Large bulk liquid squeeze bag

A method of discharging sticky, viscous material from a flexible and collapsible bulk bag comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a flexible and collapsible bulk bag having an upright orientation in use with a side wall, top and bottom ends and top and bottom end openings to the exterior of the bag through which contents are respectively entered and discharged, a flexible and collapsible liner received in said bag generally complementary thereto and having a side wall, top and bottom ends and top and bottom openings through which the contents are respectively entered and discharged, said bag comprising a tubular blank of reinforced flexible woven material, the blank having a circumferentially continuous central portion and four isosceles triangular portions adjacent each end constructed and arranged such that said bag when expanded has a generally cubical configuration with a pair of generally rectangular side wall panels connected by a pair of gusseted side panels and such that when the bag is empty it can be collapsed and folded into a generally flat configuration, and wherein each of the triangular portions extend from the blank central portion toward an apex of the triangular portion, connector means connecting together adjacent triangular portions adjacent their edges along lines of connection extending from at least closely adjacent the central portion toward their associated apexes at least half of the distance therebetween, and the lines of connection associated with the triangular portions adjacent the associated end of the central portion terminating short of their apexes so as to at least in partly define an access opening therethrough adjacent the center of the associated end defined by such triangular portions when such bag is expanded such that when filled such bag has a pair of spaced apart and generally conical ends interconnected by four generally rectangular side walls with the ends convergently tapering toward their associated access opening, and wherein said bag end triangular portions when the bag is empty can be collapsed into a compact configuration having a pair of overlying front and rear panels with a pair of folded gusseted side panels received therebetween with the fold line between adjacent gusseted panels extending between substantially the apexes of their associated opposed triangular portions and the fold lines lying closely adjacent each other;
• said bag further comprising laterally spaced apart first and second U-shaped hanger straps formed at the top end of said bag and together flanking said bag and liner top openings, each said hanger strap comprising a first two-ply extension formed from a portion of said front panel triangular portion and a portion of the side panel triangular portion connected thereto and extending upwardly beyond the bag top access opening from said connector means joining said front and side panel triangular portions and terminating at a free end edge, and a second two-ply extension formed from a portion of said rear panel triangular portion and a portion of the side panel triangular portion connected thereto and likewise extending upwardly beyond the bag top access opening from said connector means joining said rear and side panel triangular portions and terminating at a free end edge, said first and second two ply extensions having mutually overlapped portions permanently interconnected to thereby form a U-shaped hanger loop configuration having a four-ply thickness where said extensions mutually overlap, and wherein the apices of said straps are coaxially aligned and spaced beyond said top bag and liner access openings when the same are closed;
• b) suspending said bag and liner vertically by hoisting the same with a hoisting implement having a pair of coaxially spaced lift arms and inserted one under each of said hanger strap loops;
• c) applying a pair of squeeze nip rollers oriented to span one across each of the front and rear panels of said bag exteriorly thereof beginning adjacent the upper end of said bag while so suspended;
• d) applying squeeze pressure to force the nip rollers toward one another into squeezing relation with said bag to force said front and rear panels toward one another while pulling said nip rollers downwardly along said front and rear panels to thereby squeeze any contents remaining in the bag downwardly in advance of the roller pressure to force the same out the discharge opening of the liner and bag.