Machine and method of manufacturing a two-compartment pouch

Abstract

A machine and a method for forming a two-compartment pouch having a lower compartment and an upper compartment The method includes the steps of drawing a film over a pair of fill tubes; sealing side edges of the film to form a sleeve; forming a bottom seal on the sleeve; pulling the sleeve downwardly; filling a bottom portion of the pouch using one of the fill tubes; forming a second seal over the filled bottom portion; filling an upper portion of the pouch using the other fill tube; and sealing the upper portion.

Claims

1. A machine for forming a two-compartment pouch having a lower compartment and an upper compartment, said machine comprising: a lower compartment fill tube and an upper compartment fill tube, said lower compartment fill tube operable to fill a lower compartment of the two-compartment pouch and said upper compartment fill tube operable to fill an upper compartment of the two-compartment pouch; a thin film drawer operable to draw a thin film having a pair of oppositely disposed side edges around said lower compartment fill tube and said upper compartment fill tube, said thin film drawer also operable to align said pair of side edges parallel and adjacent to each other; a side seal bar operable to seal said pair of side edges to each other and form a sleeve extending around and downwardly from said lower compartment fill tube and said upper compartment fill tube; a puller assembly having a lower seal bar with a die cutter and an upper seal bar spaced apart from said lower seal bar, said puller assembly operable to: move upwardly and downwardly in a vertical direction; produce a bottom seal on said sleeve using said lower seal bar, pull said bottom sealed sleeve downwardly while said lower compartment fill tube fills said bottom sealed sleeve; produce an intermediate seal on said sleeve using said upper seal bar, said bottom seal and said intermediate seal forming said lower compartment of the two-compartment pouch; move upwardly to a top position while said upper compartment fill tube fills said sleeve above said intermediate seal; produce a top seal on said sleeve using said lower seal bar, said intermediate seal and said top seal forming said upper compartment of the two-compartment pouch; cut said two-compartment flexible pouch from said sleeve using said die cutter.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein said puller assembly moves upwardly and downwardly on a pair of vertical puller assembly support rods.

3. The machine of claim 2, wherein said lower seal bar is a pair of lower seal bars that move inwardly and outwardly with respect to each other and said sleeve.

4. The machine of claim 3, wherein said intermediate seal bar is a pair of intermediate seal bars that move inwardly and outwardly with respect to each other and said sleeve.

5. The machine of claim 4, wherein said pair of lower seal bars produces said top seal for a first two-compartment flexible pouch and said bottom seal for a second two-compartment flexible pouch at the same time.

6. The machine of claim 5, wherein said top seal and said bottom seal is a single seal between an upper compartment of said first two-compartment flexible pouch and a lower compartment of said second two-compartment flexible pouch.

7. The machine of claim 6, wherein said die cutter cuts said single seal to remove said first two-compartment flexible pouch from said bottom seal on said sleeve.

8. A process for manufacturing a two-compartment pouch comprising: providing a two-compartment pouch manufacturing machine, the machine having: a lower compartment fill tube and an upper compartment fill tube, the lower compartment fill tube operable to fill a lower compartment of the two-compartment pouch with a first product and said upper compartment fill tube operable to fill an upper compartment of the two-compartment pouch with a second product; a thin film drawer operable to draw a thin film having a pair of oppositely disposed side edges over said pair of fill tubes and align said pair of side edges parallel and adjacent to each other; a side seal bar operable to seal said pair of side edges to each other and form a sleeve extending around and downwardly from said pair of fill tubes; a puller assembly having a lower seal bar with a die cutter and an upper seal bar spaced apart from said lower seal bar; providing a thin film sheet, the sheet having oppositely disposed side edges; drawing the sheet over the lower compartment fill tube and the upper compartment fill tube using the thin film drawer; aligning pair of side edges parallel and adjacent to each other; sealing the side edges together and producing a sleeve of the thin film sheet; producing a bottom seal on the sleeve using the lower seal bar; pulling the bottom sealed sleeve downwardly with the puller assembly while the lower compartment fill tube fills the bottom sealed sleeve with the first product; producing an intermediate seal spaced apart from the bottom seal on the sleeve using the upper seal bar with a lower compartment formed between the bottom seal and the intermediate seal; moving the puller assembly upwardly to a top position while the upper compartment fill tube fills the sleeve above the intermediate seal with the second product; producing a top seal spaced apart from the intermediate seal on the sleeve using the lower seal bar with an upper compartment formed between the intermediate seal and the top seal, the lower compartment and the upper compartment forming a two-compartment flexible pouch; cutting the two-compartment flexible pouch from the sleeve using the die cutter.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the lower seal bar produces the top seal for a first two-compartment flexible pouch and the bottom seal for a second two-compartment flexible pouch at the same time.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the top seal and the bottom seal is a single seal between the upper compartment of the first two-compartment flexible pouch and a lower compartment of the second two-compartment flexible pouch.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the die cutter cuts the single seal to remove the first two-compartment flexible pouch from the bottom seal on said sleeve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a two-compartment flexible pouch according to an aspect disclosed herein;

