The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cooling produce contained in shipping/cooling trays carried on shipping pallets, more specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cooling produce contained in shipping/cooling trays that are arranged on a pallet in a five-down configuration.
Many fresh produce products are harvested and packaged in the field. These produce products include, but are not limited to, berries, such as strawberries, grapes, mushrooms, radishes, tomatoes, including cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, lightweight tree fruit, and other fruits and vegetables. Many of these produce items require substantial post-harvest cooling in order to enable shipping over long distances and to prolong their shelf life.
In an attempt to provide some cooling to the packaged produce, the harvested fresh produce is typically packed into small, ventilated plastic containers that are ultimately purchased by the end consumer. These ventilated containers are commonly referred to as “clamshells”. Eight of these small, ventilated containers are placed into larger shipping trays that, in turn, are stacked on pallets for shipping. The conventional shipping trays can each include a bottom wall, a pair of opposed sidewalls, and a pair of opposed endwalls. The endwalls of these shipping trays commonly have a recessed portion along their length that permits the cooling air to pass into the ventilated containers. These conventional shipping trays have a length of twenty inches and a width of sixteen inches.
The conventional shipping trays are loaded onto the pallet in a “six-down” configuration. In the six-down configuration, a layer of the shipping trays is formed on the pallet by positioning six of the shipping trays so that their longitudinal axes extend in parallel directions and their recessed endwalls extend in parallel planes (See
After the stacked shipping trays are loaded onto their respective pallet, the loaded pallet is moved to a forced air cooling chamber to cool and/or store the fresh produce. In the air cooling chamber, the pallets are arranged in rows against a wall that includes a vacuum fan. The rows are spaced apart and a canvas sheet is draped over the rows and the opposing end of the chamber to create an airflow channel. When the fan is turned on, it draws ambient cold air from the room through the vent openings in the trays carrying the produce. Typically, the room temperature is maintained at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the target temperature for the produce is about 36.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the cooling process, the ambient cooling air arrives within each shipping tray by entering through one of its respective recessed endwalls. The cooling air then enters the individual containers carried by the tray in an attempt to cool the produce stored therein. As the air cools the produce, it picks up heat from the produce. The warmed air is eventually exhausted from the shipping tray through the opposite recessed endwall. After cooling the fresh produce in the shipping containers, the shipping containers are transported to grocery stores and fresh produce markets, where the fresh produce is sold to consumers.
The orientation and arrangement of the conventional six-down shipping tray configurations does not permit multi-directional cooling of the stored produce. As a result, the arrangement of pallets is limited. Additionally, the amount of cooling air entering the shipping trays may also be limited, thereby effecting the survival of the produce.
An aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus that permits produce trays to be arranged in a “five-down” configuration on a pallet so that the produce is effectively and efficiently cooled during storage and transportation to the location where the produce will be sold to consumers. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of cooling produce by arranging ventilated trays on a pallet in a five-down configuration.
The ventilated trays according to the present invention have openings that correspond to the openings and gaps in the contained clamshells to channel cooling air into the clamshells and over the contained produce. The cooling airflow over the produce according to the present invention is such that the cooling rate achieved by using the ventilated tray is substantially equal to that of the trays arranged in the six-down configuration. The present invention creates direct airflow channels that cause an optimal amount of the forced air to enter and flow over the produce within the produce carrying containers and not around the produce carrying containers as can occur with the six-down configuration. As a result, more air enters the produce carrying containers, more passes over the produce and more produce is effectively cooled.
An aspect of the present invention relates to a shipping tray for receiving produce carrying containers. The shipping tray comprises a bottom and a plurality of walls extending from the bottom. Each wall extends at an angle to an adjacent one of the walls. Each wall also includes a plurality of ventilation openings sized and configured to cooperate with openings in the produce carrying container so as to allow cooling fluid to pass through the walls and into the containers when the containers are positioned within the shipping tray.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a tray for being arranged in a five down configuration on a pallet. The tray comprises first and second walls extending at angles to each other. The first wall includes a plurality of ventilation openings for aligning with fluid passages in produce carrying containers that are positionable within the tray. The second wall includes a plurality of ventilation openings for aligning with the fluid passages in the produce carrying containers so that fluid can pass through both walls of the tray and the produce carrying containers when said tray is positioned on the pallet.
