Dual-function nozzle head for vacuum-packaging tooling

In a vacuum-packaging machine comprising a sealing station, and a nozzle-head comprising a main housing operatively associated at said sealing station for evacuating packages being sealed at said sealing station and for injecting protective gas into the packages being sealed at said sealing station, said main housing having a first, rearward, section and a second, forward, tapered section, said tapered section terminating in a narrower end and comprising a plurality of orifices used during the evacuation of packages at said sealing station, each of said orifices having an exterior-end at said narrower end and an interior end in said main housing;

• said main section further comprising a common manifold for said interior ends of said orifices;
• said nozzle-head further comprising inlet-conduit means in fluid communication with said common manifold, and a vacuum-source means coupled to said inlet-conduit means for providing a vacuum;
• the improvement comprising:
• said nozzle-head comprising a plurality of additional orifices each having an exterior-end at said narrower end and an interior end in said main housing for injecting protective gas into the packages at said sealing station;
• a plurality of conduit-feed means for said plurality of additional orifices, one said conduit-feed means for one said additional orifice, each of said conduit-feed means comprising a first end in operative engagement with a respective said interior end of a respective said additional orifice, and a second end;
• another common manifold in operative couplement with each said second end of each of said plurality of conduit feed means;
• and
• a protective-gas supply source means for supplying protective gas to said another common manifold, to said plurality of conduit-feed means, and to said additional orifices, whereby the protective gas is injected into packages being sealed at said sealing station via said plurality of additional orifices;
• said orifices for said vacuum-source means, said inlet-conduit means and said common manifold being fluidly isolated from said plurality of additional orifices, from said plurality of conduit-feed means, and said another manifold, whereby, when the protective gas is injected into the packages, none of the food-particles sucked out during the evacuation of the packages is injected back into the packages during the injection of the protective gas.