Patent Publication Number: US-6981937-B2

Title: Handle for mounting on packaging, device for mounting the handle and method of mounting handles on packaging

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application is a National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/FR02/00352, filed Jan. 30, 2002. Further, the present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of French Patent Application No. 01 01282 filed on Jan. 31, 2001. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a handle mounted on a package, as well as the tool adapted for its mounting. 
   It relates to the industrial and commercial manufacture and distribution of accessories for packages. 
   2. Discussion of Background Information 
   It is common to equip packages made of cardboard or the like with molded or injected plastic handles. 
   These handles generally have a body or central portion shaped like a strap, provided at each end with a gripping tab that confers to each end of this handle a “T” or “V” shaped profile, and adapted to be engaged, from the outside, into a slit provided for this purpose in the wall of the package, each tab being folded or tilted against the body of the handle prior to its engagement in the slit for which it is adapted. 
   In order to allow the user to grip the handle and to slip his hand between the handle and the wall of the package, the distance separating the slits provided in the wall of the package for passing and securing the gripping tabs is less than the length of the body of the handle that, as a result, must be partially bent before engaging the tabs in the slits. It is noted that this maneuver is difficult to achieve automatically. 
   There have been attempts at automating the positioning of individually manufactured handles, whose cost of production is very low, but the machines designed for this end are complex, expensive, slow and not very reliable. 
   The Patent No. FR 2 619 551 filed by the Applicant of the present invention describes a handle of the aforementioned type adapted to be automatically mounted, the body of the handle being bent during manufacture such that its ends are separated one from the other by a distance equal to the distance separating the slits provided in the wall of the package for which it is adapted. The gripping tabs are flat, and the handle is obtained in a way that each of these tabs forms a sharp angle with the corresponding end of the body, so as to be parallel to the gripping tab located at the other end. 
   In order to facilitate the automatic mounting of the handles, the latter are manufactured in strips, each of which are constituted of a plurality of handles assembled side by side by bridges made of easily cut material. This arrangement has the advantage of substantially facilitating the feeding of the mounting machines. 
   Nevertheless, these handles have a certain number of drawbacks:
         the shaping mold is expensive and allows for only slow production rates, thereby generating a high production cost with respect to individual handles;   the shape of the handle limits the winding possibilities and the number of handles per roll is often found to be insufficient (separate machines);   the mid-point distance between the axes of the positioning holes on the package is related to the shape of the handle, which imposes minimum dimensions for the package that is to receive the handle; and   the pushing devices or positioning fingers are limited to simply pushing the handle, without ensuring at all that it holds, which can lead to some positioning issues.       

