Patent ID: 7392634

Claim:
A web handling system for receipt, printing, and payout of web to an intermittent form, fill, and seal machine having a dwell period and a payout period, the web handling system comprising: an infeed web brake, an outfeed web brake, and a web feed path defined by the web handling system, at least a portion of the web feed path extending downstream from the infeed web brake to the outfeed web brake, the infeed web brake when actuated preventing feed of web into the web handling system, the outfeed brake when actuated preventing pay out of web from the web handling system; a printer located on the web feed path between the infeed web brake and the outfeed web brake, the printer configured to print on a web surface while the surface is stationary on the web path; an accumulator located on the web feed path between the infeed web brake and the outfeed web brake and downstream from the printer; the accumulator comprising an accumulator roll extending across the web feed path, the web feed path looping around the accumulator roll, the accumulator roll movable between a home position and a dwell position for accumulating web and movable from the dwell position the home position for paying out web; and means operable during the dwell period of the form, fill, and seal machine to move the accumulator roll from the home position to the dwell position while the infeed web brake is not actuated and the outfeed web brake is actuated for feed of unprinted web into the web handling system and to the printer for printing, said means operable during the payout period of the form, fill, and seal machine to move the accumulator roll from the dwell position to the home position while the infeed web brake is actuated and the outfeed web brake is not actuated for payout of printed web from the web handling system to the form, fill, and seal machine.