Fabrication of bound documents

摘要

A bound document is made by placing one or more sheets of paper to be bound inside a binder having a hot-melt adhesive and then exposing the binder to microwave energy for a sufficient period of time to cause the hot-melt adhesive to melt bond onto an edge of the sheets of paper. In one embodiment of the invention, the hot-melt adhesive is microwave activatable. In another embodiment of the invention, the hot-melt adhesive is not necessarily microwave activatable and the binder includes a strip of susceptor material which converts incident microwave radiation to heat. In still another embodiment of the invention, the hot-melt adhesive is not necessarily microwave activatable and a quantity of microwave responsive material is incorporated into the hot-melt adhesive. In still yet another embodiment, the hot-melt adhesive is not necessarily microwave activatable, and a microwave susceptor is incorporated into a stand on which the binder may be placed during exposure to the microwave radiation.