   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The device according to the present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks. Indeed, it allows one to obtain handles with the usual shape that approximate economical handles, the mounting of which can be automatically ensured by a simple and reliable positioning machine. 
   It is constituted by associating continuous strips of flat handles achieved in such a way as to leave, between each of them and the handles adjacent to them, bridges that are easily cut when mounted on a package, and adjustable guide rails arranged to ensure both the bringing together and the orientation of the ends of the handle, such that said ends are positioned directly perpendicularly to the slits of the package adapted to receive them, while causing the body of the handle to bend. 
   The invention also provides for a device for mounting ends of a handle into slits of a package, the device comprising guide rails which guide and orient the ends of the handle from a first position to a second position, wherein, in the second position, the ends of the handle are oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the slits of the package. 
   The guide rails may cause the handle to bend. The package may be made of cardboard. The device may be an automatic machine. The handle may be arranged as a continuous strip of handles. Each handle may be connected to the continuous strip of handles via bridges which are severed when the handle is separated from the continuous strip of handles. The guide rails may be at least one of movably and adjustably mounted. In the first position, the ends of the handle may be oriented in the same direction as the handle, whereby the handle and the ends are in a straight configuration. Each end of the handle may comprise a bulge that is adapted to slide in the guide rails. The guide rails may comprise a groove and each end of the handle may comprise a bulge that is adapted to slide in the grooves of the guide rails. Each guide rail may comprise a longitudinal groove for guiding the ends of the handle. The longitudinal groove may comprise a necking adapted to prevent the end of the handle from escaping during movement of the handle. Each end of the handle may comprise a bulge that is adapted to slide in the longitudinal grooves. 
   The guide rails may guide and orient the ends of the handle as the handle is movably guided by the guide rails. The guide rails may guide and orient the ends of the handle as the handle is movably guided by the guide rails, whereby the handle enters the guide rails while oriented in the first position and exits the guide rails while oriented in the second position. A distance between guide rails at a guide rail entrance may be greater that a distance between the guide rails at a guide rail exit. The guide rails may be mounted in non-parallel configuration. Each guide rail may be mounted about a pivot axis. Each guide rail may be adjustably mounted about the corresponding pivot axis. Each guide rail may be adjustably mounted to accommodate different handles. Each guide rail may comprise a helical shape, whereby the guide rails force the ends of the handle to make a quarter turn in order to be in a plane perpendicular to a wall of the package when exiting the guide rails. 
   The device may further comprise a pushing device arranged to push the handle towards the package. The pushing device may be vertically movable. The pushing device may comprise a head which conforms to a shape of the handle in order to ensure positioning of the handle. The handle may comprise anchoring elements arranged at each end. The pushing device may be adapted to cause the anchoring elements to be engaged in the slits of the package. The pushing device may be adapted to cause the anchoring elements to be completely engaged in the slits of the package. The device may further comprise two pushing devices. The two pushing devices may be activated by a vertical jack and a driving system. The device may further comprise shearing blades arranged just past ends of the guide rails. Each end of the handle may comprise a bulge that is adapted to slide in the guide rails. The shearing blades may be adapted to cut bridges which connect the handle to a continuous strip of handles. 
   The handle may comprise anchoring elements and a central body, each anchoring element being configured so as to fold back against the central body of the handle when they penetrate into the slits of the package and to spread apart through elasticity in order to maintain the handle in place. The anchoring elements may comprise lugs arranged laterally in a plane of the handle. The anchoring elements may comprise tabs that are tilted with respect to a plane of the handle. 
   The invention also provides for a device for mounting ends of a handle that is arranged on a continuous strip of handles into slits of a package, wherein the device comprises guide rails which guide and orient the ends of the handle as the handle moves. Each guide rail comprises a groove which engages bulges of the continuous strip of handles. Each groove is adapted to change the orientation of an end of the handle from a first position to a second position. In the second position, the ends of the handle are oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. 
   The invention also provides for a method of mounting ends of a handle into slits of a package using a device that comprises guide rails which guide and orient the ends of the handle from a first position to a second position, wherein the method comprises moving the handle towards the guide rails, guiding the handle with the guide rails until the handle assumes the second position, and inserting the ends of the handle into the slits of the package. 
   The invention also provides for a continuous strip of handles which can each be mounted into slits of a package using a device that comprises guide rails which guide and orient ends of the handles from a first position to a second position, wherein the continuous strip of handles comprises a plurality of handles each having two ends. Each end of the handles includes a bulge. Each handle being connected to an adjacent handle via bridges which are cut when the handle is separated from the continuous strip of handles. In the second position, the ends of the handle are capable of being oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the slits of the package. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The attached drawings are given by way of non-restrictive examples of embodiments of the invention wherein: 
       FIG. 1  shows a portion of a strip made of flat handles; 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of an enlargement of the detail D 1  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  shows side views of two alternative embodiments of the end of the handle; 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show a different type of end of the handle, under the same conditions as  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an axonometric view of a guide rail; 
       FIG. 7  shows an end view of the entry end of a guide rail with a partial representation of a handle before it is bent; 
       FIG. 8  shows, under the same conditions, the exit end of the guide rail as well as the pushing device for positioning the handles; and 
       FIG. 9  shows a top view of two guide rails with a handle strip in place. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention, as shown in  FIGS. 1–9 , is constituted of handles  1  comprising a central body  2  shaped like a semi-rigid strap equipped with anchoring elements  3 ,  4 ,  4 ′ at each of its ends. The invention also provides for two guide rails  5  adapted to be mounted on the automatic mounting machine to bring the handles above the slits provided in the package in order to allow their attachment. 
   Before they are mounted, the handles are flat and are presented in the shape of a continuous strip manufactured by molding or extruding plastic, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or the like. 
   The anchoring elements can be of two types:
         in a first type, lugs  3  arranged laterally in the plane of the handle ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ), and   in an second type, tabs  4 ,  4 ′ that are tilted with respect to the plane of the handle ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ).       

   The lugs  3  and the tabs  4  are configured so as to be folded back along the central body  2  when they penetrate into the slit of the package and to be spread apart through elasticity in order to maintain the handle in place. 
   Bulges  6  are provided at the ends of each handle. These bulges  6  are adapted to slide in the guide rails  5 . 
   The guide rails  5  are provided with a longitudinal groove  7  in which the bulges  6  of the handles  1  are engaged. The mid-point between the axes of the rails varies and decreases when going from the entry point  8  to the exit point  9  of the rails, so as to bring the ends of the handle closer together in order for them to be directly perpendicular to the slits of the package, while forcing the handle to bend. 
   The mid-point between the axes of the exit of the guide rails can be advantageously made adjustable by journaling them about an axis  10  located in the proximity of the entry point  8 , which enables the same handles to be used for different packages. 
   The grooves  7  comprise a necking adapted to prevent the exit of the bulge  6  from escaping during its passage along the length of the rail, and they are helical in shape so as to force the ends of the handles to make a quarter of a turn so that they are in a plane perpendicular to the wall of the package when exiting the guide rail  5 . 
   Each handle  1  that extends past the farther end of the guide rail  5  is then displaced in the direction of the wall of the package, toward the slits of the latter, by two pushing devices  11  having an alternative vertical displacement, the head of which conforms to the shape of the handle in order to ensure its position during the entire positioning phase. These pushing devices cause the anchoring elements  3 ,  4 ,  4 ′ to be engaged in the slits until they are completely engaged beyond the wall of the package. 
   The two pushing devices  11  are advantageously activated by a single vertical jack ensuring both the horizontal advance of the handles by way of levers and a driving system of a known type. 
   The positioning of the handles  2  on the packages adapted to receive them is substantially improved because the handles  1  are packaged in strips, each of which comprises a plurality of handles connected one to the other by material bridges  12 . In this manner, each handle is easily guided by the guide rails  5  of the mounting machine. The system for the positioning of the handles  1  include, in addition to the guide rails  5  and the pushing devices  11 , blades located just past the end of the guide rails so that each of the blades acts as a shearing blade for the material bridges  12 . 
   The positioning of the various component elements gives the invention a maximum of useful effects that until now had not been obtained by similar devices.