Apparatus for forming and applying handles to bags

An apparatus for carrying rope handles for paper bags from a rope handle forming station to a paper bag forming station, said rope handle forming station feeding two rows of rope handles in a predetermined direction, the rope handles having U bent ends, wherein said rode handles are applied on a paper strip at an entrance of said paper bag forming station before forming the paper bags, the apparatus comprising:

• a first and a second plurality of means for gripping the rope handles, said first plurality of gripping means and said second plurality of gripping means being arranged substantially side by side and laterally with respect to the feeding direction of the two rows of rope handles fed from said rope handle forming station;
• supporting means for carrying said gripping means along an essentially close path, said path being rectilinear at least along a first tract adjacent to that in which the rope handles supported by said gripping means are fed towards the bag forming station entrance and along a second tract in which said rode handles move transversely with respect to the direction along which said rope handles are introduced in the bag forming station;
• means for smearing a glue layer on a surface of sheets for holding the ends of the U bent rope of the rope handle provided in a median zone of said first tract;
• means for inhibiting said means for gripping the rope handles provided along the second tract;
• and
• means for bringing the handles to the bag forming station.