DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a T-shirt bag positioning device.

The invention also relates to a method for opening, spreading and inserting a T-shirt bag in a holder.

A T-shirt carrier bag, or short T-shirt bag, is a shirt-shaped foil bag with integral handles, as described and shown in US2011/0164836 and US 4,676,378. T-shirt bags (handle bag or vest-type shopping bag) can be formed without or with side folds (pleated or gusseted bag) from tubular foil material. The top edge and bottom edge are sealed, after which a U-shaped part is cut out at the top of the bag. This creates a T-shirt bag with two handles. When using side folds, the open handles on the front and rear of the T-shirt bag comprise two layers of foil. Preferably, the T-shirt bags are made of a lightweight, flexible and strong thermoplastic material.

For manual removal of the T-shirt bags from a bundle, suspension means are used comprising pins that protrude through the handles of the T-shirt bags. These are described in, among others, US 4,676,378 US 5,938,033 and US 2009/0274396. For this purpose, the handles are provided with a perforation or opening, so that the T-shirt bags can be slid onto the pins. To open and spread the T-shirt bag for use as a shopping bag, for example, the front foil layer of the T-shirt bag is pulled off the bundle by hand, while the rear foil layer of the T-shirt bag remains in the same position on the pins. The T-shirt bag can now be opened and spread by its handles and lifted off the pins with two hands, or filled through the opening at the top.

NL1012033 in the name of the applicant describes a method and a device for arranging a foil bag in an outer box or crate. The foil bags are provided with side folds and have an entirely open upper/top side, because no weld or seal is provided on the top edge. In NL1012033 the foil bags are opened and spread by the described device and then positioned and inserted into a holder, such as a box or a crate. One (or more) foil bag is arranged per box or crate, whereby the upper portions of the foil bag are folded from the inside to the outside around the side walls of the box or crate. The foil bags are provided with two perforation openings, with which the bundle of foil bags can be mounted and be suspended on a set of support pins. NL1022290 in the name of the applicant discloses a foil bag for use in the device according to NL1012033, wherein the foil bag is provided with two perforation openings, and wherein incisions (cuts) are provided at the perforation openings of the front foil layer and of the front side fold portions, and wherein no incisions are provided at the perforation openings in the rear foil layer and in the rear side fold portions. This allows the foil bag to be opened more easily by the positioning device, because the front perforation openings are easily moved over the support pins, while the rear perforation openings are more difficult to move over the support pins because the rear perforation openings are provided with substantially the same diameter as the support pins, so that these perforation openings are slightly jammed on the support pins, exerting a light clamping force on the support pins encountering resistance when moving over the support pins.

Unlike foil bags, T-shirt bags are provided with a weld or heat seal on their top edge. Consequently, the T-shirt bags cannot be inserted into a holder such as a crate with folded upper portions. A holder is an open square or rectangular container or crate with closed or open side walls, in which various articles can be stored. T-shirt bags are fitted with their handles in recesses in opposite top edges of the side walls of the holder. Often two or more T-shirt bags are arranged and suspended in a holder. Parts of the handles extend on the outside of the side walls of the holder. Foropening, spreading, positioning, and inserting a T-shirt bag into a holder, a positioning device is required, which opens the T-shirt bag and also opens both handles, and which then positions and inserts the T-shirt bag into the holder by arranging the handles into the recesses of the holder. NL1043347 of the applicant describes a T-shirt bag, which is specially designed for use in a positioning device for T-shirt bags.

It has been found that the known positioning device for foil bags having perforation openings near the open, not welded, top edge cannot be used for opening, positioning and inserting into a holder of T-shirt bags provided with a top edge seal having perforation openings in handles.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a positioning device, which opens a T-shirt bag automatically at high throughput and frequency with a high reliability from a bundle of T-shirt bags on support pins; and which then positions and fixes the opened T-shirt bag with high reliability in recesses in the top edge (rim) of the side walls of a holder. Because the dimensions of the T-shirt bag are determined specifically for a particulate holder, the T-shirt bag positioning device according to the invention must also be able to position and insert T-shirt bags of different sizes and with different numbers in holders of different sizes, with the bottom of the T-shirt bag on the bottom of the holder and with the handles fixed into the recesses in the side walls of the holder. Therefore, the T-shirt bag positioning device must be flexible and easily adaptable to the chosen size of the T-shirt bag, the desired number of T-shirt bags in a holder, the dimensions of the holder, and the positions of the recesses in the side walls of the holder.

