Patent ID: 7640715

Claim:
A method of forming, filling, and sealing a bag, the method comprising: a) providing a web including at least, i. a first strip formed of an open mesh fabric and having a pair of opposed longitudinal edges; ii. a second strip formed of a film of at least one thermoplastic resin and having a pair of opposed longitudinal edges, the first edge of the second strip being bonded to the second edge of the first strip, the web having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge formed by the second longitudinal edge of the second strip, and a first longitudinal seam intermediate the first and second edges; b) drawing the web over a tube of a form, fill and sealing machine and, while the web is positioned over the tube, i. using a first sealing device, securing the first and second longitudinal edges of the web to one another to form a sleeve having a second longitudinal seam formed by the bonded edges, the second longitudinal seam being formed from an overlap seal in which an inner surface of one of the first and second longitudinal edges of the web is bonded to an outer surface of the other of the first and second longitudinal edges of the web, ii. securing opposed sides of the sleeve to one another at a location beneath a discharge opening of the tube to form a first lateral seam forming a bottom of a first bag, wherein the first lateral seam is formed by a second sealing device located beneath the first sealing device, and wherein the first sealing device is located generally over an end of the second sealing device, the first bag having at least one entire face formed from thermoplastic resin film and having a side edge formed by the second longitudinal seam, iii. filling the first bag with items by discharging items into an interior of the first bag through the discharge opening, iv. indexing the sleeve downwardly, then v. using the second sealing device, securing opposed sides of the sleeve to one another at said location beneath the discharge opening to form a second lateral seam forming a top of the first bag and a bottom of a second bag that is being formed above the first bag.