WO1999047423A2

WO1999047423A2 - Method and apparatus for packaging flowable material using moving web packaging material

Info

Publication number: WO1999047423A2
Application number: PCT/GB1999/000761
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas William Bailey; David Robert Seaward
Original assignee: Molins Plc
Priority date: 1998-03-13
Filing date: 1999-03-15
Publication date: 1999-09-23
Also published as: WO1999047423A3; GB9805525D0; AU2942899A

Abstract

Apparatus for manufacturing a DOY bag includes flow formers (24, 28) for causing a moving web (20) to have a transverse cross section which comprises two arms (20a) each having a free end coinciding with a respective lengthwise extending edge (20b) of the web and a portion interconnecting the arms which extends inwardly into the space between the arms. Heated sealing rollers (30) disposed downstream of the flow formers seal the web to form successive closed compartments (38). A device (36) feeds a flowable material into the space between the arms (20a) at a position upstream of the sealing rollers (30) such that each compartment (38) contains a predetermined amount of the flowable material. The apparatus preferably operates continuously producing between 300 and 1000 bags per minute.

Description

l Packaging

2

3 The invention relates to the packaging of flowable materials

4 and particularly, but not exclusively, to packaging tea or coffee

5 in small porous bags which permit brewing of their content whilst

6 in the bag.

7 A known form of packaging for flowable materials is the β so-called DOY bag. DOY bags are typically made of a plastics 9 material and are produced in relatively large sizes to contain ιo flowable materials such as soups, washing-up liquids and powders n or pet foods. i2 Conventionally, DOY bags are made by running a heat sealable i3 plastics web in a horizontal direction over a former and through i4 heated sealing rolls to produce a bag-like container which has a is generally W-section at its lower end and is open at the top. i6 Portions of the lower end of the bag are sealed to increase the i7 stiffness of the bag in this region whilst retaining the is W-section, so forming a base on which the bag can stand. The bag i9 is filled from above and its top is then sealed prior to

20 separation from the web. This process is intermittent rather than

2i continuous and a typical production speed would be 100 bags per

22 minute.

23 The invention provides apparatus for use in manufacturing

24 packaging containing a flowable material, said apparatus

25 comprising flow forming means for causing a moving web to have a

26 transverse cross-section which comprises two arms and a portion

27 interconnecting said arms which portion extends inwardly into a

28 space defined between said arms, sealing means disposed downstream

29 of said forming means for sealing said web to define successive

30 closed compartments and means for feeding a flowable material into 3i said space between said arms at a position upstream of said

32 sealing means such that each said compartment contains a

33 predetermined amount of said flowable material.

34 The invention also includes a method of manufacturing

35 packaging containing a flowable material comprising the steps of:

36 (i) causing a moving web to have a transverse

37 cross-section which comprises two arms and a portion

38 interconnecting said arms which portion extends 1 inwardly into a space defined between said arms;

2 (ii) forming a first seal and subsequently a second seal,

₃ said seals being spaced apart in the lengthwise

4 direction of said web and each extending across said

5 web in a lengthwise direction of said arms; β (iϋ) forming a third seal extending between said first seal

7 and said second seal in said lengthwise direction of

8 the web in the region of said lengthwise extending edges so as to define a closed compartment; and ιo (iv) feeding a predetermined amount of a flowable material ii into said space between said arms prior to forming i2 said second seal and at least prior to completion of i3 said third seal such that said material will be i4 contained in said compartment. is The invention also includes apparatus for use in i6 manufacturing packaging containing a flowable material, said i7 apparatus comprising forming means for causing a moving web to is have a transverse cross-section which comprises two arms and a i9 portion interconnecting said arms which portion extends into a

20 space defined between said arms, means for feeding a flowable

2i material into said space between said arms and sealing means for

22 sealing said web so as to define successive compartments each

23 containing a predetermined amount of said flowable material, the

24 arrangement being such that said web moves downwardly past said

25 forming means, feeding means and sealing means.

26 The invention also includes a method of manufacturing

27 packaging containing a flowable material comprising the steps of:

28 (i) causing a web to move in a downwards direction;

29 (ii) causing said downwardly moving web to have a

30 transverse cross-section which comprises two arms and 3i a portion interconnecting said arms which portion

32 extends inwardly into a space defined between said

33 arms ;

34 (ϋi) feeding a flowable material into said space; and

35 (iv) sealing said web so as to define successive

36 compartments each containing a predetermined amount of

37 said flowable material.

