This application is related to bags and other packaging containers for fresh fruit, and especially commercially packaged fruit that is transported from one geographic region to another.
It can be difficult to keep fruit fresh from the time the fruit is harvested until the time is consumed. For example, some fruits are only available to be harvested in certain parts of the world during certain times of the year, but are desired for consumption all over the world and all year long. Thus, some fruits need to be kept fresh for several months while the fruit is packaged, stored, and transported around the world. When exposed to the ambient atmospheric gases and temperatures, many freshly harvested fruits will quickly ripen and then spoil in an undesirably short time. Furthermore, fresh fruit can be delicate and prone to bruising or other physical damage that devalues the fruit, and can be susceptible to pests and other contaminates that can harm the fruit. Therefore, there is a need for packaging technologies that can protect and preserve freshly harvested fruit in a way that maintains the freshness and overall quality of the fruit while it is packaged, stored, and transported.
Described herein are sealable, breathable bags for packaging fresh fruit in boxes. The bags protects the fruit from pests and contaminants while maintaining a modified atmosphere environment around the fruit to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Furthermore, the bags are constructed in such a way that they have a flattened closed configuration and a fully opened configuration that allows them to efficiently fit into a generally cuboid, open-topped packaging box to be filled with fresh fruit.
Some embodiments of a sealable, breathable bag for packaging fresh fruit within an open-topped box comprise a front outer panel, a front inner panel, a rear inner panel, and a rear outer panel formed from a folded sheet of breathable polymeric material. In the flattened, closed configuration, the front outer panel transitions to the front inner panel along a first lower fold, the front inner panel transitions to the rear inner panel along an intermediate fold at upper ends of the front and rear inner panels, and the rear inner panel transitions to the rear outer panel along a second lower fold, such that the folded sheet forms a generally “W” shaped cross-sectional profile.
The four panels of the bag, along with the first and second lower folds and the intermediate fold, extend laterally along a length of the flattened bag between a first sealed side of the bag and an opposing second sealed side of the bag. The first sealed side of the bag includes a first lower sealed side and a first upper sealed side, and the second sealed side of the bag includes a second lower sealed side and a second lower sealed side. The first and second lower sealed sides comprise a joining of lateral edges of the all four panels below the intermediate fold, while the first and second upper sealed sides comprise a joining of the first lateral edges of just the front and rear outer panels above the intermediate fold.
The front and rear outer panels form an upper opening and an upper closure adjacent the upper opening. The upper closure is configured to selectively seal closed the upper opening with fresh fruit packaged within the bag such that a modified atmosphere environment can be created around the fresh fruit within the sealed bag.
The bag is in the fully open configuration when the bag is placed in an open-topped box having a rectangular lower panel, two rectangular end panels extending upward from opposing ends of the lower panel, and two rectangular side panels extending upward from opposing sides of the lower panel and extending between the two end panels. In the fully open configuration, the bag overlies an upper surface of the lower panel and inner surfaces of the two end panels and two side panels of the box, and the upper opening of the bag is spread apart with upper edges of the front and rear outer panels being positioned adjacent to or folded over upper edges of the two side panels and the two end panels of the box, such that fresh fruit can be placed inside the bag within the box.
In some embodiments, the lower sealed sides are longer than the upper sealed sides, such that the intermediate fold is closer to the upper edges of the bag than the lower end of the bag in the flattened, closed configuration.
In some embodiments, the breathable polymeric material is permeable to CO2 and 02.
In some embodiments, in the fully open configuration, the bag defines a generally cuboid open internal region that is generally the same size as an internal space defined by the box.
In some embodiments, in the fully open configuration, a middle portion of the intermediate fold is flattened out along the lower panel of the box such that the front inner panel and the rear inner panel of the bag overlie the lower panel of the box.
In the flattened, closed configuration, the bag can include a first interior pocket between the first outer panel and the first inner panel, between the first lower sealed side and the second lower sealed side, and above the first lower fold. The bag can also define a second interior pocket between the second outer panel and the second inner panel, between the first lower sealed side and the second lower sealed side, and above the second lower fold. In the flattened, closed configuration, an exterior pocket is also formed between the first inner panel and the second inner panel, between the first lower sealed side and the second lower sealed side, and below the intermediate fold.
In some embodiments, in the fully open configuration, the first interior pocket can be divided into a first interior corner pocket adjacent a first end panel of the box and a second interior corner pocket adjacent a second end panel of the box, and the second interior pocket can be divided into a third interior corner pocket adjacent the first end panel of the box and a fourth interior corner pocket adjacent the second end panel of the box. The four interior corner pockets can be generally triangular in shape, and can each be defined in part by one of the first or second lower sealed sides. The four interior corner pockets can each have an open upper end that extends from one of the first and second sealed sides of the bag.
In some embodiments, in the fully open configuration, the exterior pocket is divided into a first exterior end pocket adjacent a first end panel of the box and a second exterior end pocket adjacent a second end panel of the box. The first and second exterior end pockets can also be generally triangular in shape. The first and second exterior end pockets can have open lower ends that extend horizontally across a majority of the length of the respective end panels of the box.
The bag can also have a sealed configuration wherein the bag encloses fresh fruit within the box with the upper closure sealing the upper opening closed above the fresh fruit between the two end panels of the box, wherein in the sealed configuration a modified atmosphere environment is created around the fresh fruit within the bag.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed technology will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.
Described herein are examples of fruit packaging containers, including sealable, breathable bags for packaging fresh fruit. The bags can be constructed in a manner that is simple to manufacture and use, provides sufficient strength and durability, protects the fruit from pests and contaminants, and maintains a desired internal gas environment around the fruit to preserve the freshness of the fruit.
The disclosed containers can be used for packaging any type of fresh fruit, including berries, cherries, plums, kiwis, apples, etc.
The bag 2 can be breathable. The term “breathable” as used herein means that the material of the bag is permeable to, or allows transpiration of, certain gasses while being impermeable to other substances. For example, the bag 2 can be made from sheet material that is permeable to CO2 and O2. Such a breathable, sealable bag can be an example of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and can allow for the formation of a controlled gas environment, or modified atmosphere environment, when the fruit is sealed within the bag, which can help keep the fruit fresher longer and/or help control how fast the fruit ripens. The bag 2 can create a modified atmosphere environment around the fruit inside the sealed bag that comprises a different percentage of certain gases than the outside ambient air. For example, the bag 2 can create a modified atmosphere environment around the fruit with a higher percentage of CO2 and/or a lower percentage of O2 relative to the outside ambient air. Exemplary materials that can be used in the bag 2 include low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), nylon and nylon-based materials, high density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene. One exemplary modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) material that may be used in the disclosed technology is sold under the trade name PEAKfresh®.
In some embodiments, the bag 2 can comprise a non-breathable material and/or a material not specifically designed to create a modified atmosphere environment. For example, some embodiments of the bag 2 can be used primarily for moisture retention.
The bag 2 can be formed from a single, four-sided (e.g., rectangular) sheet of material that is folded and permanently sealed along its lateral sides, as shown in
The lower end of the outer rear panel 20 transitions to the lower end of the inner rear panel 24 at one of the lower folds 8, while the lower end of the outer front panel 22 transitions to the lower end of the front inner panel 26 at the other lower fold 8. The upper ends of the rear inner panel 24 transitions to the upper end of front inner panel 26 at the intermediate fold 18.
The point at which the intermediate fold 18 intersects the left-hand edges of the panels is labeled at point 50 and the point at which the intermediate fold 18 intersects the right-hand edges of the panels is labeled at point 52. The portions of the lateral edges above the points 50 and 52 form the upper sealed sides 10 and 12 and include the joining of only the outer panels 20 and 22, as shown in
As shown in
The side-to-side length of the bag 2 can be sized to allow the upper opening to be folded over the upper perimeter of a particular box, such as the box 30 (see
The height of the bag can be selected to allow the bag to fit around whatever objects (e.g., cartons of fresh fruit) are being packed in the bag and remain easy to manipulate and seal the upper opening. Thus, the height can be greater than the height/depth of the box.
