Abstract: A pouch for holding viscous food product for dispensing from a specific hand held or similar type dispenser, is formed so as to include a tear strip to open a funnel-shaped, centrally disposed outlet spout formed to be sealingly held in the specific dispenser. The pouch includes a pair of alignment/holding openings formed on either side of the outlet spout for securing the pouch in a fixed position in the dispenser. The invention also includes head seal tooling having a pair of heated jaws which are brought together to simultaneously form the bottom seal of a top unfilled, pouch and the outlet spout and angularly disposed top seals of a filled lower pouch, while at the same time forming perforations for the tear strip, the pair of openings in the lower pouch and cutting-off the formed, filled and sealed lower pouch from the upper pouch.

Abstract: An enlarged dispensing pouch for holding viscous food product for dispensing from a specific hand held or similar type dispenser, is formed so as to include a tear strip which will accurately and consistently open a funnel-shaped, centrally disposed outlet spout formed in the pouch. The tooling to form the tear-off strip across the pouch and up to the outlet spout includes a plurality of blade groupings having specifically sized and shaped blades to form a predetermined number of enlarged perforations and smaller end perforations along the tearline of pouches to enable the tear strips so formed to be accurately and consistently torn off the pouches.

Abstract: A pouch for holding viscous food product for dispensing from a specific hand held or similar type dispenser, is formed so as to include a tear strip to open a funnel-shaped, centrally disposed outlet spout formed to be sealingly held in the specific dispenser. The pouch includes a pair of alignment/holding openings formed on either side of the outlet spout for securing the pouch in a fixed position in the dispenser. The invention also includes head seal tooling having a pair of heated jaws which are brought together to simultaneously form the bottom seal of a top unfilled, pouch and the outlet spout and angularly disposed top seals of a filled lower pouch, while at the same time forming perforations for the tear strip, the pair of openings in the lower pouch and cutting-off the formed, filled and sealed lower pouch from the upper pouch.

Abstract: A fill tube has a hollow interior with a product inlet orifice, a product discharge orifice and a fill rod orifice connected to the interior. A plunger rod having ends is mounted through the fill rod orifice such that its first end is located within the hollow interior of the tube adjacent the product discharge orifice. The plunger rod has a valve member on this end that is tear drop in shape and is sized to fit into and seal against the inside of the discharge orifice. A plurality of fill tubes and plungers can be mounted on a packaging machine in conjunction with a prime mover and a moving member that is operated by the prime mover. Each of the plungers are connected to the moving member so as to be moved within their fill tubes in conjunction with movement of the moving member imparted thereto by the prime mover.

Abstract: A seal for a pouch packaging machine as, for instance, a form, fill and seal packaging machine, includes first and second seal bars each having a sealing surface thereon. The seal bars are located on the machine in positions locating the sealing surfaces on the respective seal bars opposed to one another. In cross section the respective sealing surfaces on the seal bars each include a plurality of concave and convex surface features. The convex surface features have a radius of curvature that is less than the radius of curvature of the concave surface features thus rendering the sealing surfaces asymmetrical.

Abstract: A denesting device for separating trays of joined cups prior to loading of the cup trays onto a conveyer belt of a packaging machine includes a feed bin mounted on a housing for receiving a stack of the nested cup trays. Associated with the bottom of the feed bin are a plurality of elongated helical screws each of which has a variable screw thread formed thereon. The variable screw thread on each of the helical screws has a variable pitch that increases from a first lesser pitch portion which is located adjacent to the feed means to a second greater pitch portion from which the denested cup trays are discharged. The plurality of elongated helical screws are rotatively mounted on the housing in a spaced array about the feed means.

Abstract: A form, fill and seal pouch packaging machine is augmented by including a heating component for heating the surfaces of its film during product addition. The film is heated to a temperature sufficient to inhibit condensation of hot liquid product on the interior walls of a partly formed pouch during the product addition and/or to achieve asepsis during product addition. The heating member can be positioned in one of several positions adjacent to the surfaces of the film. Irrespective of the positioning of the heating member the surfaces of the film of a partially formed pouch or of the film prior to formation of the pouch is heated to a temperature sufficient to inhibit condensation of vapor on the film and/or to sterilize the surfaces of the pouch.

Abstract: A biased seal for a form, fill and seal packaging machine includes an elongated seal bar which is attached to a support element via a plurality of connectors/retainers which are fixed to the seal bear, but movable with respect to the support element. A plurality of compression springs are positioned between the seal bar and the support element. The seal bar is movable on the connectors from a position wherein the seal bar is juxtapositioned against the sealing element and the compression springs are under compression and an extended position wherein the seal bar is displaced outward from the sealing elements by the bias in the compression springs. The support element is fixed to a slide assembly which is connected to an activator rod via an adjustment bracket.

Abstract: A pouch perforator for a form, fill and seal packaging machine of the type which forms pouches from continuous film includes a cutting element and a support element. The cutting element is rotatively mounted on the packaging machine as is the support element with the cutting element located on one side of the film and the support element located on the opposite side of the film. The cutting element includes a plurality of axially extending knife edges located in a circumferentially spaced array. The knife edges rotate in response to rotation of the cutting element. The support element includes a circumferentially extending support surface which rotates in response to rotation of the surface element. The knife edges in response to rotation of the cutting element compress film against the support surface to perforate the film.

Abstract: A film feed device for a form, fill and seal packaging machine includes front and rear rolls of film which are individually unwound and fed to the packaging machine via a drive assembly which contacts the rolls and rotates the same independent of other film feed mechanisms on the packaging machine. The drive assemblies contain motors which can be further controlled with sensing devices capable of sensing both when the film has been exhausted from the film roll and when the rate of output of the film from the film rolls by the drive assemblies is greater than the rate of further processing of the film in subsequent steps on the form, fill and seal packaging machine.