Bag closing machine

Claim 1

A MACHINE TO CLOSE FILLED BAGS, EACH OF WHICH HAS TWO SIDE PANELS AND TWO END PANELS, EACH OF THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE AND END PANELS BEING A RESPECTIVE CLOSURE PORTION THEREOF, SAID MACHINE BEING ARRANGED TO CLOSE EACH BAG IN A MANNER THAT EACH END PANEL CLOSURE PORTION HAS A LOWER TRIANGULAR PART THEREOF TUCKED IN AND DOWN SO THAT AN UPPER PART THEREOF IS FORMED WITH A VERTICAL REENTRANT FOLD, AND THE SIDE PANEL CLOSURE PORTIONS ARE MOVED INWARDLY SO THAT LOWER PARTS THEREOF ARE FOLDED IN AND DOWN, AND UPPER PARTS THEREOF ARE MOVED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER SO AS TO ENCLOSE THEREBETWEEN SAID UPPER END PANEL CLOSURE PARTS, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING: (A) CHAIN CONVEYOR MEANS WHICH TRAVEL IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER A PREDETERMINED COURSE FROM AN INFEED STATION FORWARDLY THROUGH A FOLDING STATION TO A DISCHARGE STATION; (B) A PLURALITY OF POCKET FORMING MEMBERS SECURED TO SAID CHAIN CONVEYOR MEANS, PROXIMATE PAIRS OF SAID POCKET FORMING MEMBERS DEFINING THEREBETWEEN RESPECTIVE BAG ENGAGING POCKETS; (C) SPROCKET MEANS AT SAID INFEED STATION TO DIRECT SAID CHAIN CONVEYOR MEANS IN A CURVED PATH, WHEREBY PROXIMATE PAIRS OF POCKET FORMING MEMBERS ARE SPREAD ANGULARLY WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER AS THEY TRAVEL SAID CURVED PATH TO DEFINE SPREAD POCKETS; (D) INFEED MEANS TO MOVE FILLED BAGS INTO SAID SPREAD POCKETS AT SAID INFEED STATION; (E) FOLDING MEANS TO ENGAGE EACH BAG AT SAID FOLDING STATION, SAID FOLDING MEANS COMPRISING SIDE CLOSURE MEMBERS TO ENGAGE THE SIDE PANEL CLOSURE PORTIONS, AND END CLOSURE MEMBERS TO ENGAGE SAID END PANEL CLOSURE PORTIONS AT THE LOWER TRIANGULAR PARTS THEREOF OF FOLD SAID LOWER TRIANGULAR PARTS INWARDLY AND DOWN; (F) SAID SIDE CLOSURE MEMBERS BEING MOVABLE INWARDLY AND FORWARDLY TO ENGAGE AND MOVE WITH SAID SIDE PANELS AT SAID FOLDING STATION, AND (G) SAID END CLOSURE MEMBERS BEING MOVABLE WITH SAID CHAIN CONVEYOR MEANS SO AS TO MOVE WITH SAID BAGS WHILE PERFORMING THEIR FOLDING FUNCTION.