Special receptacle or package – Including ancillary article contacting medium – Gas medium
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-22
2004-02-03
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Including ancillary article contacting medium
Gas medium
C206S597000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685012
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating a sealed enclosure around perishable or atmosphere-sensitive products for transport or storage. More particularly, the invention relates to a storage method and system for enclosing goods being transported, on a pallet, for example, providing a desired environment or atmosphere within the enclosure, and optionally monitoring and controlling the environment or atmosphere within the enclosure during transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Perishable or environmentally sensitive goods risk damage from numerous sources such as wind, dirt, heat, insects, etc. during transportation. Various forms of packaging have been used to minimize damage or decay of such goods. For example, goods are often secured to a pallet to facilitate the transport of such goods and to protect the goods from damage caused by shifting during transport. In order to further protect and preserve the goods during transport, it is well known to cover the goods so as to form an enclosure around the goods. Known techniques to create an enclosure include heat shrinking plastic around the goods which has been placed on a pallet or placing a plastic bag around the goods on a pallet. By forming such an enclosure, referred to as a “sealed enclosure” herein, the goods can be protected from environmental factors such as moisture or other contaminants. The more airtight the sealed enclosure, the better the sealed enclosure protects the goods from external contaminants.
FIG. 1
shows a well-known apparatus
50
for storing goods during transport. The apparatus
50
includes a base cap
10
positioned over a pallet
30
. After the base cap
10
is positioned on the pallet
30
, the base cap
10
is usually held in place by the goods
40
that are stacked on top of the base cap
10
. The base cap
10
further includes side flaps or walls
12
which extend upwardly from the peripheral edges of the base cap
10
, for surrounding and holding the goods
40
within their boundaries. Typically, the goods
40
are then further secured to the base cap
10
and the pallet
30
with staples or some type of tape that wraps around the goods
40
and the base cap
10
.
The base cap
10
forms a barrier between the goods
40
and the pallet
30
and is typically made from some type of plastic, relatively impermeable material shaped to fit over the pallet
30
. The base cap
10
seals and protects the bottom surface of the goods
40
from contamination and also provides a surface to which the goods
40
can be secured. The base cap
10
can be any shape or material, but is preferably sized to cover the pallet
30
and preferably made of a relatively water and gas impermeable material to form a seal barrier at the underside of the goods
40
. Goods
40
are stacked on the base cap
10
which is placed on top of the pallet
30
. The goods
40
can be a variety of types or sizes and preferably are in boxes or containers. While three layers of boxed goods
40
are shown, there can be more or less layers. The combination of stacked goods
40
on the base cap
10
and the pallet
30
, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, is referred to herein as the loaded pallet
50
.
FIG. 2
illustrates a well-known method of creating a sealed enclosure around the loaded pallet
50
of
FIG. 1. A
bag-like covering
90
is placed around the goods
40
and secured to the base cap
10
of the loaded pallet
50
, thereby forming a sealed enclosure around the goods
40
. Preferably, the bag covering
90
is adhered to the base cap
10
and the pallet
30
with tape, or other well-known technique, to create an airtight seal.
Prior art enclosure systems, such as those discussed above, suffer from many disadvantages. Using a bag covering
90
to form the enclosure, as shown in
FIG. 2
, is disadvantageous in that it is difficult to seal the bottom end of the cover
90
with the base cap
10
. The bag covering
90
is often larger than the base cap
10
, so sealing the bag covering
90
to the base cap
10
requires folding and creasing of the bag covering
90
. The folding and creasing of the bag covering
90
to fit the base cap
10
prevents a smooth contact between the inside surface of the bag covering
90
and outside edges of the base cap
10
. Furthermore, the folds and creases form possible gaps or channels for gases to bypass the seal, thus, preventing an airtight enclosure.
Likewise, when wrapping plastic around palletized goods, it is difficult to completely seal the enclosure, especially at the top and bottom sides. The wrapping must curve around the corners and edges of goods
40
, leading to potential gaps or creases in the wrapping. As previously discussed, the gaps and creases are undesirable in that they provide possible channels for air to escape or enter the sealed enclosure.
After the goods
40
have been loaded onto the pallet
30
and sealed by some method, such as by covering
90
and base cap
10
as described above, the goods
40
can be further protected and preserved by providing a modified atmosphere inside the enclosure surrounding the goods
40
. For example, it is well known to inject gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide within the enclosure in order to deter deterioration of the goods, for example, by the growth of organisms that may contribute to the natural deterioration of produce. Other mixtures of gases can help maintain the goods
40
if held at an appropriate temperature and humidity.
Good sealed enclosures are especially important in these modified air systems. If the sealed enclosure leaks, the beneficial gases may escape. Furthermore, a change in the composition of gases in the enclosure may damage the goods. For example, an excessive amount of CO
2
in the enclosure may cause food to discolor and to change taste.
The predominant present technique for introducing the modified atmosphere into the sealed enclosure is to inject the gas mixture through a needle-tipped hose. The needle-tipped hose is inserted through the covering of a sealed enclosure (such as bag covering
90
in FIG.
2
). The needle-tipped hose is then taped to the covering and a desired gas mixture is injected through the hose into the sealed enclosure. The process ends by removal of the needle-tipped hose from the enclosure and re-sealing of the resulting hole in the covering with tape or other adhesive.
This present system for introducing the modified atmosphere into the sealed enclosure is disadvantageous. The steps of manually piercing the enclosure to insert the needle hose and resealing the resulting hole are labor extensive, adding cost and delays to the shipping process. The process of piercing and resealing the enclosure is also undesirable in that it may create a potential leak in the enclosure. The tape or adhesive may not seal properly, creating leaks in the sealed enclosure.
Another disadvantage of the present enclosed pallet transport systems is that they do not allow the user to monitor and adjust the atmosphere within the sealed enclosure during storage or transport. A typical result of this shortcoming is that the atmosphere deteriorates during storage or transport. For example, respiration of produce will accelerate the ripening and aging of produce during transport and will change the quality of the gases in the enclosure. As a result, the goods may deteriorate during transport, especially if delayed by unforeseen circumstances.
Furthermore, the transporter cannot adjust the atmosphere to accommodate a good with varying needs. For example, the ripening of fruits is generally undesirable during transport and storage but may be desirable as the fruits near their final markets. It is well known that certain combinations of gases prevent the ripening of fruits while others encourage the fruits to ripen. Thus it is desirable to have the enclosure containing the former gas mixture during most of transport, but changing to the latter gas mixture as the fruits near their final markets.
It is also known to be beneficial to provide a controlled environment around t
Bowden Lisa A.
Nagamine James S.
Baker & McKenzie
Bui Luan K.
The Bowden Group
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