AN APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A POUCHED PRODUCT FOR ORAL USE AND A POUCHED PRODUCT FOR ORAL USE

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) and a method for manufacturing a pouched product (201) for oral use. The present invention further relates to a pouched product (201) for oral use. The apparatus comprises a supplying unit (3) for supplying a filling material (5), a holding unit (7) for holding a piece (9) of tubular web of a saliva-permeable packaging material, the piece of tubular web having a predefinable length when provided to the holding unit, a transverse sealing unit (11) for providing the piece of tubular web with transverse seals (13) thereby forming a pouched product, and a separation unit (15) for separating the pouched product from a subsequent pouched product (201′) in or at the transverse seals. The holding unit comprises guiding provisions (17) for guiding the filling material from the supplying unit to be supplied into the piece of tubular web at an end (19) of the holding unit, wherein a length of the holding unit (L.sub.h) is at least 35 cm.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a pouched product for oral use, said apparatus comprising: a supplying unit configured to supply a filling material, a holding unit configured to hold a piece of tubular web of a saliva-permeable packaging material, said piece of tubular web having a predefined length when provided to said holding unit, a transverse sealing unit configured to provide said piece of tubular web with transverse seals thereby forming a pouched product, and a separation unit for separating configured to separate said pouched product from a subsequent pouched product in or at said transverse seals, wherein said holding unit comprises guiding provisions for guiding said filling material from said supplying unit to be supplied into said piece of tubular web at an end of said holding unit and, wherein a length of said holding unit is at least 35 cm.

2-16. (canceled)

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said length of said holding unit is in the range of 35-200 cm.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding unit is configured to hold said piece of tubular web in a gathered state, said apparatus further comprising: a feeding unit configured to feed said piece of tubular web in a direction of travel of said piece of tubular, thereby sequentially expanding said piece of tubular web from said gathered state to a flat state, wherein said feeding unit is located at or adjacent to said end of said holding unit, such that said filling material is supplied into said piece of tubular web when in said flat state.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said feeding unit is configured to move said piece of tubular web in said gathered state in a direction opposite to said direction of travel, such that said piece of tubular web is loaded onto said holding unit.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said feeding unit comprises one or more pulling wheels or pulling belts configured to pull out said piece of tubular web, thereby sequentially expanding it from said gathered state to said flat state.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises a loading unit and a storage unit for at least one additional piece of tubular web, said loading unit being displaceable between a first position located at said storage unit, in which said additional piece of tubular web is movable from said storage unit to said loading unit, and a second position located at said holding unit, in which said additional piece of tubular web is movable from said loading unit to said holding unit.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of holding units configured to be used sequentially together with said supplying unit, each holding unit being configured to hold a respective separate piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said apparatus further comprises a magazine configured to store said plurality of holding units, said magazine also configured to move one holding unit at a time into a filling position in relation to said supplying unit.

24. A method for manufacturing a pouched product for oral use, said method comprising: a) providing and holding a piece of tubular web of a saliva-permeable packaging material on a holding unit, said piece of tubular web having a predefined length when provided to said holding unit, b) providing said piece of tubular web with a first transverse seal, c) supplying a filling material through said holding unit into said piece of tubular web, d) advancing said piece of tubular web in a direction of travel, e) providing said piece of tubular web with a second transverse seal thereby forming a pouched product, and f) separating said pouched product from a subsequent pouched product in or at said second transverse seal.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein a length of said piece of tubular web as seen in a flat state is in the range of 35-500 cm.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein, in step a), said piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material is provided in a gathered state and held on said holding unit in said gathered state, wherein step b), c) or d) is performed while expanding said piece of tubular web from said gathered state to said flat state and, wherein a length of said piece of tubular web, when in said gathered state, is less than a length of said piece of tubular web when in said flat state.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said length of said piece of tubular web in said gathered state is in the range of 35-200 cm.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein said method further comprises: loading a new piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material onto said holding unit.

29. The method according to claim 24, wherein said method further comprises: exchanging an empty holding unit to a new holding unit comprising a new piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material.

30. A pouched product for oral use, comprising a filling material and a saliva-permeable pouch enclosing said filling material, said pouched product for oral use having a rectangular shape with four sides edges, wherein said pouched product for oral use comprises two seals only, located at or adjacent to two of said side edges being opposite to each other.