The above objects are fulfilled according to the invention, with a positioning device comprising: four handle spreader members, two on the left side for the left carrying opening and two on the right side for the right carrying opening of the T-shirt bag, a left grip hook and a right grip hook, which are arranged to support the left handle and the right handle of a T-shirt bag, respectively; wherein the two grip hooks are movable towards each other from the outside of the T-shirt bag from the left side and from the right side in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag, respectively, from an open position outside the T-shirt bag to a closed position in the left carrying opening and the right carrying opening respectively of the T-shirt bag, wherein in the closed position of the grip hooks the handle spreader members are positioned within the grip hooks.

With two handle spreader members (also known as spreader brackets) and a grip hook for the left handle, and two handle spreader members and a grip hook for the right handle, the handles of a T-shirt bag can be reliably opened, positioned and inserted into holders of variable dimensions such as a crate, which are provided with recesses in the top edge of the side walls.

In particular, the grip hooks are provided with a U-shape, wherein the open sides of the U-shape are facing each other and are directed towards the handle spreader members. The U-shape allows the grip hook to support the carrying openings of the T-shirt bag handles and to spread the carrying openings in the width direction of the T-shirt bag. Furthermore, opening and tensioning the handles of the T-shirt bag is performed reliable by the handle spreader members. Preferably, the grip hooks comprise two longitudinal walls extending parallel in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag, wherein the longitudinal walls are sloping down in the direction of the T-shirt bag.

With these measures, the grip hooks with the narrow ends of the longitudinal walls can more easily be inserted into the carrying openings of the handles of the T-shirt bag and the carrying openings can be further opened in the height direction of the T-shirt bag on the wide parts of the longitudinal walls, so that the handle spreader members can better grip the handles and can reliably be inserted into the carrying openings of the handles.

In a preferred embodiment, the handle spreader members extend in the height direction of the T-shirt bag and are displaceable in the height direction and the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag, wherein the lower portion of the handle spreader members are essentially shaped as flat plate-shaped fingers.

It has been found that with these measures the handles can easily be stretched (and tensioned) and subsequently be arranged in a holder such as a crate.

Preferably, the handle spreader members and the grip hooks are arranged to jointly move outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag to stretch and tension the handles of the T-shirt bag. Because the handle spreader members and the grip hooks move together outwardly and stretch the T-shirt bag by its handles in a narrow rectangular shape, the T-shirt bag is prevented from slipping off or falling off the handle spreader members, because the handle is clamped between the longitudinal walls of the grip hooks and the handle spreader members.

In particular, the four handle spreader members are arranged to change the mutual distance in a horizontal plane under a controlled 45 degrees movement, so that the first dimension of the T-shirt bag, for example in the longitudinal direction, is decreased and simultaneously the second dimension of the T-shirt bag, for example in the width direction, is increased by the distance of the decrease of the first dimension.

As a result, identical circumferential stretch tension on the handles and the T-shirt bag is obtained over the entire movement of the handle spreader members, and the T-shirt bag is prevented from slipping off or falling off the handle spreader members. The T- shirt bag has now obtained a final desired spread-out size, which is equal to a horizontal plane formed by the recesses in the side walls of the holder. In a special embodiment, the positioning device is provided with clamping elements, which are arranged to fix(clamp) the stretched tensioned handles of the T-shirt bag on the handle spreader members. These clamping elements prevent the T-shirt bag from slipping off or becoming detached from the handle spreader members during opening, spreading, positioning and inserting the T-shirt bag into a holder. Furthermore, the clamping elements prevent outwardly bulging of the T-shirt bag on the outside of the handle spreader members, in order to prevent partial insertion of the handle in the recesses in the top edges of the side walls of the holder.

In particular, each handle spreader member is provided with a plunger element, which are arranged for pressing and pushing the handles into the recesses in the side walls of the holder.

Preferably, the plunger element comprises an elongate plate-shaped element which extends, and is displaceable, in the height direction of the T-shirt bag.

