EP1274563B1 - Handle mounted on packaging and tool used to mount said handle - Google Patents

Abstract

Device and method for mounting ends of a handle into slits of a package. The device includes 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 method includes 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. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Description

The present invention relates to a handle attached to packaging, and the tool for its implementation.

It concerns the industrial and commercial field of manufacturing and distribution of packaging accessories.

It is common practice to equip cardboard packaging or the like with molded or injected plastic handles.
These handles generally comprise a body or central portion in the form of a strap, provided at each end, with a fastening tab giving each end of this handle a "T" or "V" profile and intended to be engaged, from outside, in a slot provided for this purpose in the wall of the package, each tab being folded or tilted against the handle body prior to its engagement in the slot which is intended for it.
To allow the gripping of the handle by the user and the passage of his hand between the handle and the wall of the package, the distance between the slots provided in the wall of the package for the passage and docking of the legs The hooking portion is less than the length of the handle body which, therefore, must be partially bent before engagement of the tabs in the slots. This operation is difficult to realize automatically.
There have been attempts to automate the installation of individually manufactured handles with a very low cost, but machines designed for this purpose are complex, expensive, slow and unreliable.

The patent N ° FR 2,619,551 filed by the author of the present invention describes a handle of the aforementioned type to be put in place automatically, the handle body being bent during manufacture so that its ends are separated from each other. a distance equal to that separating the slots provided in the wall of the packaging for which it is intended. The hooking tabs are flat, and the handle being made in such a way that each of these legs forms, with the corresponding end of the body, an acute angle so as to be parallel to the latching lug located at the other end.
To facilitate the automatic positioning of the handles, they are manufactured in strips each consisting of a plurality of handles assembled side by side by easily sectionable material bridges. This arrangement has the advantage of considerably facilitating the feeding of the machines intended for their installation.

• Le moule en forme est cher et ne permet que des cadences de production lentes, d'où un prix de revient élevé par rapport aux poignées individuelles.
• La forme de la poignée limite les possibilités d'enroulement et le nombre de poignées par rouleau est souvent jugé insuffisant (autonomie des machines).
• L'entraxe des trous de pose sur l'emballage est lié à la forme de la poignée, ce qui impose des dimensions minima de l'emballage devant recevoir celle-ci.
• Les poussoirs ou doigts de pose se contentent de pousser la poignée sans assurer un maintien quel qu'il soit de celle-ci, ce qui peut occasionner quelques incidents de pose.

However, these handles have a number of disadvantages:

• The shaped mold is expensive and allows only slow production rates, resulting in a high cost compared to individual handles.
• The shape of the handle limits the possibilities of winding and the number of handles per roll is often considered insufficient (autonomy of the machines).
• The spacing of the laying holes on the packaging is related to the shape of the handle, which imposes minimum dimensions of the package to receive it.
• The pushers or fingers pose to push the handle without ensuring any maintenance of it, which can cause some incidents of installation.

The device according to claim 1 is intended to overcome these disadvantages. It makes it possible to make generally shaped handles approximating the economic handles, and whose implementation can be ensured automatically by a simple and reliable laying machine.

It is constituted by the association of continuous flat ribbon handles made so as to leave between each of them and those adjacent to it bridges easily severable when placed on a package, and rails of adjustable position guide arranged to ensure both the approximation and orientation of the ends of the handles so that said ends are exactly in line with the slots of the packaging intended to receive them all, causing the bending of the handle body.

• la figure 1 représente une portion de ruban formé de poignées planes,
• la figure 2 est un agrandissement vu de face du détail D1 de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 représente, vues de côté, deux variantes d'extrémité de poignée,
• les figures 4 et 5 montrent, dans les mêmes conditions que les figures 2 et 3, un type différent d'extrémité de poignée,
• la figure 6 est une vue axonométrique d'un rail de guidage,
• la figure 7 représente, vue en bout, l'extrémité d'entrée d'un rail de guidage avec représentation partielle d'une poignée avant cintrage,
• la figure 8 montre dans les mêmes conditions l'extrémité de sortie du rail de guidage, ainsi que le poussoir de pose des poignées
• et la figure 9 représente dux rails de guidage vus de dessus, avec un ruban de poignées engagé.

In the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples of embodiments of the subject of the invention:

• the figure 1 represents a portion of ribbon formed of flat handles,
• the figure 2 is an enlargement seen from the front of the detail D1 of the figure 1 ,
• the figure 3 represents, viewed from the side, two variants of handle end,
• the Figures 4 and 5 show, under the same conditions as Figures 2 and 3 , a different type of handle end,
• the figure 6 is an axonometric view of a guide rail,
• the figure 7 represents, end view, the inlet end of a guide rail with partial representation of a handle before bending,
• the figure 8 shows in the same conditions the output end of the guide rail, as well as the push of the handles
• and the figure 9 represents two guide rails viewed from above, with a ribbon of handles engaged.

The device, Figures 1 to 9 , consists of handles 1 comprising a central body 2 in the form of semi-rigid strap equipped with anchoring elements 3, 4, 4 'at each of its ends, and two guide rails 5 intended to be mounted on the automatic positioning machine to bring the handles above the slots provided in the packaging to allow their attachment.

