Abstract:
A method for applying a handle to a container, including placing the handle on the neck of the container, supporting the container to prevent the container from collapsing, and moving the handle toward an end of the neck that contacts a body of the container. The neck includes a supporting rib to fix the handle to the container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to, and claims the benefit of priority from, U.S. Patent Application No. 61/728,547, filed on Nov. 20, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to container handle. More specifically, the invention is directed to a handle configured to be applied to a container being lighter in weight than a conventional container. 
         [0004]    2. Related Art 
         [0005]    The general use of applying a handle to a container, such as a bale handle, is known in the art. The containers are typically stretch blown containers made of PET and an injection molded handle is typically applied to the container after molding. Such handles are typically applied to containers by simply being pressed over the threads of mouth of the container. 
         [0006]    In recent years, consumers have become more environmentally aware and product suppliers are trying to meet their demands for less packaging materials. With the increased cost of resins used to produce containers and the desire to decrease weight of the containers, the industry is demanding more lighter weight containers. However, the lighter weight containers that are desired are not strong enough to resist the force required to apply the typical handle, and thus restricts how light a container can be made and still be strong enough to withstand the application force. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is a need for a solution to place a handle on lighter weight containers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The present invention was developed to improve the application of handles of the related art. In particular, the novel apparatus and method thereof explained herein differs from any previous apparatus and method because it applies a handle to the container using the mouth of the container as support. Moreover, with the present invention, handles can be attached to light weight containers without having these containers collapse under the force of the application of these handles. 
         [0009]    According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method for applying a handle to a container, including placing the handle on a neck of the container, supporting the container to prevent the container from collapsing, and moving the handle toward an end of the neck that contacts a body of the container, wherein a supporting rib on the neck fixes the handle to the container. 
         [0010]    The supporting the container may include having a neck guide rail engage a finish on the neck while the handle is placed on the neck of the container. 
         [0011]    The moving the handle may include engaging a bead on the neck of the container with a support plate and pushing the handle toward the body of the container with a handle punch. 
         [0012]    The moving the handle may include engaging the handle with an application chuck and simultaneously rotating and moving the application chuck toward the container, wherein the application chuck screws the handle to the neck. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, compressed gas may be placed in the container before the moving the handle is performed. 
         [0014]    The moving the handle may include engaging threads on the neck of the container with a threaded application chuck and rotating the threaded application chuck onto the neck of the container. 
         [0015]    The rotating the threaded application chuck onto the neck of the container may push the handle toward the body of the container. 
         [0016]    According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus for applying a handle to a container, including neck guide rail to support the container, a handle guide rail to move the handle into a position above a neck of the container, and a handle applicator for applying the handle onto the neck of the container. 
         [0017]    The handle applicator for applying the handle may include a plurality of support plates to support the container and a handle punch that pushes the handle onto the neck of the container. 
         [0018]    In yet another exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may include a bead at a sealing end of the neck. 
         [0019]    The plurality of support plates may support the container by grasping the bead at the sealing end of the neck before the handle punch pushes the handle onto the neck of the container. 
         [0020]    In yet another exemplary embodiment, the plurality of support plates includes at least one cutout. 
         [0021]    In yet another exemplary embodiment, the handle applicator includes an application chuck that can rotate to apply the handle to the neck. 
         [0022]    The application chuck may include a member that contacts the handle to screw the handle to the neck. 
         [0023]    The handle applicator may include a threaded application chuck that interacts with threads on the neck of the container to apply the handle onto the neck of the container. 
         [0024]    In yet another exemplary embodiment, a tube is releasably attached to a sealing surface of the neck. 
         [0025]    In yet another exemplary embodiment, a compressed gas is pumped through the tube into the container. 
         [0026]    The neck may be more rigid than a body of the container. 
         [0027]    According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method for supporting a neck of a container, including placing a device in the neck and expanding the device diametrically to engage the neck. 
         [0028]    The engaging the neck may increase the rigidity of the neck. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0029]    The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0030]      FIG. 1  is a 3-D view of a finished container; 
           [0031]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a neck showing threads on the neck; 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  is a top view showing a handle being placed on a neck of a container; 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of applying a handle to a container; 
           [0034]      FIG. 5  is a side view showing a handle being placed on a neck of a container; 
           [0035]      FIG. 6A  is a top view showing a pre-positioning chuck aligning a handle on a container; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6B  is a side view showing a pre-positioning chuck aligning a handle on a container; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7  is a top view showing support plates grasping a neck of a container; 
           [0038]      FIG. 8  is a top view showing a handle punch pushing a handle onto a neck of a container; 
           [0039]      FIG. 9  is a side view showing an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus to screw a handle onto a neck of a container; 
           [0040]      FIG. 10A  is a top view of showing an application chuck screwing a handle onto a neck of a container; 
           [0041]      FIG. 10B  is a side view of showing an application chuck screwing a handle onto a neck of a container; 
           [0042]      FIG. 11  is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus that can push a handle onto a neck of a container with a tube that can pump a compressed gas into the container; 
           [0043]      FIG. 12  is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus that can screw a handle onto a neck of a container with a tube that can pump a compressed gas into the container; 
           [0044]      FIG. 13  is a side view showing an exemplary embodiment of aligning a handle on a neck of a container; 
           [0045]      FIG. 14  is a side view showing a threaded application chuck screwing pushing a handle onto a neck of a container; 
           [0046]      FIG. 15  is a side view showing an expandable device being placed in a neck of a container; and 
           [0047]      FIG. 16  is a side view showing an expandable device expanded in a neck of a container and a handle on the neck of the container. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0048]    Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the size of the various components may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements, and thus their description will be omitted. 
