Patent ID: 6675558
Filing Date: 2004-01-13
Classification: B29C,B29L,B65B,B65D

Abstract:
A method of making a flexible package for food products, comprising the steps of:providing a supply of web material; paying out a first portion of the web material; providing a supply of mated fastener tracks; paying out of first portion of the mated fastener tracks; crushing a serial succession of spaced-apart portions of said mated fastener tracks to form a serial succession of spaced apart back-to-back slider stop portions which are spaced apart by a preselected package width; providing a vertical forming collar having a throat; drawing the web material over the vertical forming collar in a vertical machine direction to fold the web material to form adjacent overlapping portions, with overlying free ends, defining a serial succession of package portions each having the same preselected package width; sensing the position of each of said package portions with a sensor located at or adjacent the throat of said vertical forming collar, said sensor sending sensor signals indicative of the positions of said package portions; aligning the mated fastener tracks in-line adjacent the free ends of the overlapping portions; lengthwise aligning the package portions of said web material with the back-to-back slider stop portions of said mated fastener tracks in response to said sensor signal to register said first portion of the mated fastener tracks with said first portion of web material; joining a least a part of the mated fastener tracks to the overlapping portions of the web material; forming a peel seal adjacent the free ends of the overlapping portion; forming a transverse, leading, side seal in said overlapping portions to cooperate with said peel seal and said overlapping portions to form a pouch with an upper side seal opening; advancing the joinder of the web material and the mated fastener tracks in the vertical machine direction; providing a supply of sliders; dispensing the sliders one at a time; inserting a slider on the mated fastener tracks of the pouch; filling the pouch with product through the upper side seal opening; forming a transverse trailing side seal between said overlapping portions to seal the contents of the pouch; and severing the pouch from the web material and mated fastener tracks to form a separate flexible package.