Bag-sealing apparatus is provided for heat-sealing a bag. The apparatus has a heater arrangement operable to apply heat to heat-seal an open end of the bag. A bag detector detects the location of the bag relative to the heater arrangement. The heater arrangement is formed of plural heater portions. The heater arrangement is operable such that only the or each heater portion that overlies the bag as detected by the bag detector is caused to operate to apply heat to the bag.

A rechargeable sealer with storage function includes a casing, an electric heating module, a circuit board, a supporting base, a press bar, a spring-back mechanism, and a sliding plate. The casing is provided with an accommodating chamber, in which are provided with a fore contact element and a rear contact element. A rechargeable battery is positioned in and between the fore contact element and the rear contact element. The circuit board, provided with an external slot, is disposed in the accommodating chamber, featured in charging the rechargeable battery. The press bar is provided with a sliding slot, and is pivotally connected with the pivoting shaft of the supporting base, served as a pressing structure corresponding to the casing.

The present invention provides, in various embodiments, a rotary-type machine (M) for continuously sealing individual foil bags (B) by way of ultrasonic welding between an anvil (6) and a sonotrode (5) in at least one welding station (S) of a carousel (1), where each foil bag (B) can be positioned by way of holders (11). In some embodiments, the rotary-type machine (M) comprises at least one welding station (S) composed of a sonotrode (5) being located stationary at least relative to the direction of circulation (8) and anvils (6) which with intermediate spacings (7) rotate past said sonotrode (5) successively in the direction of circulation (8) of the carousel (1). According to the invention, the foil bags (B) are sealed at the stationary sonotrode (5) when the anvils (6) equipped with the foil bags (B) are rotated past.

A method of positioning and sealing a bag in a vacuum chamber, includes detecting a trailing edge of a product in the bag, detecting a trailing edge of a patch adhered to the bag, controlling advancement of the bag, and closing the bag. A bag positioning apparatus includes an infrared sensing apparatus, a fluorescence sensing apparatus, and a controller. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes adhering a first patch to film stock, detecting a position of the first patch, aligning a second patch with the first patch, and adhering the second patch to the film stock. A method of manufacturing a patch bag includes detecting an edge of a patch adhered to film stock, forming a seal across the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch, and severing the film stock adjacent to the edge of the patch.

A method and apparatus for pleating or otherwise shaping a web are described herein. The method and apparatus may have numerous applications. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus are used in the formation, filling, and sealing of unit dose packages for consumer products. A method and apparatus for forming sealing two moving webs together, which webs have portions that are non-planar are also described herein.

A filling slit is formed in a first panel of web material of a flexible pouch enclosure formed from the first panel and an opposing second panel of the web material and having a resealable closing assembly having interlocking male and female members joined to a flange. After the flexible pouch enclosure is at least partially filled with a product through an opening in the first panel of the web material that is created by the filling slit, the filling slit is closed by sealing the first panel to the flange of the resealable closing assembly.

Disclosed are disposable containers, such as a stand-up pouch, for heating food in a microwave oven and while automatically dispensing sauce onto the food. Methods and apparatuses for making sauce packets and disposable containers are also disclosed.

A flexible funnel positioned at a filling station of a fill machine. The flexible funnel directs a product dispensed at the filling station of the filling machine into a pouch. The flexible funnel having a rigid upper portion and a plurality of fingers. The rigid upper portion includes an open top end and an open bottom end. Each of the plurality of elongated fingers hingedly connected to the upper portion. The rigid upper portion has a regular polygon shape having a plurality of sides, and each of the plurality of fingers is individually articulatable with respect to one of the plurality of sides of the upper rigid portion.

A chamber conveyor belt machine having a machine frame, a chamber cover with two or more columns and a lifting device for lifting the chamber cover. The lifting device may include a safety system that includes a latching rail that cooperates with a latching hook disposed on at least one of the two columns. The safety system may include one or more sensors for determining whether the lifting device is working correctly or is in a failure condition. The safety system may prevent the chamber conveyor belt machine from operating if a failure condition is sensed.

There is provided a moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine, and particularly, there is provided a moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine for sensing moisture within a chamber. The moisture-sensitive vacuum packing machine includes: a device housing having a controller and a vacuum driving unit; a chamber unit positioned above the device housing and having a first chamber and a second chamber whose interiors are vacuumized when the vacuum driving unit operates; and a sensing unit installed in the chamber unit such that it is associated with the controller, and sensing the presence or absence of moisture within the second chamber according to whether the sensing unit comes into contact with the second chamber.