CN214357400U

CN214357400U - Storage assembly for storing perishable material

Info

Publication number: CN214357400U
Application number: CN202021914366.7U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑贤明
Original assignee: Singapore Warehousing Co ltd
Current assignee: Singapore Warehousing Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-04
Filing date: 2020-09-04
Publication date: 2021-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2030-09-04
Also published as: SG10201908163SA; WO2021045691A1

Abstract

A storage assembly for storing perishable material is disclosed. The storage assembly includes: a base adapted to store perishable material thereon, the base adapted to be lifted by a pallet lift. The storage assembly further comprises: a cover shell, the cover shell comprising: a top and sidewalls shaped together to fit over the base and to enclose the perishable material on the base; and a sealing member. The sealing member is adapted to seal against the base to substantially inhibit air from entering the storage assembly. The storage assembly further comprises: a purification assembly disposed on one or both of the base and the lid shell and connectable to a modified atmosphere source and for delivering modified atmosphere from the modified atmosphere source into the storage assembly.

Description

Storage assembly for storing perishable material

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to storage assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to a storage assembly for storing perishable materials and a method of using such an assembly.

Background

Currently, perishable materials are stored in boxes or drums or are packaged in plastic by placing the perishable material on a tray. Such perishable material, which may be grains, rice or the like, is typically stored in flexible bags.

The box or tub is an open-topped rigid container into which a bag of perishable material is placed. Lifting the bag from the bucket is time consuming and cumbersome and may result in back injuries. In addition, only the top layer of the bag is visible. Thus, it may be difficult to identify whether a pest has penetrated the package of the bag and damaged the material stored therein.

Generally speaking, warehousing involves storing large quantities of goods in vertical racks. When packaging perishable goods in plastic on pallets, the perishable goods have a tendency to collapse (i.e., move and slag) over time. Thus, heavy bags (up to 20 kg each, stored at a weight of 1 ton) can be dropped from a pallet of 15m high, 17m high or even higher. This constitutes a significant safety hazard for workers and equipment at the ground beside the pallet, as well as the pallet itself. In addition, even if a collapse is determined before the perishable goods fall off the shelf, the perishable goods are poorly balanced on the pallet. This makes removal of the pallet by conventional means (e.g. forklift) very difficult and potentially dangerous).

The harmful substances can also penetrate the plastic package relatively easily, thereby facilitating the pick-and-place of goods. Holes in plastic packaging, such as those caused by pests, also provide a breach for the ingress of oxygen and moisture. Further degradation can occur due to penetration of Ultraviolet (UV) light and discoloration of the cargo. This may affect the market value of the goods in a short time. Therefore, storing goods in plastic packaging for extended periods of time reduces the value of these goods and quickly becomes economically unfeasible.

In addition, since plastic is disposable, a large amount of plastic waste is generated when goods are stored using plastic packages.

It would be desirable to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the above problems, or at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Disclosed herein is a storage assembly for storing perishable material, comprising:

a base adapted to store perishable material thereon, the base adapted to be lifted by a pallet lift;

a cover shell, the cover shell comprising:

a top and side walls shaped together to fit over the base and

surrounding a perishable material on the base; and

a sealing member adapted to seal against the base to substantially inhibit

Air enters the storage assembly; and

a purification assembly disposed on one or both of the base and the lid shell, the purification assembly being connectable to a modified atmosphere source and for delivering modified atmosphere from the modified atmosphere source into the storage assembly.

Advantageously, the present storage assembly is a recyclable, reusable, effective, and environmentally sustainable design when compared to prior art disposable packaging.

The seal formed between the cover shell and the base may be substantially airtight to ensure minimal to zero air leakage.

The cover shell may be substantially rigid and adapted to be lifted and mounted over the perishable material.

The rigid structure of the lid shell can achieve decontamination at higher pressures than flexible packaging storage systems. Thus, while injecting nitrogen, the atmosphere can be rapidly reduced to < 1% oxygen.

The cover case may be in the shape of a cube with a bottom surface removed so that the cover case may be installed over the perishable material. As used herein, "cube" refers to any substantially square shape, including rectangular prisms.

The base may be substantially flat. The base may include an upper surface on which the perishable material is disposed, the upper surface being flat. The cover shell may also seal the upper surface.

The cover shell may include a lower peripheral edge for abutting the base to seal the base. The sealing member may be disposed along the lower peripheral edge.

The base may include a peripheral sealing member, the sealing member of the cover shell contacting the peripheral sealing member to seal the cover shell against the base. The sealing member may comprise an elongate flexible seal and the peripheral sealing member may comprise a rigid rib which presses into the sealing member to seal the lid shell against the base.

The assembly may further include a locking mechanism for securing the cover shell to the base. The locking mechanism may be arranged to press the cover shell and the base together to apply pressure to the sealing member. The locking mechanism may include one or more locking devices on each of the four sides (i.e., sidewalls) of the cover shell or base. Each locking device may comprise an oval cross-section bar rotatably mounted on a first one of the cover housing and the base and extending parallel to the sealing member, and wherein a different one of the cover housing and the base comprises a protrusion over which the oval cross-section bar may be rotated to direct the long axis of the oval cross-section bar towards the protrusion to increase the pressure applied to the sealing member.