In an alternative embodiment, each handle spreader member is provided with a handle support member extending parallel to the handle spreader member in the height direction of the T-shirt bag, and wherein the distance between a handle spreader member and a handle support member in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag is greater than the thickness of the side wall with the recesses of the holder, so that the handle support member is positioned along the inside of the side wall with the recesses of the holder, in order to stretch and straighten the handles of the T-shirt bag above the recesses in the side walls of the holder. Having the handle support members essentially parallelly oriented to the handle spreader members, the handles can be pulled taut and be positioned precisely, without bulging, above the recesses in the holder.

In a special embodiment of the plunger element, the plunger element comprises two elongate plate-shaped elements, which extend parallel in the height direction of the T- shirt bag, and wherein the distance between the two elongate plate-shaped elements in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag is greater than the thickness of the side wall with the recesses of the holder, so that the two elongate plate-shaped elements can be displaced along the inside and the outside of the side wall with the recesses of the holder for pushing the handles into the recesses of the side walls.

In particular, each handle spreader member is provided with an outer elongate plate shaped element and wherein each handle support member is provided with an inner elongate plate-shaped element. In particular, the plate-shaped elements of the plunger element overlap in the width direction of the T-shirt bag at least partially with the handle spreader member and with the handle support member.

With the plunger elements, the front portions and the rear portions of the left and right handles, positioned in the previous steps, can be pushed and pressed into the recesses in the top edge of the side walls of the holder by displacing one or two elongate plate shaped elements along the inside and/or the outside of the side wall with the recesses of the holder. Because the plunger members partially overlap the associated handle spreader member and handle support member and preferably extend between the side walls and the handle spreader members and the handle support members, the plunger members are able to quickly and reliably push the stretched and tensioned handles into the recesses.

In particular, the support pins at their ends are provided with a protrusion or a widening, so that the rear portions of the handles remain clamped on the protrusion with the perforation opening without incision, and the T-shirt bag and the carrying openings can be opened completely and reliably.

The invention also relates to a method for opening and spreading a T-shirt bag (shirt shaped foil bag with integral handles) for positioning and inserting into a holder provided with recesses in the top edge of the side walls, comprising the steps of: providing a bundle of T-shirt bags on a suspension means by providing both handles with a continuous suspension opening and suspending the bundle on two support pins; removing the front handle portions of the T-shirt bag from the support pins so that the handles of the T-shirt bag are opened; inserting a left grip hook and a right grip hook into the carrying openings of the T- shirt bag handles from the outside of the T-shirt bag from the left side and from the right side, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag; inserting four handle spreaders members, two in the left carrying opening and two in the right carrying opening of the T-shirt bag, wherein the handle spreader members are positioned within the grip hooks; displacing the handle spreader members and grip hooks together outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the T-shirt bag to stretch and tension the T-shirt bag handles. By positioning the two left handle spreader members within the left grip hook for the left handle and the two right handle spreader members within the right grip hook for the right handle, and because the handle spreader members and the grip hooks move together outwardly and stretch the T-shirt bag by its handles into a narrow rectangular shape, the T-shirt bag is prevented from slipping or falling off the handle spreader members, because the handle is sandwiched between the longitudinal walls of the grip hooks and the handle spreader members. This allows for opening of the handles of a T- shirt bag and for reliably positioning and inserting of the T-shirt bag into a holder of variable dimensions, such as a crate with recesses in the top edge of the side walls.

In particular, the method according to the invention further comprises the step of: changing the mutual distance between the four handle spreader members with a controlled 45 degrees movement in a horizontal plane, such that the first dimension of the T-shirt bag, for example in the longitudinal direction, is decreased and simultaneously the second dimension of the T-shirt bag, for example in the width direction, is increased by the distance corresponding to the decrease of the first dimension.

This allows for providing the T-shirt bag with the desired spread dimensions which are equal to the dimensions of a horizontal plane formed by the recesses in the side walls of the holder, while at the same time preventing the T-shirt bag from slipping off or falling off the handle spreader members.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of: moving the T-shirt bag with stretched, tensioned handles downwardly in the height direction of the T-shirt bag in the direction of the holder, wherein the flat plate-shaped fingers on the lower portion of the handle spreader members are positioned on the outside of the side walls of the holder having the recesses.

In particular, the method further comprises the step of:

Positioning and inserting the handles into the recesses in the side walls of the holder by means of plunger members provided on each handle spreader member, by moving the plunger members downward in the height direction of the T-shirt bag.