• ergots 3 disposés latéralement dans le plan de la poignée (figures 2 et 3),
• pattes 4, 4' inclinées par rapport au plan de la poignée (figures 4 et 5).

Les ergots 3 et les pattes 4 sont déterminés pour pouvoir se rabattre contre le corps central 2 lors de leur pénétration dans la fente de l'emballage et s'écarter par élasticité pour maintenir la poignée en place.
Aux extrémités de chaque poignée sont prévus des renflements 6 destinés à coulisser dans les rails de guidage 5.Before being put in place, the handles are flat and are in the form of a continuous ribbon manufactured by molding or extrusion of plastic such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or the like.
The anchoring elements can be of two types:

• pins 3 arranged laterally in the plane of the handle ( Figures 2 and 3 )
• tabs 4, 4 'inclined relative to the plane of the handle ( Figures 4 and 5 ).

The lugs 3 and the lugs 4 are determined to be able to fall back against the central body 2 during their penetration into the slot of the package and move away elastically to hold the handle in place.
At the ends of each handle are bulges 6 intended 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 distance between the rails varies and decreases as they pass from the entry point 8 to the exit point 9 of the rails, so that to bring the ends of the handle to present them exactly opposite the slots of the package, while forcing the handle to bend.
The output distance of the guide rails can advantageously be made adjustable by articulating on an axis 10 disposed near the entry point 8, which allows to use the same handles for different packaging.
The grooves 7 comprise a constriction intended to prevent the bulge 6 coming out as it travels along the rail, and have a helical shape arranged so as to constrain the ends of the handles to operate a quarter turn to lie in a perpendicular plane to the wall of the package out of the guide rail 5.

Each handle 1, which protrudes from the downstream end of the guide rail 5, is then moved towards the wall of the package, towards the slots of the latter, by two pushers 11 with vertical reciprocating movement, the head of which takes the form of the handle to ensure its position during the entire laying phase, these pushers causing the engagement of the anchoring elements 3, 4, 4 'in said slots until they are fully engaged beyond the wall of the package.
The two pushers 11 will advantageously be actuated by a single vertical jack also ensuring the horizontal advance of the handles by means of levers and a drive system of known type.

The introduction of the handles 2 on the packaging intended to receive them is considerably improved because the handles 1 are packaged in strips each having a plurality of handles connected to each other by material bridges 12. In this way, each handle is guided easily by the guide rails 5 of the placing machine. The means for the establishment of the handles 1 comprise, in addition to the guide rails 5 and the pushers 11, blades located just downstream of the end of the guide rails, so that each of them plays the role of shearing blade of material bridges 12,

The positioning of the various constituent elements gives the object of the invention a maximum of useful effects that had not been obtained so far by similar devices.

Claims (12)

1. Device consisting of a handle added to packing and a tool for its installation, designed for the purpose of installing handles on cardboard or similar packing by an automatic machine,
   characterised by the combination, on the one hand, of flat handles (1) packed in continuous tape and executed so as to allow there to remain between each one of them and the adjacent ones bridges (12) of material easily severed when installing on packing and, on the other, guide rails (5) arranged to ensure both the approaching and the orientation of the ends of handles (1) so that the aforementioned ends are in line with the slits provided in the packing and designed to receive them, while causing the handle body to bend.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that at the end of each handle are expanded sections (6) for sliding into guide rails (5).
3. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that guide rails (5) are equipped with a longitudinal groove (7) into which expanded sections (6) of handles (1) slide, said grooves comprising a narrowing to prevent expanded section (6) exiting handle (1) when moving along said guide rail.
4. Device according to any of the above claims, characterised in that the center-to-centre distance between guide rails (5) varies and decreases while passing from the point of entry (8) to the point of exit (9) of said rails, so as to bring the ends of the handle closer together so that they are exactly opposite the packing slits.
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that the centre-to-centre spacing between exits of guide rails (5) is made adjustable by articulating said rails on axis (10) arranged near point of entry (8), so as to use the same handles (1) for different packings.
6. Device according to any of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that grooves (7) of the guide rails have a helicoidal form arranged so as to force the ends of handles (1) to execute a quarter turn so as to be perpendicular to the packing wall when exiting guide rails (5).
7. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that at the downstream end of each guide rail (5) is arranged a pusher (11) with alternative vertical displacement, the head of which marries the shape of handle (1) in order to guarantee its position during installation, said pusher causing the anchor elements (3, 4, 4') to engage in the packing slits designed to receive them until they are entirely engaged beyond the wall of said packing.
8. Device according to claim 7, characterised in that two pushers (11) are actuated by only one vertical actuating cylinder thereby also ensuring the horizontal displacement of the handles by means of levers and a drive system of known type.
9. Device according to any of claims 4 to 8, characterised in that shearing blades are installed just downstream from the end of guide rails (5) to section material bridges (12) connecting the handles (1) to one another.
10. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that handles (1) have anchoring elements (3, 4, 4') at their ends to fold back against central body (2) of the handle on penetrating the packing slit and to open out by elasticity in order to maintain said handle in place.
11. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the anchoring elements consist of lugs (3) arranged laterally on the plane of handle (1).
12. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the anchoring elements consist of anchor arms (4, 4') inclined relative to the plane of handle (1).

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