A further aspect of the present invention also includes a method of cooling produce. The method comprises the steps of positioning a plurality of produce carrying trays on a pallet in a five-down configuration and placing the trays into a cooling chamber. Each of the produce carrying trays includes a first wall with ventilation openings that extends at an angle to a second wall that also includes ventilation openings. The method also includes the step of introducing a cooling fluid into a plurality of the produce carrying trays arranged in the five-down configuration through the ventilation openings in their respective first walls and into the remaining produce carrying trays arranged in the five-down configuration through ventilation openings in their respective second walls.
As shown in
As shown in
In another preferred embodiment of the container 100 that can be used for carrying produce such as grapes, the container 100 has a height of between about 4.0 inches and 4.50 inches, preferably about 4.22 inches. The container 100 also has a length of between about 6.50 and 7.0 inches, preferably about 6.72 inches, and a width of between about 4.50 and 5.0 inches, preferably about 4.86 inches.
The interior, produce carrying region is open to the exterior via multiple fluid passages. These fluid passages include a horizontal ventilation gap 106 formed between the hinged cover 104 and the sidewalls 101, endwalls 102 of the container 100. The gap 106 extends around at least three or more sides of the container 100 and has a vertical height of between about 0.05 and 0.30 inch. In a preferred embodiment, the height of the gap 106 is about 0.19 inch. The fluid passages also include ventilation openings 107 formed in the bottom surface 103. In a preferred embodiment, the container 100 includes twelve ventilated openings 107 positioned proximate support pillars 108. These support pillars 108 allow forced airflow and vacuum turbulence of the airflow through the bottom surface 103 and upward through the produce carried by the container 100. In a preferred embodiment, the pillars 108 include small projections or buttons on the bottom surface 103 of the container 100 that support the container above a surface, such as the inner bottom surface of the tray 10 and create a fluid channel 109 along the bottom of the container 100 so that cooling fluid can travel below the bottom surface 103 of the container 100 and enter the container 100 through the openings 107. The cooling air can experience either or both laminar and turbulent flow within the containers 100. In one embodiment, the cooling air experiences turbulent flow around the contained produce within the containers 100. These containers 100 are available from Intec Alliance under the name GENESYS. As discussed below, eight containers 100 are typically placed within each ventilated tray 10.
Certain embodiments of the container 100 may not include a ventilation gap 106. One such embodiment is discussed above for carrying grapes. In this embodiment, the endwalls 101 and sidewalls 102 will include vertically oriented ventilation slots. These slots operate in a similar manner to the ventilation gap 106. Specifically, they contribute to the efficient introduction of cooling air into the container 100 and the efficient removal of warmed air from the container 100.
