A system for packaging, storing and dispensing discrete quantities of fluid has front and back sheets of fluid impervious material bonded together along seal lines to define a plurality of tubular containment channels including fill ports and discharge ports, and to define a filling manifold including a common fill port connected by a conduit to the separate fill ports. Each discharge port is provided with a frangibly capped, hollow dispensing tube and the seal lines further define cuffs releasably sealed about the dispensing tubes. After the channels are filled with fluid introduced at the common fill port, the sheets are further bonded to close the fill ports, and the filling manifold portion is removed. The remaining portion can then be separated at perforations into individual packets which can be separately dispensed by removing the cuff seal, inserting the dispensing tube into a destination container, surrounding the container mouth with the cuff to avoid contamination, and breaking the frangible cap to open the discharge port. Stiffeners with pull tabs are provided to separate the cuff flaps.

A machine for and a step by step method of forming packages or containers from blanks, heat sealing the sides of the packages and depositing the packages in fixtures, retaining the packages in fixtures during dosing of the packages with product, heat sealing the tops of the packages and ejecting the packages from the fixtures. The sides of a newly formed package are heat sealed through apertures in the forming die before the package is placed in the fixture. Once placed in the fixture at the forming station, the package remains in the fixture during the filling or dosing of product at the filling station and as indexed into the top sealing station. At the top sealing station the filled package is partially elevated from the fixture to expose the entire top of the package for heat sealing.

Methods for filling and sealing containers having one or more flexible sides. Non-standard containers for holding fluid are releasably supported during the filling and sealing process. Both the interior and exterior of the filled container are subjected to an environment of reduced pressure to minimize the headspace and sealed.

An apparatus and method for filling bags achieves a substantially uniform fill level in bags. The apparatus includes a bag support that exerts pressure on the bags during filling of the bag such that the level of filling media among the bag is more evenly distributed. The apparatus and method also reliably maintain a sterile region during filling of bags by pressurizing the region before beginning bag filling operations.