Method and apparatus for making containers

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING, FILLING AND SEALING CONTAINERS FROM HEAT-SEALABLE WEB MATERIAL, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING A CONTINUOUS WEB AND GROOVING THE WEB LENGTHWISE TO FORM IN THE WEB A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINES; INTERMITTENTLY FOLDING THE THUS GROOVED WEB TO FORM AN UNSEALED TUBE WHEREIN THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OVERLAP AND WHICH IS COMPOSED OF ELONGATED STRIP-SHAPED PORTIONS FOLDED UPON EACH OTHER; GROOVING THE THUS FORMED UNSEALED TUBE CROSSWISE TO PROVIDE SUCH TUBE WITH GROUPS OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; EXPANDING SAID LENGTHWISE AND CROSSWISE GROOVED TUBE DURING INTERMITTENT ADVANCES OF THE WEB TO FORM CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS OF POLYGONAL OUTLINE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINE AT EACH CORNER AND A GROUP OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES AT EACH END THEREOF; HEAT-SEALING THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS; HEAT-SEALING THE LEADING ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS TO FORM TRANSVERSE CONNECTING FLAPS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FOLD LINES OF CONSECUTIVE GROUPS OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; ADMITTING FLOWABLE MATERIAL THROUGH THE UNSEALED TUBE AND INTO CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS SO THAT ADMISSIONS OF SUCH FLOWABLE MATERIAL ALTERNATE WITH THE FORMATION OF CONSECUTIVE FLAPS WHEREBY EACH CONSECUTIVE SECTION FORMS A CONTAINER ACCOMMODATING A QUANTITY OF FLOWABLE MATERIAL; DEFORMING THE ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE CONTAINERS SO THAT EACH THEREOF COMPRISES A PAIR OF POLYGONAL END WALLS RESPECTIVELY BOUNDED BY FOLD LINES OF A FIRST GROUP AND BY FOLD LINES OF THE NEXTFOLLOWING GROUP OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; AND CUTTING ACROSS CONSECUTIVE FLAPS TO SEPARATE THE FOREMOST CONTAINERS FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE WEB.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MAKING, FILLING AND SEALING CONTAINERS FROM HEAT-SEALABLE WEB MATERIAL, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING A CONTINUOUS WEB AND GROOVING THE WEB LENGTHWISE TO FORM IN THE WEB A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINES; INTERMITTENTLY FOLDING THE THUS GROOVED WEB TO FORM AN UNSEALED TUBE WHEREIN THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OVERLAP AND WHICH IS COMPOSED OF ELONGATED STRIP-SHAPED PORTIONS FOLDED UPON EACH OTHER; GROOVING THE THUS FORMED UNSEALED TUBE CROSSWISE TO PROVIDE SUCH TUBE WITH GROUPS OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; EXPANDING SAID LENGTHWISE AND CROSSWISE GROOVED TUBE DURING INTERMITTENT ADVANCES OF THE WEB TO FORM CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS OF POLYGONAL OUTLINE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL FOLD LINE AT EACH CORNER AND A GROUP OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES AT EACH END THEREOF; HEAT-SEALING THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS; HEAT-SEALING THE LEADING ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS TO FORM TRANSVERSE CONNECTING FLAPS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FOLD LINES OF CONSECUTIVE GROUPS OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; ADMITTING FLOWABLE MATERIAL THROUGH THE UNSEALED TUBE AND INTO CONSECUTIVE SECTIONS SO THAT ADMISSIONS OF SUCH FLOWABLE MATERIAL ALTERNATE WITH THE FORMATION OF CONSECUTIVE FLAPS WHEREBY EACH CONSECUTIVE SECTION FORMS A CONTAINER ACCOMMODATING A QUANTITY OF FLOWABLE MATERIAL; DEFORMING THE ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE CONTAINERS SO THAT EACH THEREOF COMPRISES A PAIR OF POLYGONAL END WALLS RESPECTIVELY BOUNDED BY FOLD LINES OF A FIRST GROUP AND BY FOLD LINES OF THE NEXTFOLLOWING GROUP OF TRANSVERSE FOLD LINES; AND CUTTING ACROSS CONSECUTIVE FLAPS TO SEPARATE THE FOREMOST CONTAINERS FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE WEB.