Tubular bagging machine for the continuous manufacture of bags having folded sides

In a tubular bagging machine for the manufacture of packages having folded sides, said packages being manufactured of a sheet-like material, said tubular bagging machine having forming shoulder means for continuously converting a sheet-like material into a foil tube having a longitudinally extending seam, at least one pair of cross-welding/cross-sealing jaws for forming vertically spaced top and bottom seals in the foil tube, said jaws each being supported by a support means and driven by drive means for cyclical rotation on generally circular paths, a crank disk, and side-fold-forming means supported on a guide element for movement transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the foil tube by said crank disk driving a connecting rod connected thereto at a first end thereof and at a second end thereof to said side-fold-forming means, the improvement wherein said side-fold-forming means further includes said guide element being supported on a holding device supported for reciprocal movement and having an arm pivotally supported thereon, said guide element further being coupled to a first end of said arm, said connecting rod being connected at said second end thereof to said holding device, a rocker arm pivotally supported on said connecting rod, one end of said rocker arm being operatively connected to said crank disk while also being operatively connected at a second end thereof to a second end of said arm, and a cam element having a contoured surface thereon, said one end of said rocker arm including contoured surface engaging means for causing said rocker arm to move about said pivotal support therefor in accordance with said contoured surface on said cam element to cause said side-fold-forming means to move toward and away from said foil tube to form the folded sides on the package while simultaneously said holding device is moved.