         [0049]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary embodiment of a container  1  having a container body  10 , a handle  12 , and a container cap  14 . 
         [0050]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , an exemplary embodiment of the container  1  has a neck  20  having threads  26  and a finish  22 , where the finish  22  extends along the diameter of the neck  20  without interfering with threads  26 . The finish  22  has a bead  24  at the sealing surface of the neck  20 . The bead  24  is molded at the sealing surface to increase the width of the seal surface and extend down the diameter of the finish  22 , without interfering with the threads  26 . In addition, a support ring  28  is molded along the diameter of the finish  22  at an end of the neck  20  opposite of the sealing surface, at a location just before the neck  20  meets the container body  10 . 
         [0051]    The handle  12 , shown in  FIG. 3 , has a circular portion  12   a  that can attach around the neck  20  of the container  1 . There is also provided a handle member  12   b  on the handle  12 . 
         [0052]    In one exemplary embodiment, a method for applying a handle  12  to a container  1  is shown in  FIG. 4 . At step S 1 , the container  1  travels along a conveyor  40 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The conveyor  40  may have conveyor guide rails  42  to prevent the container  1  from falling off the conveyor  40 . The conveyor  40  may be a table-top conveyor, air conveyor, or the like. 
         [0053]    The container  1  approaches an outlet of the handle application machine  5  at step S 2 , where the handle  12  is oriented so that the circular portion  12   a  is in a forward position of the handle member  12   b.  The handle  12  is supported on the handle application machine  5  by handle guide rails  44 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the handle  12  exits the handle application machine  5  at step S 3 , with circular portion  12   a  exiting first so that it sits on the neck  20 . The handle application machine  5  is angled to allow the handle  12  to be pulled off handle application machine  5  when the circular portion  12   a  contacts the neck  20  of the container  1 . It will be understood that the handle application machine  5  may be disposed at any angle, and can move the handle  12  along handle guide rails  44  using gravity or by a conveyor-belt-like system (not shown). 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , neck guide rails  32  may engage the finish  22  of the container at step S 4 . This can occur either before or after the handle  12  is pulled off handle application machine  5 . Neck guide rails  32  will engage the container  1  just below the support rib  28  of the finish  22  and provide support to the container  1  during positioning of the handle  12 . 
         [0055]    At step S 5 , the conveyor moves the container  1  forward until the container  1  is under the pre-positioning chuck  34 , as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . At step S 6 , the pre-positioning chuck  34  presses the handle  12  approximately halfway down the finish  22 . The neck guide rails  32  oppose the force exerted by the pre-positioning chuck  34 , allowing light weight containers to have handles applied to them. It will be understood that the pre-positioning chuck  34  is but one way to position handle  12 , and the handle  12  may be positioned using any method known in the art, including rollers or a ramp system. 
         [0056]    Once the positioning of the handle  12  has been accomplished, the conveyor  40  moves the container  1  forward, allowing the neck  20  to disengage from the neck engaging rails  32  at step S 7 . The container  1  is positioned under the handle punch  36  where, as shown in  FIG. 7  and step S 8 , support plates  38  clamp the finish  22  on the bead  24  formed at the sealing surface of the neck  12 . Once the bead  24  has been clamped, the handle punch  36  is lowered through cutouts  39   a,    39   b  on support plates  38  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The handle punch  36  is lowered and contacts the handle  12 , pushing the handle  12  over threads  26  and under support rib  28 , where handle  12 . Once the handle  12  is secured under support ring  28 , the handle punch  36  is raised and the support plates  38  are removed from the bead  24  of the finish  22 . 
         [0057]    In yet another embodiment, the handle  12  may be applied to the container  1  by screwing the handle  12  onto the neck  20 . In this exemplary embodiment, threads  26  contain more thread turns than necessary for attaching container cap  14 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the thread pitch of threads  26  decrease toward the end of neck  20 , where neck  20  connects to container  1 . Threads  26  form extended threads  26   a,  forming a support that is essentially horizontal, allowing the handle  12  to attach to the container  1  by inner tabs  12   c.    
