Settling product in a package

Abstract

System, hardware, and methods for agitating a package pre-form containing a charge of product elements thus to provide for product settling in the package pre-form before forming the final transverse seal. The product is caused to settle in the package pre-form by apply a plurality of rapid jerk-type acceleration forces to the packaging material, thus to cause rapid longitudinal and/or lateral acceleration in the packaging material.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 
     
         1 . In a package forming process wherein a supply of packaging material is fed onto and past a forming tube, the forming tube having a feed end and an exit end, longitudinal seals, each having a length, being formed at facing longitudinally-extending edge portions of the packaging material, thus to form a longitudinally sealed packaging tube, a transverse end closure being formed across the longitudinally sealed packaging tube at a portion thereof which has progressed past the exit end of the forming tube to thereby form a package pre-form extending from the transverse end closure to an opposing open end of the longitudinally sealed packaging tube, and wherein a charge of product elements is fed into the opposing open end of the longitudinally-sealed tube, a method of settling the product elements in the package pre-form, comprising:
 (a) advancing the package pre-form using at least first and second jerks,   (b) stopping the jerk advance, and   (c) after stopping the jerk advance, forming a subsequent longitudinal seal on a trailing portion of the packaging material,   
       each jerk, before stopping the jerk advance, advancing the package pre-form a distance less than the length of the subsequent longitudinal seal. 
     
     
         2 . A method as in  claim 1 , implemented using a vertical form fill and seal packaging machine. 
     
     
         3 . A method as in  claim 1  wherein the longitudinal seals are formed as one of fin seals or overlapping seals. 
     
     
         4 . A method as in  claim 1 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks, and maintaining a sustained maximum velocity for a limited time for each of the jerks. 
     
     
         5 . A method as in  claim 1 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, third, fourth, and fifth jerks, and maintaining a sustained maximum velocity for a limited time for at least one of the jerks. 
     
     
         6 . A method as in  claim 1 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks, and wherein time at maximum velocity for at least one of the jerks is essentially zero. 
     
     
         7 . A method as in  claim 1 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks, each such jerk having an acceleration, a maximum velocity, and a minimum velocity, and wherein the minimum velocity following at least one of the jerk accelerations is substantially greater than zero. 
     
     
         8 . A method as in  claim 7  wherein the minimum velocity is at least fifty percent as great as the maximum velocity. 
     
     
         9 . A method as in  claim 7 , at least one of the jerks having a sustained maximum velocity. 
     
     
         10 . A method as in  claim 1 , at least first and second longitudinal seals, forming a continuation of the longitudinally sealed packaging tube, being formed for a given package pre-form, the advancing of the package pre-form, using at least first and second jerks, being implemented after the formation of at least one, but less than all, of the longitudinal seals made after the given package pre-form has been created. 
     
     
         11 . A method as in  claim 10  wherein the advance using the jerks occurs during the first advance after product elements have been fed into the given package pre-form. 
     
     
         12 . A method of settling product elements in a package pre-form before final closure of the package pre-form to form a closed and sealed package, wherein a length of packaging material has been fed onto a feed end of a forming tube, formed into a longitudinally sealed packaging tube, and at least a lead end of the sealed packaging tube has been advanced past an exit end of the forming tube and has a transverse seal extending thereacross, the method comprising
 agitating the package pre-form, and thus agitating the product elements contained therein, without mechanical touching of any outside surface of that portion of the packaging material which extends past the exit end of the forming tube.   
     
     
         13 . A method as in  claim 12 , implemented using a vertical form fill and seal packaging machine. 
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 12 , including agitating the package pre-form by advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks. 
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 12  including applying a jerk force to the package pre-form in the advance direction while preventing the packaging pre-form from advancing. 
     
     
         16 . A method as in  claim 12  wherein the longitudinally sealed packaging tube has been formed by making a plurality of longitudinal seals, at least first and second ones of the longitudinal seals having been formed for a given package pre-form, the agitating of the given package pre-form being implemented after the formation of at least one, but less than all, of the longitudinal seals made after the given package pre-form has been created. 
     
     
         17 . A method as in  claim 16  wherein the advance using the jerks occurs during the first advance after product elements have been fed into the given package pre-form. 
     
