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AssigneeSambrailo Packaging, Inc.
InventorsAnthony Cadiente, William K. Sambrailo, Mark Sambrailo
Estimating the term…
Method for improved packing and cooling of produce. According to the present invention, baskets for the packing of fruit are provided with ventilation channels disposed upon a lower surface of the basket. Vent apertures communicate between the ventilation channels and the produce stored in the baskets. Upper vents are formed on four sides of an upper portion of the baskets. After packing the baskets with produce, they are loaded into trays. The trays may be provided with tray vents that align with the ventilation channels. Alternatively, the trays may be formed without tray vents to improve some cooling regimes. In this manner, entire pallets of produce-filled baskets, oriented in either the “X” or “Y” directions can be efficiently chilled by introducing a flow of cooling air into the baskets and thence through the produce packed inside, regardless of the orientation of the trays. The trays and baskets are sized so as to occupy all of the surface area of a standard shipping pallet, and to minimize the movement of the baskets within the trays, and of the trays with respect to one another.
A produce packaging system comprising in operative combination:
A basket for use in a produce packaging system including a tray for receiving therein the basket, the tray defining at least one first cutaway portion defined by and disposed upon an upper portion of said tray and at least one second cutaway portion defined by and disposed upon said upper portion of said tray, said first cutaway portion being disposed substantially perpendicular to said second cutaway portion, said basket comprising in operative combination:
A tray for use in a produce packaging system including a basket, the tray for receiving therein said basket, said basket including a basket body and a lid, a latch for reversibly securing said lid to said basket body, a first horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of said basket and a second horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of said basket, said second horizontal ventilation slot being disposed substantially perpendicular to said first horizontal ventilation slot, the tray comprising in operative combination:
A produce packaging system comprising in operative combination:
A basket for use in a produce packaging system including a tray for receiving therein said basket, said tray defining paired lower tray vents disposed upon a lower portion of said tray, first cutaway portions defined by and disposed upon an upper portion of said tray, and second cutaway portions defined by and disposed upon an upper portion of said tray, said basket comprising, in operative combination:
A tray for use in a produce packaging system including a basket, the tray for receiving therein said basket, said basket including a basket body and a lid, a latch for reversibly securing said lid to said basket body, a ventilation channel formed in a lower surface of said basket body, a first horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of said basket and a second horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of said basket, said second horizontal ventilation slot being disposed substantially perpendicular to said first horizontal ventilation slot, the tray comprising in operative combination:
A produce packaging system comprising in operative combination:
A basket for use in a produce packaging system including a tray for receiving therein the basket, the tray defining paired lower tray vents disposed upon a lower portion of the tray, first cutaway portions defined by and disposed upon an upper portion of the tray and second cutaway portions defined by and disposed upon an upper portion of the tray, the basket comprising in operative combination:
A tray for use in a produce packaging system including a basket receivable into said tray, the basket including a basket body and a lid, a latch for reversibly securing the lid to the basket body, a ventilation channel formed in a lower surface of the basket body, a first horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of the basket, a second horizontal ventilation slot formed in an upper portion of the basket, the second horizontal ventilation slot being disposed substantially perpendicular to the first horizontal ventilation slot and a lower vent further disposed on the lower surface of the basket body in communication with the ventilation channel, the tray comprising, in operative combination:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.