3β Certain materials which are flowable do not flow readily. 1 One such material is roast and ground coffee which does not flow

2 as nearly readily as, for example, tea. In order to fill a

3 bag-like container with ground coffee it is desirable to provide a

4 dosing system which pumps the coffee into the container; this is

5 particularly the case if processing speeds in excess of 100 bags β per minute are to be achieved.

7 The invention also includes a device for feeding a

8 predetermined amount of flowable material into a container, said

9 device comprising inlet means for receiving said flowable ιo material, means defining at least one dosing chamber, means for ii driving said flowable material from said inlet means to the or i2 each said dosing chamber, and reciprocating means movable through i3 the or each said dosing chamber to drive a predetermined amount of i4 said flowable material into said container. is The invention also includes a device for feeding a i6 predetermined amount of flowable material into a container, said i7 device comprising means defining at least one outlet, means is defining a plurality of dosing chambers, inlet means for receiving i9 said flowable material, means for driving said flowable material

20 from said inlet means to said dosing chambers, means for pushing

2i said flowable material out of said dosing chambers to said outlet

22 defining means and means for causing relative reciprocal movement

23 between said outlet defining means and said chamber defining

24 means, the arrangement being such that each said chamber can be

25 positioned in alignment with said pushing means and said outlet

26 means whilst the or at least one other chamber receives flowable

27 material from said inlet means.

28 In order that the invention may be well understood, some

29 embodiments thereof, which are given by way of example only, will

30 now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

3i Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus for

32 use in manufacturing packaging containing a flowable material;

33 Figure 2 is a scrap section showing the formation of a

3 W-section in a web by means of the apparatus of Figure 1;

35 Figure 3 is an elevational view of a heated sealing roller

36 of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

37 Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a feeding device 1 Figure 4a shows a modification to the feeding device of

2 Figure 4;

3 Figure 5 shows the closed end of a W-section web containing

4 a dose of flowable material prior to sealing of the lengthwise

5 extending edges of the web; β Figure 6 shows the W-section web after sealing of its closed

7 end;

8 Figure 7 is a perspective view showing alternative heated

9 sealing rollers; ιo Figure 8 shows an alternative feeding device; and ii Figure 9 shows yet another alternative feeding device. i2 An apparatus 10 for use in the manufacture of packaging i3 containing a flowable material is illustrated by Figures 1 to 4. i4 In the description which follows, the apparatus 10 will be is described in connection with the manufacture of coffee bags made i6 of a porous material so as to be suitable for infusion in a mug or

17 like container. However, it is to be understood that the apparatus is is equally applicable to the manufacture of tea bags or much i9 larger bags made of a non-porous material, such as a heat sealable

20 plastics material, suitable for storing flowable materials such as

2i rice or snack foods such as crisps.

22 The apparatus 10 comprises means 12 for mounting a roll of a

23 porous heat sealable web 20. The mounting means comprises a roller

24 12 on which the web 20 is rotatably supported. Heat sealable webs

25 suitable for the manufacture of tea or coffee bags are well known

26 to those skilled in the art.

27 The web 20 is fed from the mounting means to an idler roller

28 22. It will be appreciated tensioning rollers may be provided

29 between the roller 12 and idler roller 22 should this prove

30 desirable. The web is disposed generally horizontally on reaching 3i the roller 22 and is turned through 90 degrees so as to run

32 substantially vertically downwards into a forming area in which it

33 is caused to have a transverse cross-section which comprises two

34 outer arms 20a each having a free end coinciding with a respective

35 lengthwise extending edge 20b of the web, and an inverted

36 generally V-shaped portion interconnecting the arms such that the

37 closed end of the transverse cross-section is generally W-shaped:

38 the closed end of the section is shown in Figures 2 and 5. For 1 ease of reference, in the description which follows the

2 above-described transverse cross-section will be referred to as

3 the W-section.

4 In more detail, the idler roller 22 guides the web 20 onto

5 the wider end of a substantially triangular flow former plate 24.

6 The former plate defines, or may have fixed to it, a W-section rib

7 26 which extends over a relatively short distance in the s lengthwise direction of the plate. A generally rectangular former 9 plate 28 is positioned such that a lengthwise extending edge ιo thereof extends both parallel to and substantially in the plane of a the axis of the rib 26. As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the web i2 passes over the plate 24 and then between the plate 28 and rib 26. i3 The arrangement is such that as the initially flat web moves i4 through the forming area, the edges 20b are brought into a is generally opposed spaced apart relationship gradually defining and i6 increasing the length of the arms 20a and towards the end of the i7 forming process an inward tuck (i.e. into the space between the is arms) is provided at the point at which the arms 20a join, thereby i9 defining a W-section web.