31. The pouched product for oral use according to claim 30, wherein said pouched product is a pouched nicotine containing product for oral use, a pouched tobacco product for oral use or a pouched nicotine free product for oral use.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] The present invention will hereinafter be further explained by means of non-limiting examples with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

[0079] FIG. 1a-b illustrate a pouched product for oral use according to prior art,

[0080] FIG. 2a-b illustrate a pouched product for oral use according to the invention,

[0081] FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus for manufacturing a pouched product for oral use according to the invention,

[0082] FIG. 4 illustrates loading of a new piece of tubular web,

[0083] FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative way of loading a new piece of tubular web, and

[0084] FIG. 6 illustrates yet an alternative way of loading a new piece of tubular web, and

[0085] FIG. 7 illustrates a method for manufacturing a pouched product for oral use according to the invention.

[0086] It should be noted that the appended drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that the dimensions of some features of the present invention may have been exaggerated for the sake of clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] The invention will in the following be exemplified by embodiments. It should however be realized that the embodiments are included in order to explain principles of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention, defined by the appended claims. Details from two or more of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0088] FIGS. 1a and 1b schematically illustrate a pouched product for oral use 101 according to prior art. The prior art product 101 has a rectangular shape with a maximum length L.sub.0 extending in a length direction and a maximum width W.sub.0 extending in a width direction, whereby the maximum length L.sub.0 is greater than the maximum width W.sub.0. The prior art product 101 comprises a filling material 102 and a saliva-permeable pouch 104 enclosing the filling material 102. The prior art product 101 comprises two long side edges 103a, 103b and two short side edges 105a, 105b. The prior art product 101 also has an extension in a height direction, being perpendicular to the length direction and to the width direction, however not seen in this perspective.

[0089] The prior art product 101 comprises at least one seal 107 extending in the length direction. Typically, and as illustrated in FIG. 1a, there is a single seal 107 extending in the length direction. This seal is often called a longitudinal seal, since, when manufacturing the prior art product 101, this seal is made along the direction of travel of the web forming the pouch. The longitudinal seal is often positioned spaced apart from the long side edges 103a, 103b. Thereby it is often preferred to position it at or close to the longitudinal centre-line, as is illustrated in FIG. 1a. The longitudinal seal 107 may be made by any method known to the skilled person, e.g. by means of heat-welding and/or ultrasonic welding. In a commonly used method, the longitudinal seal 107 is formed as a fin seal, which is folded down upon the packaging material, such that the pouch locally comprises three plies of packaging material on top of the filling material. See the cross-sectional view in FIG. 1b.

[0090] Further, the prior art product 101 comprises two seals 109a, 109b extending in the width direction. The two seals 109a, 109b seal the two short side edges 105a, 105b and thus form edge seals. These seals 109a, 109b are often called transverse edge seals, since, when manufacturing the prior art product 101, these edge seals are made transverse to the direction of travel of the web forming the pouch. In the transverse seals, the packaging material forming the saliva-permeable pouch is double. The transverse edge seals 109a, 109b may be made by any method known to the skilled person, e.g. by means of heat-welding and/or ultrasonic welding. Since the transverse edge seals 109a, 109b are made after the longitudinal seal 107, i.e. downstream in the manufacturing apparatus, the longitudinal seal 107 is included in the transverse edge seals 109a, 109b, i.e. the longitudinal seal 107 forms part of the transverse edge seals 109a, 109b, The longitudinal seal 107 may e.g. be welded into the transverse edge seals 109a, 109b. Hence, at those locations, the packaging material forming the saliva-permeable pouch occurs four plies on top of each other.

[0091] FIGS. 2a and 2b schematically illustrate a pouched product for oral use 201 according to the invention. The pouched product 201 comprises a filling material 202 and a saliva-permeable pouch 204 enclosing the filling material 202. It has a rectangular shape with a maximum length L extending in a length direction and a maximum width W extending in a width direction, whereby the maximum length L is greater than or equal to the maximum width W. The pouched product 201 also has an extension in a height direction, however not seen in this perspective.

[0092] The pouched product 201 according to the invention comprises two long side edges 203a, 203b and two short side edges 205a, 205b. Similar to the prior art product 101, the pouched product 201 according to the invention comprises two transverse seals 209a, 209b, with the terms longitudinal and transverse relating to the direction of travel of the piece of web forming the pouch as further described herein in relation to the apparatus and method. The transverse seals 209a, 209b form a first 209a and a second transverse edge seal 209b sealing a respective first edge portion and a second edge portion along the two short side edges 205a, 205b of the pouched product 201. The transverse edge seals 209a, 209b preferably extend all the way out to the respective short side edge 205a, 205b, but there may also be an interspace between the transverse edge seal 209a, 209b and the short side edge 205a, 205b. The transverse seals 209a, 209b may be made by any method known to the skilled person, e.g. by means of heat-welding, and/or ultrasonic welding.

