HK1201799B - Apparatus for forming packages and filling system - Google Patents

Description

Apparatus for forming packaging and filling systems

Technical Field

A method and apparatus for forming, filling and sealing unit dose packages for consumer products is described herein. A filling system having a filling control system is also disclosed.

Background

Unit dose liquid products such as shampoos and hair conditioners are typically placed in relatively thin, flat packages known as pouches. Such pouches typically have water vapor barrier properties to prevent the loss of moisture from the product in the package over time. Pouches of this type are typically manufactured using a vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) process.

Current methods exist for vertical form, fill, and seal, both batch and continuous. Vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) methods typically utilize a set of filling nozzles that are inserted between two layers of material used to form the package. The nozzle must be opened and closed after filling each package. For the intermittent motion process, filling occurs while the film or packaging material is in motion, and the film is stopped during the sealing process. Even for continuous processes where all operations are performed on a moving web, the rate becomes limited by the filling process. The ability to accurately dispense the required amount of liquid in a very short dispensing cycle time is desirable.

Methods for horizontal forming, filling and sealing also exist. Examples of horizontal form, fill, and seal processes are described in PCT publication WO 2004/033301a1 to Smith et al; U.S. patent application publication nos. US 2005/0183394a 1; and EP 1375351B 1 to Lauretis et al. Some of such methods may involve thermoforming a portion of the packaging material.

However, research into improving the package forming method and the filling system has been continued. In particular, there is a need for a faster process for producing pouches, particularly films comprising a vapor barrier layer that cannot be thermoformed, without damaging the vapor barrier layer.

Disclosure of Invention

A method and apparatus for forming, filling and sealing unit dose packages for consumer products is described herein.

In one embodiment, the method comprises a method for preparing a package comprising the steps of:

a) placing a first web of material having an initial, unflexed configuration adjacent to an element having a cavity therein;

b) temporarily flexing a portion of a first web material downward into the cavity to form a flexed portion of the first web material, wherein the flexed portion of the first web material is substantially free of plastic deformation;

c) depositing a product on a first web material;

d) placing a second web material over the first web material and the product; and

e) at least partially closing and sealing the first web material having the flexed portions therein to the second web material along one or more seal lines;

in one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first feed zone for receiving a supply of a first web material and an element having cavities therein. Wherein the element with the cavity is located downstream of the first feeding zone. A portion of the first web material may be temporarily deflected into the cavity. The cavity includes a base and a pair of sidewalls. In this embodiment, the element having the cavity therein comprises a moving belt having a surface, and the belt moves in a longitudinal direction, wherein the surface of the belt forms the base of the cavity, and the element further comprises longitudinal side portions forming the side walls of the cavity. The apparatus may further comprise a dispensing device for applying the product to the portion of the first web material overlying the cavity. The dispensing device is located in a dispensing zone above an element having a cavity therein. The apparatus may also include a second feed zone for receiving a supply of a second web material. The second feed zone may be located downstream of the dispensing device, wherein the second web material may be positioned overlying the first web material having the products thereon. The apparatus may further comprise sealing means downstream of the second feeding zone for sealing the first and second web materials together with the product therebetween.

A filling system having a filling control system is also disclosed. The filling system and filling control system may be used in the methods described herein as well as in other dispensing methods, and may include inventions adapted to themselves.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of a pouch.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an upright form, fill, and seal method.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a method and apparatus for forming a package.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of an apparatus for forming packages having two side-by-side lines and a filling nozzle for each line.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus for mechanically flexing a lower web material into a cavity.

Fig. 6 is a schematic top view of a portion of the apparatus shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus for flexing a lower web of material into a cavity.

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a portion of an apparatus for stretching a lower web material into a cavity, wherein the bottom of the cavity is formed by a moving belt.

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a variation of a lower web of material having multiple doses of product deposited thereon.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a portion of an apparatus for stretching a lower web of material into the cavities of FIG. 8, wherein the cavities are formed as discrete depressions.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a forming apparatus including both a bottom plate and a top plate, each plate including a moving belt, for an apparatus of two lane widths.

Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a variation of the forming apparatus of fig. 11, in which only the top plate is shown.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle suitable for use in the filling system.

Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a nozzle end having a circular orifice and a shut-off mechanism.

Fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view of a nozzle end having a slot-shaped orifice and a shut-off mechanism.

Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view of a filling system for filling a container.

Fig. 16A is a schematic diagram of a fill control system.

Fig. 16B is a schematic diagram of an alternative fill control system.

Fig. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the upper and lower web materials undeformed.

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment in which the upper and lower web materials are deformed in the cross-machine direction.

FIG. 19 is a schematic side view of one complete embodiment of a HFFS method and apparatus in which top and bottom web forming sections are combined with a sealing mechanism.

FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a portion of an apparatus for forming a transverse seal.

Fig. 21 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of a filling nozzle.

Fig. 22 is a partial cross-sectional view of the filling nozzle of fig. 21.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a nozzle component for the nozzle shown in FIGS. 21 and 22.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a plug for the filling nozzle of fig. 21 and 22.

Detailed Description

A method and apparatus for forming, filling and sealing unit dose packages for consumer products is described herein. A filling system having a filling control system is also disclosed. Although the filling system is described in connection with a method for forming, filling and sealing unit dose packages, the filling system and filling control system may be used in other dispensing methods.

The unit dose package may be in any suitable configuration. The contents of the package may be in any suitable form including, but not limited to, solids, liquids, pastes, and powders. The term "fluid" may be used herein to include both liquids and pastes.

In certain embodiments, the unit dose package comprises a pouch filled with a product, which may comprise a personal care product or a home care product, including, but not limited to: shampoos, hair conditioners, hair colorants (dyes and/or developers), laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dishwashing detergents, and toothpastes. The pouch may contain other types of products including, but not limited to, food products such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and orange juice. Such pouches are typically relatively thin and flat, and in some cases, have water vapor barrier properties to prevent loss of moisture from the product in the package over time, or ingress of moisture into the product from outside the package.

Fig. 1 shows one non-limiting example of a pouch 10 in the form of a prior art pouch. The pouch 10 has a front 12, a back 14, a perimeter 16, sides 18, a top 20, and a bottom 22. The pouch 10 also has a seal 24 around the perimeter. The pouch may be in any suitable configuration, including but not limited to the rectangular shape shown. The pouch can have any suitable size. In one embodiment, the pouch is 48mm by 70mm and has a 5mm wide sealing area around all four sides. The size of the pocket 26 (width W and length L) inside the pouch is 38mm x 60 mm.

The package, such as pouch 10, may be made of any suitable material. Suitable packaging materials include films and woven or nonwoven materials (in the case of pouches containing solid products), or laminates of any of the foregoing. If desired, the packaging material may include a liquid and/or vapor barrier layer in the form of a layer or coating. The packaging material may be composed of a non-water soluble material or, for some cases, a water soluble material. The various parts of the pouch (or other type of package) may be made of the same material. In other embodiments, different portions of the package may be made of different materials. In one embodiment, the pouch 10 is made from two identical sheets of film that form the front 12 and back 14 of the pouch. The film may be any suitable type of film, including monolayer films and laminates.

The modulus of elasticity of the packaging material for the pouch can be in the range of greater than or equal to about 1,000N/m (such as for a low density polyethylene nonwoven) up to about 90,000N/m (for a film and a laminate comprising a film). The modulus of elasticity of the packaging material may fall within any range that is narrower than within the above range. For example, in some embodiments of films and laminates including films, the modulus of elasticity may be in the range of about 45,000 to about 85,000N/m.

In one embodiment, the packaging material is a laminate comprising three layers: a 9 micron thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film; 18 micron thick vacuum metalA metallized biaxially oriented polypropylene (VMBOPP) water vapor barrier film; and 30-50 micron thick Polyethylene (PE) film. The PET and PE layers were attached to the VM BOPP film by an adhesive. In this film, the PET layer will comprise the outer surface of the pouch and the polyethylene layer will comprise the sealing layer on the inside of the pouch. The water vapor barrier properties of the film are important to prevent water loss from the product inside the pouch over time before it is used by the consumer. The film has less than or equal to about 0.4 grams/m²Target water vapor transmission rate per day. The average machine direction modulus of this laminate film was about 63,000N/m and the average transverse direction modulus was about 75,000N/m.