As illustrated in
Referring to the embodiment illustrated in
The endwalls 22 of the ventilated tray 10 each include an array of openings 30. The array includes two horizontal rows of openings 30 and two vertical columns 30. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in
The sidewalls 24 each include a plurality of ventilation openings 36 that are arranged in an array having two horizontal rows and four vertical columns. The two outermost vertical columns include an upper large opening 36 having a length G of between about 2.5 and 3.0 inches, preferably about 2.75 inches, and a lower, smaller opening 38 having a length of between about 1.0 inch and 1.5 inches, preferably about 1.375 inches. A distance H of between about 1.0 and 1.5 inches, preferably about 1.25 inches vertically separates these openings 36, 38. The middle two columns include openings 36 that have a length I of between about 2.5 inches and 3.0 inches, preferably about 2.75 inches and that are spaced by the distance H. A distance J of between about 2.75 inches and 3.25 inches, preferably about 3.0 inches, horizontally separates the openings 36 of the inner two columns from the openings 36 of the outer two columns. A distance K of about 1.5 inches and 2.0 inches, preferably about 1.75 inches, horizontally separates the openings of the two middle columns. The openings 36, 38 have a height of between about 0.25 inch and 0.75 inch, preferably about 0.5 inch, and are separated from the upper edge 29 of the sidewall 24 by a distance of between about 0.4 inch and 0.8 inch, preferably about 0.625 inch. The length L of each sidewall 24 is between about 22.0 and 24.0 inches, preferably about 23.0 inches, whereas the distance M between the two endwalls 22 is between about 23.0 inches and 24.0 inches, preferably about 23.375 inches when the ventilated tray is assembled. The sidewalls 24 each have two layers, the first, outer layer has a vertical height of between about 2.5 inches and 3.25 inches, preferably about 2.875 inches. The second, inner layer, which is folded over the outer layer, has a height of between about 2.5 and 3.0 inches, preferably about 2.75 inches. Each sidewall 24 also includes protruding members 37 that extend through respective openings 39 in the bottom 25 of a tray 10 that is stacked on top of it. These protruding members 37 and openings 39 stabilized the stacks of trays 10. In one embodiment, the blank, before folding, has a length of about 29.125 inches and a width of about 29.5625 inches.
As mentioned above,
The endwalls 22 of the ventilated tray 110 include a first, handle section 132 and a second, ventilation section 134 in which the ventilation openings 130 are formed. The handle sections 132 have a height of between about 7.5 and 8.0 inches, preferably about 7.65625 inches. The ventilation sections of the endwalls 22 have a height of between about 4.25 and 4.75 inches, preferably about 4.5 inches and each include a pair of the openings 130. The openings 130 have the general shape of an elongated, vertically oriented oval. Each opening 130 has a height N of between about 2.0 and 2.5 inches, preferably about 2.25 inches and a width 0 of between about 0.25 inch and 0.75 inch, preferably about 0.5 inch. The center of each opening 130 is horizontally spaced from the center of an adjacent opening by a distance P of between about 7.5 and 8.0 inches, preferably about 7.8125 inches.
The sidewalls 24 of the ventilated tray 110 each include a plurality of ventilation openings 136 spaced along its length. The openings 136 have a vertical length S of between about 2.0 and 2.5 inches, preferably about 2.25 inches and a horizontal width of between about 0.25 and 0.75 inch, preferably about 0.5 inch. The center three openings 136 are spaced from each other by a distance T of about four inches. The outer openings 136 are spaced from adjacent center openings 136 by a distance U of between about 3.5 and 4.0 inches, preferably about 3.8125 inches. The sidewalls 24 are between about 4.1 and 4.6 inches tall, preferably about 4.375 inches tall. The interior of the tray 110 is between about 23.25 and 25.5 inches long V, preferably about 23.375 inch long, and between about 15.25 and 15.75 inches wide W, preferably about 15.5625 inches wide. In one embodiment, the blank from which the tray 110 is formed is about 35.5 inches wide and about 47.8 inches long. Each sidewall 24 also includes protruding members 137 that extend through respective openings 139 in the bottom 25 of the tray 110 that is stacked on top of it. These protruding members 137 and openings 139 stabilized the stacks of layered ventilation trays 110 on the pallet 5.
The discussions set forth below are applicable to all of the above-discussed embodiments of the shipping trays. However, for clarity of the explanation, the discussion will be limited to one embodiment—shipping tray 10. In a preferred embodiment, each ventilated tray 10 can carry up to eight of the one-pound produce carrying plastic containers 100, illustrated in
Five of the ventilated shipping trays 10 are then placed on an upper surface of the pallet 5 in a five down configuration as shown in
As shown in
After the ventilated trays 10 have been placed on their respective pallets 5, the pallets 5 are transferred to the cooling chamber 200 shown in
Numerous characteristics, advantages and embodiments of the invention have been described in detail in the foregoing description with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is illustrative only and the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
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