Patent ID: 8549822

Claim:
A method of forming packages from a chain of side connected bags comprising: preforming the chain of side connected bags, wherein each side connected has opposing sidewalls that are interconnected at a bottom by one of a fold and a seal and at spaced apart sides by side seals; holding top end portions of the preformed bags open with belts that comprise main transport belts and lip belts by folding the top end portions over the main transport belts and pressing the lip belts into recesses in the main transport belts to clamp the top end portions of the preformed bags; positioning the each preformed bag at a first location where the closed bottom portion is supported at a first vertical distance below the open end; depositing an item into each preformed bag through the open top end portion at the first location; transporting each preformed bag to a second location after said item is deposited into the preformed bag, wherein the bottom end portion of the preformed bag is supported at a second vertical distance below the open end; as each bag is transported to the second location and after said item is deposited into the preformed bag, contacting an exterior surface of the sidewalls below and spaced apart from a lowermost surface of said main transport belts and lip belts and above the closed bottom portion of the bag in which the item rests with a pair of horizontally spaced guide surfaces, wherein a distance between the guide surfaces narrows in a direction from the first location toward the second location; and sealing the open top end portion of each compressed bag to form a package.