Fig. 2 illustrates a vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) process and apparatus 30 for making pouches. As shown in fig. 2, two webs of material 32 and 34 for forming the pouches are brought into the apparatus and fed into the process in a vertically downward direction. A filling nozzle 36 is interposed between the webs 32 and 34. The tip 38 of the filling nozzle 36 (the view of which is hidden by the second web 34) is located near the tip of the arrow 38. Vertical seals are formed along both sides of the webs 32 and 34 by vertical sealing mechanisms 40. A transverse sealing mechanism 42 is located below the tip 38 of the filling nozzle 36. The transverse sealing mechanism 42 forms a seal at the top of one pouch and the bottom of the next pouch. A perforation or cutting mechanism 44 is located below the transverse sealing mechanism 42 and perforations 46 are formed through the seal formed by the transverse sealing mechanism 42. The finished package or pouch 10 is shown at the bottom of fig. 2.

The simplified version of the apparatus 30 shown in fig. 2 is only a single line (one package width) wide. It is known to provide such apparatus with a plurality of side-by-side vertical lanes. However, even in such multi-line devices, each line has only a single filling nozzle due to the configuration of the vertical form, fill, and seal method. Whether liquid or powder, the product flow must be shut off cleanly so as not to contaminate the seal of the package. The ability to cleanly open and shut off is a rate limiting device for a set of filling nozzles inserted between two layers of material 32 and 34.

Fig. 3 shows a simplified single line L1 version of the novel form, fill, and seal method and apparatus 50. The method may be described as a horizontal form, fill, and seal (HFFS) method. In the embodiment shown, the method and apparatus 50 is used to form a pouch containing a liquid product. However, the method is not limited to forming a pouch (or a pouch containing a liquid product). Essentially, in one embodiment of the method, a first or lower web of material (such as a film) 52 is fed into the apparatus 50 and may then be transported in a generally horizontal direction. The first web material 52 is transported over a first or lower element having at least one cavity 56 therein into which a portion of the first web 52 is temporarily deflected. The products 48 are deposited onto the first web material 52, such as through nozzles 60. The first web material is then covered with a second or upper web material 62 and the two webs are sealed together to form a pouch. The components of the apparatus 50 and their variants are as follows.

The first web material 52 passes through a conveyor (which in this case is a first element, and which may be referred to as a "lower conveyor" or "filling conveyor" 54. the lower conveyor 54 may be any suitable type of conveyor, including but not limited to a vacuum conveyor. the lower conveyor 54 has a contoured surface that forms at least one pocket or cavity 56 in the surface of the lower conveyor 54 into which the first web material 52 is deflected.

The first web material 52 has an initial, undeflected configuration. The first web material 52 is maintained under tension during its transport through the apparatus. The first web material 52 may be conveyed in a continuous motion by a lower conveyor 54. In other embodiments, the first web material 52 may be conveyed in an intermittent motion. In various embodiments, the first web material 52 may move at substantially the same speed as the lower conveyor 54, at a lower speed than the lower conveyor, or at a higher speed than the lower conveyor 54.

The cavity 56 may be in any suitable configuration. The embodiment of the apparatus shown in fig. 3 forms discrete pockets for each dose of product 48 to be contained within a pouch. It should be understood, however, that in some cases, discrete pockets need not be formed for each dose of product 48 to be contained within a pouch. In other embodiments, for example, the cavity 56 may be in the form of a continuous groove. The configuration of the cavity 56 formed by the lower conveyor 54 determines the shape or configuration of the lower web of material 52. (although the specifications followed may describe the first web material 52 as a film, it should be understood that the first web material 52 is not limited to a film). The lower web material 52 may be shaped in the cross direction (or "CD"), and optionally in the machine direction (or "MD"). The configuration in which the lower web material 52 may be shaped depends on the modulus of the material comprising the lower web material 52 and the characteristics of the product 48 to be filled.

FIG. 4 shows a simplified cross-section of the lower web material 52 construction in one embodiment of the process shown in FIG. 3 expanded to provide a plurality of lines L1 and L2 in the cross-machine direction. This enables side-by-side pouches to be made from a single web of film (i.e., a single lower web of material 52 and a single upper web of material described below). The apparatus 50 described herein may include any suitable number of multiple lines, from two to twelve, or more.

As shown in fig. 4, a portion of the membrane 52 is made to substantially fit into the cavity 56. The portion of the film 52 may be substantially adapted or formed into the shape of the cavity 56 by any suitable mechanism. Suitable mechanisms include, but are not limited to: (1) mechanically manipulating (or pre-forming) the membrane 52 before it enters the cavity so that the membrane includes a portion that more readily fits into the cavity 56; (2) flexing the portion of the membrane into the cavity 56 by applying vacuum and/or air pressure on the membrane; or, (3) both. In still other embodiments, the film 52 may be shaped into a cavity by the force of depositing the product 48 on the film 52. Such a mechanism may, but need not, shape film 52 such that it conforms accurately to the shape of cavity 56.

If a mechanical preforming step is utilized, it will typically be in the process prior to (or upstream of) the point where the first web material 52 contacts the forming conveyor 54. For example, if such a preforming method were used with the apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 3, the mechanical preforming apparatus would be located at position P1 between the position where the first web material 52 is fed into the apparatus and the upstream end of the forming conveyor 54.

Suitable mechanisms for mechanically manipulating the membrane include, but are not limited to, a rail, a snowboard, a ball, a dome, or a semicircle. Fig. 5 and 6 show an embodiment including three side-by-side lines L1, L2, and L3, in which film 52 is mechanically pre-formed by a combination of mechanically-formed components to help film 52 conform to the shape of cavity 56. In fig. 5 and 6, the mechanically formed part has a top forming plate 132 and a bottom forming plate 134. The bottom forming plate 134 includes spaced apart recesses 138 with longitudinally oriented rails 140 therebetween that are spaced apart in the transverse direction and are disposed below the film 52. The top forming plate 132 includes spaced apart upper members 136 disposed above the film 52. In this embodiment, the upper element 136 comprises a circular element such as a dome or a semi-circular piece. The upper member is aligned with the recess 138 in the bottom forming plate 134. In other embodiments, the positions of the mechanically formed parts may be reversed such that the groove 138 and the ledge 140 are on the top formed plate and the dome 136 is on the bottom formed plate.

As shown in fig. 6, in certain embodiments where there are multiple transverse product lanes formed, it may also be desirable to arrange at least one of the lower or upper sets of mechanical forming members so that elements in or adjacent to the lanes in the middle of the forming conveyor are farther upstream than elements in or adjacent to the outer lanes. For example, the upper element semicircular pieces 136 may be arranged in a chevron configuration when viewed from above. This may make the formation of the web more gradual. In still other embodiments, it is desirable for a machine formed part in one of the lower or upper sets of machine formed parts to have a leading edge upstream of the other machine formed parts in the opposing set.

Such mechanical shaping mechanisms may be used alone or in combination with vacuum mechanisms. For example, in some embodiments, the mechanical forming mechanism may pre-form the film 52 such that it is formed to substantially fit the cavity 56, and a vacuum may be employed to more closely fit the portion of the film 52 to the cavity 56. In other embodiments, the mechanism may pre-shape the film 52 such that it is formed to closely conform to the cavity 56, and the vacuum is used only to hold the portion of the film 52 in the cavity 56 during filling and sealing. In still other embodiments, such mechanical forming mechanisms may be omitted entirely, and the portion of the film 52 may be stretched into the cavity 56 solely using a vacuum.

