Apparatus for dispensing flowable materials from a pouch

Dispensing – With cutter and/or punch – To form dispensing opening in container

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Details

222 835, 222 95, 222325, 222386, B67D 500

Patent

active

053300742

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing flowable materials from a pouch. The pouches are pillow-shaped with "ears".
It is well known to package flowable materials, for example, milk, on so-called vertical form and fill machines. Using such a machine, a flat web of synthetic thermoplastic film is unwound from a roll and formed into a continuous tube in a tube forming section, by sealing the longitudinal edges of the film together to form a so-called lap seal or a so-called fin seal. The tube thus formed is pulled vertically downwards to a filling station. The tube is then collapsed across a transverse cross-section of the tube, the position of the cross-section being at a sealing device below the filling station. A transverse heat seal is made, by the sealing device, at the collapsed portion of the tube, thus making an airtight seal across the tube. The sealing device generally comprises a pair of jaws. After making the transverse seal, but before the jaws of the sealing device are opened, a quantity of material to be packaged, e.g. liquid, is caused to enter the tube, at the filling station, and fill the tube upwardly from the aforementioned transverse seal. The tube is caused to move downwardly a predetermined distance. Such movement may be under the influence of the weight of the material in the tube, or may be caused by pulling or mechanically driving the tube. The jaws of the sealing device are closed again, thus collapsing the tube at a second transverse section. The second transverse section may be above, usually just above, the air/material interface in the tube, or the second transverse section may be below the air/material interface. The sealing device seals and severs the tube transversely at the second transverse section. The material-filled portion of the tube is now in the form of a pillow shaped pouch. Thus the sealing device has sealed the top of the filled pouch, sealed the bottom of the next-to-be formed pouch, all in one operation. One such vertical form and fill machine of the type described above is sold under the trade mark PREPAC. With some other machines, the sealing device does not sever the tube at the second transverse section, but does sever the tube subsequently. With some machines the filling of the tube is done continuously rather than intermittently. The portions of the pouch at the ends of the transverse seals are often referred to as "ears".
For many years, milk has been packaged in pouches made on vertical form and fill machines. Such pouches have been sold to household consumers and, in use, such milk-filled pouches are stood within an open-mouthed pitcher. More recently, such pouches have been used to package other flowable comestibles, mayonnaise, salad dressings, preserves and the like. Pouches containing such comestibles are usually sold to "institutional" buyers, e.g. restaurants. Heretofore the flowable materials have been removed from such pouches by cutting an ear of the pouch and pouring or squeezing the flowable material out of the pouch. Alternatively the pouch has been fitted with a pouring spout such as that disclosed in Canadian Patent 1 192 164 to L. Obidniak.
A further dispensing apparatus is described in United Kingdom patent application 90.09846 to Du Pont Canada Inc., dated 1990 May 2. This application discloses a dispenser apparatus for removing flowable material from a pouch, said pouch having an ear at each of the ends of a transverse seal located at one end of the pouch, said dispenser comprising i) a tubular container having sides and an open top having a rim, said container being adapted to contain said pouch, ii) a lid attachable to the rim such that the lid is adapted to trap the ears of the pouch between the lid and the rim and to keep said end of the pouch taut between said ears when said lid is attached to the rim, said lid also being adapted to allow a spout to pierce said pouch at said taut portion. In one embodiment the tubular container has a bottom comprising a piston disk adapted to move towards the top of the conta

REFERENCES:
patent: 3288333 (1966-11-01), Valk, Jr.
patent: 3815787 (1974-06-01), Spies
patent: 4136801 (1979-01-01), Pavenick
patent: 4840293 (1989-06-01), Segatz
patent: 5161715 (1992-11-01), Giannuzzi

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