20 Two heated sealing rollers 30 are positioned downstream of

2i the former plates 24, 28. The sealing rollers 30 are disposed in

22 opposed spaced apart relationship and in addition to heat sealing

23 the web to form compartments 38 for the coffee, they also serve to

2 draw the web over the idler roller 22 in a continuous manner. Of

25 course, other drive rollers could be provided to perform this web

26 drawing function in addition to, or instead of, the sealing

27 rollers 30.

2β The apparatus 10 additional ly compri ses a devi ce 36 for

29 feed i ng predetermined amounts of coffee to a requ i red posi t ion

30 between t he ou ter arms 20a of the W- sect i on web . I n the 3i manufacture of bags containing coffee , the devi ce 36 is requ ired

32 to de l i ver 4 to 6 grams of coffee per bag whereas f or t he

33 production of tea bags a del i very rate of 2 to 4 grams of tea is

3 required.

35 The dev i ce 36 , wh i ch i s descr i bed i n more deta i l

36 here inbe low, intermittently feeds predetermined amounts of coffee

37 between the outer arms 20a of the web at a position downstream of

38 the lowermost end of the rib 26 and immedi ately upstream of the 1 sealing rollers 30.

2 The sealing rollers 30 seal the web to form successive

3 compartments 38 each of which contains a dose of coffee. As shown

4 in Figure 3, at each end, the sealing rollers have a

5 circumferential ly extending rib 40, 42. The ribs 40, 42 are

6 interconnected by transverse ribs 46 which extend parallel to the

7 axis of the roller. The rollers have four such transverse ribs so β that they can make four transverse seals per revolution. It will 9 be appreciated that the ribs 40, 42, 46 define recesses 47 which lo in turn define the outline of the compartments 38. The trailing ii edge of each transverse rib 46 is relieved at 48 to provide a i2 shock absorbing facility during filling of the compartment 38: i3 this is described in more detail hereinbelow. i Severing means in the form of two reciprocating blades 49 is are provided downstream of the sealing rollers 30. The blades 49 i6 are arranged to cut through the seals made by the transverse ribs i7 46 to separate the compartments from the web and thereby provide is discrete bags each containing a dose of coffee. It will be i9 appreciated that other forms of severing means may be provided.

20 For example, instead of reciprocating blades, rollers carrying

2i blades may be provided or the heated sealing rollers may carry

22 cutting means. Alternatively, non-contact cutting means such as

23 ultrasound, laser or heat cutters might be used.

24 The feeding device 36, which is shown in detail in Figure 4,

25 comprises an inlet tube 44 which extends in a direction generally

26 parallel to the downwardly moving web 20. The tube 44 defines a

27 flow path for coffee C which is received from a primary source 45

28 (Figure 1). The primary source does not form a part of the

29 invention and since such devices will be familiar to those skilled

30 in the art w ll not be described in any detail herein.

3i At its downstream end the inlet tube 44 feeds into a second

32 tube 48. The tube 48 has its axis inclined with respect to the

33 axis of the inlet tube. A tapering nozzle 50 is provided at the

34 downstream end of the second tube 48. Immediately upstream of the

35 nozzle 50, the second tube defines a chamber 52 which receives

36 coffee from the inlet tube. An auger 56 is provided in the inlet

37 tube 44 to pump the coffee into the chamber 52. It will be

38 appreciated that an auger may not be required when the apparatus 1 is to be used to package materials which flow more readily than

2 coffee.

3 The feeding device 36 has a reciprocating plunger 60

4 positioned in the second tube 48 and arranged to be driven through

5 the chamber 52 so as to push a wad of coffee through the nozzle 50 β into the space between the arms 20a of the W-section web. In 7 Figure 4, dashed lines are used to indicate the position of the β plunger at the end of a pushing stroke in which the plunger head 62 is disposed at the downstream end of the nozzle having pushed a ιo wad of coffee between the arms 20a of the web. It will be ii appreciated that by suitable control of the pumping action of the i2 auger 56 and the movement of the plunger 60, wads of coffee i3 representing a required dose of coffee can be injected between the i arms 20a of the web at the required rate to ensure that each is compartment 38 contains a predetermined amount of coffee. In this i6 connection, it should be noted that the auger may be run at a i7 constant speed or where additional control of the dose size is is required may be driven at variable speeds under the control of, i9 for example, a servo motor. In a preferred embodiment the coffee

2o injected between the arms 20a is accelerated at about 60g where lg

2i has a value of 9.80665m/s².