The depth to which the film 52 is formed depends on the desired fill volume and the material properties of the filled product. The lower web material 52 may be flexed, formed or stretched into the cavity 56 at ambient temperatures. The term ambient temperature as used herein refers to a temperature of less than about 100 ° f (38 ℃). Generally, the formation process may be conducted at a temperature of from about 40 ° f (4 ℃) to about 95 ° f (35 ℃) or from about 60 ° f (15 ℃) to about 80 ° f (27 ℃). However, depending on the film, it may also be possible to form or stretch the lower web material 52 into the cavity at an elevated temperature. The film temperature may be increased in any suitable manner, such as by heating the lower web material 52 or by heating the chamber 56. In these or other embodiments, the lower web material 52 may also have heat applied to it indirectly, such as due to heat emanating from the heat seal bars described herein.

There are a variety of different types of mechanisms that may be used to form the cavity 56. These mechanisms can be used for many purposes, including: deforming the lower web material 52 into cavities 56; holding the preformed lower web material in the cavities; or both. Fig. 7 shows a simple execution of the step of deforming the lower web material 52 (or holding the preformed lower web material in the cavity). In this embodiment, the lower web material 52 slides over a stationary component having a contoured shape, such as a plate having a contoured surface with cavities 56 therein. In this case, the cavity 56 is in the form of a continuous longitudinally oriented slot. The cavity 56 is defined by a sidewall 66 and a bottom 68. As shown in fig. 7, the plate forming the cavity 56 has a plurality of vacuum slots 70 therein that are connected to a vacuum manifold 72. The vacuum channels 70 may be positioned along any suitable portion of the cavity 56, including but not limited to the sides 66 and bottom 68 of the cavity 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the first set of vacuum channels 74 is located where the sides 66 and bottom 68 of the cavity meet. The second set of vacuum channels 76 may be located laterally outward of the cavity 56 and may be used to restrain the edge portion 52A of the lower web of material 52.

As shown in FIG. 8, in other embodiments, instead of a plate having a contoured surface, the apparatus may include a moving belt conveyor (or simply "moving belt") 80 that forms the bottom 68 of the cavity 56. The moving belt 80 may be in the form of a closed or endless loop. The belt 80 may be part of a conveyor belt system that includes at least two rollers 78 about which the belt 80 travels. The roller 78 may have a plurality of ridges and grooves extending in the direction of the rotational axis a of the roller. The belt 80 may have a plurality of laterally oriented ridges and grooves on its underside that engage with the ridges and grooves on the roller 78 that drives the belt 80. In this embodiment, the bottom surface 68 of the cavity 56 is formed by the top surface of the moving belt 80, and the side walls 66 are formed by the stationary side rails 82. Stationary side rails 82 form a slight gap 84 with moving belt 80 to accommodate movement of belt 80. In this embodiment, it is more desirable for the lower web material 52 to move with the moving belt 80 rather than slip as in the case of the components shown in FIG. 7.

The embodiment shown in fig. 8 also has a first set of vacuum channels 74 and a second set of vacuum channels 76. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the openings of the first set of vacuum passages 74 are located at positions in the gap 84 between the side rails 82 and the moving belt 80. This causes the lower web material 52 to flex (or retain) into the configuration of the cavities 56. The second set of vacuum channels 76 are formed in the side rails 82 as shown to restrain the edges of the lower web of material 52. In this embodiment, the vacuum manifold 72 may be located inside the transfer device 80.

Fig. 9 shows that the lower web of material 52 may be formed into a trough (such as by the forming apparatus shown in fig. 7 or 8). When the product comprises a medium viscosity (such as shampoo) or high viscosity (such as hair conditioner) liquid, it is suitable for the lower web material 52 to be formed in the shape of a simple trough. As shown in fig. 9, the liquid 48 may be deposited in discrete amounts and will remain separated on the lower web material 52 for a period of time.

For low viscosity liquids like liquid household care agents, transverse rungs (or "cross members" or "rungs") 86 may be added to the moving belt 80 to delineate the discrete pockets 56, as shown in fig. 10. The transverse cross-members 86 may be lower in height than the side cross-members 82 to minimize deformation of the lower web of material 52. The components of the moving belt conveyor 54 shown in fig. 10 may have any suitable dimensions.

Fig. 11 shows another embodiment of the forming apparatus. The forming apparatus in fig. 11 includes a combination of a fixed plate and a moving belt. The forming apparatus includes a bottom plate 88 and a top plate 90 for use with a dual line width HFFS apparatus 50. The bottom forming plate 88 is used to flex the lower web 52 (or to hold the preformed lower web in a flexed condition). The top forming plate 90 is used to flex the upper web 62 (or to hold the preformed upper web in a flexed condition). Although the top forming plate 90 is shown as being positioned directly above the bottom forming plate 88, it should be understood that the top forming plate 90 is generally positioned downstream of the bottom forming plate 88 behind the dispensing zone 58. The top forming plate 90 will be further described after the description of the dispensing step.

The bottom forming plate 88 is contoured to provide the cavity 56 therein. As shown in fig. 11, the bottom plate 88 includes a raised surface 98 that is intermediate and laterally outward of the two cavities 56. In one non-limiting embodiment, the cavity 56 is 30mm wide and the raised surface 98 has a width of 14 mm. The raised surface 98 has longitudinal side edges 100 that are rounded to avoid tearing the lower web material 52. The bottom forming plate 88 has vacuum channels spaced therein. There is a first set of vacuum channels 74 in the base of the chamber 56 adjacent each side of the chamber. There is also a second set of vacuum channels 76 in the raised surface 98 outside the cavity 56 side. The vacuum channels 74 and 76 are longitudinally spaced apart (such as about 10 mm). A moving belt 80, similar to that shown in fig. 8 or 10, is located within each cavity 56, or in a groove 56A adjacent to or within each cavity 56. In fig. 11, the groove 56A is formed in the shape of the bottom surface of the cavity 56. A portion forming the bottom of the cavity 56 may be formed by the top surface 81 of the strip 80. Vacuum is used to form the web (or to hold the preformed lower web in a flexed condition) and a belt 80 is used to transport the web 52 across the rigid non-moving forming plate.

One difference between the belts shown in fig. 11 and those shown in the previous figures is that in fig. 11, there may be a vacuum channel 77 leading to the top surface 81 of the belt 80. The belt 80 may have vacuum holes 79 therein for holding the web 52 in contact with the top surface 81 of the belt 80. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, vacuum holes 79 are located along each longitudinal side of the belt 80, although in other embodiments, the vacuum holes may be located anywhere else on the belt, such as along both sides of the belt as shown in FIG. 8. In still other versions of this embodiment, if the top surface 81 of belt 80 is raised above the base of the forming chamber (e.g., above 0.125 mm), belt 80 may have sufficient traction to drive film 52 without applying a vacuum to belt 80.

In embodiments where the film is primarily pre-formed or shaped by mechanical equipment to flex the film, the lower web material 52 may be sufficiently held in the cavity 56 with a water vacuum of about 30 inches (76.2 cm). In other embodiments, the film is primarily shaped by vacuum. In the latter embodiment, if the apparatus is twelve lanes wide, portions of the lower web material in the middle six lanes may be formed with a vacuum of 25-35 inches (about 65cm to 90 cm). Portions of the outer three lanes of the lower web material 52 on each side of the middle lane may be formed with a vacuum between about 15 to 25 inches (about 38 to 65 cm).

At least a portion of the lower web material 52 that is deflected or formed into the cavity 56 will elastically deform. The amount of elastic deformation is advantageously less than or equal to the maximum strain of any water vapor barrier layer associated with the first web material 52. The amount of elastic deformation may be, for example, less than or equal to about 4%, 5%, or 6%.