[0093] The big difference to the prior art product 101, cf. FIG. 1a-b, is the absence of a longitudinal seal 107. Hence, for the pouched product 201 according to the invention, the saliva-permeable pouch 204 consists of a single ply of packaging material along a full length of the pouched product between the edge seals 205a, 205b, see the cross-sectional view in FIG. 2b.

[0094] Hence, although the pouched product 201 according to the invention and the prior art product 101 may have similar generally rectangular shapes, it can be seen that they differ from each other regarding the absence or presence of the at least one longitudinal seal 107. They may also differ as regards size and/or length to width ratio. They may also differ as regards the widths of the transverse seals. FIG. 1a shows a typical width for a seal made with the commonly used technology of heat-welding, while FIG. 2a shows a transverse seal made with ultrasonic welding, which typically is narrower than a seal made by heat-welding. Such a seal made with ultrasonic welding may have a width of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, more preferably less than 0.5 mm.

[0095] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an apparatus 1 for manufacturing a pouched product 201 for oral use according to the invention. The features of the pouched product 201 are explained above in conjunction with FIG. 2a-b.

[0096] The apparatus 1 comprises a supplying unit 3 for supplying a filling material 5, a holding unit 7 for holding a piece 9 of tubular web of a saliva-permeable packaging material, a transverse sealing unit 11 for providing the piece 9 of tubular web with transverse seals 13 thereby forming a pouched product 201, and a separation unit 15 for separating the pouched product 201 from a subsequent pouched product 201′ in or at the transverse seals 13.

[0097] The holding unit 7 comprises guiding provisions 17 for guiding the filling material 5 from the supplying unit 3 to be supplied into the piece 9 of tubular web at an end 19 of the holding unit 7. The holding unit 7 may comprise, or be constituted by, a filling tube, as is illustrated in FIG. 3. Thereby, the piece 9 of tubular web is held at the outside of the filling tube. Further, the filling tube functions as the guiding provisions 17, such that the filling material 5 may move through the filling tube from the supplying unit 3 into the piece 9 of tubular web.

[0098] Even if FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus 1, in which the supplying unit 3 and the holding unit 7 are two separate units, it would also be feasible to combine them into a common unit. Hence, alternatively, the supplying unit 3 and the holding unit 7 may together form a single unit.

[0099] The piece 9 of tubular web has a predefinable length L.sub.p when provided to the holding unit 7. The piece 9 of tubular web may either be provided in a flat state, or in a gathered state. However the length L.sub.p when provided to the holding unit 7 is measured as the actual length of the piece 9 of tubular web as taken along the outer wall of the piece 9 of tubular web. However, FIG. 3 illustrates the apparatus 1 in operation. Accordingly, a portion of the length L.sub.p of the piece 9 of tubular web when provided to the holding unit 7 has already been used for making pouched products 201, 201′.

[0100] The flat state corresponds to the state the packaging material has in the pouch of the pouched product, i.e. a substantially flat surface although the pouched product has a three-dimensional shape, such as pillow-like, e.g. like a small flattened typically somewhat oblong pillow. If the piece 9 of tubular web is provided to the holding unit 7 in the flat state, a length L.sub.f in the flat state equals the length L.sub.p when provided to the holding unit 7. The length L.sub.f in the flat state is also predefinable, i.e. the piece 9 of tubular web does not form a section of a continuous web.

[0101] If provided in the gathered state, a length L.sub.g of the piece 9 of tubular web in the gathered state has been shortened in relation to the length L.sub.f in the flat state. In order to achieve this, the piece 9 of tubular web may be compressed in a length-wise direction. It may e.g. be folded or creased. If the piece 9 of tubular web is provided to the holding unit 7 in the gathered state, the length L.sub.g in the gathered state is the length L.sub.p when provided to the holding unit 7. If provided in the gathered state, the piece 9 of tubular web is preferably sequentially expanded to the flat state before supplying the filling material as is explained below. The length L.sub.g of the piece 9 of tubular web in the gathered state is less than the length L.sub.f in the flat state, L.sub.g<L.sub.f. The term gathered state is thereby to be understood as a pair together with the term flat state. Hence, the piece 9 of tubular web is expanded from the gathered state to the flat state. Correspondingly, the piece 9 of tubular web may be compressed from the flat state to the gathered state, which may occur when loading the piece 9 of tubular web onto the holding unit 7. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, the piece 9 of tubular web has been provided in the gathered state.