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a machine for manufacturing a two-compartment flexible pouch according to an aspect disclosed herein;

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the machine shown in FIG. 2 with a puller assembly at a different position;

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the machine shown in FIG. 3 with a puller assembly in a different position;

(5) FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the machine shown in FIG. 4; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a process for manufacturing a two-compartment flexible pouch according to an aspect disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) Described is a method and machine for forming a novel two-compartment pouch. The method includes the steps of drawing a film over a pair of fill tubes; sealing side edges of the film to form a sleeve; forming a bottom seal on the sleeve; pulling the sleeve downwardly; filling a bottom portion of the pouch using one of the fill tubes; forming a second seal over the filled bottom portion; filling an upper portion of the pouch using the other fill tube; and sealing the upper portion.

(8) The machine is a flexible pouch manufacturing apparatus that has a pair of fill tubes. For example, the pair of fill tubes can include a lower compartment fill tube and an upper compartment fill tube. The machine also includes a film drawer that is operable to draw a thin film that has a pair of oppositely disposed side edges over the pair of fill tubes. The film drawer is also operable to align the pair of side edges of the thin film such that they are parallel and adjacent to each other.

(9) A side seal bar is included and is operable to seal the pair of side edges of the thin film to each other and thereby form a sleeve that extends around and downwardly from the pair of fill tubes. In this manner, thin film material or thin film sheet is taken from a roll of the material, unrolled, and formed into a sleeve that is then formed into a plurality of two-compartment pouches.

(10) A puller assembly that has a lower seal bar with a die cutter and an upper seal bar spaced apart from the lower seal bar is also part of the machine. The puller assembly moves upwardly and downwardly in a vertical direction relative to the machine and the sleeve of the thin film. The puller assembly produces a bottom seal on the sleeve using the lower seal bar and then pulls the bottom sealed sleeve downwardly, e.g. while the lower compartment fill tube is filling the bottom sealed sleeve with a first product. The upper seal bar is then used to produce an intermediate seal that is spaced apart from the bottom seal and thereby produces a lower compartment of the two-compartment flexible pouch. The puller assembly then moves in an upwardly direction to a top position, e.g. while the upper compartment fill tube is filling the sleeve above the intermediate seal, i.e. the upper compartment. Once the upper compartment is filled to a desired level with the second product, a top seal is produced using the lower seal bar and thereby produces the upper compartment of the two-pouch flexible pouch. After the two compartments have been manufactured, the two-compartment flexible pouch is completed by cutting the top seal the sleeve above using the die cutter. The manufactured two-compartment flexible pouch can then be dropped or placed onto a conveyor belt for further processing such as printing thereon, weighing, indexing, packaging, and the like.

(11) Turning now to FIG. 1, an inventive two-compartment pouch having a single side seal 110, a bottom seal 120, and a top seal 130 is shown generally at reference numeral 10. The two-compartment flexible pouch 10 has a lower compartment 100 and an upper compartment 150. The lower compartment 100 is formed by the bottom seal 120, an intermediate seal 140, and the side seal 110. The upper compartment 150 is formed by the intermediate seal 140, the side seal 110, and the top seal 130. The intermediate seal 140 can be a frangible seal so that when the seal is broken the products in the lower compartment 100 and the upper compartment 150 can be mixed together before opening the flexible pouch 100 via the top seal 130, e.g. using a tear notch 132. In the alternative, the intermediate seal 140 can be a permanent seal with perforations that afford for the lower compartment 100 to be detached and opened separately from the upper compartment 150.

(12) Turning now to FIG. 2, a machine for manufacturing the two-compartment flexible pouch 10 shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated at reference numeral 20. The machine 20 includes a pouch filling system 200 that has a first filling tube 202, e.g. an upper compartment filling tube, and a second filling tube 204, e.g. a lower compartment filling tube. The first filling tube 202 is in fluid communication with a first reservoir 203 and the second filling tube 204 is in fluid communication with a second reservoir 205. The material in the reservoir 203 and/or 205 can be liquid, particulate, or solid. The reservoirs 203, 205 are located above the fill tubes 202, 204 and thus the contents of the reservoirs can be gravity fed. However, it is appreciated that this is not required and that filling materials can be provided to the filling tubes 202, 204 utilizing a pump, vacuum, etc.

(13) As shown in FIG. 2, the filling tubes 202, 204 are positioned side by side, which in turn allows a sheet of flexible film 102 to be fed from behind and pulled around the filling tubes 202, 204 so that opposing side edges 103 of the sheet 102 can overlap and be aligned vertically and parallel to each other. The machine 20 includes a side seal bar 210 which seals the edges 103 to each other and forms a continuous sleeve as in a conventional stick pack type machine. As such, the sleeve produced by the machine 20 has a single side seal 110.