In at least some embodiments, it is desirable that the web of film 52 be substantially free of plastic deformation such that film 52 tends to return to its original configuration after the mechanism has completed acting on film 52. As used herein, the phrase "substantially free of plastic deformation" means a plastic deformation of less than or equal to about 1%. In some cases, it is desirable to have a plastic deformation of less than or equal to about 0.5%, or less than or equal to about 0.2%. The lower web material 52 may be completely free of plastic deformation. In embodiments in which film 52 is substantially free of plastic deformation, the formed portion of film 52 will generally be free of any macroscopically visible fold lines, wrinkles, permanently stretched areas, or thinned areas. Of course, in other embodiments, some amount of plastic deformation may be included for the film. However, if the first web material 52 contains a water vapor barrier that would be undesirably damaged by such plastic deformation, such plastic deformation should be avoided. As described in detail below, ensuring that the film is substantially free of plastic deformation will minimize any elongation of the film that may cause the width of the film to increase excessively, in addition to the water vapor barrier properties of the film 52. If the width of the film is excessively increased, the edges of the lower web material 52 may extend beyond the edges of the upper web material 62 (or vice versa). This may require trimming the edges of one of the films so that they are uniform.

As the lower web of material 52 is flexed into the cavity 56, the side edges 52A of the lower web of material 52 are stretched inward so that the film 52 becomes narrower due to the flexing. In the case of the transfer device 54 shown in fig. 10, for example, a film width reduction of about 2mm can be produced. The overall reduction in width of the lower web material 52 will be greater if there are two or more parallel lines of pockets 56 for making pouches from a single web of film. For example, with the lower web material 52 having an initial width of 96mm, for a two-wire implementation, the film 52 may have a reduction in width of about 4mm, such that the flexed film width is about 92mm wide. For a twelve-lane implementation, the lower web material 52 may have an initial width of 585mm or greater.

A number of different methods and mechanisms may be utilized such that the lower web of material 52 may be flexed and reduced in width while the edge portions 52A of the lower web of material 52 remain vacuum controlled. In one embodiment, the vacuum may be applied initially continuously to the middle (across the width) of the film 52 and then to the outside along the edges of the web material. In such an embodiment, or in other embodiments, the vacuum applied to the middle portion of the membrane 52 may be higher than applied to the outside along the edges of the membrane. In still other embodiments, the lower web material 52 may be mechanically shaped or pre-shaped as described above prior to the film entering the cavity 56 such that the edges thereof are stretched inward by a desired amount before the vacuum is applied.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the product 48 may be deposited on the lower web material 52 using any suitable dispensing device or apparatus, including but not limited to nozzles 60, positive displacement pumps, and devices for dispensing solids or powders, depending on the product to be dispensed. Although the following description describes nozzles, other dispensing devices may be used instead. The nozzle 60 is positioned above the lower web material 52 in the dispensing zone 58. The nozzle 60 may dispense a product, such as a liquid (or paste) product 48, onto the lower film web 52, and specifically into the flexing portion of the lower film web 52 corresponding to the cavity 56. The nozzle 60 and its orifices may be of any suitable type and configuration. Figure 13 shows one suitable nozzle configuration. The nozzle 60 includes a nozzle body 150, a chamber 152 having a piston 154 therein, a nozzle orifice 156, and a shut-off mechanism or poppet 158. The nozzle body 150 has several openings therein, including: an inlet 160 for the liquid product 48; opening the air inlet 162 of the piston chamber 152 and closing the air inlet 164 of the piston chamber 152. The nozzle 60 may have a circular orifice as shown in fig. 14. One suitable nozzle is a Hibar HPS 1.375 inch (3.5cm) circular orifice positive shutoff nozzle, part number 147742, having an inner diameter of 1/4 inches (6.4mm), available from Hibar Systems Limited, Boone, north carolina, u.s.a.

Figure 15 shows that in another embodiment, the nozzle has a slot shaped orifice. This can be used to deposit a lower profile (or height) dose of liquid on the lower web material 52 than a nozzle with a circular orifice that deposits a raised bead. In some embodiments in which slot-shaped nozzles 60 are utilized, the nozzles will deposit a relatively flat liquid onto the lower web material 52. The liquid band may have any suitable plan view configuration, including but not limited to in a generally rectangular configuration. The slot-shaped nozzle 60 is disposed above the lower web material 52 with its longer dimension oriented in the cross direction and its shorter dimension oriented in the machine direction. The orifice may be of any suitable size. In one embodiment, the slot may be 25mm long and 1.1mm wide. As shown in fig. 15, the nozzle 60 may include a shut-off mechanism 158 that is the same shape as the slot 156 to shut off flow from the nozzle.

In other embodiments, the nozzle may have multiple orifices. That is, the nozzle may be a plurality of holes or a "multi-hole" nozzle. Examples of multi-orifice nozzles are described in provisional U.S. patent application No. 61/713,696 filed on day 10, 15, 2012. Such a multi-orifice nozzle is shown in fig. 21 and 22. Fig. 21 shows that the multi-orifice nozzle assembly may generally include a cylinder 222, an optional connecting body 224, and a nozzle body 226. The cylinder 222 moves a plug 228 inside the nozzle body 226 to open and close the nozzle. An optional connecting body 224 connects the cylinder 222 to a nozzle body 226. Fig. 22 shows that the cylinder 222 may include a housing 230 having an interior hollow space 232 therein. The cylinder 222 also includes a rod 234, a piston 236, and a spring 238. In its usual orientation, during operation, the cylinder 222 can move the rod 234 upward to open the nozzle and downward to close the nozzle. If the air pressure to the filling machine is shut off (for emergencies, maintenance, air tube damage, etc.), the spring 238 holds the plug 228 against the opening in the nozzle body 226 and prevents liquid from flowing out of the nozzle. The cylinder 222 may include any suitable commercially available cylinder. Optional connecting body 224 may include any configuration of elements suitable for connecting cylinder 222 to nozzle body 226.

The multi-bore nozzle assembly 200 may include a nozzle member 252. The nozzle member 252 includes any portion of the nozzle body 226 having a passage therein; or a separate nozzle piece having a channel formed therein. One embodiment of a nozzle member 252 in the form of a separate nozzle member is shown in fig. 23. The nozzle component 252 has a perimeter 254, an inlet side 256 having a surface, and an outlet side 258 having a surface. The nozzle component 252 has a plurality of individual passageways 250 extending through the nozzle component from adjacent its inlet side 256 to its outlet side 258 such that the passageways 250 form a plurality of openings 250A in the surface of the outlet side 258 of the nozzle component 252. In one embodiment, the surface of the outlet side 258 of the nozzle component 252 has a plurality of grooves 262 therein that extend between the openings 250A provided in the surface of the outlet side 258 of the nozzle component. The nozzle may also include a plug 228, which may have any suitable configuration and may be made of any suitable material. In the embodiment shown in fig. 21 and 24, the plug 228 is configured to have a substantially flat distal end that is large enough to simultaneously cover all of the openings 250A formed by the passages located in the inlet side of the nozzle body. The plug may be made of any suitable material, such as stainless steel.

Although the discharge end and nozzle components of the "multi-orifice" nozzle assembly are shown in the drawings as having a circular cross-section, the discharge end and nozzle components of the nozzle assembly may have any suitable configuration. For example, when the multi-orifice spout is used in an upright form, fill, and seal process, it is desirable for the discharge end of the multi-orifice spout to have a flat shape, such as a flat diamond shape, so that it is better configured to fit into the space between two web materials used to form the package.

There may be any suitable number of nozzles 60, from a single nozzle to a plurality of nozzles. It is generally desirable to arrange two or more nozzles 60 in each line of the pouch as shown in fig. 3 in the Machine Direction (MD) to fill multiple packages simultaneously in a single line. This can greatly increase the speed of filling relative to VFFS equipment such as that shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 4, a plurality of nozzles may also be provided in the Cross Direction (CD) in an apparatus comprising a plurality of transverse lines for forming packages. The plurality of nozzles 60 may be substantially aligned, such as in rows in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.

