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US 2020/0079553 A1Published application
Fruit processing, packaging and retail display system
OwnerJose Medinainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fresh fruit-stick product has a semi-rigid tube having an inside diameter, an inside length, one closed end and an open end, a cylindrical plug of fruit having an outside diameter somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the of the semi-rigid tube, and a length somewhat less than the inside length of the semi-rigid tube, the cylindrical plug or fruit fully inserted in the semi-rigid tube, natural fruit juice in the tube with the plug of fruit, and a sealing cap over the open end.
Claims18
A fresh fruit stick product, comprising:
- a semi-rigid tube having an inside diameter, an inside length, one closed end and an open end;
- a cylindrical plug of fruit having an outside diameter somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the of the semi-rigid tube, and a length somewhat less than the inside length of the semi-rigid tube, the cylindrical plug or fruit fully inserted in the semi-rigid tube;
- natural fruit juice in the tube with the plug of fruit;
- and
- a sealing cap over the open end.
2 more elements
A point-of-sale dispenser comprising:
- an upper volume having parallel sidewalls spaced apart by a first dimension and a partial floor inclined at a shallow angle from a front wall to a back wall;
- an opening between a back edge of the partial floor and the back wall of a specific width;
- a planar ramp below the partial floor, inclined at a downward angle from the back wall to a stop near and below the front wall of the dispenser;
- a quantity of fresh fruit products in semi-rigid tubes, the tubes having an outside diameter smaller than the specific width of the opening, and a length less than the width of the upper volume from sidewall to sidewall, loaded into the upper volume with the length of the tubes across the volume from sidewall to sidewall;
- wherein individual tubes from the quantity in the upper volume pass through the opening onto the planar ramp, forming a column of tubes down the ramp to the stop, and as one tube is removed at the front of the column, the column of tubes rolls forward, presenting a new tube at the stop, and an additional tube passes through the opening onto the planar ramp.
2 more elements
A method for producing fresh fruit products, comprising:
- cutting a fresh fruit, producing a slab having an upper and a lower parallel surface of fruit with rind only at an outer periphery, the slab having a height of a first dimension;
- coring the fresh fruit vertically into a plurality of round plugs having a length equal to or greater than the first dimension, by a downward stoke of a plunger, the plunger having coring tools in a first pattern;
- inserting the round plugs simultaneously, in the downward stroke of the plunger, into a plurality of semi-rigid tubes held vertically in a second pattern the same as the first pattern;
- capping the semi-rigid tubes, sealing the fruit within;
- and
- washing and drying the semi-rigid tubes.
3 more elements
A method for dispensing fruit sticks in semi-rigid tubes at a point-of-sale, comprising:
- loading a plurality of fruit sticks having fruit plugs and fruit juice in capped, semi-rigid tubes, the tubes each having a common length and a common outer diameter, into an upper volume of a dispenser apparatus, with the fruit sticks arranged length wise between parallel sidewalls spaced apart by a first dimension and supported by a partial floor inclined at a shallow angle from a front wall to a back wall;
- enabling individual ones of the fruit sticks to pass through an opening of a width just greater than the outer diameter of the semi-rigid tubes, the opening at the back wall of the upper volume, onto a planar ramp inclined at a downward angle from the back wall to a stop near and below the front wall of the dispenser, the fruit sticks on the planar ramp forming a column of fruit sticks from the back wall to the stop at the front wall;
- wherein taking one fruit stick from the front of the dispenser at the stop, causes each of the fruit sticks in the column to roll forward to fill empty spaces, and one more fruit stick to pass through the opening to the back of the column on the planar ramp, the rolling action serving to mix fruit juice in the semi-rigid tubes with the fruit in the semi-rigid tubes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.