22 The arrangement shown in Figure 4 may be modified as shown

23 in Figure 4a in order to provide further control of the product

24 ejected from the dosing chamber 52. The device shown in Figure 4a

25 is essentially the same as that shown in Figure 4 and like parts

26 have therefore been given a common reference numeral. The Figure

27 4a device additionally comprises a sleeve 63 which is housed

28 coaxial ly in the tube 48. The plunger 60 is slidable in the sleeve

29 which in turn is slidable in the same direction as the sleeve.

30 There is a gap 64 between one end of the sleeve 63 and the nozzle 3i 50. The size of this gap can be altered by the aforementioned

32 sliding movement of the sleeve which is indicated by arrow 65.

33 Suitable means (not shown) can be provided for causing the sleeve

34 to slide and for locking the sleeve in a desired position. By

35 controlling the size of the gap 64 the amount of product dispensed

36 on each downward stroke of the plunger can be controlled. As a

37 further alternative, the sleeve may extend into the nozzle 50 such

38 that there is no gap 64. In this case, one or more through-holes ι (not shown) are provided in the sleeve wall. The sleeve

2 arrangement would be such that movement of the sleeve varied the

3 extent to which the through-hole(s) would be covered by the nozzle

4 to facilitate control of dose size.

5 In use, the web 20 is drawn continuously over the idler

6 roller 22 by the sealing rollers 30 and passes downwardly over the

7 former plate 24 and between the rib 26 and plate 28. At this point β the web has been formed into a W-section and a dose of coffee is 9 injected between the outer arms 20a of the W-section web. As the ιo web passes through the nip of the rollers 30, the open end of the ii W-section is pinched, bringing the free ends of the outer arms 20a i2 together and, at regular intervals which are determined by the i3 speed of rotation of the rollers, seals 66 which extend across the i web are formed. As viewed in the drawing, the seals 66 each define is the uppermost side of one compartment 38 and the lowermost side of i6 the adjacent upstream compartment. The circumferential ribs 40, 42 i7 of the rollers seal the web at the respective lengthwise extending is edges of the web. The seal 68 formed by the rib 42 serves to seal i9 the end of the compartments 38 which is formed by pinching

20 together the open end of the W-section web and the seals 70 formed

2i by the rib 40 stiffen the opposite end of the compartments such

22 that, once severed from the web, each bag can stand on that end:

23 the latter feature is described in more detail below.

24 As mentioned above, each transverse rib 46 has its trailing

25 edge 48 relieved. The effect of this is that subsequent to the

26 formation of a seal 66 by a pair of opposed ribs 46, the relieved

27 portions 48 of the ribs maintain the two sides of the web adjacent

28 the seal in relatively close proximity for a short period of time

29 sufficient to allow injection of a dose of coffee. This provides a

30 degree of shock absorption by preventing injection of the coffee 3i directly onto the seal 66.

32 Thus, each compartment 38 is successively defined and filled

33 with a dose of coffee in a continuous process. The process

34 commences with the sealing of the uppermost side (as viewed in the

35 drawing) of the preceding compartment and is followed by the

36 injection of the dose of coffee, the sealing of the right-hand

37 side (as viewed in the drawing) of the compartment and finally

38 with the sealing of the uppermost side. It will be appreciated 1 that coffee injection occurs when only two sides of respective

2 compartments have been defined and the remaining two sides have

3 not been formed.

4 It will be understood that for the purposes of defining a

5 compartment 38, the formation of the seals 70 at the closed end of β the W-section is not required. As indicated above, those seals are

7 formed to stiffen that edge of the compartment. Referring to

8 Figures 5 and 6 which show the closed end of the W-section web

9 before and after sealing, it will be seen that the effect of the ιo sealing operation is to seal the ends of the outer arms 20a which ii are at the inner end of the W-section to opposing portions of the i2 respective inner arms 20c of the W-section. The effect of this i3 operation is to form a leg 20d (Figure 6) along each side of the i4 bag. The legs 20d are sufficiently stiff and arranged such that is the bag can stand on them and also provide the compartment with a i6 depth d (Figure 6) . One benefit of the space this provides is i7 that the coffee contained in the compartments 38 has some freedom is to move during infusion which improves the brewing process. It i9 will be appreciated that the depth of the compartment decreases 20 towards the seal 68. For the avoidance of any doubt, the arms 20a 2i are shown truncated in Figures 5 and 6 so that only the closed end

22 of the W-section web is illustrated in those Figures.

