Abstract: The present inventin is an apparatus and method for inserting articles into packages. The apparatus includes a dispensing assembly and a feeding assembly; and the dispensing assembly, in turn, includes a dispenser body, a gate and an actuator. The dispensor body defines a loading chamber for holding the articles, an inlet for conducting the articles into the loading chamber, and an outlet for dispensing the articles from the loading chamber. The gate is connected to the dispenser body for movement between a closed position, wherein the gate extends across the outlet of the dispenser body to hold the articles in the loading chamber, and an open position to allow the articles to pass through the outlet of the dispenser body. The actuator of the dispensing assembly is provided to move the gate from its closed position to its open position to dispense articles into the packages from the dispenser body.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for the continuous, non-destructive testing for leaks in generally hermetically-sealed, flexible packages, which is adapted to rapidly detect leakages in vacuum from a plurality of packages contained within a closed case, to ascertain the location of the defective package or packages within the case and to automatically divert the case containing the defective package to a location other than that receiving cases containing all acceptable packages.