Methods for preserving pallet units of fresh perishables in modified atmosphere containing bags
AssigneeChiquita Brands, Inc.
InventorsRichard F. J. Macleod, Frederick Forgnone, Jason Wells
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for enclosing a palletized container of fresh containers of perishables inside a modified atmosphere-containing plastic bag/enclosure stretched over the containers and over upwardly-folded and sealed margins of a plastic sheet placed between the pallet and the containers to seal the containers of perishables inside the bag/enclosure and to facilitate forming and maintaining a modified atmosphere inside the bag/enclosure.
Claims13
A method of bagging/enclosing a plurality of pallet-borne pluralities of containers containing perishables in a process for sealing an open plastic bag/enclosure to a plastic sheet on a pallet base to provide a gastight container for said perishables, comprising:
- Automatically positioning each of said plurality of pallet-borne pluralities of containers, one at a time, with a plastic sheet atop said pallet and with the margins of said plastic sheet extending beyond the edges of said pallet, below an automatic bag/enclosure delivery system;
- Automatically folding and sealing the plastic sheet margins upwardly against the sides of the containers above the pallet;
- Automatically stretching said bag/enclosure over the top and sides of said pallet-borne plurality of containers to position the mouth of the bag/enclosure over the upwardly folded, sealed margins of the plastic sheet;
- Automatically piercing said bag/enclosure and delivering inside said bag/enclosure a modified gaseous atmosphere suitable for preservation of said perishables;
- and sealing the overlapping margin of the plastic sheet to the opening of the bag/enclosure.
A method for gastight sealing of a plastic bag/enclosure about a load of containers of perishables carries on pallets, comprising the steps of:
- Automatically conveying said pallets, with loads on said pallets, one at a time, to a first location;
- Automatically depositing, at said first location, a plastic sheet between said pallet and said load with said plastic sheet having margins extending beyond the edges of said pallet, and automatically folding and sealing the margins of said sheet upwardly against the load;
- Automatically conveying said loaded pallet to a second location;
- and
- Automatically enclosing said loaded pallet in a plastic bag/enclosure stretched over said load with the opening of said bag overlapping the upwardly folded, sealed margins of said plastic sheet;
- and
- sealing said bag/enclosure to said margins of said plastic sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.