By firstly positioning the front and rear handle portions, which are stretched and tensioned on the handle spreader members, exactly above the recesses of the holder, these portions of the handles can be slid off easily and reliably from the handle spreader members by means of the plunger elements and can be pressed into the recesses in the top edge of the side walls of the holder. Figure 1 shows a bundle of T-shirt bags on support pins of a positioning device according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows the T-shirt bag of Figure 1, pulled open by the vacuum elements and suspended with the rear handle portions on the support pins;

Figure 3 shows positioning of the grip hooks and the handle spreader members;

Figure 4 shows the grip hooks in the closed position around the handle spreader members;

Figure 5 shows stretching of the T-shirt bag into a narrow rectangular shape;

Figure 6 shows the grip hooks in the open position outside the carrying openings of the T-shirt bag;

Figure 7 shows the T-shirt bag after the controlled 45 degrees movement of the handle spreader members;

Figure 8 shows the downward displacement of the streched T-shirt bag to a position above the holder;

Figure 9 shows positioning of the front and rear handle portions above the recesses in the side walls of the holder, and shows the plunger elements;

Figure 10 shows how the plunger elements push the handle parts into the recesses of the holder, Figure 10R shows enlarged the right part of Figure 10, Figure 10L shows enlarged the left part of Figure 10, Figure 10B shows in top view the enlarged part of Figure 10L;

Figure 11 shows the final situation with the opened T-shirt bag having its handles stretched and tensioned within the recesses of the holder. Exemplary embodiment

Figure 1 shows a bundle of T-shirt bags 1, which are suspended in a T-shirt bag positioning device by means of support pins 29. The support pins 29 are provided with a protrusion or widening 32 at the end. In Figure 2, an opened T-shirt bag 1 is shown in more detail with a front foil layer 2, a rear foil layer 3, a left side fold 4 and a right side fold 5, each fold having a front side fold portion 6, 8 and a rear side fold portion 7, 9. These T-shirt bags are manufactured as foil bags from a tubular foil, from which individual foil bags are manufactured by means of applying bottom/top welds to the bottom edge and the top edge. When side folds are applied, the folds are also sealed at the bottom edge and top edge to the front and rear foil layers. Because the foil bag is manufactured from a single piece of tubular foil, the different foil layers of the foil bag will be substantially identical in terms of composition and physical properties, including foil thickness.

Figure 2 shows the front foil layer 2 and the rear foil layer 3 and the two side folds 4, 5 being joined together at the bottom edge 10 and the top edge 11. At the upper portion of the T-shirt bag 1, two handles 12, 13 are formed by providing a recess 14, which extends from the top edge 11 into the two side folds 4, 5, so that a left and a right carrying opening 15 and 16, respectively, is formed, by cutting away the joint between the side folds 4, 5. The front foil layer 2 with the front side fold portions 6 - 8 form the front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1; the rear foil layer 3 with the rear side fold portions 7 - 9 form the rear handle portions 12.2 and 13.2. The two handles 12, 13 are provided with a continuous suspension opening 17, 18 consisting of four perforation openings in the left handle 12 and four perforation openings in the right handle 13, respectively, for the front foil layer 2, the front side fold portions 6, 8, the rear side fold portions 7, 9 and the rear foil layer 3. As a result, the T-shirt bag 1 is adapted and suitable for being suspended on suspension means on a set of support pins 29, and for being opened. The opened T-shirt bag 1 in Figure 2 has a height direction H, a longitudinal direction L and a width direction B.

The perforation openings in the left handle 12 and the perforation openings in the right handle 13 in the front foil layer 2 and in the front side fold portions 6, 8 are provided with an incision. The incisions preferably extend from the perforation openings so that the front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1 slide easily over the support pins 29 and over the protrusion or widening 32 of the ends of the support pins 29. The perforation openings in the rear handle portions 12.2 and 13.2 are not provided with incisions, so that the rear handle portions cannot slide easily over the protrusions 32 at the ends of the support pins 29, so that the handles 12, 13 of the T-shirt bag 1 can easily be opened. For opening a T-shirt bag, it is important that the carrying openings 15, 16 are properly opened and are accessible to the opening mechanism of the positioning device. Preferably, spot welds 21, 22 are provided in the front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1 between the front foil layer 2 and the front side fold portions 6, 8. It has been found, that by arranging spot welds 21, 22 in the handles, the lateral insertion of the grip hooks of the opening mechanism of the positioning device into the carrying openings 15, 16 of the T-shirt bag can be carried out at high throughput and frequency with high reliability.