[0102] Knowing the length L of the product, see FIG. 2a, and the length L.sub.f of the piece 9 of tubular web in the flat state, it can be calculated how many pouched products 201, 201′ can be made from the piece 9 of tubular web by the integer part of L.sub.f/L. The length L.sub.f of the piece 9 of tubular web in the flat state may be adapted to the number of pouched products that are to be contained in an integer number of user containers, e.g. one, two or three user containers, such that loading of a new piece of tubular web may be synchronized with provision of a new user container. The length L.sub.f of the piece 9 of tubular web in the flat state may be in the range of 35-500 cm, preferably in the range of 40-400 cm, more preferably in the range of 45-300 cm, most preferably in the range of 50-200 cm, where the high numbers, relate to as provided in the gathered state.

[0103] A length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7 is at least 35 cm. The length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7 may be in the range of 35-200 cm, preferably in the range of 40-150 cm, more preferably in the range of 45-110 cm, most preferably in the range of 50-100 cm. With a greater length L.sub.h, a longer piece 9 of tubular web may be held on the holding unit 7. However, the filling material 5 should be able to pass the guiding provisions 17 of the holding unit 7, which in practice puts an upper limit to the length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7. The predefinable length L.sub.p of the piece 9 of tubular web when provided to the holding unit 7 is preferably adapted to the length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7, such that the piece 9 of tubular web fits at the holding unit. The shorter the length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7 is, the more often a new piece of tubular web has to be provided, which may slow down production, which in practice puts a lower limit to the length L.sub.h, of the holding unit 7.

[0104] The transverse sealing unit 11 is adapted to provide the piece 9 of tubular web with a series of transverse seals 13 by repeated transverse sealing. The transverse seals 13 are transverse to a direction of travel DT of the piece 9 of tubular web.

[0105] The transverse sealing unit 11 typically operates repetitively, such that two subsequent transverse seals 13 are interspaced by a repetition distance, determined as a centre-to-centre distance. The transverse sealing unit 11 may travel together with the piece 9 of tubular web for a predeterminable distance while performing the welding, as e.g. is described in EP 3383746 B1.

[0106] The transverse seals 13 made by the transverse sealing unit 11 typically have a length corresponding to a collapsed cross-sectional shape of the piece 9 of tubular web. The length of the transverse seal 13 is determined in a direction transverse to the direction of travel DT of the piece 9 of tubular web. When being transversely sealed, the tubular web is pressed together to a straight line of doubled packaging material giving the collapsed cross-sectional shape. Hence, the length of the transverse seal 13 equals, or substantially equals, half of the circumference of the piece 9 of tubular web. This corresponds to the maximum width W of the pouched product 201, see FIG. 2a.

[0107] The separation unit 15 is adapted to separate two consecutive pouched products 201, 201′ for oral use from each other, e.g. by cutting, in or at the transverse seals 13. It is thus feasible to form a transverse seal 13 in the piece 9 of tubular web by means of the transverse sealing unit 11, which transverse seal 13 is cut at its centre or close to its centre, such that one part of the seal, e.g. substantially half the seal, forms a first transverse edge seal in one pouched product 201′ and the other part of the seal, e.g. substantially the other half, forms a second transverse edge seal 209b in the preceding pouched product. In that case, the transverse seal 13 formed in the piece 9 of tubular web is substantially twice as wide, as seen in the direction of travel DT of the piece 9 of tubular web, as compared to an individual transverse edge seal 209a, 209b of the pouched product 201.

[0108] In the illustrated embodiment, the separation unit 15 is separate from the transverse sealing unit 11. The separation unit 15 may then be located spaced apart from the transverse sealing unit 11. It is then anyway preferable that the separation unit 15 operates in synchrony with the transverse sealing unit 11. However, it is also feasible to combine the transverse sealing unit 11 and the separation unit 15 into a common unit, see e.g. the apparatus disclosed in EP 3383746 B1.

