Patent ID: 7908829

Claim:
An apparatus for forming and filling a flexible package, the apparatus comprising: a film unwind station for unwinding a web of flexible film from a roll of film; a folding station for folding the web into a pair of opposing walls; a strip unwind station for unwinding a strip of semi-rigid material from a roll of material and positioning the strip between the pair of opposing walls of the web; a metal buffer plate insertable between the strip and one of the opposing walls of the web; a first sealing station having a sealing bar for forming a seal between the strip and the other of the opposing walls; a second sealing station having a pair of sealing bars positioned to form a lower non-linear side seal between the opposing walls of the web of flexible film at spaced intervals; a third sealing station having a pair of sealing bars positioned to form an upper non-linear side seal between the opposing walls of the web of flexible film at spaced intervals to define connected pouches between adjacent lower and upper side seals; a first cutting station provided to remove a portion of the lower side seal and a portion of the upper side seal, while the remainder of the side seals remain uncut and connected at an upper portion of the pouches; a separating station having a knife positioned to separate the connected pouches into separate individual pouches; a filling station having a reciprocally moveable filling tube insertable into the individual pouches through an opening in the pouch for filling the pouch with a flowable material; a fourth sealing station having a pair of sealing bars positioned to form a top seal in the pouch to close the opening; and a second cutting station provided to remove a portion of the top seal.