The nozzle 60 may be stationary or movable. In certain embodiments, the nozzle 60 is movable relative to the container. The "container" includes the article onto or into which the fluid is to be dispensed. The term "into" as used herein relates to dispensing, including both onto and into a container, either of which is suitable for correctly dispensing a fluid. The container may include any type of article, including but not limited to a cavity in the lower web material 52, or any type of container that is filled with a fluid, including bottles and other types of containers that contain more than a single dose of product. Although the movement of the nozzle 60 will be described herein with respect to dispensing fluid into the cavity in the lower web material 52, the features of the nozzle and filling system are suitable for any other type of container.

The nozzles 60 may be movable, for example in a reciprocating manner, so that they move with the chamber 56 in the same longitudinal direction and then return to their starting position for the next dispensing cycle. In embodiments in which the nozzles 60 are movable, the nozzles may, but need not, be fully synchronized to move at the same speed as the lower web material 52. For example, the nozzles 60 may move at the same speed as the lower web material 52, or they may be slower than the lower web material 52. The nozzle 60 may be moved at a constant speed or at a variable speed during dosing. If the speed of the nozzle is variable, the movement of the nozzle during dosing may be accelerated or decelerated. For example, it is desirable that the movement of the nozzle be slowed so that the product dose will have as low and uniform a height (or profile) as possible. This will help prevent product from being dispensed or flowing into the portions of the web that will be sealed together. If the nozzle 60 is movable, the nozzle 60 may dispense the product 48 at any time as follows: when the nozzle 60 is stationary; while the nozzle 60 is moving in the same direction at the same speed as the lower web material 52; when the nozzle 60 is moving in the same direction as the lower web material 52 but at a different speed; or when the nozzle 60 is moving in the opposite direction to the lower web material 52. Using the motion and fill control system described herein, the nozzle 60 may be moved in a customized motion profile during a fill sequence to control the shape deposited on the container.

The movable nozzle mechanisms and filling systems described herein can be used with the methods described herein as well as with other dispensing methods. Such other methods of distribution include, but are not limited to: vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) methods; and filling methods for any type of container filled with a fluid, including those used to fill bottles and any other type of container that contains more than a single dose of product. Accordingly, the filling systems described herein should not be limited to filling unit dose packages of the type described herein. If a movable nozzle mechanism is used in the vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) method, as shown in fig. 2, the nozzle will move vertically up and down in the direction of the arrow.

It is desirable that each dose of liquid be cleanly dispensed onto or into a container, such as the lower web material 52, and that the flow of liquid be substantially immediately stopped between doses. If the dispensing nozzle 60 drips or creates a chain of products between doses, the seal area between doses may become contaminated, resulting in seal failure and pouch leakage. Controlled dosing is achieved by using a filling system or a filling control system. The filling (or dosing) system and filling control system (with/without a movable nozzle mechanism) described herein may also be used in such other dispensing methods.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a filling system. As shown in fig. 16, the filling system includes a storage supply 168 for liquid 48 to be deposited onto or into a container, such as the lower web material 52. A storage supply 168 of liquid is connected by tubing to a tank 170 of liquid 48. The tank 170 may be pressurized or, for low viscosity products, it need not be pressurized and may rely on a head pressure controlled level. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, it is pressurized. A regulated pneumatic line 172 connects the tank 170 to the main gas supply 171 and a controller 179 also has the ability to vent excess pressure in the tank based on the gas cap pressure. A line 174 for delivering the liquid 48 to the nozzle 60 connects the tank 170 to the nozzle 60. Feed tank 170 is equipped with a liquid level 175 and a pressure gauge 176 to allow for fast and accurate head control and monitoring. A level controller 178, which utilizes a tank level sensor 175 and controls the inlet flow through various components such as a pump 177, valves or pneumatic pistons, along with a tank gas cap pressure controller 179, allows the net nozzle head pressure to be adjusted. Both the in-tank liquid level controller 178 and the tank gas cap pressure controller may be stand alone controllers or reside in the PLC183 as an integrated process control system as a whole. If there are multiple nozzles, the nozzles may be connected to the manifold 180 and to each nozzle line 184, which may have the same configuration for all nozzles. If desired, an additional pressure sensor 188 may be added proximate to the manifold 180 to provide an additional total pressure head (liquid head plus cap head) monitoring point, which may be used to provide an override pressure adjustment to the cap pressure controller 179 or the liquid controller 178 to maintain a constant total pressure head.

The nozzle 60 may have an actuator system 181 connected thereto to provide rapid response, positive on/off control of the liquid. The actuator system 181 may include any suitable device, including but not limited to a positive displacement pump, one or more valves such as an air-driven (pneumatic) solenoid valve 186, or an electrically powered solenoid valve. The nozzle actuator system 181 may be connected to a flow measurement device (or flow feedback device) such as a flow meter 182. The flow feedback device may be a mass flow meter or a volumetric flow meter to accurately and quickly obtain each sample mass or volume of fluid, respectively. A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)183 and associated high speed input devices 185 and output devices 187 (such as the input and output cards in fig. 16A and 16B) may be in communication with the pumps, valves and flow meters and may be used to allow timely mass or volume summing and nozzle control for each mass or volume fill, as well as for liquid level and tank cap pressure control as outlined above.

Input device 185 may be any device capable of acquiring data from flow meter 182. The input device 185 should be of a type that can most quickly acquire data from a particular type of flow meter 182. Thus, the input device 185 may be selected from the group including, but not limited to: network card, Ethernet connection, data counting card and analog card. The actual flow rate may be calculated in the PLC or on the input device 185, or may be calculated in the flow meter 182 itself, depending on the flow meter type, how the input is received, and any pre-processing requirements. Thus, the PLC receives the flow feedback amount to compare to the desired set point to generate an error, and then uses the error to calculate a corrective action such as a new control actuation time. The high speed output device 187 is described in greater detail below.

The algorithm is associated with the PLC (such as by being programmed into the PLC). The algorithm receives as input the measured fill volume feedback and makes a corrective adjustment. Data from the PLC can be used to calculate an adjustment to the fill time for each fill cycle, and either an accurate timing of the output command to the solenoid for valve control or a total flow and flow rate profile control adjustment to the positive displacement pump. The filling system can be implemented to provide rapid high-precision filling of the controllable deposition profile (if desired) if appropriate high-performance components are combined with the correct control system mechanisms and algorithms. Such a filling system may be used to quickly and accurately dispense smaller doses of product (e.g., less than or equal to about 5 grams of product), if desired. In some cases, a product dose may be dispensed in less than or equal to about 100 milliseconds. In some cases, the cycle time in which multiple doses may be dispensed, measured, controlled correction calculations and any reciprocating nozzle carriage returned to position so that it is ready for the next dispense may be performed within the following times: less than or equal to about 300 milliseconds, or less than or equal to about 200 milliseconds; or in the range of about 50 or about 100 milliseconds to about 300 milliseconds, or about 50 milliseconds to about 200 milliseconds. Dispensing may also be combined with precise motion control of the nozzle relative to the container to provide a controllable deposition profile.

Achieving accurate and high-speed filling that can be coordinated with nozzle/container motion requires that the design of the control system, actuators, sensors, and control system algorithms and architectures be closely synchronized with these capabilities. A well-designed fluid resupply system for the primary fluid supply tank 170 is also required that minimizes head disturbances, along with a well-designed head control system that can block system pressure disturbances. This is done by selecting the correct control system components and then combining them in a way that allows optimal control of the interaction system. For high speed filling, it is desirable that all components required for the nozzle control and flow quality feedback measurement system meet certain dynamic performance requirements.