23 Those skilled in the art will be aware that heat sealable

24 porous materials suitable for manufacturing coffee or tea bags can

25 be readily obtained. Such materials typically come in the form of

26 a web which on one side has a heat curable adhesive which may, for

27 example, comprise polypropylene fibres. A heat curable adhesive is

28 indicated at 20e in Figure 5. Thus, whilst the heated sealing

29 rollers can cause the inner sides (as viewed in Figure 5) of the

30 respective pairs of arms 20a, 20c to adhere to one another, the 3i outer surfaces of the inner arms 20c should not and therefore the

32 W-section can be maintained after sealing.

33 An alternative form of sealing roller for sealing the web is

34 shown in Figure 7. The sealing rollers 130 each have a plurality

35 of ribs disposed on the roller surface 132. There are two ribs

36 140, 142 extending circumferentially about the roller surface 132

37 and four ribs 146 extending parallel to the roller axis. The ribs

38 146 extend between the circumferential ribs 140, 142. Additional 1 ribs 148, one on each side of each transverse rib 146, extend

2 between the transverse ribs and the circumferential rib 140. The

3 ribs 140, 142, 146, 148 define hollows 149 which define the outline of the coffee containing compartments formed by the

5 sealing rollers 130. Although not shown, it is preferable that the

6 trailing edges of the ribs 146 are relieved in the same way as the

7 transverse ribs 46 of the sealing rollers 30. β The circumferential rib 140 serves to seal in the region of

9 the closed end of the W-section and the inclined ribs 148 increase ιo the area of sealing in that region thereby increasing the overall ii stiffness of the base region of the coffee bag. This also i2 increases the ability of the bag to define a compartment which has i3 depth. i Figure 8 shows an alternative feeding device 150 for feeding is flowable material between the outer arms 20a of the W-section web. i6 The device 150 comprises a tube 152 with a nozzle 154 at its i7 downstream end. A servo-driven auger 156 is housed in the tube 148 is and extends into the nozzle 154. The auger is driven i9 intermittently to pump doses of coffee into the W-section web. By

20 means of the servo drive, the amount of coffee pumped by the auger

2i can be regulated to ensure that the required dosage of coffee is

22 achieved. It will be appreciated that the sleeve arrangement

23 described with reference to Figure 4a may also be used with the

24 feeding device 150.

25 Figure 9 shows yet another alternative feeding device 236.

26 The device 236 has two inlet feed tubes 248 which are disposed in

27 parallel spaced apart relationship and a fixed plate 249 which has

28 a centrally located through-hole in which a nozzle 250 is located.

29 A sliding plate 252 is arranged between the inlet tubes 248

30 and the fixed plate 249. The sliding plate defines two 3i through-holes 254.

32 A reciprocal plunger 260 is disposed between the inlet tubes

33 248 in alignment with the nozzle 250.

34 The arrangement of the device 236 is such that in a first

35 position (as shown) one of the through-holes 254 is in alignment

36 with its feed tube 248 whilst the other is aligned with the nozzle

37 250 and plunger 260. In combination with the fixed plate 240, the

38 through-hole 254 in alignment with the feed tube 248 defines a 1 circular dosing chamber which is fed with coffee from the aligned

2 feed tube. An auger (not shown), or other form of device capable

3 of pushing the coffee along the feed tube is provided to push coffee from the feed tube into the dosing chamber defined by the

5 through-hole 254 and fixed plate 249. β The through-hole 254 aligned with the nozzle 250 carries a

7 dose of coffee received from its inlet tube 248 and defines with

8 the nozzle a continuous through-passage into which the plunger is

9 driven. When the plunger is driven through the through-hole into ιo the nozzle, the dose of coffee is displaced into the space between ii the outer arms 20a of the W-shaped web. i2 It will be appreciated that by causing the plate 252 to move i3 back and forth, one through-hole 254 can be filled with coffee i4 from its inlet tube 248 whilst a dose of coffee contained in the is other through-hole is pushed through the nozzle by the plunger

16 260. i7 The augers or other devices used to push coffee from the is inlet tubes 248 into the respective through-holes can be regulated i9 to control the density of the dose of coffee contained in the

20 dosing chambers and to prevent bridging.

