Patent ID: 8356463

Claim:
An apparatus for forming flexible containers from a film web, dispensing fluid into said containers, and enclosing the fluid within the containers, said film web comprising a pair of juxtaposed film plies, a closed longitudinal edge at which said plies are joined, and an open longitudinal edge at which said plies are not joined, said apparatus comprising: a. a drive mechanism that conveys said film web along a path of travel at a predetermined speed; b. a first seal mechanism for producing pairs of transverse seals in said film web, said pairs of transverse seals bonding said juxtaposed film plies together and forming said containers therebetween, said first seal mechanism including a seal bar, which forms said transverse seals by contacting said film web at a frequency that is independent of said speed at which said film web is conveyed by said drive mechanism; c. a perforation mechanism for forming a line of weakness between any two of said containers, said perforation mechanism including a perforation blade, which forms said line of weakness by contacting said film web between transverse seals of adjacent containers at intervals that are independent of said frequency at which said seal bar contacts said film web, said perforation blade being integrated into and extendable from said seal bar to contact said film web to form said lines of weakness, and said perforation mechanism including a cam device, which is selectively controllable to cause said perforation blade to extend from said seal bar and contact said film web at desired intervals, thereby producing said lines of weakness at desired intervals; d. a dispensing mechanism for supplying the fluid to said containers, said dispensing mechanism including a dispenser with a discharge nozzle through which fluid exits said dispenser, said dispenser being structured and arranged to position said nozzle within said film web at said open longitudinal edge as the web is conveyed along said path of travel, to thereby dispense the fluid into said containers; and e. a second seal mechanism for forming a longitudinal seal between said film plies adjacent said open longitudinal edge such that the fluid is at least substantially enclosed within said containers.