APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE CONTENTS OF FLEXIBLE OR COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS

Apparatus and method are disclosed for quickly, efficiently and with minimum human contact removing the contents of flexible or collapsible containers, for example, frozen blood from the plastic pouches in which it is collected from human donors. The container is positioned and retained between a pair of plates which are relatively movable to compress the container to discharge the contents. The plates are preferably mounted on a continuous conveyor for automatically moving the container from a loading station where the container is inserted between the plates, to an opening area where a portion of the container is removed to provide access to the contents, and from there to a compression position where the plates are forced together to discharge the contents from the container through the access opening. For frozen contents, the plates and container may also pass through a thawing area where the container is heated sufficiently to free it from the frozen contents.