Patent ID: 7670273

Claim:
An apparatus for forming a flexible pouch that holds a product comprising: a transport means for transporting a front panel film and back panel film each of a laminate material, wherein the front panel film and back panel film each have a front side and a back side; a straw hole punch for punching a straw hole in the front panel film being transported by said transport means, wherein the straw hole has a predetermined diameter; a seal material transport means for transporting a seal material tape, said seal material transport means having a first reel and a second reel, wherein said seal material transport means is operable to unroll a roll of the seal material tape that is located on said first reel and wind up the seal material tape onto said second reel after the seal material tape has been unrolled from said first reel; a hole punch operable for partially punching a hole in a section of the seal material tape after the seal material tape has been unrolled from said first reel and before the seal material tape has been wound up onto said second reel, wherein the partially punched hole of the seal material tape has a diameter that is slightly larger than the predetermined diameter of the straw hole in the front panel film; a guide means for aligning the seal material tape that has been unrolled from said first reel with the back side of the front panel film, wherein the partially punched hole of the seal material tape is aligned with the straw hole in the front panel film; a first heat sealing station having a heat sealing device for tack sealing a periphery of the partially punched hole of the seal tape material to the back side of the front panel film, wherein said heat seal device separates the partially punched hole of the seal material tape from the seal material tape after the seal material tape has been unrolled from said first reel and before the seal material tape has been wound up onto said second reel; an alignment station operable to align the unrolling front panel film with the unrolling back panel film to form a body of the pouch, wherein the body of the pouch includes a front panel and a back panel, with a top edge, a bottom edge and side edges extending therebetween the top edge and bottom edge; a second heat sealing station operable to apply a final seal over the tack seal on the periphery of the partially punched hole wherein the final seal is applied at a lower temperature and pressure than the tack seal; a seal means having a bottom seal bar and a side seal bar operable for forming a bottom edge seal and a side edge seal of the body of the pouch; and a finishing station for separating the pouch from the unrolling front panel film and back panel film.