Packaging method and apparatus using multiple packaging material are improved so that multiple packaging filled with goods and sealed may be separated easily to each goods filling section. The multiple packaging material (40, 50) has plural goods filling sections connected in series via adjacent side edge portion (42, 52, 53) between each of the goods filling sections. Goods to be packaged are filled in the multiple packaging material at goods filling portion (12). Multiple packaging so filled with the goods is covered and sealed with sheet coming from master roll (16). The multiple packaging is made separable at the adjacent side edge portion. Overlapped portion of outer peripheral edge portion (41, 51) of the multiple packaging material and the sheet is first sealed at sealing portion (14) and then the adjacent side edge portion is sealed with the sheet at longitudinal sealing portion (21). The sheet on the adjacent side edge portion is cut and the adjacent side edge portion is scratched both at scratching portion (22) so that scratched portion (43, 54, 55) is formed on upper and lower surfaces of the adjacent side edge portion.

A method and apparatus for forming capsules having a fill material which might be adversely affected by the presence of air. A capsule forming material, which forms a portion of the casing of the capsules, is fed along a predetermined path of movement past a sealing station for sealing of the cavities. A fill material is deposited in the cavities of the capsule forming material prior to cavities being sealed at the sealing station. An evacuation member having an evacuation surface is disposed to face the cavities in the capsule forming material and seal against the capsule forming material as the capsule forming material is moved past the evacuation member to form a substantially airtight seal between the evacuation member and the capsule forming material. The evacuation member includes first and second flow communication conduits communicating with the evacuation surface, the first flow communication conduit communicating with a source of vacuum for withdrawing air from between the surface of the capsule forming material and the evacuation surface and the second flow communication conduit communicating with a source of inert gas for introducing inert gas between the surface of the capsule forming material and the evacuation surface. The first and second flow communication conduits communicate with the evacuation surface at spaced-apart locations so as to provide a continuous sweeping of air from the cavities and replacement thereof with an inert gas.

A package, packaging method, and packaging apparatus for facilitating the packaging of large meat products and exchanging the ambient atmosphere to establish a desired gaseous atmosphere that extends the shelf life of the product. The package includes a pair of preformed relatively rigid plastic domed or cupped members which abut along a sealing surface. The upper and lower package portions include flanges which are adapted to facilitate not only the formation of the package but its subsequent opening. A reciprocatable filling tube maintains the separation between the upper and lower package portions to permit gas exchange and then may be reciprocated downwardly to allow the upper package portion to abut atop the lower package portion for sealing connection.

An inert gas-filling and packaging apparatus which is adapted to fill an inert gas in containers, each having a content and seal the containers one by one after coverage of an opening of the container with a sealing film is described. The apparatus comprises a plurality of buckets for individually receiving a container having an upper opening, a film supplying means for supplying a sealing film arranged to move over the plural buckets, a vertically movable keep pad for keeping the sealing film in contact with the upper face of the bucket, the contact member having grooves provided at opposite sides of the plural buckets, through which the nozzle is inserted to inject an inert gas, and a nozzle for injecting the inert gas. The sealing film is sealed on the container by means of a heat sealing means surrounded by the keep pad. The heat sealing by the apparatus ensures a good appearance of a final product without involving any wrinkles in the sealed film. A heat sealer is also described having two sealing members which are controlled to operate at different sealing forces whereby easy peeling of the sealed film is ensured. When this heat sealer is applied to the inert gas filling and packaging apparatus, ideal heat sealing is realized.

A packaging machine wherein product-loaded cup-shaped receptacles are advanced with an indexing movement through a series of packaging stations. One station includes a fixed vacuum/gas chamber extending entirely over one set of receptacles. The receptacles are first evacuated through this fixed chamber, and thereafter gas is directed into the chamber to fill the receptacles. A fine wire-mesh screen is positioned between the chamber and the receptacles to constrain the air and gas flow to a vertical direction, to prevent disarrangement of the product during evacuation and gassing. A gas-curtain structure develops an enclosed region of gas above the receptacles during their movement out from under the fixed chamber over to the final sealing station. The sealing operation takes place in two successive steps within the sealing station.