Pass-through system for treatment and/or cooling of perishable products and methods of use thereof
AssigneeRLMB Group, LLC
InventorsRandall Craig BOWDEN, Robert W. HERDEMAN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pass-through system and method for treating and/or pre-cooling perishable products uses a conveyor system with a treatment chamber that is configured to be contained (or closed) to provide a sealed environment and enhanced with forced air flow to recirculate air and/or functional substances including, e.g., sanitizers, as well as ripening management and conditioning agents, across the surface of perishable products. The enhanced forced air is an integral part of the system for efficient treatment and can also be cooled to accomplish rapid cooling.
Claims68
A mobile, modular pass-through system for treating and/or cooling a perishable product to its intended condition, the system comprising:
- (a) at least one plenum;
- (b) at least one axial fan attached to the at least one plenum, the at least one axial fan configured to recirculate forced air through one or more pallets of perishable product and across perishable products contained on the one or more pallets of perishable product;
- (c) one or more sealing mechanisms configured to contain and channel the forced air being recirculated between the at least one plenum and through the one or more pallets of perishable product and across the perishable products contained on the one or more pallets of perishable product;
- (d) at least one treatment delivery mechanism;
- (e) one or more conveyors configured to move the one or more pallets of perishable product through the pass-through system;
- and
- (f) a treatment chamber configured to provide a sealed environment for treating and/or cooling the perishable product.
A method for treating and/or cooling a perishable product to its intended condition using a mobile, modular pass-through system, the method comprising:
- providing a pass-through system that includes (a) at least one plenum, (b) at least one axial fan attached to the at least one plenum, the at least one axial fan configured to recirculate forced air through one or more pallets of perishable product and across perishable products contained on the one or more pallets of perishable product, (c) at least one treatment delivery mechanism, (d) one or more conveyors configured to move the one or more pallets of perishable product through the pass-through system, and (e) a treatment chamber configured provide a sealed environment for treating and/or cooling the perishable product;
- moving the one or more pallets of perishable product through the pass-through system and into the treatment chamber using the one or more conveyors;
- and
- treating or cooling the perishable product in the treatment chamber.
A system to treat perishable products comprising integrated apparatuses and methods to achieve and maintain post-harvest objectives of safety, freshness, condition, and low surface microbial spoilage activity efficiently and effectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.