Patent ID: 7234285
Filing Date: 2007-06-26
Classification: B65B,B65D

Abstract:
1. A vertical form-fill seal machine for the in-line manufacturing of food packages having shrouded mated fastener tracks with slider closures in a substantially vertical machine direction, comprising: a supply of web material extending in a machine direction defining a serial succession of package portions extending in the machine direction; a supply of mated fastener tracks; a stop forming station though which the mated fastener tracks pass, the stop forming station having members operable to crush the supply of mated fastener tracks to form a continuous succession of spaced apart back-to-back, touching slider stop portions which are spaced apart by the same preselected package width; a collar member receiving said web material; a web drive transporting said web material over said collar in the substantially vertical machine direction, folding said web into overlying side-by-side portions, one against the other, to form a continuous succession of package portions each having the same preselected package width extending in the machine direction and having pairs of overlying package walls which contain overlying free edges with shroud portions at the free edges; a pair of fastener seal bars extending in the machine direction, sealing a portion of said fastener tracks to the package walls; a pair of peal seal bars extending in the machine direction forming a peal seal between said package walls; a pair of shroud seal bars extending in the machine direction, sealing the free edges of the package walls to form a closed shroud covering said fastener tracks; a slider member mateable with said mated fastener tracks for movement along said mated fastener tracks between the slider stop portions in opposite directions to open and close said mated fastener tracks; a slider installation member inserting said slider member onto said mated a pair of spaced-apart side seal bars extending at an angle to said machine direction, sealing portions of said package walls together to form respective side seals of the food package; and a fastener track activation member for partially separating said mated fastener tracks to form a partial opening in said mated fastener tracks for installation of a portion of said slider member onto said partially opened fastener track by said slider installation member.