Patent ID: 7516596

Claim:
A method for forming, packaging, and dispensing a string of sealed food product packages using a vertical form, fill and seal machine, said method comprising the steps of: (a) guiding a packaging material into a position such that said packaging material is wrapped around a delivery tube of said form, fill and seal machine, wherein said packaging material comprises oriented graphics which appear sideways as the packaging material is fed through a vertical form, fill and seal machine; (b) sealing adjacent portions of said packaging material to form a tube of packaging material; (c) for each of said packages: (1) forming a first transverse seal across said tube of packaging material; (2) delivering a product into said tube of packaging material above said first transverse seal; and, (3) forming a second transverse seal across said tube of packaging material using a heat-sealing jaw assembly to create a sealed package filled with said product; (d) creating a transverse line of perforations along said second transverse seal using a knife positioned within said heat-sealing jaw assembly; and, (e) placing said string of sealed food product packages in a package dispenser having a closeable opening via said closeable opening, such that said dispenser holds two or more sealed food packages; (f) dispensing a loose end of said string of sealed food product packages from a dispensing opening, wherein said oriented graphics are properly viewable when said transverse seals are vertically oriented.