Method and apparatus for applying handles to plastic bags

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEAT SEALING A PAIR OF HANDLES FROM CONTINUOUS WEBS TO A BAG FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) FIRST ADVANCING MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE A BAG WEB HAVING TWO OPPOSED LAYERS; (B) A SUPPORT TABLE HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE POSITIONED IN THE PLANE OF THE BAG WEB PATH; (C) SPACING MEANS POSITIONED PROXIMATE SAID TABLE IN THE PATH OF THE BAG, SAID SPACING MEANS BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE BAG LAYERS DURING THEIR TRAVEL ACROSS SAID TABLE; (D) SECOND ADVANCING MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SUPERIMPOSED HANDLE WEBS INTO A POSITION BETWEEN THE LAYERS OF THE BAG WEB, THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE HANDLE WEBS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS THE BAG WEB MOVEMENT; (E) FIRST SERVERING MEANS POSITIONED PROXIMATE SAID TABLE TO REMOVE SAID LEADING PAIR OF HANDLES FROM ITS WEB; (F) HEATING MEANS MOUNTED PROXIMATE SAID TABLE, SAID HEATING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE OUTSIDE SURFACES OF THE BAG WEB EDGES PROXIMATE THE PORTIONS THEREOF THAT ARE ADJACENT THE LEADING HANDLE; AND (G) SECOND SERVING MEANS POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF THE BAG WEB AT A POINT PAST SAID TABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF BAG WEB MOVEMENT, SAID SECOND SERVERING MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO CUT THE BAG WEB IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION THEREOF.