The packet for providing nutrients to a person is disclosed. The packet may be inserted into a bottle of water at which time, a film of the packet begins to dissolve and allow the water to seep into the packet. When the water seeps into the packet, the water dissolves the film from the inside out so that the film dissolves from the outside in and inside out to reduce the time required to completely dissolve the film. Moreover, the bottle of water can be closed so that the user can shake the bottle of water and allow the powdered nutrient in the packet to rub against the film and further reduce the time required to completely dissolve the film and also dispersed the powdered nutrient in the water. The powdered nutrient may have a rate of dissolution that is slower than the film so that the powdered nutrient can run and cause friction against the film throughout the entire period of time water bottle was shaken.

An oral sachet designed to be placed in a users mouth, the oral sachet. The oral sachet includes permeable paper that does not contain fiberglass. The permeable paper forms a pouch that includes a top seal arranged at first end of the pouch, a bottom seal arranged at a second end of the pouch opposite from the first end, a vertical seal that extends from the top seal to the bottom seal, and a cavity located between the top seal and the bottom seal. Granular contents, including at least one granular or powdered component, are arranged within the cavity of the permeable-paper pouch.

A bag making and packaging machine is provided with a feed mechanism, a roll holding portion, a printing mechanism, a former, a longitudinal seal mechanism, a transverse seal mechanism, a cutting mechanism, a first sensor, and a second sensor. The printing mechanism prints information on a film. The former causes the two longitudinal sides of the film to become overlapped. The longitudinal seal mechanism bonds the two longitudinal sides and makes a film tube. The transverse seal mechanism sandwiches and bonds the film tube and makes a transverse seal portion. The cutting mechanism cuts the film tube at the transverse seal portion. The first sensor detects a mark on the film for identifying a cutting position for cutting the film tube. The second sensor detects a mark for specifying a printing position of the film where predetermined information is to be printed.

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, a first joiner having a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and are arranged so that they can be extended from the first joiner and retracted into the first joiner.

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, a first joiner having a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and are arranged so that they can be extended from the first joiner and retracted into the first joiner.

A method for controlling a flow regulating valve (6) of a filling machine (1), controlling the flow of pourable food product, envisages: receiving an inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) from a pressure sensor (14); receiving an inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) from a flow meter (16); determining a control signal (S.sub.c) for controlling an operating position of the flow regulating valve (6) by combined contributions (C.sub.1, C.sub.2) of a flow feedback control module (22), receiving at its input a flow set point (F.sub.SP) and the inlet flow measurement (F.sub.IN) and generating a first control contribution (C.sub.1) indicative of a difference between the inlet flow measurement and the flow set point; and a flow feed-forward control module (20), receiving at its input the inlet pressure measurement (P.sub.IN) and the flow set point (F.sub.SP) and generating a second control contribution (C.sub.2) as a function of the flow set point and inlet pressure measurement, using pre-stored fluid-dynamic maps, which may be a result of a characterization of the flow regulating valve in a test condition. The flow feed-forward control module uses the fluid dynamics maps in a dynamically adaptive manner, depending on different operating conditions of the filling machine and/or the related pourable food product, thereby adapting to the same different operating conditions and/or the pourable food product.

Methods, computer program products and apparatus for producing encased products use a rotary encoder with a measuring wheel, the measuring wheel residing against a depression of a wheel saddle that has a shape that curves inward with a radius of curvature that corresponds to an outer perimeter radius of a cooperating measuring wheel.

Methods, computer program products and apparatus for producing encased products use a rotary encoder with a measuring wheel, the measuring wheel residing against a depression of a wheel saddle that has a shape that curves inward with a radius of curvature that corresponds to an outer perimeter radius of a cooperating measuring wheel.

A form, fill and seal machine includes a support frame having an L-shaped track with first and second track portions. A sealing jaw assembly includes first and second guides moveable along the track from a first position, wherein the first and second guides are positioned in the first track portion, to a second position, wherein the first and second guides are positioned in the second track portion. The sealing jaw assembly is rotated 90 degrees as the first and second guides are moved from the first position to the second position. A method of converting a form, fill and seal machine from a first configuration to a second configuration is also provided.

System, hardware, and methods for agitating a package pre-form containing a charge of product elements thus to provide for product settling in the package pre-form before forming the final transverse seal. The product is caused to settle in the package pre-form by apply a plurality of rapid jerk-type acceleration forces to the packaging material, thus to cause rapid longitudinal and/or lateral acceleration in the packaging material.