One embodiment of such a fill control system is shown in FIG. 16A. The nozzle actuation components can be selected such that the time from start-up within the PLC183 to the actual nozzle 60 being fully opened does not exceed 30 milliseconds. This is performed using an output device such as a predetermined output device (e.g., a programmed digital output card) 187 electrically controlled to a valve such as a pneumatic valve 186 located proximate the nozzle 60. The predetermined digital output card 187 has its own processor. This provides the following advantages: can operate without delay waiting for signals from the PLC and can insert the required on/off events to the card between PLC updates. The predetermined output may have the ability to control the digital output in increments of time periods less than 100 microseconds, and may optionally be programmed to trigger on with a particular electronic motion position state and remain on for the amount of time generated by the control algorithm. The control system has the ability to limit the filling of the flow meter to a customized fluid shape profile by utilizing a predetermined output card in conjunction with the development and execution of the cam motion profile of the nozzle relative to the vessel in the PLC 183. The flow meter assembly 182 and associated digital input card 185 can have internal parameter settings to provide a delay time of no more than 30 milliseconds from actual flow initiation until a flow measurement is detected in the PLC183 and provide repeatable measurement capability that is 10% or less different from a weighed sample over an allotted full cycle period. The 10% accuracy referred to herein is the actual weighed mass compared to the target fill mass. This will be distinguished from fluctuations shown in the electronic measurement readings. In other words, the electron mass measurement may exhibit low volatility, but the deviation is biased, and in the present method, this may be corrected to bring the final mass deposited to within 10% of the target mass value.

Generally, the version of the control system described herein that uses both the high speed flow meter count card 185 and the predetermined output card 187 is unique when designed with the correct algorithm, in that it allows the fluid fill control system (i.e., fill start or stop) to be very closely synchronized with the motion control system (when the web or unit operation is in a particular position) while also allowing very accurate fill time control (control on/off time to millisecond fraction) due to the designed control system architecture, algorithm, and component selection.

An alternative version of the fill control system is shown in fig. 16B. This alternative form of fill control system, which may provide neither close synchronization with the motion position nor very accurate fill control accuracy, utilizes a high speed counting input card, which may have high speed output capabilities. In such a case, the control algorithm typically needs to provide a trigger point so that when the high speed input count value increases beyond the gross mass threshold during filling, the output is triggered to close the filling valve. Due to system time delays, the total quality threshold or cutoff trigger value will be a quality value less than or equal to the desired final total quality.

In summary, the fill control system utilizes the following values: input of feedback from a flow measurement system; output control of when and for how long the nozzle is open; and algorithms provide a corrected fill time and a start or stop trigger value related to a process variable, such as the position of the nozzle relative to the container. For embodiments such as that shown in fig. 16A, the predetermined output card occasionally provides the ability to accurately start or stop a fill cycle, which may occur at times between updates from the PLC. (the predetermined output card can be inserted at the location where the dispensing system is located/manufactured and can trigger an on/off signal between communications from the PLC). The control algorithm uses flow volume or mass feedback (which is a fill volume feedback measurement) to make a corrective adjustment in fill time and outputs at least one of a control signal and a control actuation time for controlling when the dispensing device actuator system should be supplied with fluid. The control signal may comprise a control "on" or "off" signal, or it may comprise a signal to a predetermined output card such that the predetermined output card may be inserted and trigger the on or off signal (as described above). The output setting is when the start or stop of filling (but not usually at the same time) will occur. The opposite (stop or start) is then set by adding/subtracting the correct fill time provided by the algorithm.

For the embodiment shown in fig. 16B, the algorithm provides a corrected fill volume total threshold target (which means that it can be dynamically changed with feedback/error) and sends it to the two-in-one digital input/output card every fill cycle). Then, using the predetermined output card in the embodiment shown in fig. 16A can more accurately set the absolute start or end of filling, and more accurately set the total amount of time (filling time) that the nozzle is opened.

As shown, in the overall depiction of FIG. 3, a second web of material, such as an upper web film 62, downstream of the dispensing zone 58 enters into processing condition, above the lower web of material 52. Although the second (or upper) web material may be described below as a film, it should be understood that the second web material is not limited to a film. The upper web material may be any type of material as specified herein as being suitable for use as the lower web material. The upper web material 62 is held to the underside of a horizontal upper forming conveyor (or "upper conveyor") 64. The upper conveyor 64 may be a vacuum conveyor.

The upper web material 62 may be laid flat on top of the formed lower web material 52 without flexing the upper web material 62. However, the upper conveyor 64 may also have a profiled surface to create channels or grooves in the upper web material 62. The channels or slots in the upper web material 62 may have substantially the same width and depth as the slots or cavities 56 into which the lower web material 52 is deflected.

Flexing of the upper web material 62 is desirable for several reasons. Flexing the upper web material 62 similar to the lower web material 52 provides a gap above the semi-buried product 48 that has just been placed on the lower web material 52 and avoids smearing liquid product across the lower web material 52. Applying a liquid product can cause many problems to the pouch such as wrinkles and/or leakage. Flexing the upper web material 62 also causes the pouch to be more symmetrical. Furthermore, on a typical pouch, the film on both sides of the pouch will have printing thereon (e.g., product name and product information) that will generally be surrounded by unprinted portions that will be disposed in the sealed area of the finished pouch. Flexing the upper web material 62 similar to the lower web material 52 allows films of the same or substantially the same width to be used for both the lower and upper web materials and produces the same width reduction on both films during the manufacturing process so that the printed and unprinted portions of the films will be in register with each other. Of course, in other embodiments, the film may be free of printing. In still other embodiments, the printing may be added to the film after the package is formed.

A similar forming method (i.e., a similar system of static plates, moving belts, or combinations thereof) used to form the lower web material 52 may be used to deflect the upper web material 62. Fig. 11 shows an embodiment of an upper forming element 90 for use in a two line wide apparatus, including lines L1 and L2. In other words, the upper forming element 90 has (at least) two sets of cavities 96 therein. In such an embodiment, the top film 62 would have a width large enough to be stretched into the upper cavities 96 in the adjacent lines L1 and L2. The step of flexing the upper web material 62 and the characteristics of the upper web material 62 during flexing can be substantially the same as in the case of the lower web material 52. (for example, the upper web material 62 may be elastically deformed, but substantially not plastically deformed).

As shown in fig. 11, the upper shaping member 90 comprises a plate having a raised surface 108 between and laterally outward of the upper recesses or cavities 96. In one non-limiting embodiment, the cavity 96 is 30mm wide and the raised surface 108 has a width of 14 mm. The raised surface 108 has longitudinal side edges 109 that are rounded to avoid tearing the upper web of material 62. The raised surface 108 has vacuum channels 110 therein to hold the upper web material 62 against the raised surface 108. The upper plate also has vacuum channels 112 in the grooves 96. The vacuum channels 110 and 112 are connected to a vacuum manifold, which is in turn connected to a vacuum source. A moving belt 80, similar to the moving belt shown in fig. 8 or 10, is located within each upper cavity 96 or in a recess 96A adjacent to or within each upper cavity 96. In fig. 11, a groove 96A is formed in the shape of the base of the cavity 96. As in the case of the lower cavity, at least a portion of the bottom of the forming cavity 96 may be constituted by the top surface 81 of the belt 80. (it should be understood that the portion of the upper web 62 that is deflected into the upper cavity 96 that is furthest therefrom will be referred to as the "bottom" of the cavity, even if the upper cavity 96 is inverted relative to the bottom cavity 56. the same convention will apply with respect to the belt 80 in the upper cavity 96. thus, the "top surface" of the belt in the upper cavity will correspond to the same surface as the top surface of the belt in the lower cavity 56). Vacuum is used to form the web (or to hold the preformed upper web in a flexed condition), and a belt 80 is used to transport the web 62 across the rigid non-moving forming plates.

As in the case of the lower forming element, there may be vacuum channels 114 leading to the top surface 81 of the belt 80. The belt 80 may have vacuum holes 79 therein for holding the web 62 in contact with the top surface 81 of the belt 80. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, vacuum holes 79 are located along each longitudinal side portion of the belt 80, although in other embodiments, the vacuum holes may be located elsewhere on the belt, such as along both sides of the belt as shown in FIG. 8.

