A gate assembly for a bulk feeder includes a gate housing and a plurality of paddles. The gate housing defines a product feed path therein extending between intake and dispensing ends. The plurality of paddles are mounted to the gate housing and pivotable between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the product feed path is blocked by the plurality of paddles, and unblocked in the open position. In the closed position, the plurality of paddles collectively forms a polyhedron, open facing the intake end and tapering to a closed apex toward the dispensing end.

A liquid filling apparatus has a vertical tube with bottom opening opened and closed by a valve. The tube is insertable into a container from above and supplies liquid to the container. A flexible separating disk extends radially from the bottom end of the tube. The tube with flexible separating disk is movable toward the container bottom and air in the container escapes between peripheral rim of the separating disk and container wall as the tube moves down until the flexible separating disk rests on the container bottom. The tube with flexible separating disk then is moved upwardly so that, between flexible separating disk and container bottom, an enlarging space is formed with upward movement. Liquid is supplied into this space through the open tube opening as upward movement continues. When a targeted liquid level is reached, the valve closes and the tube is pulled from the container.

A method for storing objects in vacuum by inflatable balloon and inserting tube that includes a lid and a sleeve with inserting opening, drop opening, air inlet valve, and air outlet valve. The lid includes a sealing element that is compatible a sealing element on the inserting opening. The balloon includes an opening that is assembled on the sleeve such that the drop opening is positioning inside the balloon, and the opening of the balloon is assembled on the sleeve to prevent air to enter into the balloon through this opening. The user can open the lid, insert the object into the sleeve through the inserting opening, close and seal the inserting opening by the lid, inflate the balloon through the air inlet valve, slide the object into the inflated balloon, and to empty the air from the balloon through the air outlet valve.

A container receives and holds product. The container includes a multilayered composite film combination forming a bag defining a product fill opening. The multilayered composite film combination includes first and second polymer film inner and outer layers each having vacuum holding properties, and a third polymer film disposed between the first and second polymer films. The third polymer film has oxygen barrier properties. Product is packed into the container by coupling a fill spout of the container with a fill tube of a product filling apparatus, and oxygen is drawn from an inner cavity of the container. Product is flowed through the fill spout of the container, and nitrogen is added into the inner cavity through the fill spout of the container. The fill spout of the container is sealed while a negative pressure is drawn within the inner cavity thereby immobilizing the product within the container.

A system for evacuating and sealing containers filled with product, for example, food product, includes an enclosed, sealed housing wherein the pressure level and the atmospheric content can be controlled. A vacuum shroud is positioned in registry with a container entrance opening in the housing, the shroud connectible to a vacuum source and to a source of replaceable gas to replace the ambient air to be removed from the container. The shroud is advanceable to seal the container entrance opening and is retractable from the container entrance opening. A container transport system inserts the container through the housing entrance opening and into the shroud. Thereupon, a sealing system seals the housing from the ambient after the container has been inserted into the shroud. After the air in the container has been replaced with an inert gas and then the shroud retracted, a closure subsystem applies a cover to the evacuated container. Thereafter, an out feed subsystem removes the closed container from the housing while maintaining the atmospheric content and pressure level within the housing.

A filling apparatus 20 includes a filler table structure 22 disposed within a protective and supporting main housing 24. The filler table structure 22 receives and supports containers 26 to be filled with product from filler heads 28 positioned above the filler table structure. The containers 26 to be filled arrive at the filler table structure 22 on infeed conveyances 30 and then are precisely positioned at a filling position beneath the filler heads 28 by indexing systems 32. Thereafter, the filled containers 26 are transferred by the indexing systems 32 to an out feed conveyance 34. Each filler head 28 is capable of cycling at a speed of at least 30 times per minute, whereby the filling station 20 is capable of filling containers 26 at a rate of at least 30 containers per minute per filler head.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing sealed plastic containers having a first headspace pressure. The apparatus may include: an open entry port or tunnel for continuously receiving containers; a sanitizer configured to sanitize outside surfaces of the received containers; a perforator configured to perforate or open a cap or seal of the containers within the apparatus; a sealer configured to seal the perforation or opening formed in the cap or seal of the containers; an open exit port of tunnel for continuously exiting the processed containers; and a conveyor system configured to transporting or convey the containers from the open entry port or tunnel, through and within the apparatus, to the open exit port or tunnel and away from the sanitized environment of the apparatus. The apparatus may be further configured to maintain a sanitized environment within the apparatus, perforator, and/or sealer.

An apparatus (1) and method for manufacturing a pouched product involve a forming unit (50) arranged to feed a continuous supply of a pouch material (20) configured as a continuous channel member. A dosage unit (500) is operably engaged with the forming unit (50) and is arranged to introduce a dose of a filler material (130), having at least one object (134) within the dose, into a pouched portion of the channel member, the pouched portion having a closed leading edge such that the pouched portion is arranged to retain the dose of the filler material (130), having the at least one object (134) within the dose, within the pouched portion. An object metering unit (300) is arranged to introduce objects (134) into the dosage unit (500), and includes a rotatable feed member (248) arranged to meter the objects (134) introduced into the dosage unit (500) so as to direct the at least one object (134) into the dose of the filler material (130).