ASEPTIC PACKAGING METHOD AND MACHINE

An apparatus for aseptically packaging food and other products includes a housing which defines an enclosed sterile chamber and contains an endless conveyor having an upper flight adapted to transport individual containers through a plurality of operating stations. The housing is formed with a container sterilization section located adjacent one end of the conveyor and has a container dispenser mechanism mounted therein which holds individual containers in this section for a predetermined period of time and thereafter dispenses the containers on the upper flight of the conveyor; the latter transports the containers to a filling station where a sterile product is placed in the container. Downstream of the filling station, a continuous strip of interconnected covers is sequentially advanced, through a cover sterilization section formed in the housing, into position in registry with the containers on the conveyor. Thereafter, the covers are heat sealed to the containers and discharged from the housing. The entire sterile chamber is supplied with a sterile atmosphere at a pressure above atmospheric pressure to maintain the containers and covers in a sterile condition during the filling and cover sealing operation.