Figures 1 and 2 show two vacuum cups or vacuum elements 50 of the opening mechanism of the positioning device. These vacuum elements 50 engage with the front foil layer 2 of the left handle 12 and the right handle 13 under the continuous suspension openings 17, 18. According to the applicant's easy-open system, the front foil layer 2 of the T-shirt bag remains on the vacuum elements 50 and the rear foil layer 3 remains on the easy-open support pins 29. This position, as shown in Figure 2, is the starting point for the T-shirt bag positioning device according to the invention. The rear handle portions 12.2 and 13.2 are still suspended on the support pins 29, which are preferably provided with a bulge or widened end 32. The front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1 have already been pulled off the support pins 29. The front side fold portions 6 and 8 in the front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1 are closely abutting the front foil layer 2, so that large spacious left and right carrying openings 15, 16 are formed for the opening mechanism of the T-shirt bag positioning device.

Figure 3 shows the opening mechanism of the positioning device according to the invention with left grip hook 51 and right grip hook 52 and with four spreader brackets or handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4; left handle spreader members 53.1 and 53.2 for the left carrying opening 15 and right handle spreader members 53.3 and 53.4 for the right carrying opening 16 of T-shirt bag 1. The four handle spreader members are controlled and moved independently of each other, the mutual movements and positions are usually coupled. Preferably, the left handle spreader members 53.1 and 53.2 and the right handle spreader members 53.3 and 53.4 are aligned one behind the other in the width direction B, as shown in Figure 3. The handle spreader members in this exemplary embodiment extend substantially vertically as flat plate-shaped fingers in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag. In particular, the handle spreader members are provided as double plates or fingers, with a plate on the inside of the side wall of the holder and a plate on the outside of the holder. This has the advantage, that the handle is able to stretch tightly around the handle spreader member, so that the handle can be positioned correctly above the recess, and that furthermore the plunger is able to press the handle properly into the recess.

The grip hooks 51, 52 can be inserted into the carrying openings 15, 16 to support the left and right handles and to facilitate stretching and tensioning of the T-shirt bag. The left grip hook 51 is moved from its open position on the outside of the T-shirt bag (Figure 3) to a closed position (Figure 4) in the left carrying opening 15. The right grip hook 52 is moved from its open position on the outside of the T-shirt bag (Figure 3) to a closed position (Figure 4) in the right carrying opening 16. The grip hooks 51, 52 are thereby moved towards each other, for example by rotation about a pivot axis (not shown). The four handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 are positioned within the opened T-shirt bag so that the left handle spreader members 53.1 and 53.2 can engage the left handle 12 from the inside and the right handle spreader members 53.3 and 53.4 can engage the right handle 13 from the inside.

Figure 4 shows two grip hooks 51, 52 in the closed position, wherein the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 are positioned within the grip hooks 51, 52. In this exemplary embodiment the grip hooks are provided with a U-shape, the open sides of the U-shape face each other and are directed towards the handle spreader members. The U-shape of the grip hooks comprises two parallel longitudinal walls 54, 55, which extend in the longitudinal direction L and in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag, and which receive the handle spreader members. The longitudinal walls 54, 55 may be mutually interconnected by a connecting element 56, which perpendicularly extends in the width direction B of the T-shirt bag. The longitudinal walls 54, 55 preferably slope down in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag and in the direction of each other, so that the grip hooks can easily be inserted with their narrow ends of their longitudinal walls into the carrying openings of the handles of the T-shirt bag. This has the purpose of being able to subsequently further open the carrying openings on the wide parts of the longitudinal walls in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag, so that the handle spreader members may properly engage the handles and may reliably be inserted into the carrying openings of the handles. Moreover, the longitudinal walls of the grip hooks ensure that the handles are positioned in the correct position in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag on the handle spreader members. The combination of grip hooks and handle spreader members ensures that the handles are opened and that the T-shirt bag is stretched and tensioned by its handles. The combination ensures that the handle spreader members are displaced through the carrying openings 15, 16 and that the handle spreader members do not contact the lower edges of the carrier opening, as formed by the U-shaped cut-out portion of the front side fold portion 6 - 8 and the rear side fold portion 7 - 9.