2i It will be understood that whilst in the embodiment the

22 movement of the plate 252 is translational , subject to a suitable

23 arrangement of the tubes 248, nozzle 250, through-holes 254 and

2 plunger 260 on a common radius, the plate could have a reciprocal

25 rotational movement.

26 It will be appreciated that if the device 236 is to be used

27 to feed materials which flow more readily than ground coffee, it

28 may be possible to rely on gravity feed to the dosing chambers and

29 dispense with pushing devices in the inlet tubes.

30 The feed devices 36 and 236 whilst more complex than the 3i device 150 provide advantages in terms of their greater operating

32 speeds. With a servo-driven auger as shown in Figure 8, the speed

33 of operation is limited by the rate at which the auger can be

34 accelerated and decelerated each time it is operated to inject a

35 dose of coffee. In the case of the devices 36 and 236 the auger,

36 or such pushing devices as may be used with the device 236, can be

37 in constant operation and the speed of operation is limited by the

38 speed of the reciprocating parts. It is anticipated that the 1 apparatus 10 will be capable of producing between three hundred

2 and one thousand bags per minute and that the feed devices 36 and

3 236 will be required for operating at the upper end of that range.

4 It will be appreciated that whilst the embodiments have been

5 described in connection with a heat sealable material, it would be

6 possible for the bags to be made of other materials with an

7 adhesive being applied upstream of the sealing rollers. β It will be understood that although the sealing rollers

9 shown in Figures 3 and 7 have four transverse ribs, the number of ιo ribs per roller may be different. For example, for the purposes of ii producing large bags, each roller may have only one transverse i2 rib. i3 The sealing rollers may be provided with resilient inserts i4 made of, for example, silicone rubber in order to aid the sealing is process where it is desired to provide an airtight seal. As an i6 alternative and to provide the same effect, the ribs of the i7 sealing roller may resiliently biassed outwardly of the roller is surface. i9 It will be appreciated that instead of a triangular flow

20 former plate, a circular or oval former plate may be used and that

2i instead of a fixed former plate a rotatably mounted disc could be

22 used with the circumferentially extending edge of the disc being

23 substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the

24 W-section web 26.

25 It will be appreciated that in its broadest aspect, the

26 invention provides an apparatus and method for continuously

27 manufacturing DOY bags in which the bags are formed by operations

28 on a downwardly moving web. It will also be appreciated that the

29 invention provides an apparatus and method for producing a DOY bag

30 in which the flowable material to be contained in the bag is 3i injected from the side rather than from above the web and before

32 the compartments which contain the material have been formed.

33 It will also be appreciated that the invention provides an

3 apparatus and a method of manufacturing a DOY bag which may be

35 continuous rather than intermittent.

36 It will be appreciated that the embodiment provides an

37 integral sealing station at which all of the bag seals (which

38 extend in three different directions) are formed between two sealing members. Although, it is anticipated the apparatus will capable of producing up to one thousand bags per minute, it is believed that a preferable speed range will be between 300 and 700 bags per minute. Preferably, the device extends generally parallel to the web 20 and injects material into the space between the arms 20a at an angle in the region of 10° to the vertical. The angle of injection may be between 5° and 30° to the vertical.

Claims

i CLAIMS

2

3 1. Apparatus for use in manufacturing packaging

4 containing a flowable material, said apparatus comprising flow

5 forming means for causing a moving web to have a transverse

6 cross-section which comprises two arms and a portion

7 interconnecting said arms which portion extends inwardly into a β space defined between said arms, sealing means disposed downstream 9 of said forming means for sealing said web to define successive ιo closed compartments and means for feeding a flowable material into ii said space between said arms at a position upstream of said i2 sealing means such that each said compartment contains a i3 predetermined amount of said flowable material.

14 is 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said forming i6 means causes said inwardly extending portion to be substantially i7 V-shaped such that a closed end of said transverse cross-section is is substantially W-shaped.

19

20 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said

2i flow forming means comprises a generally triangular flow forming

22 plate.

23

24 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 when dependent on

25 claim 2, wherein said forming plate carries or defines a W-section

26 rib means which defines a substantially W-section rib and said

27 forming means further comprises means defining an edge aligned

28 with the lengthwise axis of said W-section rib and arranged such

29 that said web passes between said rib and said edge.

30

3i 5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4,

32 wherein said web is caused to move continuously.

33

34 6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

35 claims, wherein said web is caused to move by said sealing means.

36

37 7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

38 claims, wherein said sealing means comprises two heated rollers l disposed in opposed spaced apart relationship.