Fig. 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the upper plate 90, in which the cavity 96 does not have a separate groove on its base. In a variation of this alternative embodiment, the strap (when present) is disposed outwardly from the base of the cavity 96, but still inside the cavity. (such a band would be positioned in the space occupied by the element named 102). In this embodiment, there is a gap between the sides of the cavity 96 and the sides of the belt. In this embodiment, the distance between the top of the raised surface 108 and the top of the band is the depth of the top cavity. In another variation of this embodiment, there is no belt. In such a variation, the location that would otherwise be occupied by the belt may include a stationary plate or member 102 spaced from the innermost portion of the groove to allow passage of air around the stationary plate 102.

It should be understood that the depth of the top cavity 96 and the depth of the bottom cavity 56 may be the same, or the depth of the top cavity 96 may be less than, or greater than, the depth of the bottom cavity 56. For example, in embodiments having the transverse rails 86 forming the bottom cavities therein, the depth of the bottom cavities 56 may be 4mm and the depth of the top cavities 96 may be about 3mm in order to provide the same transverse phasing of the upper web material 62, since the lower web material 52 is contoured by the transverse rails forming the bottom cavities 56.

In embodiments where the film is primarily shaped by mechanical means, the upper web material 62 may be held with a water vacuum of 50 inches (about 130 cm). In other embodiments, the film is primarily vacuum formed. In the latter embodiment, if the apparatus is twelve lanes wide, portions of the upper web material in the middle six lanes may be formed with a vacuum of 40-50 inches (about 100 to 130 cm). The portion of the upper web material 62 in the outer three lanes on each side of the middle lane may be formed with a vacuum of between about 15 to 25 inches (about 38 to 65 cm).

The lower web material 52 and the upper web material 62 are deflected into the lower cavity 48 and the upper cavity 96, respectively, such that the lower web material 52 and the upper web material 62 each have a profile in the cross direction. The lower and upper web materials 52 and 62 will therefore have less than itThe flexed lateral width of the unflexed widths of the same. Fig. 17 shows the undeflected widths Wu of the lower web material 52 and the upper web material 62. FIG. 18 shows the lower web material 52 and the upper web material 62 relative to their undeflected widths W_UThe deflection width Wd. The flexed transverse width Wd of the lower web material 52 may be substantially the same as the flexed transverse width Wd of the upper web material 62. The term "substantially the same" as used herein with respect to the relative deflection widths Wd of the materials means that the deflection widths differ from each other by less than or equal to about 0.2%. In some embodiments, it is desirable for the flexure widths to differ from each other by less than or equal to about 0.1%. If the apparatus 50 has at least two transverse lanes, it is desirable that the transverse widths Wd in each lane be substantially the same (less than or equal to about 0.2% difference) for the deflection of the lower web material 52 and the upper web material 62. The flexing portions of the top web material 62 and the bottom web material 52 may be symmetrical. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 18, the flexures of the top web material 62 and the bottom web material 52 may have different configurations, provided that the flexures in each lane decrease in width by substantially the same amount.

Fig. 19 shows a non-limiting example of a complete process for forming a pouch and further details on the sealing step. As shown in fig. 19, two webs of material (e.g., films) 52 and 62 are unwound so that the sealant sides of the materials face inward. Bottom film 52 formation begins first. Bottom film 52 may be (optionally) mechanically pre-formed at position P1 using an apparatus such as that shown in fig. 5 and 6. A vacuum is applied to the bottom film 52 by the lower conveyor 54 to form the bottom film into the shape of the cavities or to hold the preformed film in the cavities. The product 48 is dispensed into a trough or cavity formed in the bottom film 52, such as from one or more nozzles 60. Top film 62 may be (optionally) mechanically pre-formed at position P2 using an apparatus such as that shown in fig. 5 and 6. A vacuum is applied to the top film 62 by the upper forming conveyor 64 to form the top film into the configuration of a trough or cavity or to maintain the preformed film in such a configuration. In this embodiment, the film 62 is formed with the same transverse profile as the bottom film 52.

In this embodiment, a longitudinal seal forming device 120 used to form the length or longitudinal seal is shown adjacent to the forming conveyors 54 and 64. The longitudinal seal will form a side seal on the pouch. The longitudinal seal-forming device may be in the form of longitudinally (MD) oriented heating elements (rods) 120 located between adjacent lanes and also located laterally outward of the first and last lanes. The heating rods 120 may be spring-loaded against each other vertically to seal the two films 52 and 62 together. The seal-forming device 120 desirably provides sufficient pressure to minimize air between the sealing layers of films 52 and 62 so that the sealing layers are in intimate contact. The sealing layers are heated to their melting points to heat seal them together.

After the longitudinally sealed and filled web exits the forming zone, there may be a longitudinally sealed nip 122. The longitudinal sealing nip may be driven or undriven. The longitudinal sealing nip 122 applies slight pressure to ensure that the film bonds in the longitudinal sealing zones (but preferably does not apply pressure to portions where product 48 has been deposited onto the film). In one embodiment, the nip 122 may be formed by a softer roll and an anvil roll. The softer roller may comprise a roller having a surface comprising a 20 shore a durometer material. Such a roller may be used to better press the longitudinal (or length) seal portions together for more uniform contact. At least one of the nip-forming rolls may also be chilled to cool the longitudinal seal.

After longitudinally sealing the nip 122, an optional pair of opposing vacuum plates 124 may be employed to keep the two film materials 52 and 62 separated in the unsealed areas so that the doses 48 of material deposited in discrete locations on the lower web material 52 are kept separate.

Downstream of the filling and forming conveyors 54 and 64 is a device 65 for forming transversely oriented seals. This will be referred to as transverse sealing means 65. The cross-direction sealing device 65 may be any suitable device capable of forming a cross-direction seal between the webs 52 and 62 in the space between product doses. One form of such a device is shown in fig. 3, which includes a pair of upper and lower components 65A and 65B, such as laterally oriented bars 65A and 65B, brought together to form a single lateral seal. The transverse sealing means may be stationary relative to the longitudinal movement of the films 52 and 62 so that the upper and lower transversely oriented bars 65A and 65B simply move toward and away from each other. In other embodiments, the upper and lower laterally oriented rods 65A and 65B may move with the films 52 and 62. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower transverse bars 65A and 65B move parallel to the films 52 and 62 in a reciprocating manner (in the direction of the arrows) while simultaneously abutting the upper and lower transverse bars 65A and 65B against the films as they move with the films.

In other embodiments, such as shown in fig. 20, the transverse sealing device 65 may include sealing members having other configurations. FIG. 20 shows an embodiment in which the upper and lower components 65A and 65B comprise generally U-shaped elements that each include a pair of spaced apart seal bars 65A1 and 65A2 and 65B1 and 65B2, respectively. Two sealing bars allow more sealing dwell time than only one sealing bar. The sealing bar unit 65 traverses back and forth (upstream and downstream) with respect to the product flow as the sealing bars 65A and 65B open and close to seal the films 52 and 62. The sealing bars may each have a spring 67 located between the sealing bar and the frame 69 so that they are spring loaded to move vertically up and down. The upper and lower components 65A and 65B of the transverse sealing device 65 shown in fig. 20 can be used to form a seal at both the top and bottom of the pouch. Seal components 65A and 65B include upstream seal bars such as 65A1 and 65B1 and downstream seal bars such as 65A2 and 65B 2.

When each seal member 65A and 65B includes more than one seal bar, the seal bars may be fixed relative to each other or adjustable relative to each other. It is desirable that at least one sealing bar in each sealing member is stationary. The fixed seal bar may comprise an upstream seal bar or a downstream seal bar. In the embodiment shown in fig. 20, downstream sealing bars 65a2 and 65B2 are adjustable, with different settings 1, 2, 3, and 4. Having at least one sealing bar adjustable allows the spacing between the seals to be adjusted to accommodate variations in package length. Of course, other variations of such features are possible, including having additional sealing bars capable of forming three or more transverse seals simultaneously (such as between multiple pouches).