         [0058]    The handle  12  is applied to the neck  20  of container  1  as in steps S 1 -S 7 . Once the handle  12  is placed on the neck  20 , the container  1  moves forward, disengaging neck  20  from the neck engaging guide rails  32 , until container  1  is positioned under the application chuck  50 . At step  8 , the application chuck  50  is lowered and engages the handle  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B . The application chuck  50  is simultaneously rotated and lowered so that inner tabs  12   c  of the handle  12  engage the threads  26  of the container  1 , allowing the handle  12  to be screwed onto the neck  20 . The application chuck  50  rotates the handle  12 , allowing inner tabs  12   c  and threads  26  to engage, until the handle  12  has been screwed to the neck  20 . The inner tabs  12   c  engage with extended threads  26   a,  preventing the handle  12  from falling off and providing the support necessary for the container  1  to be lifted using handle  12 . 
         [0059]    During the simultaneous rotation and lowering of the application chuck  50  to twist the handle  12  onto the finish  22 , conveyor guide rails  42  prevent the container  1  from rotating. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the conveyor guide rails  42  to prevent the container  1  from rotating during the described handle  12  application. 
         [0060]    In another exemplary embodiment, the container  1  travels along the conveyor  40  and the handle  12  is placed on the neck  20  as described in the above exemplary embodiments and illustrated by steps S 1 -S 7  of  FIG. 4 . Neck guide rails  42  engage the container  1  under the finish  22  of the neck  20 . After the handle  12  has been aligned, the support plates  38  may grasp the bead  24 . In this exemplary embodiment, the handle punch  36  contains a hole  36   a  in the center, as shown in  FIG. 11 , through which a tube  60  may extend. 
         [0061]    The tube  60  contacts the sealing surface of the neck  20  and a compressed gas is released into the container  1 . The compressed gas increases the pressure inside the container and provides more rigidity to the container  1 . Once the compressed gas is added, the handle punch  36  descends around the tube  60  and pushes the handle  12  into the proper position on the neck  20 . The handle punch  36 , support plates  34 , and tube  60  are then removed from the container  1  and the compressed gas escapes. The support plates  38  may grasp the bead  24  before or after the tube  60  contacts the sealing surface of the neck  20 , and the handle punch  36 , support plates  34 , and tube  60  may be removed from the container  1  in any order. 
         [0062]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , the compressed gas may also be added to the container  1  when applying the handle  12  to the container  1  by using the application chuck  50 . The tube  60  is lowered and contacts the sealing surface of the neck  20  after the handle  12  has been placed on the neck  20 . Compressed gas is released into the container  1  through tube  60 . The application chuck  50  is then simultaneously rotated and lowered, thereby screwing the handle  12  onto neck  20 . 
         [0063]    In yet another embodiment, the handle  12  may be applied to the container  1  by a threaded application chuck  52 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the container  1  travels along a conveyor belt  40 . Similar to the above-described embodiments, the handle  12  is placed on the neck  20  of the container  1 . Neck guide rails  42  engage the container  1  under the finish  22  of the neck  20 . The conveyor  40  move the container  1  forward so that pre-positioning rollers  54  can press down on the handle  12 , as shown in  FIG. 13 . This positioning allows handle  12  to be pushed onto the finish to allow threaded application chuck  52  to engage the container. In will be understood that the pre-positioning chuck  34 , as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , can be used in place of the pre-positioning rollers  54 . 
         [0064]    Once the handle  12  has been properly positioned by pre-positioning rollers  54 , the container  1  is released from the neck guide rails  32 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , a threaded application chuck  52  descends and engages threads  26  of neck  20 . The threaded application chuck  52  is screwed onto threads  26  of the neck  20 , pushing the handle  12  toward container body  10  and over support rib  28 . During the application of the handle  12 , the conveyor guide rails  42  prevent the container  1  from rotating. Once the handle  12  is moved over the support rib  28 , the threaded application chuck  52  is unscrewed from the threads  26  of the neck  20  and the container  1 . 
         [0065]    In yet another exemplary example, an expander  60  can help apply the handle to the neck  20 . As discussed in other exemplary embodiments, the container  1  may move along the conveyor  40  and have a handle  12  placed on the neck  20  of the container  1 . Once this occurs, an expander  60  in an unexpanded state may be placed into the neck  20 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . Once the expander  60  is placed in the device, it may expand to engage the an inner wall of the neck  20 , as shown in  FIG. 16 . 
         [0066]    When the expander  60  engages the inner wall of the neck  20 , the neck  20  becomes more rigid and is may be supported by expander  60 . At this point, the neck  20  is more rigid than the container body  10 . The handle  12  may then be applied to the neck  20  of the container  1 . Once the handle  12  is applied to the neck  20  of the container  1 , the expander  60  can be brought back to an unexpanded state so that it no longer is engaging the neck  20 . After engager  60  has disengaged the neck  20 , the engager  60  may be removed from the neck  20 . 
         [0067]    In one exemplary embodiment, the container  1 , handle  12 , container cap  14 , and neck  20  will be made of PET; however, these items are not limited to PET and can be made of any material known in the art. The container  1  is not limited to any size, but typical sizes are 17.5 pounds or 35 pounds. The handle  12  can be injected molded and the container  1  can be stretch blown. However, embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto.