Patent ID: 7374528

Claim:
A method of lining a container with a flexible liner using an air evacuation system, the container having a plurality of side walls and a bottom wall that define a cavity with an open top, each wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the air evacuation system having a platform for supporting the container, wherein the platform includes a base having a plurality of ribs and at least one spacer tab protruding upwardly therefrom, the at least one spacer tab extending from the base a greater distance than the plurality of ribs, and a vacuum assembly coupled to the platform, said method comprising: forming the container such that the bottom wall is substantially perpendicular to the plurality of side walls, wherein the bottom wall includes a plurality of bottom flaps; positioning the container on the platform such that the bottom wall of the container is adjacent to the plurality of ribs and the at least one spacer tab protruding from the base, wherein the bottom wall of the container is elevated above the base by the plurality of ribs such that a gap is defined therebetween, and wherein the at least one spacer tab engages one of the plurality of bottom flaps and displaces at least a portion of the engaged bottom flap relative to at least one of the other bottom flaps creating an airflow channel between the cavity and the gap; positioning the liner at least partially within the container cavity, the liner being in an unseated position; and operating the vacuum assembly to create a vacuum around at least a portion of the container to draw air from the container cavity through at least one container side wall, and through the bottom wall and the gap such that the liner is positioned adjacent the interior surface of the container in a seated position while maintaining the gap between the bottom wall of the container and the base of the platform.