(14) The flexible sleeve formed by sealing the edges 103 to each other using the side seal bar is fed to a puller assembly 240 which can be mounted on a pair of support and/or guide rods 242. It is appreciated that the puller assembly 240 can move reciprocally upwardly and downwardly, e.g. using a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a mechanical drive system, and the like.

(15) The puller assembly 240 has a lower seal bar 244 which can be a pair of lower seal bars 244 (e.g. see FIG. 5). The lower seal bar 244 has a sealing portion 241 which can seal opposing sides of the sleeve using heat, pressure, ultrasound, and the like. As such, the seal bar 244 can produce a seal across the sleeve which affords for separate compartments to be present below the seal and above the seal. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates the lower seal bar 244 providing a bottom seal 120 for a flexible pouch that is just starting to be manufactured and a top seal 130 for a flexible pouch that is being completed. A product P can be supplied within the sleeve above the bottom seal 120 using the filling tube 204.

(16) Before, during, and/or after filling of the sleeve above the bottom seal 120 with the product P, the puller assembly 240 pulls the sleeve in a downward direction to a bottom position as illustrated in FIG. 3. In addition, FIG. 3 illustrates that a lower compartment of the sleeve has been filled and an upper seal bar 246 with a sealing portion 247 has produced an intermediate seal 140. Furthermore, after the intermediate seal 140 has been produced, a second product L is dispersed into the sleeve above the intermediate seal 140 using the fill tube 202. In this manner, the lower compartment 100 of a two-compartment flexible pouch has been manufactured and the upper compartment 150 is being filled with a desired product L.

(17) Also shown in FIG. 3, the lower seal arm 244 with a die cutter 243 affords for cutting of the seal 120, 130 such that a two-compartment flexible pouch 10 with the top seal 30 is removed from the bottom seal 120 of the next flexible pouch to be manufactured.

(18) After the intermediate seal 140 has been completed or manufactured, the puller assembly 240 can move in an upwardly direction to a top position as illustrated in FIG. 4. In addition, and upon completion of filling the sleeve above the intermediate seal 140 with the product L to a desired level, the upper seal arm 244 affords for the upper seal 130 to be produced. It is appreciated that during the production of the upper seal 130, the bottom seal 120 for the next two-compartment flexible pouch to be manufactured is also produced. After the top seal 130 is produced on the sleeve, the machine and process repeats the cycle with the filler tube 204 providing product P within the sleeve and above the bottom seal 120.

(19) Turning now to FIG. 5, a side cross-sectional view of the machine and flexible pouch being manufactured in FIG. 4 is shown. As shown in the figure, the puller assembly can have a pair of oppositely disposed lower seal bars 244 and a pair of oppositely disposed intermediate seal bars 246. It is appreciated that the intermediate seal bars 246 are spaced apart from the pair of lower seal bars 244, e.g. using one or more support bars or beams 249. In addition, the intermediate seal bars 246 can be spaced apart from the lower seal bars 244 a distance that is equal to the length of the lower compartment 100. Stated differently, the puller assembly 240 can produce the bottom seal 120 and the intermediate seal 140 on the sleeve without movement of the sleeve relative to the puller assembly 240.

(20) Referring now to FIG. 6, a schematic flowchart of a process for making a two-compartment flexible pouch using the machine 20 is provided and shown generally at reference numeral 30. The process 30 includes providing the machine 20 and a thin film sheet at step 300, followed by drawing the thin film sheet around the pair of fill tubes at step 310. The side edges of the thin film sheet that has been drawn around the fill tubes are sealed at step 320. A top seal for a first two-compartment pouch that is nearing manufacture completion and a bottom seal for a second two-compartment pouch that is just beginning to be manufactured is produced across the sleeve at step 330.

(21) Once the bottom seal is produced, the puller assembly pulls the sleeve material with the bottom seal in a downward direction and a filler tube fills the sleeve above the bottom seal, i.e. the lower compartment, with a first product at step 340. Upon completion of filling the lower compartment, an intermediate seal is produced at step 350. In addition, a die cutter that is part of the puller assembly can cut between the tops seal of the first two-compartment pouch and the bottom seal of the second two-compartment pouch either before, during or after the intermediate seal is produced.

(22) After the intermediate seal is produced, the puller assembly moves in an upwardly direction to a top position at step 360. Upon completion of filling the upper compartment above the intermediate seal with a second product, the lower seal bar produces a top seal for the second two-compartment flexible pouch and a bottom seal for another two-compartment pouch to be manufactured at step 370. Thereafter, the cycle repeats and the filling tube 204 begins to provide the first product into a lower portion of the next two-compartment flexible pouch that is being manufactured.

(23) The above examples, aspects, and embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to and do not limit the scope of the instant disclosure. Changes, modifications, and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art and yet fall within the scope of the instant disclosure. As such, it is the claims, and all equivalents thereof, which define the scope of the invention.