[0109] As an alternative to cutting somewhere in the transverse seal 13 formed in the apparatus 1, as illustrated in FIG. 3, separation may be performed by means of cutting in an interspace between two separately formed transverse edge seals in the piece of tubular web. This may be performed by a knife or blade operating in the interspace. The two interspaced transverse edge seals may be made at the same time.

[0110] The transverse sealing unit 11 may be a heat-welding unit or an ultrasonic sealing unit. The transverse seal 13 may have a width of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, more preferably less than 0.5 mm, especially if ultrasonically welded. An example of an ultrasonic sealing unit 11 for transverse sealing is given in EP 3383746 B1, wherein the sealing unit and the separation unit forms a combined unit.

[0111] In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 1 comprises an optional feeding unit 21 for feeding the piece 9 of tubular web in the direction of travel DT. The illustrated feeding unit 21 comprises a pair of pulling wheels 23a, 23b.

[0112] The feeding unit 21 is used to pull out the piece 9 of tubular web, thereby sequentially expanding the piece 9 of tubular web from the gathered state to the flat state. The feeding unit 21 is located at or adjacent to the end 19 of the holding unit 7, such that the filling material 5 is supplied into the piece 9 of tubular web when in the flat state.

[0113] The feeding unit 21 may, in addition, be adapted to move the piece 9 of tubular web in a direction opposite to the direction of travel DT, such that the piece 9 of tubular web is loaded onto the holding unit 7. Hence, the same feeding unit 21 may be used both for loading the piece 9 of tubular web on the holding unit 7 and for feeding it in the direction of travel DT while making pouched products. Examples of different ways of loading a new piece 9 of tubular web are explained below in conjunction with FIG. 4-6. In these embodiments, the pulling wheels 23a, 23b are operable in both directions, such that they may be utilized to load the piece 9 of tubular web onto the holding unit 7. For simplicity, neither the transverse sealing unit 11, nor the separation unit 15, are shown in FIG. 4-6.

[0114] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a way of loading the apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 with a new piece 9′ of tubular web. In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 1 further comprises a loading unit 25 and a storage unit 27 for storing at least one additional piece 9′ of tubular web. The loading unit 25 is displaceable between a first position A located at the storage unit 27, in which the additional piece 9′ of tubular web is movable from the storage unit 27 to the loading unit 25, and a second position B located at the holding unit 7, in which the additional piece 9′ of tubular web is movable from the loading unit 25 to the holding unit 7. The new piece 9′ of tubular web has such characteristics that it forms a kind of tube itself, which preferably is self-supportive. Thereby, the new piece 9′ of tubular web is typically in the gathered state. Hence, in this embodiment, the new piece 9′ of tubular web is stored in the storage unit 27 as is, i.e. not positioned on a holding unit.

[0115] The pulling wheels 23a, 23b of the pulling unit 21 are used to load the new piece 9′ of tubular web onto the holding unit 7. The pulling wheels 23a, 23b are preferable movable in relation to the holding unit 7, such that they can be spaced apart from the holding unit 7, when the new piece 9′ of tubular web is positioned at the end 19 of the holding unit 7, indicated with arrows in FIG. 4. Thereafter, the pulling wheels 23a, 23b are moved back into contact with the new piece 9′ of tubular web such that they can move the new piece 9′ of tubular web in order to load the whole new piece 9′ of tubular web onto the holding unit 7.

[0116] In order to facilitate the positioning and the loading of the new piece 9′ of tubular web, the apparatus 1 may comprise an additional feeding unit 29, e.g. comprising a pair of additional loading wheels 31a, 31b.

[0117] In an alternative way of loading the new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web, see FIG. 5, the apparatus 1′ comprises a plurality of holding units 7, 7′, 7″ adapted to be used sequentially together with the supplying unit 3. Each holding unit 7, 7′, 7″ is adapted to hold a respective separate piece 9, 9′, 9″ of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material, which may be in gathered state or in a flat state. The holding units 7, 7′, 7″ are adapted to be used one at the time after each other. The holding unit 7, 7′, 7″ may thus be prepared in advance and/or outside the apparatus 1′ by loading a piece of tubular web 9, 9′, 9″ onto it, e.g. from the storage unit 27′. Hence, when a first piece 9 of tubular web has been transformed into pouched products and it is time to shift to a new piece 9′ of tubular web, the whole holding unit 7 is shifted in relation to the supplying unit 3′, such that a new holding unit 7′ is moved to the supplying unit 3′ of the apparatus 1′ carrying a new piece of tubular web 9′. Such a solution may increase the output of the apparatus 1′, since the manufacturing of pouched products is not slowed down by loading a new piece 9′ of tubular web. The other components of the apparatus 1′ correspond to those of the apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 and are not described again.