2

3 8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

4 claims, wherein said web is caused to move downwardly past said

5 forming means and said feeding means.

6

7 9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

8 claims, wherein said flowable material is fed between said arms in

9 a direction transverse to said direction of movement of the web.

10 ii 10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding i2 claims, comprising severing means for severing said compartments i3 from said web to form discrete bags each comprising a said i4 compartment.

15 i6 11. A method of manufacturing packaging containing a i7 flowable material comprising the steps of:

18 i9 (i) causing a moving web to have a transverse

20 cross-section which comprises two arms and a portion

2i interconnecting said arms which portion extends

22 inwardly into a space defined between said arms;

23

24 (ii) forming a first seal and subsequently a second seal,

25 said seals being spaced apart in the lengthwise

26 direction of said web and each extending across said

27 web in a lengthwise direction of said arms;

28

29 (iii) forming a third seal extending between said first seal

30 and said second seal in said lengthwise direction of 3i the web in the region of said lengthwise extending 32 edges so as to define a closed compartment; and

33

34 (iv) feeding a predetermined amount of a flowable material

35 into said space between said arms prior to forming

36 said second seal and at least prior to completion of

37 said third seal such that said material will be

38 contained in said compartment. 1

2 12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said web is

3 fed downwardly during said forming, feeding and sealing steps.

4

5 13. A method as claimed in claim 11 or 12, comprising the β step of forming respective fourth seals between respective inner

7 surfaces of said arms and said interconnecting portion which seals β are extended between said first seal and said second seal and in

9 the lengthwise direction of the web.

10 n 14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said fourth i2 seals and said third seal are formed simultaneously.

13 i4 15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, is wherein said interconnecting portion is caused to be substantially i6 V-shaped such that a closed end of said transverse cross-section i7 is generally W-shaped.

18 i9 16. A method as c l aimed i n any one of c l a ims 11 to 15 ,

20 wherei n sa id web i s caused to move continuous ly so as to defi ne

2i successive compartments each containing a predetermined amount of

22 said material .

23

24 17. A method as claimed in claim 16, comprising forming

25 more than one hundred compartments per minute.

26

27 18. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising forming

28 three hundred to seven hundred compartments per minute.

29

30 19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18,

3i wherein said web consists of a porous material for permitting

32 infusion.

33

34 20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said flowable

35 material is tea or coffee.

36

37 21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 20,

38 comprising the step of severing said compartments from said web to l form discrete bags containing said flowable material.

2

3 22. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 21,

4 wherein said flowable material is fed between said opposed arms in

5 a direction transverse to the lengthwise direction of said web.

6

7 23. Apparatus for use in manufacturing packaging β containing a flowable material, said apparatus comprising forming

9 means for causing a moving web to have a transverse cross-section ιo which comprises two arms and a portion interconnecting said arms a which portion extends into a space defined between said arms, i2 means for feeding a flowable material into said space between said i3 arms and sealing means for sealing said web so as to define i4 successive compartments each containing a predetermined amount of is said flowable material, the arrangement being such that said web i6 moves downwardly past said forming means, feeding means and

17 sealing means.

18 i9 24. Apparatus as c l a imed i n c l a im 23 , where i n sa i d

20 downwards movement is substantial ly vertical ly downwards .

21

22 25. Apparatus as claimed in claim 23 or 24, wherein said

23 feeding means is arranged to feed said flowable material in a

24 direction transverse to said downward movement.

25

26 26. Apparatus as claimed in claim 23, 24 or 25, wherein

27 said downwards movement is caused by said sealing means.

28

29 27. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 26,

30 wherein said sealing means comprises two heated rollers disposed 3i in opposed spaced apart relationship.

32

33 28. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 27,

34 comprising severing means for severing said compartments from said

35 web to form discrete bags each comprising a said compartment.

36

37 29. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 28,

38 wherein said flowing means comprises a generally triangular flow l forming plate.

2

3 30. Apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein said forming

4 plate defines a W-section rib or carries means defining a

5 substantially W-section rib and said forming means further

6 comprises means defining an edge aligned with the lengthwise axis

7 of said W-section rib and arranged such that said web passes β between said rib and said edge.

