Belt having a succession of packaging blanks and method for filling the blanks

Claim 1

A method of filling packaging blanks arranged in a continuous, flexible belt having two opposing walls and longitudinal first and second edges and including a number of consecutively arranged packaging blanks each with a bottom section at the first edge and two bonding zones arranged transversely in relation to the longitudinal direction of the belt and forming side closures of each packaging blank such that each blank is open at its top at the second edges of the walls, said method comprising moving the belt of packaging blanks from an initial holding station past a filling station to a closing station, holding the belt of packaging blanks at its second edges on guide members the entire second longitudinal edges of the blanks of the belt being constrained by the guide members throughout the path of travel of the blanks from the initial holding thereof through the closing of the filling blanks, slidably advancing the belt longitudinally on the guide members, the belt being advanced past a filling station, guidably displacing the second edges of the blanks apart at the filling station while slidably advancing the second edges of the belt on the guide members to open the top of the blanks at the filling station by the guide members being contoured with diverging portions at the filling station such that the blanks are opened at said filling station solely by the guide members over which the blanks are slidingly fed, filling the thus opened blanks with its contents at said filling station, thereafter advancing the blanks beyond the filling station by slidable advance on the guide members and displacing the slidably supported second edges together on the guide members to close the top of the blanks, and separating the filled blanks from the remainder of the belt along a longitudinal strip at which the blanks are held.

Claim 2

A method of filling packaging blanks arranged in a continuous, flexible belt having two opposing walls and longitudinal first and second edges and including a number of consecutively arranged packaging blanks each with a bottom section at the first edge and two bonding zones arranged transversely in relation to the longitudinal direction of the belt and forming side closures of each packaging blank such that each blank is open at its top at the second edges of the walls, said method comprising moving the belt of packaging blanks from an initial holding station past a filling station to a closing station, holding the belt of packaging blanks at its second edges on guide members the entire second longitudinal edges of the blanks of the belt being constrained by the guide members throughout the path of travel of the blanks from the initial holding thereof through the closing of the filling blanks, slidably advancing the belt longitudinally on the guide members, the belt being advanced past a filling station, guidably displacing the second edges of the blanks apart at the filling station while slidably advancing the second edges of the belt on the guide members to open the top of the blanks at the filling station by the guide members being contoured with diverging portions at the filling station such that the blanks are opened at said filling station solely by the guide members over which the blanks are slidingly fed, filling the thus opened blanks with its contents at said filling station, thereafter advancing the blanks beyond the filling station by slidable advance on the guide members and displacing the slidably supported second edges together on the guide members to close the top of the blanks, and separating the filled blanks from the remainder of the belt along a longitudinal strip at which the blanks are held.