The vacuum applied to films 52 and 62 during package formation may be released at any suitable stage in the process. The vacuum may be released at any of the following times: (1) prior to any seal formation (in which case the residual vacuum that is held on the lower web material 52 after the initial application of vacuum to deflect the lower web material may continue to hold the lower web material 52 in place); (2) prior to formation of the longitudinal seal; (3) after one of the transverse seals on a given package is formed; or, (4) after all of the seals on a given package are formed. Typically, the vacuum will be released after the longitudinal seal is formed to facilitate the formation of the transverse seal. When the vacuum is released, the flexed portions of the first web material (and the second web material) return toward their original unflexed configuration. The flexed portions may return fully to their unflexed configuration, or only partially to their unflexed configuration (the term "toward" is intended to include both). Typically, the flexed portions will only partially return to their unflexed configuration due to the presence of the product 48 between the web materials making up the package.

Downstream of the transverse sealing device 65 is a device 126 for forming longitudinal slits and a device 128 for transverse perforation/cutting. The longitudinal cut may be made by any suitable mechanism 126 including, but not limited to, by a frac slitter against an anvil or by a shear cutting apparatus. The unit dose packaged web may be cut between each lane or otherwise as desired. The slits may be continuous or they may be intermittent perforations. The cross-perforation process can be designed and operated to cut between designated rows to make a grid (product matrix). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, mechanical dies are used for both the longitudinal cutting apparatus 126 and the transverse cutting apparatus 128. However, laser cutting in the machine or cross direction may be utilized.

Many alternative embodiments of the device 50 are possible. For example, in other embodiments, the entire system may include a moving belt such as shown in fig. 8 or 10, and the side rails 82 may be eliminated and replaced with corresponding raised surfaces on the wider moving belt. In these or other alternative embodiments, the belt 80 may have vacuum holes in the middle of the pockets 56 rather than having vacuum ports in the gap between the belt 80 and the side rails 82. In still other embodiments, the belt system may be replaced with a chain system that connects discrete molds having cavities formed therein. However, the single die tooling for such a system is more expensive than the moving belt system described herein. Furthermore, if it is desired to change the system in order to make different size pouches, the moving belt system is more easily changed. More specifically, the platen system combines forming and driving functionality in one component, with the belt/plate system described herein formed separately from the component of the web transport. This provides the flexibility to vary the properties of the strip of moving web separately from the shape of the die forming the pocket. When forming and web transport are separated as described herein, the range of possible operating conditions is broader. In addition to being easier to maintain, it is also a more economical way to achieve the same purpose. Tolerances can be easily established on the forming die and precision can be maintained with little maintenance since these are not moving parts. The only consumable part is the belt, which is an inventory item.

As described above, the filling system and the filling control system may be applied to other types of filling methods. This can be used to provide accurate dispensing and short cycle times, as well as to coordinate filling with movement of the container to be filled. The movable nozzle and sealing mechanism described herein may also be applied to other types of filling methods. For example, the filling system and filling control system may be used with a VFFS embodiment such as that shown in fig. 2.

A vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) apparatus 30 such as that shown in fig. 2 may have a stationary nozzle 36 and stationary seal bars 40 and 42 while the machine is operating. However, if it is desired to change the pouch length, the nozzle 36 may need to be able to move up and down. This is a setting change and can be done when the machine is not running. In one embodiment, the longitudinal sealing bar 40 may be fixed on one side of the web with the surface of the fixed longitudinal sealing bar in a plane aligned with the centerline of the nozzle 36. The opposing longitudinal seal bar 40 may be spring-loaded up against the stationary seal bar with the membranes 32 and 34 in between. For example, the nozzle 36 may remain fixed nominally 20-90mm above the initial point of contact of the transverse sealing bar 42, depending on the pouch length and fill volume.

When more process adjustments are required, the longitudinal sealing bars 40, nozzles 36, or both may move up and down in conjunction with the downward movement of the webs 32 and 34. The longitudinal sealing bars 40 can move straight up and down. Alternatively, the longitudinal sealing bars 40 may move in a semi-elliptical motion, spreading out by about 1mm, just out of contact with the films 32 and 34. The rods 40 can then contact the film, move downward a distance, such as about 5% to about 50% of the pouch length, where their movement matches the film speed, then retract and return to the initial contact position. It is desirable to design the movement and length of the sealing bars to ensure that there will also be a continuous longitudinal seal between successive pouches before the web is cut into individual pouches.

In addition, nozzle 36 may be moved such that nozzle tip 38 remains at a fixed distance from the fill target at all times. For example, if the bottom of the pouch is located 25mm below the tip 38 of the nozzle 36 when filling begins, the nozzle 36 may be retracted upward as filling proceeds to such an extent as to maintain a spacing of at least 25mm from the tip 38 of the nozzle 36 to the top of the fluid spot. The nozzle 36 may then retract upward relatively quickly at the end of filling to allow the transverse seals 42 to close. An alternative to nozzle movement would be to move nozzle 36 further away from transverse sealing bar 42 when sealing is first performed to mitigate distortion on the pouch. The tip 38 of the nozzle 36 may then be lowered into the pouch after the cross-sealing process has been initiated to proceed through the bottom-up filling sequence described above.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, the disclosed dimension "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm".

It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numerical range given throughout this specification will include every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein.

Each document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or patent application, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims (6)

1. A dispensing system, comprising:

a dispensing device for dispensing fluid material;

a fluid supply, wherein the dispensing device is connected to the fluid supply by tubing; a dispensing device actuator system connected to the dispensing device to start and stop flow from the dispensing device;

a flow measurement system operatively connected in-line with the dispensing device; and a programmable logic controller, the distribution system characterized in that the programmable logic controller is programmed to take as input the actual flow rate and calculate a new fill time period or flow rate integral shutoff target to minimize the fill volume error between the set point and the actual fill volume and then output:

(1) controlling an actuation time and a control signal for controlling when the dispensing device should start or stop filling; or

(2) A flow integral shut-off target and control signals for controlling when the dispensing device actuator system should begin filling.

2. The dispensing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a) an input device associated with the programmable logic controller, the input device for acquiring data from a flow measurement system and transmitting the data to the programmable logic controller;

b) a predetermined output device associated with the programmable logic controller for sending an open signal and a close signal to the dispensing device actuator system, wherein the predetermined output device is capable of simultaneously periodically receiving data from the programmable logic controller and inserting the data more at a higher time resolution than it periodically receives such data in order to calculate a more accurate time to start or end a fill cycle, and has an increased time resolution for performing a desired fill time to reduce a fill volume error between a set point and an actual fill volume; and

c) an algorithm associated with a programmable logic controller, wherein the algorithm receives as input the measured fill volume from the flow measurement system and makes corrective adjustments to fill time, and outputs at least one of a control signal and a control actuation time for controlling when the dispensing device actuator system should supply fluid.

3. The dispensing system of claim 2, wherein:

the actuator system having the capability to control a digital output in time increments of 10-900 microseconds, the actuator system comprising at least one actuator having a delay of less than 30 milliseconds from a digital actuation to the start of fluid flow; and is

The flow measurement system has an internal signal processing time constant of less than 15 milliseconds and a dynamic response in terms of signal delay from actual flow to measured response of less than 30 milliseconds.

4. A dispensing system according to claim 3, wherein the dispensing system is for dispensing doses of fluid and has:

a cycle time from one dose to the next of between 50 milliseconds and 300 milliseconds, and

fill mass accuracy within a fixed target fill mass of 10% or less.

5. The dispensing system of any one of claims 2-4, comprising a portion of a device that moves a container onto or into which a fluid is to be dispensed, wherein the device moves the container in a longitudinal direction and the dispensing device is movable relative to the container, wherein the programmable logic controller and the predetermined output device are programmed to coordinate the dispensing of the fluid with the position of the dispensing device relative to the container.

6. The dispensing system of claim 5, wherein the predetermined output device is programmed to stop flow from the dispensing device after a desired amount of fluid has been dispensed from the dispensing device to a container and/or to coordinate the position of the dispensing device relative to the container.