Form-fill sealing machines, resealable flexible packages and methods of manufacturing resealable flexible packages

A form-fill sealing machine for manufacturing resealable packages, comprising:

• a tearable line forming device arranged and constructed to form tearable lines in flexible film, wherein the tearable lines are spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to a single package length in a longitudinal direction of the film, and each tearable line has two ends;
• a labeling device arranged and constructed to stick restickable labels onto the film in positions to cover the respective tearable lines;
• wherein each label includes a first end and a second end opposing to the first end in the peeling direction of the label, and wherein the second end is adapted to be lifted in order to peel off the label;
• a tube forming device arranged and constructed to form the film into a tubular film;
• a first sealing device arranged and constructed to seal lapped edges of the tubular film so as to form a lengthwise sealed portion, wherein the lengthwise sealed portion extends along a lengthwise direction of the tubular film;
• a second sealing device arranged and constructed to seal the tubular film in a crosswise direction, so that crosswise sealed portions are formed on the tubular film and are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the tubular film, wherein each tearable line is positioned between two adjacent crosswise sealed portions, the ends of each tearable line are disposed adjacent to or intersect one of the two adjacent crosswise sealed portions;
• and
• wherein the second sealing device is further arranged and constructed to clamp the first end of each label together with the tubular film in order to form the crosswise sealed portion, so that the first end of each label is fixedly attached to the crosswise sealed portion;
• and
• a cutting device arranged and constructed to cut the tubular film in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tubular film at each crosswise sealed portion in a position spaced from the first end of the label, so that each crosswise sealed portion is divided into a front end of one of each two adjacent packages and a rear end of the other of each two adjacent packages, and wherein the first end of the label is fixedly attached to the front end of each package while the first end of the label is spaced from a cut edge of the front end of each package.

A machine comprising:

• means for forming an unfinished flexible package from a film, wherein the unfinished package includes a tearable line formed therein, and the tearable line has a substantially U-shaped configuration and has two ends;
• means for sticking a label on the unfinished package to cover the tearable line, wherein the label includes a first end and a second end opposing to the first end in the peeling direction of the label, and wherein the second end is adapted to be lifted in order to peel off the label;
• and
• means for heat sealing at least the film of the unfinished package in a position adjacent to or intersecting with the ends of the tearable line with the first end of the label clamped together with the film so as to form a finished package having a sealed portion such that the first end of the label is fixedly attached onto the sealed portion simultaneously with the formation of the sealed portion, and wherein the first end of the label is spaced from an edge of the finished package positioned on the same side as the first end of the label.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of resealable flexible packages from a film, comprising:

• forming a plurality of tearable lines in the film, wherein the tearable lines are spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to a single package length in a longitudinal direction of the film, wherein each of the tearable lines has first and second ends;
• sticking a plurality of restickable labels onto one surface of the film to cover the respective tearable lines;
• forming the film into a tubular film, wherein the labels are positioned on the outer side of the tubular film;
• sealing lapped edges of the tubular film, wherein the lapped edges extend in the longitudinal direction of the tubular film;
• clamping and sealing the tubular film in a crosswise direction at intervals corresponding to the intervals of the tearable lines with a part of each label clamped together with the tubular film, so that crosswise sealed portions are formed on the tubular film while the part of each label is fixedly attached to the tubular film simultaneously with the formation of each sealed portion;
• and
• cutting the tubular film at each of the crosswise sealed portions in a position spaced from the part of each label attached to the tubular film, so that a plurality of packages each having first and second sealed ends defined by the crosswise sealed portions are formed, wherein the part of the label is positioned adjacent to and spaced from an edge of the first sealed end of each package, and wherein the first and second ends of each tearable line are positioned adjacent to and intersect with the first sealed end.