A food processing system is disclosed. The food processing system includes a food scaling portion, a food bagging portion and a chute portion connecting the food scaling portion to the food bagging portion. The food processing system also includes a foreign object sensor arranged about the chute portion. The foreign object sensor and the chute portion cooperatively form a foreign object sensing zone within a passage formed by the chute portion that extends along a portion of a length of the chute portion. The food processing system also includes at least one sensor testing conduit extending through one or both of the food scaling portion and the chute portion. An exit opening of the at least one sensor testing conduit is arranged in an opposing relationship with respect to the foreign object sensing zone. A foreign object sensor apparatus for detecting non-foodstuff material is also disclosed. A method is also disclosed.

A system including a liner implement that is configured to provide a lining for at least a receptacle, the liner implement includes an upper edge component having an outer surface portion and an inner surface portion. A retention strip implement engages the upper edge component, to tighten the upper edge component around an upper opening of the receptacle. A first end segment of the retention strip implement is configured to engage the outer surface portion of the liner implement. A second end segment is configured to engage the inner surface portion of the liner implement being operable for tightening the upper edge component around an upper element of said receptacle. An adhesive free area is configured to be operable for grasping during the engagement of the second end segment adhesive with the inner surface portion of the liner implement upper edge component.

A method includes separating a portion of a flattened tube of stock packing material to a custom length to form a pouch pre-form and closing a first end of the pouch pre-form leaving a second end of the pouch pre-form open. The method can include placing product into the pouch pre-form and closing the one open end of the pouch pre-form to form a closed pouch containing the product.

A method of packaging a series of differently shaped objects. The method includes receiving a first object to be packaged and identifying a first length of a stock packaging material suitable for enclosing the first object. The method continues by creating, with a bag making machine, a first bag from the stock packaging material having approximately the first length, which leads to substantially enclosing the first object in the first bag. Then the method continues by receiving a second object to be packaged, the second object having a shape or size different from the first object. A second length of the stock packaging material suitable for enclosing the second object is identified. The method continues by creating, with the bag making machine, a second bag from the stock packaging material having approximately the second length, followed by substantially enclosing the second object in the second bag.

A food packaging system includes, in a serially coupled, operational configuration: a) an automated bag forming system; b) a bag rotator; c) a blade wheel; d) a bag top opener assembly; e) a funnel positioning system; f) a hopper system; g) an oil injection system; h) a sealing station; i) a crimping assembly; and j) an offloading assembly. A carriage conveyor system is configured to receive a bag formed by the automated bag forming system and convey the bag sequentially from component b) to component j).

A packer machine for producing pouches containing portions of a loose product having: a frame; a conveyor device configured to move two bands of wrapping material along two parallel packing paths; a wrapping station arranged along each packing path at which the corresponding band is wrapped to form a tubular wrap; a longitudinal sealing unit with at least two sealing elements; a feeding device with two feeding ducts around each of which a band is bent to form the corresponding tubular wrap, each being configured to feed, one after the other, the loose product into the corresponding tubular wrap; two movable assemblies, each being mounted on the frame to move along a pressing direction independently of the other movable assembly and supports one single corresponding sealing element; and two actuator devices, each of which applies an elastic force to a corresponding movable assembly independently of the other actuator device.

A package for dairy products, in particular solid or semi-solid dairy products, including a bag provided with at least one pair of lateral walls reciprocally joined by means of first welding lines and at least one bottom wall, so as to define a housing compartment. A dairy product is housed in the compartment defined inside the bag. The bag includes second welding lines made in correspondence with top parts of the bag and positioned on opposite sides of the bottom wall. The second welding lines are disposed diagonally with respect to the first welding lines and with respect to the bottom wall and configured and oriented so as to progressively narrow the housing compartment toward the bottom wall of the bag. The dairy product includes at least a central support zone on the bottom wall and the bag includes at least lateral support zones defined by the opposite top parts.

A packaging container includes an expandable plastic body having a front wall and a back wall, and a top, a bottom, and sides. Each side of the body has a gusset portion extending along a length thereof. Each gusset portion has gusset segments and a pair of adjacent gusset segments are joined along a common fold line. Each gusset segment has an inner surface and an outer surface. At least one of the gusset segments has an embossed section. The embossed section has a plurality of mounds protruding from one of the inner and outer surfaces and a plurality of depressions corresponding to the mounds within the other of said inner and outer surfaces. A roll for forming a packaging container, and method, are also disclosed.

The packaging material includes a packaging material body formed into a sheet shape as a whole by welding two film sheets having an upper sheet and a lower sheet together at appropriate points; an air introduction path having the packaging material body, one side thereof serving as an air introduction port and the other side sealed; a plurality of air bags having the packaging material body while being in communication with the air introduction path, and extending in a direction orthogonal to the air introduction path; and check valves provided to respective air inlets of the plurality of air bags and preventing escaping of air having been introduced through the air introduction port and introduced into the air bags through the air inlets. The packaging material body is bent and welded at appropriate points, whereby a packaging bag for storing a packaged object is provided.

A bagging mechanism for packaging ice into plastic bags is provided. The bagging mechanism includes a roll support for supporting a roll of plastic, a feeding unit for feeding a predetermined length of plastic from the roll of plastic along a feeding path, a sealing unit positioned along the feeding path for sealing the length of plastic across a width thereof to define a bottom and a top of the plastic bag, a breaching unit positioned along the feeding path downstream from the sealing unit for breaching at least one layer of the length of plastic, thus defining an opening at a top of the plastic bag, and a spreading unit positioned downstream from the breaching unit, the spreading unit having a plurality of elongated fingers adapted to extend between layers of the plastic and hold the top of the plastic bag open while it is filled with ice.