A bottom-gusseted package comprises a package body, and a bottom gusset positioned transversely of a longitudinal axis of the package body. Formation of the bottom-gusseted package is effected by positioning individual sleeves transversely of the longitudinal axis of a flexible web which forms the package body. During package formation, the flexible web is cut to form individual packages, with each individual sleeve positioned to form a bottom gusset in a respective package. Optionally, the individual sleeve portions can be configured such that when the flexible web is cut to form individual packages, and each individual sleeve is be cut to form a bottom gusset in one package, and a top sleeve portion in an adjacent package.

A thermal welder is configured to weld a back seam of a bag formed of thermoplastic sheet material. The welder may include a weld heater and a compression mechanism downstream of the weld heater to compress the sheet material to form the back seam. The welder may also include a weld breaker downstream of the compression mechanism to break apart incidental welds which are formed adjacent the back seam.

A dimensionally adjustable plastic bag feeder includes a main box whose top surface is open, including a front face having a recess, and first and second side faces, the main box having upper face; a heat sealer formed within the recess; a handle formed on the first side face; a moveable top cover for covering the top surface of the main box, the cover including an elongated convex at its one end and a cutter, which is located near the convex, and the cover being connected to the main box at its another end; and a printer formed on the second side face, the printer including a lever, a printhead and a dial having a plurality of reels, each of which has multiple digits, respectively, wherein the printhead is moved down by pulling down the lever for printing information shown by the dial.

One or more implementations of a multi-film thermoplastic bag with a grab zone of contact areas positioned in a high-touch area of the bag. For example, the multi-film thermoplastic bag includes one or more regions of a first film in contact with a second film at one or more contact areas. The grab zone regions of one or more contact areas are located in visible and high-touch areas to provide visual and tactile cues of strength and durability. Moreover, the grab zone regions of one or more contact areas serve to distribute pull and lift forces across a wider area in order to avoid common failures in high-touch areas such as over stretching, punctures, tears, and rips.

In a plastic bag including a triangular flap which has a folded hypotenuse and an open hypotenuse, a flow path is formed by the folded hypotenuse or the open hypotenuse to discharge air or gas through the flow path.

Multi-layer bags may be formed to include first and second sidewalls joined along a first side edge, an opposite second side edge, and a closed bottom edge. The first and second layers may be non-continuously laminated together in discrete sections to include bonded regions in which the layers are bonded and unbonded regions in which the layers are not bonded. Such a bag may be described as a bag-in-a-bag type configuration in which the inner bag is non-continuously bonded to the outer bag. The inventors have surprisingly found that such configurations of non-continuous bonding provides increased and unexpected strength properties to the multi-layer films and bags.

A device for making tobacco pouches from a film includes a first folding station for receiving the film and providing a bottom fold in the film; a buffer station for buffering a length of film having the bottom fold; a second folding station for receiving the film having the bottom fold from the buffer station and providing a first fold; a second fold and a third fold in the film for defining the block-bottom, the first fold and third fold having a same fold direction and the second fold being located between the first and third fold and having a counter fold direction, where the first folding station is provided upstream of the buffer station and the second folding station is provided downstream from the buffer station.

A method for providing a web (30) of flexible, plastic packaging material with a succession of dimples (9) forming indentations for straw insertion, comprising feeding the web (30) of packaging material through a first nip (52) defined by a first pair (51) of rotating rollers, and cyclically engaging the web (30) from a first side (31) by a protrusion (55) supported by a first roller (53) of said first pair (51) of rotating rollers for forming the succession of dimples (9) in the web (30) of packaging material. The invention also relates to a corresponding apparatus and a flexible pouch package comprising a dimple.

A method and apparatus for making bags or pouches is disclosed. An ultrasonic sealer may be used to form the seals. Sealing patterns may be used to provide a desired strength profile.