Figure 5 shows the handles 12, 13 of the T-shirt bag 1 being stretched around the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4. The left grip hook 51 containing the left handle spreader members 53.1 and 53.2 and the right grip hook 52 containing the right handle spreader members 53.3 and 53.4 are moved away from each other in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag 1. The upper portion of the handles with the welded top edge 11 are now tightly stretched around the handle spreader members. The handle spreader members stretch the T-shirt bag into a narrow rectangular shape. During this movement, the T-shirt bag is released from the easy-open (support) pins and from the vacuum cups, or vacuum elements 50. In the particulate embodiment of Figure 5, the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 are each provided with a handle support member 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8. These handle support members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8 extend substantially parallel to the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag 1, and are optionally provided with a corresponding shape. The distance between a handle spreader member and a handle support member in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag is greater than the thickness of the side wall with the recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 of the holder, so that the handle support members are positioned along the inside of the side wall with the recesses of the holder in order to stretch and straighten the handles 12, 13 of the T-shirt bag 1 above the recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 in the side walls of the holder 60, and perpendicular to the side walls.

Figure 6 shows the grip hooks 51, 52 being removed from the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 and therefore also removed out of the carrying openings 15, 16 of the handles by, for example, tilting the grip hooks outwardly about a pivot axis from the closed position to the open position. The handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 (and optionally the handle support members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8) can now be moved independently of each other in the width direction B and in the longitudinal direction L with respect to each other. The positioning device is optionally provided with clamping elements 58, which are arranged for fixing the stretched, tensioned handles 12, 13 of the T-shirt bag on the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 (and optionally on the handle support members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8). The clamping members 58 are provided on the outsides of the handle spreader members (and the handle support members) in the width direction B of the T-shirt bag, so that the stretched and tensioned handle portions in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag can be clamped between the handle spreader members (and the handle support members) and the clamping members 58, to prevent the handle portions from prematurely detaching from the handle spreader members. Furthermore, the clamping elements 58 ensure that the T-shirt bag on the outside of the handle spreader members (and the handle support members) cannot bulge outwards, in order to prevent the handle from being placed partially into the recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 in the top edge of the side walls of the holder.

Figure 7 shows the situation in which the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 (with optionally the handle support members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8) are simultaneously displaced with respect to each other, preferably in a controlled 45 degrees movement, in a horizontal plane, defined by the width direction B and the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag 1. With respect to the situation in Figure 6, the first dimension of the T-shirt bag has decreased, in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag, and at the same time the second dimension of the T-shirt bag, in the width direction B of the T-shirt bag, has increased. To keep the handles 12 and 13 stretched and tensioned on the four handle spreader members (and the four handle support members), the decrease in the first dimension is substantially equal to the increase in the second dimension. For this purpose, the handle spreader members are simultaneously displaced at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the width direction B and the longitudinal direction L. This maintains the same circumferential tension on the handles and the T-shirt bag throughout the movement of the handle spreader members. The left handle spreader members 53.1 and 53.2 and the right handle spreader members 53.3 and 53.4 are aligned one behind the other in the width direction B. The lower ends of the - plate-shaped finger - handle spreader members protrude through the carrying openings of the T-shirt bag. The T-shirt bag has now obtained the desired final spread size and shape, which is equal to the positions of the four handle spreader members and of the recesses of the holder.

Figure 8 shows the stretched and tensioned T-shirt bag 1 being moved downwards in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag to above the holder 60, for positioning and inserting the T-shirt bag into the recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4. In Figure 8 the holder is a crate 60, with recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 being provided in the top edges of the side walls of the crate for receiving and passing through the handles 12 and 13.

Figure 9 shows the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 (without the handle supports members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8) being positioned above the side walls of the crate, such that the outer edges 57.1, 57.2, 57.3, 57.4 of each of the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 are positioned approximately right above a recess 61.1,

61.2, 61.3, 61.4. On the outer edges 57.1, 57.2, 57.3, 57.4 of the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4, the handles 12, 13 are at an angle of approximately 90 degrees from the longitudinal direction L to the width direction B. This allows for the portions of the handles 12, 13, which extend in the longitudinal direction L, to be pushed and pressed into the respective recesses 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4. To this end, each handle spreader member 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 is provided with a plunger element 70.1, 70.2,

70.3, 70.4 for fixing the handles into the recesses in the top edges of the side walls of the crate.