Significant extra height can be provided to the bag to allow excess material to allow the bag to comfortably extend around the objects being packed inside the bag. In various embodiments, the bag can have a height of at least 6 inches, at least 7 inches, at least 8 inches, at least 9 inches, at least 10 inches, or at least about 12 inches. The bag 2 in
The height of the gusseted lower portion of the bag can have any ratio relative to the overall height of the bag. For example, the lower sealed sides 14, 16 can be about equal in height (linear length of the seam) to the height of the upper sealed sides 10, 12. In other embodiments, the lower sealed sides 14, 16 can have a height that is greater than or less than the height of the upper sealed sides 10, 12. For example, in some embodiments, the lower sealed sides 14, 16 can have a height that at least one-third or at least one-fourth of the overall height of the bag. The sum of the heights of all four panels of the bag (e.g., two times the overall height plus two times the gusset height) can determine how far the bag can extend around the objects being packed in the bag in the width and height dimensions. For example, the sum of the heights of all four panels can be greater than the sum of two times the width of the box plus two times the height of the box. Since the upper closure 28 (see next paragraph) is located a distance below the upper edges of the bag, the heights described herein can be calculated based on the height of the upper closure 28 instead of the upper edges of the bag, to ensure the two sides of the closure can reach each other and seal together over the fruit.
The bag 2 can have an internal volume that varies based on the configuration of the bag. The minimum volume can be zero when in the flattened closed state. The maximum volume can be selected based on the size of the box and/or the volume and configuration of fruit desired to be packed inside the bag. The bag can have a maximum volume that is greater than the volume of the fruit to allow excess material such that the box can conform the shape of the box and seal above the fruit without being unduly stretched or strained. In some examples, the bag can have a volume of at least 5.6 quarts.
The bag 2 comprises an upper closure 28 that includes a longitudinal strip extending across both of the outer panels 20, 22 between the upper sealed sides 10, 12, which allows the upper portions of the outer panels to be selectively sealed together and unsealed, in order to manually open and close the bag around the fruit. The upper closure 28 can comprise, for example, a zipper, slider, ziplock®-type structure, tongue-and-groove type structure, or similar structure. In other embodiments, the upper closure 28 can be permanently sealable, such as using a pressure-sensitive adhesive or the like. An exemplary slider 29 is shown in
As shown in
Prior to placing the smaller fruit containers 80 in the box 30, the bag 2 is placed in the box in the open configuration shown in
In some embodiments, the bag 2 can include permanent creases along the folds 8 and 18, while in other embodiments the folds 8 and 18 can simply comprise elastically bent regions that are not visible when the folds are unfolded. For example, when the bag 2 is opened up and placed into the box 30, as shown in
A similar quality can also be true for the lower folds 8 of the bag. When the bag 2 is opened, the lower folds 8 flatten out, or unfold, along their middle portions 8A, which can be positioned near the junctures of the bottom panel 32 with the side panels 38 and 40 of the box 30. These middle portions 8A are shown with solid lines in
As the bag 2 is opened from the flattened configuration of
As shown in
When the bag 2 is in the fully open position of
In the fully open configuration of
In the configuration of
Once the fruit is placed inside the bag 2 in the box 30, the upper edges 6 of the bag can be lifted up over the fruit and the upper closure 28 can be used to join the panels 20 and 22 together to fully enclose the fruit inside the bag 2, as shown in
For purposes of this description, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the embodiments of this disclosure are described herein. The disclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems should not be construed as limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed toward all novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and sub-combinations with one another. The methods, apparatuses, and systems are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.
Any of the features or characteristics described herein in relation to any one or more of the described embodiments can also be used with or included in any of the other described embodiments where possible, even if such features or technologies are not specifically mentioned in direct connection to a specific embodiment.
Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, materials, or other descriptors provided in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.
Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed methods can be used in conjunction with other methods.
As used herein, the terms “a”, “an”, and “at least one” encompass one or more of the specified element. That is, if two of a particular element are present, one of these elements is also present and thus “an” element is present. The terms “a plurality of” and “plural” mean two or more of the specified element. As used herein, the term “and/or” used between the last two of a list of elements means any one or more of the listed elements. For example, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means “A”, “B,”, “C”, “A and B”, “A and C”, “B and C”, or “A, B, and C.” As used herein, the term “coupled” generally means physically coupled or linked and does not exclude the presence of intermediate elements between the coupled items absent specific contrary language.
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed technology may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only examples and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Rather, the scope of the disclosure is at least as broad as the following claims. We therefore claim all that comes within the scope of these claims.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/628,063, filed Feb. 20, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14628063 | Feb 2015 | US |
Child | 15623921 | US |