Importance

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Abstract

A pouch filling apparatus for filling pouches with product as the pouches travel around a filler wheel includes a hopper wheel carrying a plurality of hoppers over a sector of the filler wheel empty of pouches. The filler wheel carries a plurality of product dispensing units having an upper accumulation chamber. The hopper wheel and the filler wheel counter-rotate in timed relation so that individual product dispensing units and hoppers cross paths at a product transfer station to allow product to be dropped from a hopper into the accumulation chamber of a product dispensing unit. The filler wheel then rotates to a filling station and the product is released from the accumulation chamber into a pouch travelling along the pouch conveyor. In one embodiment, the product dispensing unit includes a lower expandable cone assembly which is lowered into the pouch at the filling station and expanded before the product is released from the accumulation chamber to form the pouch mouth into a substantially circular configuration. Alternative pouch expanders and product accumulation apparatus are described, as well as methods.

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First Claim