Patent ID: 7726103

Claim:
A method for producing a string of a plurality of sealed pouches connected by a transverse rupturable portion and filled with flowable material, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a heating jaw having a heating element and a corresponding backing jaw having a resilient backing member, said resilient backing member having a resilient body with a longitudinal shoulder surface and a longitudinal intermittent raised edge protruding from said longitudinal shoulder surface; (b) driving a desired amount of a tubular web of film filled with flowable material between said heating jaw and said backing jaw; (c) closing said heating jaw and said backing jaw by pressing said resilient backing element and said heating element together, activating said heating element using perforating parameters to produce said transverse rupturable portion across said tubular web of film and provide seals on adjacent pouches, and opening said heating jaw and said backing jaw; (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) to produce a desired number of pouches in said string; (d1) driving a desired amount of said tubular web of film filled with flowable material between said heating jaw and said backing jaw; and (e) separating a final pouch of said string from said tubular web of film by closing said heating jaw and said backing jaw by pressing said resilient element and said heating element together, activating said heating element using cutting parameters to transversely sever said tubular web of film and provide seals on the final pouch and on said tubular web of film, and opening said heating jaw and said backing jaw; wherein the cutting parameters cause the temperature of said heating element to rise to a cutting temperature and the perforating parameters cause the temperature of said heating element to rise to a perforating temperature; the cutting temperature being higher than said perforating temperature.