Holder with integral gripper for transporting a flexible pouch during manufacturing

A holder with an integral gripper for transporting a flexible pouch during manufacturing, said holder comprising:

• a base plate that is generally planar;
• a pair of opposed support members spaced a predetermined distance apart and directly attached to the base plate and angularly pivotal inward and outward relative to the base plate, wherein each support member includes an upper leg member having a guide channel formed in an inner surface of the upper leg member for gripping the pouch, and a lower leg member;
• a moveable plate that is parallel to and spaced apart from the base plate by a spring member, wherein the moveable plate supports an outer end of the lower leg of the support member, so that walls of the flexible pouch are held in tension when the flexible pouch is supported within the guide channel, and the walls of the flexible pouch are separated when the support members are pivoted inwardly.

A holder with an integral gripper for transporting a flexible pouch during manufacturing and shaping the pouch during filling, said holder comprising:

• a base plate;
• a pair of opposed support members directly attached to the base plate and annularly pivotal inward and outward relative to the base plate, the support members projecting upwardly from the base plate and spaced a predetermined distance apart, wherein each support member has a predetermined shape;
• a guide channel formed in an inner surface of the support member for gripping the flexible pouch, wherein opening the flexible pouch and filling the flexible pouch with a product increases a pressure within the flexible pouch, to push the walls of the pouch outwards around an inner surface of the support member, to form the predetermined shape of the pouch.