Plastic bag handle aperture forming apparatus

Claim 1

In a bag making machine, an apparatus for forming bag handle apertures by cutting coupons from a plastic web material, said apparatus comprising: at least one aperture cutting means for cutting said web material and ejecting a coupon therefrom, having a peripherally extending aperture cutting blade shaped to cut said bag handle aperture within its cutting periphery, said aperture cutting means including a plunger movable within the cutting periphery of the aperture cutting blade, said plunger including pirecing means on a leading face thereof for positively holding said web material proximate and aperture cutting blade; support means for supporting said web material and having one aperture for each aperture cutting means located in alignment with said plunger thereof, said support means aperture being sized greater than said plunger and less than the cutting periphery of said aperture cutting blade, means for moving said support means and aperture cutting means relative to one another, operatively associated therewith, to bring said web material into engagement first with said piercing means and then with said aperture cutting blade to first cause said piercing means to pierce said web material and extend into said support means aperture to positively hold said web material proximate said aperture cutting blade and then to cause said aperture cutting blade to cut said coupon from the web material; and means operatively associated with said aperture cutting means for moving said plunger into and out of said support means aperture when said coupon is cut so as to eject said coupon from said web material upon withdrawal of said plunger from said support means aperature.