim 22 further comprising a plurality of leaf springs for suspending said stationary shafts in X, Y, and Z axes, and which allow adjustment or movement in the X and Y planes with no frictional restraint, said Y axis being in the dimension of movement of business forms through said apparatus, and said X axis being in the dimension of said third and fourth axes, and said Z
axis being perpendicular to both said X and Y axes.

26. Apparatus for sealing pressure sensitive adhesive patterns on business forms, comprising:
first and second stationary axis rollers mounted for rotation about substantially parallel first and second stationary axes, respectively;
main frame means for mounting a plurality of idler rollers in association with said first and second rollers so that said idler rollers cooperate with said first and second rollers to apply a compressive pressure to business forms passing between them of at least about 100 pound per lineal inch; and a first idler roller assembly for cooperation with said main frame means, comprising: third and fourth hollow rollers mounted for rotation about shaft defining substantially parallel third and fourth axes, which are parallel to said first and second axes, each of said third and fourth rollers having an axial length of at least about five inches;
spring means for applying spring pressure to said third and fourth rollers which provides said compressive pressure to business forms; a frame module comprising a pair of side supports; and a plurality of leaf springs for suspending said shafts in X, Y, and Z axes, and which allow adjustment or movement in the X and Y planes with no frictional restraint, said Y axis being in the dimension of movement of business forms through said apparatus, and said X axis being in the dimension of said third and fourth axes, and said Z axis being perpendicular to both said X and Y axes.

27. A cassette for a pressure sealer, comprising:
a center body defining a pair open ended ball bearing races along a first side thereof, and a spring mount along the center line of a second side thereof opposite said first side;
a pair of side plates;
a pair of narrow width ball bearing rollers; and a pair of arbors mounted to said side plate and engaging said ball bearing rollers to mount them within said races for rotation about parallel axes, said rollers extending outwardly from said center body and side plates.

28. A cassette as recited in claim 27 further comprising means defining a bore extending into said center body at said spring mount in a direction perpendicular to said parallel axes.

29. A cassette as recited in claim 28 further comprising a screw extending into said bore; a coil spring mounted in said spring mount with a first end thereof abutting said center body, and disposed around said screw; and a spring backer engaging said coil spring on a second end thereof, opposite said first end, said screw passing through said spring backer.

30. A cassette as recited in claim 28 wherein said bore passes completely through said center body, and in screw threaded.

31. A cassette as recited in claim 27 wherein said center body and side plates have a generally quadrate shape in plan view.

32. A method of effecting sealing of perpendicular first and second edges of a business form having top and bottom sheets, and an insert between the top and bottom sheets, and pressure sensitive adhesive strips disposed along the first and second perpendicular edges of the top and bottom sheets, and along a third edge parallel to the second edge, in a single pass through a machine having at least three narrow width rollers mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the first edge of the business form, the rollers spaced from each other along the axis of rotation, and two of the roller comprising end rollers spaced apart from each other along the axis a distance substantially equal to the length of the first edge between the second and third edges, comprising the steps of:
(a) feeding the business form in a first direction, parallel to the second and third edges, so that the first edge of the business form is engaged by the at least three rollers;
(b) applying pressure to the rollers so that they effect sealing of the pressure sensitive adhesive of the business form wherever the rollers engage the business form;
(c) aligning the business form with respect to the rollers so that the end rollers engage the second and third edges of the form and effect pressure sealing along the entire length thereof as the form passes in the first direction; and (d) causing the rollers, after engaging the first edge of the form and effecting sealing thereof where engaged by a roller, to rock out of the way of the form insert if a portion of the form containing the insert engages the roller, so that the insert and the form at the insert will not be crushed.

33. A method as recited in claim 32 wherein step (b) is practiced by applying a pressure of at least one hundred pounds per lineal inch.

34. A method as recited in claim 32 wherein there are a plurality of rollers between the end rollers.

35. A method as recited in claim 34 wherein the business form has a fourth edge, parallel to the first edge, and pressure sensitive adhesive is disposed between the first and second sheets at the fourth edge; and comprising the further step (e) of causing the rollers, after being rocked out of the way by the form insert, to engage the fourth edge of the form and effect sealing thereof where engaged by a roller.

36. A business form comprising:
a first sheet having first and fourth parallel edges, and second and third parallel edges perpendicular to the first and fourth edges;
a second sheet like the first;
strips of pressure sensitive adhesive extending along substantially the entire first, second, third, and fourth edges of at least one of said first and second sheets;
at least one insert disposed between said first and second sheets, within the area defined by said strips of pressure sensitive adhesive;
said pressure sensitive adhesive sealing said second and third edges of said first and second sheets to each other along substantially the entire lengths thereof; and said pressure sensitive adhesive sealing said first and fourth edges to each other only at regularly spaced discrete portions along the lengths thereof.

37. A business form as recited in claim 36 wherein the discrete portions are each less than one inch long.

38. A business form as recited in claim 37 wherein the discrete portions are each at least about 0.1 inches long.

39. A business form as recited in claim 38 wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive requires a sealing force of at least about one hundred pounds per lineal inch to effect sealing of the first and second sheets together.