COMPARTMENTALIZED PALLET PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR PERISHABLE PRODUCTS

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/437,852, filed on Jan. 31, 2011. The aforementioned United States Patent Application is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of shipping and packaging of perishable goods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the industry of fresh fruits and vegetables there is a balance that must be maintained between providing effective shipping practices and maintaining the quality of the produce. Besides the invention of plastic and refrigeration, there has been very little innovation in shipping practices for perishable goods in the past 100 years. However, there have been many products which have aided in maintaining the quality of produce with preservation practices. Unfortunately, many of the products and practices that enable fresh fruits and vegetables to have an extended shelf life as well as higher quality are often a hindrance to the logistical timeline of bringing fresh product from the farms to the consumer. These products address one major problem, which is ethylene production by the produce, which in turn, causes ripening. This is an exponential process, in that once one piece of fruit begins to ripen and produce ethylene it will cause all of the fruits or vegetables around it to begin the same process, since ethylene itself causes the production of more ethylene. This is why produce is often separated from other produce, because there are some types of fruits and vegetables that produce more ethylene. This is also why damaged fruit is removed in the packaging process, as damaged fruit immediately begins producing ethylene and will trigger the produce around it to prematurely begin producing ethylene.

Given the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention is directed to a product and process that addresses the problem of ethylene production by individual pieces of produce while maintaining a logistical timeline of product packaging and shipment to the end consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The compartmentalizing of the pallet begins with the placement of a single sheet of film on the shipping pallet which creates a bottom seal for the entire structure. As boxes of produce are placed onto the pallet, an appropriately sized sheet of film is placed on top each box or level so that there is a sheet of film between each level of boxes on the pallet. Each level of boxes becomes an individual compartment which is separated from the other boxes or compartments by the film placed between each layer. Once the packing of produce in boxes is complete, a pallet cover is then placed over top of the entire structure which includes the pallet and each layer of boxes placed atop the pallet. Once the pallet cover film is placed over the boxes, the cover and layers of film will be in close contact. This snug fit between the layers of film and pallet cover creates the compartmentalizing. The pallet cover is then pulled taut around the pallet in order to hold the pallet cover firmly in place.

The end result is a pallet of perishables that is divided, where each subsequent layer of boxes is contained in its own separate atmosphere, therefore eliminating any cross contamination of harmful gasses or pathogens.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a pallet loaded with perishable goods and equipped with the pallet cover film as well as the location of the film layers between boxes.

FIG. 2 is an isometric vie of FIG. 1 that has also been put into an exploded view.

FIG. 2A is a detailed isometric view of one layer of boxes containing perishable goods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a pallet containing perishable goods, whereas the goods present, for example, are an assortment of various fruits and vegetables contained in cardboard boxes. During storage and transport these perishable products release airborne pathogens, bacteria, molds and fungus. For example, products such as fruits and vegetables release a natural ripening gas, ethylene. Therefore, the compartmentalizing of the pallet must be established in order to isolate layers from contaminating other layers of the pallet with either a higher respiring perishable or contaminated product.

The loading pallet 2 may suitably be a standard pallet, which can be handled by a fork-left truck. The compartmentalizing factor is comprised of two parts: the layers of film 4 in between each layer of the boxes 1; and the pallet cover 3. There is also a layer of film 5 between the first layer of boxes and the standard pallet 2.

FIG. 2A shows an isometric drawing of an example of a box configuration 6 that sits well on the standard pallet.