In one embodiment, each plunger element comprises an elongate plate-shaped element

71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4, which extends in, and is movable in, the height direction H of the T-shirt bag. The elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4 are positioned on the outside of the side walls of the crate 60, above the recesses 61.1,

61.2, 61.3, 61.4, so that the handle is pushed and pressed into the recesses 61.1, 61.2,

61.3, 61.4. Preferably, the elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4 are provided between the side walls of the crate and the handle spreader members, so that the elongate plate-shaped elements are able to engage the handle portions extending in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag.

In a special embodiment of the plunger element, pairs of elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4 and 72.1 72.2, 72.3, 72.4 are provided, which extend parallel in the height direction H of the T-shirt bag 1, wherein the distance between each pair of elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1 - 72.1, 71.2 - 72.2, 71.3 - 72.3, 71.4 -

72.4 in the longitudinal direction L of the T-shirt bag is greater than the thickness of the side wall with the recess 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 of the holder, so that the pairs of elongate plate-shaped elements can be displaced along the inside and the outside of the side walls with the recesses of the holder to push and press the handle into the recesses of the side walls.

When handle support members (see Figures 5 - 8, 10) are applied, preferably each handle spreader member 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 is provided with outer elongate plate shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4 and each handle support member 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8 is provided with inner elongate plate-shaped elements 72.1, 72.2, 72.3, 72.4. In a preferred embodiment, the outer elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3,

71.4 overlap at least partially in the width direction B of the T-shirt bag with the handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 and the inner elongate plate-shaped elements

72.1, 72.2, 72.3, 72.4 overlap at least partially with the handle support member 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8 to facilitate the positioning, and pressing into the recesses, of the handle portions 12.1, 12.2, 13.1, 13.2. Preferably, the elongate plate-shaped elements extend near the side walls of the holder, so that the handles are easily released downwardly from the handle spreader members and pushed into the recesses in the side walls of the holder.

Figure 10 with associated Figure 10R of the enlarged right portion, and Figure 10L of the enlarged left portion, and Figure 10B with a top view of the enlarged left portion 10L of Figure 10, shows the outer elongate plate-shaped elements 71.1, 71.2, 71.3, 71.4 and the inner elongate plate-shaped elements 72.1, 72.2, 72.3, 72.4 of the plunger elements 70.1, 70.2, 70.3, 70.4, on both the outside as well as the inside of the side walls of the crate, having pushed and pressed the handles 12, 13 into the recesses 61.1,

61.2, 61.3, 61.4 in the top edges of the side walls of the crate 60. The handles 12 and 13 are now largely located on the outside of the side walls of the crate. The handle spreader members 53.1, 53.2, 53.3, 53.4 (and the shown optional handle support members 53.5, 53.6, 53.7, 53.8) and the plunger members 70.1, 70.2, 70.3, 70.4 are subsequent displaced in height direction H of the T-shirt bag and disengaged and removed for a next cycle for opening, spreading, positioning and inserting a T-shirt bag into the same holder or into a next holder.

Figure 11 shows the desired and achieved situation of a T-shirt bag 1 stretched and fixed into a holder 60. The left handle 12 runs on the left outside of the left side wall of the holder and the right handle 13 runs on the right outside of the right-side wall of the holder. The front handle portions 12.1 and 13.1 pass through the front recesses 61.1,

61.3, and the rear handle portions 12.2, 13.2 pass through the rear recesses 61.2, 61.4 of the holder. Objects such as groceries can now be placed into the T-shirt bag. When the T-shirt bag is to be delivered with the objects, the T-shirt bag can easily be removed from the holder, and from the recesses in the side walls of the holder, by manually grip the handles on the outside of the holder and pulling the handles out of the recesses in the side walls. By creating the smallest possible circumference of the T-shirt bag, easy popping out of the T-shirt bag from the recesses is prevented in subsequent production steps, reducing adverse consequences for the subsequent process steps. The coherence of the size of the T-shirt bag and the T-shirt bag positioning device is essential to be able to achieve the highest attainable quality in positioning and inserting of T-shirt bags.