Method and apparatus for forming individual pouches from a continuous web and packaging a product in the individual pouches

A form-fill-seal process for making a plurality of sealed product containing pouches from a sheet of flexible web material, said form-fill-seal process comprising the steps of:

• (a) supplying flexible web material;
• (b) folding the flexible web material so as to define, in cross-section, two side walls, a bottom gusset and a top opening, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls;
• (c) performing a forming operation by relatively modifying the relationship between the gusset portion and the lower side wall portion of one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side wall portion combination at the same time;
• (d) forming a plurality of transverse seals dividing the folded flexible web material into a plurality of pouches, each pouch having a top opening;
• (e) filling a plurality of the pouches with product through the top openings;
• and
• (f) forming a seal for closing the top openings of the filled pouches.

An apparatus for forming a plurality of pouches from flexible web material comprising:

• (a) means for continuously supplying flexible web material;
• (b) means for longitudinally advancing the flexible web material;
• (c) means for longitudinally folding the flexible web material during advancement thereof into, in transverse cross-section, two side walls, a bottom gusset and a top opening, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls;
• (d) means for performing a forming operation that relatively modifies the relationship between the gusset portion and lower side wall portion on one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side portion combination at the same time;
• and
• (e) means for forming spaced transverse seals along the folded flexible web material so as to divide the folded flexible web material into at least one pouch having a top opening.

A process for forming a pouch from flexible web material comprising the steps of:

• (a) supplying flexible web material;
• (b) folding the flexible web material into a generally W shape in cross-section defined by two side walls and a bottom gusset, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls;
• (c) performing a forming operation on one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side wall portion combination at the same time, wherein said forming operation comprises forming a dispensing spout from the one gusset portion and lower side wall portion combination;
• and
• (d) forming a plurality of transverse seals dividing the folded flexible web material into at least one pouch.

A process for forming a pouch from flexible web material comprising the steps of:

• (a) supplying flexible web material;
• (b) folding the flexible web material into a generally W shape in cross-section defined by two side walls and a bottom gusset, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls, wherein said folding step further comprises folding the flexible web material into a generally W shape cross-section with the gusset portions of the gusset having unequal transverse lengths;
• (c) performing a forming operation on one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side wall portion combination at the same time;
• and
• (d) forming a plurality of transverse seals dividing the folded flexible web material into at least one pouch.

An apparatus for forming a plurality of pouches from flexible web material comprising:

• (a) means for continuously supplying flexible web material;
• (b) means for longitudinally advancing the flexible web material;
• (c) means for longitudinally folding the flexible web material during advancement thereof into, in transverse cross-section, two side walls, a bottom gusset and a top opening, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls;
• (d) means for performing a forming operation on one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side portion combination at the same time, wherein said means for performing a forming operation comprises a means for forming a dispensing spout from the one gusset portion and lower side wall portion combination;
• and
• (e) means for forming spaced transverse seals along the folded flexible web material so as to divide the folded flexible web material into at least one pouch having a top opening.

An apparatus for forming a plurality of pouches from flexible web material comprising:

• (a) means for continuously supplying flexible web material;
• (b) means for longitudinally advancing the flexible web material;
• (c) means for longitudinally folding the flexible web material during advancement thereof into, in transverse cross-section, two side walls, a bottom gusset and a top opening, the bottom gusset divided by a fold line into gusset portions which lie adjacent to lower side wall portions of the side walls;
• (d) means for performing a forming operation on one of the gusset portion and lower side wall portion combinations of the folded flexible web material without performing said forming operation on the other gusset portion and lower side portion combination at the same time;
• (e) means for forming spaced transverse seals along the folded flexible web material so as to divide the folded flexible web material into at least one pouch having a top opening;
• and
• (f) means for filling the at least one pouch with product after the pouch is formed with a top opening by the means for forming spaced transverse seals.