[0118] The apparatus 1′ according to the invention may, as an option, comprise a magazine 33 being adapted for storing the plurality of holding units 7′, 7″, preferably with a new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web loaded on the respective holding unit 7′, 7″. The magazine 33 is adapted to move one holding unit 7′ 7″ at a time into a filling position C in relation to the supplying unit 3′, e.g. by means of a linear and/or rotational translation of the magazine 33 in relation to the supplying unit 3. The new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web may be loaded onto the respective holding unit 7′, 7″ at a loading position D by supplying a new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web from the storage unit 27′.

[0119] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus 1″ according to the invention, in which the new pieces 9′, 9″ of tubular web are positioned on a respective loading unit 25′, 25″. The loading units 25′, 25″ are located in a magazine 35. The magazine 35 is adapted to move one of the new pieces 9′, 9″ of tubular web at a time into a filling position E in relation to the holding unit 7, e.g. by means of a linear and/or rotational translation of the magazine 35 in relation to the holding unit 7. The new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web may be loaded onto the respective loading unit 25′, 25″ at a loading position F by supplying a new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web from the storage unit 27″. The new piece 9′, 9″ of tubular web may be loaded onto the holding unit 7 in the way described above in conjunction with FIG. 4.

[0120] FIG. 7 illustrates a method 300 for manufacturing a pouched product for oral use. The method comprises:

[0121] a) providing and holding a piece of tubular web of a saliva-permeable packaging material on a holding unit, the piece of tubular web having a predefinable length when provided to the holding unit,

[0122] b) providing the piece of tubular web with a first transverse seal,

[0123] c) supplying a filling material through the holding unit into the piece of tubular web,

[0124] d) advancing the piece of tubular web in a direction of travel,

[0125] e) providing the piece of tubular web with a second transverse seal thereby forming a pouched product,

[0126] f) separating the pouched product from a subsequent pouched product in or at the second transverse seal.

[0127] The method is preferably performed by an apparatus as described herein. For details of the method steps, please see also the description of the corresponding parts of the apparatus. The piece of tubular web may be moving continuously when performing the method.

[0128] Commonly, the transverse sealing is performed in such a way that a second transverse edge seal, e.g. an upper edge seal 209b, of a first pouched product 201 and a first transverse edge seal of a second subsequent pouched product 201′, e.g. a lower edge seal 209a, are formed in the same step. See FIG. 3 and description above of the apparatus 1 for details. Hence, step e) for a first pouched product 201 is performed simultaneously as step b) for the subsequent pouched product 201′, possibly by the same transverse sealing unit 11.

[0129] In step a), the piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material may be provided in the gathered state and held on the holding unit in the gathered state, and step b), c) and/or d) may be performed while expanding the piece of tubular web from the gathered state to the flat state, wherein a length of the piece of tubular web, when in the gathered state, is less than a length of the piece of tubular web when in the flat state. Please see the description of the apparatus for further details.

[0130] The length of the piece of tubular web in the gathered state may be in the range of 35-200 cm, preferably in the range of 40-150 cm, more preferably in the range of 45-110 cm, most preferably in the range of 50-100 cm. Please see the description of the apparatus for further details.

[0131] The transverse sealing and separation, see steps e) and f) may be performed as a single common operation in a single unit, e.g. by the sealing device disclosed in EP 3383746 B1, see dashed box in FIG. 7. Hence, transverse sealing and separation may be performed simultaneously and in the same operation step. It may further be performed by the same operation surface as disclosed in the sealing device of EP 3383746 B1.

[0132] The method may comprise a step g) of loading a new piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material onto the holding unit. The step of loading may be combined with a step of gathering the piece of tubular web during the loading. Alternatively, the piece of tubular web may be loaded as is in the flat state or as already being in the gathered state. Please see the description of the apparatus for further details.

[0133] The method may comprise a step h) of exchanging an empty holding unit to a new holding unit comprising a new piece of tubular web of saliva-permeable packaging material. The new piece of tubular web may be as is, i.e. in the flat state, or in the gathered state.

[0134] Further modifications of the invention within the scope of the appended claims are feasible. As such, the present invention should not be considered as limited by the embodiments and figures described herein. Rather, the full scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims, with reference to the description and drawings.