Apparatus and method for producing packets

Apparatus for compartmenting a tubular web of sealable material at intervals along its length, comprising two pairs of rotors, each rotor having a rotary axis and arms projecting radially with respect to its rotary axis, radially outer extremities of said radially projecting arms carrying sealing elements, the rotary axes of said two pairs of rotors lying in a common plane, said rotors forming respective opposed pairs in which said axes of each pair of said rotors are parallel to each other and the rotors of each said pair rotate in opposite directions to bring pairs of said sealing elements together for engaging the web between said elements to form transverse seals in the web, spacing means on said rotor arms determining a spacing between the sealing elements when they engage the web between them, said parallel axes of one said pair of rotors being transverse to the rotary axes of the other said pair of rotors and means being provided for synchronizing the movements of said pairs of rotors so that said seals are formed by the pairs of sealing elements in alternation in mutually transverse directions across said web.

Apparatus for dispensing doses of a flowable material from a conduit into a tubular web, comprising valve means at or adjacent an exit end of the conduit and connected to reciprocating drive means for expelling said material in discrete doses, the valve means comprising a tapering outlet passage in said conduit adjacent the exit end and a plug member reciprocable in the conduit by said drive means to and from an extended position in which an enlarged portion of the plug member substantially fills a smaller cross-section region of said tapering outlet passage, the movement to said extended position being arranged to expel from said exit end a dose of material allowed to pass said enlarged position.

Apparatus for compartmenting a tubular web of sealable material at intervals along its length, comprising two pairs of rotors provided with radially projecting arms comprising radially outer extremities carrying sealing elements, the pairs of rotors having rotary axes in a common plane, said rotary axes of each said pair of said rotors being disposed parallel to each other and said rotors of each pair of rotors rotating in opposite directions to bring respective pairs of said sealing elements on their radially projecting arms together for engaging the web between said elements to form transverse seals in the web, the rotary axes of the respective pairs of rotors being mutually transversely disposed and means being provided for synchronising the movements of said pairs of rotors so that said seals are formed by said pairs of elements in alternation to each other in mutually transverse directions across said web.

Apparatus for dispensing doses of a flowable material into a tubular web, comprising an elongate conduit for the supply of said material, means for drawing a web of packaging material along the exterior of said conduit and past an outlet end thereof, tube forming means adjacent the conduit for forming said web into a closed tube around the conduit, and valve means at or adjacent said outlet end of the conduit comprising a valve body and drive means for reciprocating the valve body longitudinally in said conduit, an inner peripheral wall of said conduit at said outlet end, an outer peripheral wall of said valve body cooperating with said conduit inner wall during the reciprocation of the valve body for intermittently opening and closing said outlet whereby to dispense doses of said material into the tubular web.

Apparatus for dispensing doses of a flowable material into a tubular web, comprising an elongate conduit for the supply of said material, means for drawing a web of packaging material along the exterior of said conduit and past an outlet end thereof, tube forming means adjacent the conduit for forming said web into a closed tube around the conduit, and valve means at or adjacent said outlet end of the conduit comprising a valve body and drive means for reciprocating the valve body longitudinally in said conduit, an inner peripheral wall of said conduit at said outlet end, an outer peripheral wall of said valve body cooperating therewith during the reciprocation of the valve body for intermittently opening said outlet during the withdrawal of the valve body inwardly of the outlet end to permit a dose of the material to enter said outlet end, said conduit inner wall defining a conduit cross-section that tapers in the direction of flow of the material through the outlet end and said valve body outer peripheral wall defining a body cross-section that tapers in the opposite direction.