     
         18 . A method of forming a package using a packaging machine having a forming tube, the forming tube having a feed end and an exit end, the method comprising:
 (a) intermittently advancing lengths of packaging material, connected to each other, onto a feed end of the forming tube, and forming longitudinal seals at facing edge portions of the packaging material and thereby forming the lengths of packaging material into respective lengths of a longitudinally sealed packaging tube;   (b) along with the advancing of the lengths of packaging material onto the forming tube and forming the longitudinal seals, advancing the lengths of packaging material sequentially past the exit end of the forming tube and forming lead transverse closures across the longitudinally sealed packaging tube at a transverse seal location past the exit end of the forming tube, thus to make package pre-forms, each such package pre-form, when the respective lead transverse closure is formed, extending from the respective lead transverse closure to an opposing open end of the longitudinally sealed packaging tube;   (c) after the forming of a given such lead transverse closure, feeding a charge of product elements into the open end of the longitudinally sealed tube and thence into the package pre-form;   (d) with such charge of product elements in the given package pre-form, agitating the package pre-form, and thus the product elements contained therein, by advancing the package pre-form using at least first and second jerks;   (e) after advancing the package pre-form a distance sufficient to move a trailing portion of the charge of product elements to a location past the transverse seal location, stopping the jerk advance; and   (f) after stopping the jerk advance, forming a trailing longitudinal seal on a trailing portion of the package pre-form, thereby to convert the package pre-form into a closed and sealed package, and severing the closed and sealed package from the advancing lengths of packaging material, and forming the lead transverse closure on the next succeeding length of packaging material.   
     
     
         19 . A method as in  claim 18 , implemented using a vertical form fill and seal packaging machine. 
     
     
         20 . A method as in  claim 18 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks. 
     
     
         21 . A method as in  claim 18 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, third, fourth, and fifth jerks. 
     
     
         22 . A method as in  claim 18 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks, and wherein time at maximum velocity for at least one of the jerks is essentially zero. 
     
     
         23 . A method as in  claim 18 , each jerk having a jerk acceleration, a maximum velocity, and a minimum velocity, and wherein the minimum velocity following at least one of the jerk accelerations, in at least one of the jerks, is substantially greater than zero. 
     
     
         24 . A method of forming a package using a packaging machine having a forming tube, the forming tube having a feed end and an exit end, the method comprising:
 (a) advancing a first package unit length of a packaging material from a supply of such packaging material onto the forming tube at the feed end of the forming tube, and forming the first package unit length of packaging material into a tubular construct on the forming tube, with opposing first edge portions of the first package unit length facing each other;   (b) stopping the advance of the first package unit length of packaging material, and while stopped, forming a first longitudinal seal at the first facing edge portions, thus to form a circumferentially-closed, longitudinally sealed tube, the first longitudinal seal having a first length, a first leading end, and a first trailing end;   (c) advancing a second package unit length of the packaging material, which is connected to the first package unit length, from the supply of packaging material and onto the forming tube, and thereby advancing the first and second package unit lengths together, and thereby forming the second packaging unit length into a continuation of the tubular construct, with facing second edge portions of the second packaging unit length facing each other, and stopping the advance of the first and second packaging unit lengths, and while stopped, forming a second longitudinal seal at the second facing edge portions, the second longitudinal seal having a second length, a second leading end, and a second trailing end, the second longitudinal seal being a continuation of the first longitudinal seal, the advancing of the second package unit length being effective to also advance a portion of the longitudinally sealed tube beyond the exit end of the forming tube;   (d) forming a lead transverse end closure across the portion of the longitudinally sealed tube which has advanced beyond the exit end of the forming tube, thus to form a tubular package pre-form extending from the lead transverse end closure to an opening at the second trailing end of the second longitudinal seal;   (e) feeding a charge of product elements into the package pre-form at the opening at the second trailing end; and   (f) with the charge of product elements in the package pre-form, advancing a third package unit length of the packaging material, which is connected to the second package unit length, from the supply of packaging material and onto the forming tube, and thereby advancing the first, second, and third package unit lengths together, and forming the third package unit length into a continuation of the tubular construct, with facing third edge portions of the third package unit length facing each other, and stopping the advance of the first, second, and third package unit lengths, and while stopped, forming a third longitudinal seal at the third facing edge portions thereby to convert the package pre-form into a closed and sealed package, and simultaneously severing the closed and sealed package from the trailing second package unit length and forming a lead transverse closure at a leading edge of the second package unit length of the packaging material, the third longitudinal seal being a continuation of the second longitudinal seal,   
       the advancing of the first, second, and third package unit lengths of the packaging material, after the forming of the second longitudinal seal, comprising advancing the packaging material using at least first and second jerks before stopping the advance and forming the third longitudinal seal, each such jerk advancing the package pre-form a distance less than the third length of the third longitudinal seal. 
     
     
         25 . A method as in  claim 24 , implemented using a vertical form fill and seal packaging machine. 
     
     
         26 . A method as in  claim 24 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks. 
     
     
         27 . A method as in  claim 24 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, third, fourth, and fifth jerks. 
     
     
         28 . A method as in  claim 24 , including advancing the package pre-form using at least first, second, and third jerks, and wherein time at maximum velocity for at least one of the jerks is essentially zero. 
     
     
         29 . A method as in  claim 24 , each jerk having a jerk acceleration, a maximum velocity, and a minimum velocity, and wherein the minimum velocity following at least one of the jerk accelerations, in at least one of the jerks, is substantially greater than zero.