9 ιo 31. A method of manufacturing packaging containing a ii flowable material comprising the steps of:

12 i3 (i) causing a web to move in a downwards direction;

14 is (ii) causing said downwardly moving web to have a i6 transverse cross-section which comprises two arms and i7 a portion interconnecting said arms which portion is extends inwardly into a space defined between said i9 arms ;

20

2i ( ϋ) feeding a flowable material into said space; and

22

23 (iv) sealing said web so as to define successive

24 compartments each containing a predetermined amount of

25 said flowable material.

26

27 32. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein said

28 flowable material is fed between said arms in a direction

29 transverse to said downwards direction.

30

3i 33. A method as claimed in claim 31 or 32, wherein said

32 step of sealing said web includes simultaneously forming (i)

33 respective seals between respective inner surfaces of said arms

3 and said interconnecting portion and (ii) a seal in the region of

35 said lengthwise extending edges, each of said seals extending

36 continuously in the lengthwise direction of said web.

37

38 34. A method as claimed in claim 31, 32 or 33, wherein l said web comprises a porous material to permit infusion.

2

3 35. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein said flowable

4 material is coffee or tea.

5

6 36. A device for feeding a predetermined amount of flowable material into a container, said device comprising inlet β means for receiving said flowable material, means defining at 9 least one dosing chamber, means for driving said flowable material ιo from said inlet means to the or each said dosing chamber, and ii reciprocating means movable through the or each said dosing i2 chamber to drive a predetermined amount of said flowable material i3 into said container.

14 is 37. A device as claimed in claim 36, comprising movable i6 sleeve means arranged to define at least one selectively variable i7 size inlet to the or each said dosing chamber.

18 i9 38. A device as claimed in claim 36 or 37, wherein said

20 driving means comprises at least one auger.

21

22 39. A device as claimed in claim 38, wherein the or each

23 auger is servo driven.

24

25 40. A device as claimed in claim 37, 38 or 39, wherein

26 said inlet means is arranged such that said flowable material is

27 fed into said chamber in a direction transverse to the direction

28 of movement of said reciprocating means.

29

30 41. A device as claimed in claim 37, 38 or 39, wherein

3i said chamber defining means defines two said dosing chambers, said

32 inlet defining means defines respective passages feeding to said

33 dosing chambers and the arrangement is such that said chamber

34 defining means is movable between a first position in which a

35 first of said chambers is aligned with said reciprocating means

36 and a second of said chambers is in a position to receive said

37 flowable material from the respective said passage and a second

38 position in which said second chamber is aligned with said 1 reciprocating means and said first chamber is in a position to

2 receive said flowable material from the respective said passage.

3

4 42. A device as claimed in claim 41 , wherein said chamber

5 def i n i ng means compr i ses a p l ate wh i ch has respect i ve

6 through-holes defining said chambers , said plate being movable in

7 translation between said first position and said second position.

8

9 43. A device as claimed in any one of claims 36 to 42, ιo wherein said reciprocating means comprises an axial ly slidable ii plunger.

12 i3 44. A device for feeding a predetermined amount of i4 flowable material into a container, said device comprising means is defining at least one outlet, means defining a plurality of dosing i6 chambers, inlet means for receiving said flowable material, means i7 for driving said flowable material from said inlet means to said is dosing chambers, means for pushing said flowable material out of i9 said dosing chambers to said outlet defining means and means for

20 causing relative reciprocal movement between said outlet defining

2i means and said chamber defining means, the arrangement being such

22 that each said chamber can be positioned in alignment with said

23 pushing means and said outlet means whilst the or at least one

24 other chamber receives flowable material from said inlet means.

25

26 45. A device as claimed in claim 44, wherein said outlet

27 defining means is fixed and said chamber defining means comprises

28 a slidable plate having respective through-holes defining each

29 said dosing chamber.

30

3i 46. A device as claimed in claim 44 or 45, wherein said

32 relative movement is trans1ational movement.

33

3 47. A device as claimed in claim 44, 45 or 46, having two

35 said dosing chambers and one said outlet.

36

37 48. A device as claimed in any one of claims 44 to 47,

38 wherein said driving means is disposed in said inlet means. 1

2 49. A device as claimed in any one of claims 44 to 48,

3 wherein said driving means comprises at least one auger.

4

5 50. A device as claimed in any one of claims 44 to 49, β wherein said pushing means comprises as least one reciprocating 7 plunger.

8 51. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 or ιo 23 to 28, wherein said feeding means comprises a device as claimed ii in any one of claims 36 to 43 or 44 to 50.

12 i3 52. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 or i4 23 to 28 or 51, wherein each said arm has a free end and said free is ends coincide with respective lengthwise extending edges of said i6 web.

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38