Method for sealing hard filled capsules

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR FILLING WITH A SUBSTANCE AND SEALING SIMULTANEOUSLY A PLURALITY OF CAPSULES, EACH CAPSULE HAVING A CUP PORTION AND A CAP PORTION WHICH ARE OPEN AT ONE END OF EACH, THE STEPS INCLUDING: SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF THE CUP PORTIONS IN UPWARDLY OPENING POSITIONS AND IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIVE ARRANGEMENT, SO THAT THEIR OPEN ENDS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE; FILLING SAID CUP PORTIONS WITH SAID SUBSTANCE WHILE SAID CUP PORTIONS ARE MAINTAINED IN THEIR PREDETERMINED PATTERN; SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF CAP PORTIONS IN THE SAME PATTERN AS SAID RELATIVE ARRANGEMENT OF SAID CUP PORTIONS, SAID CAP PORTIONS BEING POSITIONED WITH THEIR OPEN ENDS FACING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND FOR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CUP PORTIONS; APPLYING A SEALING MATERIAL ONTO THE SIDE WALL OF EACH CAP PORTION ADJACENT THE OPEN END THEROF WHILE SAID CAP PORTIONS ARE MAINTAINED IN SAID PATTERN AND SEPARATED FROM SAID CUP PORTIONS; AXIALLY ALIGNING SAID CUP PORTIONS AND SAID CAP PORTIONS WITH THEIR OPEN ENDS FACING EACH OTHER; EFFECTING SIMULTANEOUS RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CAP PORTIONS AND SAID CUP PORTIONS TOWARD EACH OTHER, DURING WHICH SAID SUBSTANCE REMAINS IN SAID CUP PORTIONS, SO THAT THE PORTION OF THE SIDE WALL OF EACH CAP PORTION ON WHICH SAID SEALING MATERIAL HAS BEEN PLACED IS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND IN OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH THE SIDE WALL OF THE CORRESPONDING CUP PORTION WHEREBY SAID CAP PORTIONS BECOME SECURED TO SAID CUP PORTIONS.