Method of and apparatus for making handle bags

Claim 1

A method of making handle bags of a predetermine bag width from an elongated synthetic-resin tube, said method comprising the steps of: feeding said tube through a cutting station at a predetermined feed speed; engaging a cutter through said tube at said station to subdivide said tube transversely into a pair of tube halves; reciprocating said cutter back and forth transversely of said tube in said station at such a rate as to form on the confronting cut edges of said halves interfitting and staggered handle flaps; and transversely seaming together each of said tubes at seams between said flaps, said tube being flattened and passed over a cutting drum at said station, said drum being formed with a circumferentially endless and undulating cutting groove, said cutter being a blade guided by said groove.

Claim 2

A method of making handle bags of a predetermine bag width from an elongated synthetic-resin tube, said method comprising the steps of: feeding said tube through a cutting station at a predetermined feed speed; engaging a cutter through said tube at said station to subdivide said tube transversely into a pair of tube halves; reciprocating said cutter back and forth transversely of said tube in said station at such a rate as to form on the confronting cut edges of said halves interfitting and staggered handle flaps; and transversely seaming together each of said tubes at seams between said flaps, said tube being flattened and passed over a cutting drum at said station, said drum being formed with a circumferentially endless and undulating cutting groove, said cutter being a blade guided by said groove.

Claim 4

An apparatus for making handle bags of a predetermined bag width from an elongated synthetic-resin tube, said apparatus comprising: a cutting drum formed with an endless circumferentially extending undulating cutting groove, centered on and rotatable about a drum axis, and having a circumference different from said bag width; feed means including a downstream feed roller and an upstream feed roller both engaging said tube for advancing same from said upstream roller to said downstream roller over said drum at a predetermined feed speed; a blade engaging radially inwardly in said groove, whereby said tube on passing over said drum is subdivided transversely by said blade into a pair of halves having at said drum staggered and interfitting handle flaps; means for rotating said drum at a peripheral speed different from said feed speed, whereby said tube slips on said drum and said flaps are spaced longitudinally apart on said tube spacing equal to said bag width and a function both of said feed speed and of said peripheral speed; deflecting guides between said drum and said downstream feed roller engaging only one of said halves and detouring same through a distance equal to an odd whole-number multiple of half of said bag width, whereby said flaps of said halves are in exact transverse juxtaposition downstream of said deflecting guides; and means adjacent said downstream roller for transversely seaming together each of said tubes at seams between said flaps.

Claim 5

An apparatus for making handle bags of a predetermined bag width from an elongated synthetic-resin tube, said apparatus comprising: a cutting drum formed with an endless circumferentially extending undulating cutting groove, centered on and rotatable about a drum axis, and having a circumference different from said bag width; feed means including a downstream feed roller and an upstream feed roller both engaging said tube for advancing same from said upstream roller to said downstream roller over said drum at a predetermined feed speed; a blade engaging radially inwardly in said groove, whereby said tube on passing over said drum is subdivided transversely by said blade into a pair of halves having at said drum staggered and interfitting handle flaps; means for rotating said drum at a peripheral speed different from said feed speed, whereby said tube slips on said drum and said flaps are spaced longitudinally apart on said tube spacing equal to said bag width and a function both of said feed speed and of said peripheral speed; deflecting guides between said drum and said downstream feed roller engaging only one of said halves and detouring same through a distance equal to an odd whole-number multiple of half of said bag width, whereby said flaps of said halves are in exact transverse juxtaposition downstream of said deflecting guides; and means adjacent said downstream roller for transversely seaming together each of said tubes at seams between said flaps.