A flexible container is provided. The flexible container includes four panels. The four panels form (i) a body portion; (ii) a neck portion, and a flare portion that extends from the neck portion; (iii) a tapered transition portion between the body portion and the neck portion; and (iv) the neck portion has a reduced width. The flare portion has an expanded end. The width of the flare portion gradually increases from the neck portion to the expanded end.

The present invention relates to a machine comprising: an unwinding unit (11) for unwinding a flexible band (1), a folding unit (14) of a flexible band (1), a drive unit (31) configured for moving the flexible band (1) in a forward movement direction (DA), a welding unit (16) and a cutting unit (17) for cutting the flexible band, wherein the cutting unit (17) is a laser beam cutting unit (53) separating each individual flexible package from the flexible band (1) and providing a fill opening in each flexible package by means of at least one fill opening cut. The laser beam cutting unit (53) has associated therewith a separator device, movable in a vertical direction and including an insertable separator element (41), interposed between the opposite faces of the folded flexible band (1), in an area adjacent to the fill opening (3), for separating the opposite faces of the flexible band (1) during cutting operations to prevent the fusion thereof.

A vent for a package includes a multilayer laminate film comprising a vent having a first breach, a second breach, and a laser-formed channel extending therebetween, and the length and cross-sectional area of the laser-formed channel are configured to exhaust CO.sub.2 at a rate greater than a counter-flow diffusion rate for oxygen or water vapor.

A flexible pouch for receiving flowable products that includes a fitment having a spout to allow the flowable products to be discharged from the pouch. The flexible pouch is formed from a top and a bottom web of material. A sealant strip is attached to a top edge of each of the top and bottom webs of material. A fitment having a canoe and spout is positioned such that the canoe is positioned between the first and second sealant strips. The height of the canoe and the width of the first and second sealing strips are the same to minimize the amount of sealant material. The first and second sealant strips are sealed to each other along the entire width of the flexible pouch to entrap the canoe of the fitment between the top and bottom webs.

An apparatus is improved to successively make plastic bags each of which includes an end surface provided with a spout, by employing the general feeding way of panel material, to be simple in structure, low in cost, high in speed and to make it possible to successively make the plastic bags two by two. A first folded portion is formed in a first web of panel material 1. An aperture is formed in a second web of panel material 2. A spout is inserted into the aperture, the spout and the second web of panel material 2 being heat sealed with each other. The second web of panel material 2 is guided by a guide device 18 to be folded after being heat sealed so that a second folded portion should be formed in the second web of panel material. The spout is turned over by the second folded portion. The second folded portion and the first folded portion are heat sealed with each other while the second folded portion and the second web of panel material 2 are heat sealed with each other about the spout.

An apparatus successively makes plastic bags each of which includes an end surface provided with a protrusion, without specially supplying a web of bottom gusset material. A first web of panel material is folded along a first folded line at a position adjacent to a side edge of the first web, while a second web of panel material is folded along a second folded line at a position adjacent to a corresponding side edge of the second web. A first folded portion is formed in the first web. There exists a distance between the side edge and the first folded line, which is larger than twice a distance between the corresponding side edge and the second folded line by a predetermined distance, after being folded. The end surface is formed by the first folded portion, the protrusion being formed by the predetermined distance.

An apparatus successively makes plastic bags each of which includes an end surface provided with a protrusion, without specially supplying a web of bottom gusset material. A first web of panel material is folded along a first folded line at a position adjacent to a side edge of the first web, while a second web of panel material is folded along a second folded line at a position adjacent to a corresponding side edge of the second web. A first folded portion is formed in the first web. There exists a distance between the side edge and the first folded line, which is larger than twice a distance between the corresponding side edge and the second folded line by a predetermined distance, after being folded. The end surface is formed by the first folded portion, the protrusion being formed by the predetermined distance.

A flexible container is provided. The flexible container includes four panels. The four panels form (i) a body portion; (ii) a neck portion, and a flare portion that extends from the neck portion; (iii) a tapered transition portion between the body portion and the neck portion; and (iv) the neck portion has a reduced width. The flare portion has an expanded end. The width of the flare portion gradually increases from the neck portion to the expanded end.

An apparatus is improved to successively make plastic bags each of which includes an end surface provided with a spout, by employing the general feeding way of panel material, to be simple in structure, low in cost, high in speed and to make it possible to successively make the plastic bags two by two. A first folded portion is formed in a first web of panel material 1. An aperture is formed in a second web of panel material 2. A spout is inserted into the aperture, the spout and the second web of panel material 2 being heat sealed with each other. The second web of panel material 2 is guided by a guide device 18 to be folded after being heat sealed so that a second folded portion should be formed in the second web of panel material. The spout is turned over by the second folded portion. The second folded portion and the first folded portion are heat sealed with each other while the second folded portion and the second web of panel material 2 are heat sealed with each other about the spout.

An apparatus successively makes plastic bags each of which includes an end surface provided with a protrusion, without specially supplying a web of bottom gusset material. A first web of panel material is folded along a first folded line at a position adjacent to a side edge of the first web, while a second web of panel material is folded along a second folded line at a position adjacent to a corresponding side edge of the second web. A first folded portion is formed in the first web. There exists a distance between the side edge and the first folded line, which is larger than twice a distance between the corresponding side edge and the second folded line by a predetermined distance, after being folded. The end surface is formed by the first folded portion, the protrusion being formed by the predetermined distance.