The purge assembly may include one or more valves located on the top of the lid housing or on a sidewall near the top. If multiple valves are provided, each valve may be accessed from one side of the assembly when each valve is stored in the tray storage system.

The base may include an upper portion configured to seal the lid housing and a lower portion configured to be a tray.

Also disclosed herein is a method of storing perishable material, comprising the steps of:

loading perishable material onto the base of the storage assembly as described above;

mounting a cover shell over the perishable material, thereby enclosing the perishable material;

sealing the cover shell to the base to prevent air ingress; and

the storage assembly is decontaminated by the decontamination assembly in a modified atmosphere.

The cover shell may be substantially rigid, and mounting the cover shell over the perishable material includes lifting the cover shell over the perishable material and onto the base.

Sealing the cover shell to the base may include compressing a sealing member between the sidewall and the base. Compressing the sealing member between the sidewall and the base may include actuating a locking mechanism to press the cover shell onto the base. Actuating the locking mechanism may include: a plurality of locking devices positioned along the sealing member are actuated onto the base when the cover shell is mounted over the perishable material.

Decontaminating the storage assembly may include connecting the decontamination assembly to a modified atmosphere source and delivering modified atmosphere from the source into the storage assembly.

Advantageously, using a storage assembly according to the present teachings can ensure airtight storage within the storage assembly and maintain an oxygen content of less than 1% of atmospheric for a period of at least 6 months, starting from the date the cover shell is sealed to the base.

As used herein, the term "substantially rigid" as used with respect to the cover shell means that the cover shell remains in a fixed shape during normal use. This may include lifting the cover shell onto and off of the base. The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the sealing member may have a certain flexibility without compromising the general, substantially rigid function of the cover shell.

The term "surrounding" as used with respect to a cover shell (i.e., the top and sidewalls thereof) that surrounds the perishable material means that the sidewalls of the cover shell form most or all of the sidewalls of the storage assembly. Thus, the lid housing and base (typically flat or planar) together enclose or surround the perishable material.

The phrase "substantially inhibits the ingress of air into the storage assembly" refers to the atmosphere within the storage assembly being altered as compared to the surrounding atmosphere (i.e., the atmosphere surrounding the storage assembly). It should be appreciated that over time, a small leak may cause the ambient atmosphere to dilute the atmosphere within the storage assembly.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a storage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a base of the storage assembly according to FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3a and 3b are side views of the base of FIG. 2, respectively, offset by 90;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the base of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a plurality of pedestals, each stacked on top of one another as shown in FIG. 2;

fig. 6 is a side view of two bases according to fig. 2 stacked on one another, fig. 6a being a partial close-up of the two bases;

FIG. 7 includes top and bottom views of the lid shell of the storage assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8, which includes FIGS. 8 a-8 d, illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a locking device (in FIGS. 8a, 8b, and 8c, respectively) in a disengaged state, in a partially engaged state, and in an engaged state, and an alternative embodiment of a locking device (in FIG. 8 d);

fig. 9 is a flow diagram of a method for storing perishable materials in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 10 shows: a top perspective view (a) of the storage assembly of FIG. 1; a close-up view of a close-up of a corner of the cover shell and base (b), the cover shell positioned almost over the base (c) and the cover shell positioned over the base; and (d) a schematic view of the cover shell being positioned on the floor.

Detailed Description

Disclosed herein are rigid storage assemblies that are reusable, facilitate access to goods stored therein, are not susceptible to collapse or may contain or limit such collapse (e.g., the cover shell may be substantially rigid enough that the goods collapse on the inner walls of the cover shell without distorting or deforming the cover shell), are capable of quickly purging the interior atmosphere, and prevent the ingress of ultraviolet light, noxious substances, and other contaminants. The storage assembly includes a lid housing and a base that are sealed together to contain perishable goods in a reliable and efficient manner.

Such a storage assembly 100 is shown in fig. 1. Because the storage assembly 100 has the ability to alter its internal atmosphere to preserve perishable goods (interchangeably referred to herein as perishable material (s)) for a longer period of time than is possible in the ambient atmosphere, the storage assembly 100 may be referred to as a Modified Atmosphere Package (MAP).

The storage assembly 100 generally includes a base 102 and a cover shell 104. The cover shell 104 includes a top 106 and a sidewall 108. The top 106 and the side walls 108 are shaped together to fit over the base 102 and to surround the perishable material on the base 102. The perishable material is stored on the base 102, and the base 102 is adapted to be lifted by a pallet lift (e.g., a forklift). The atmosphere is purged by a purge assembly disposed on the cover 104.

The purge assembly currently includes two holes 110 that penetrate the cover shell 104. A modified atmosphere source (not shown) may be connected to the apertures by a gas delivery system to facilitate decontamination (i.e., delivery of modified atmosphere from the modified atmosphere source into the storage assembly 100). Alternatively, the gas delivery system may form part of the purification assembly. The gas delivery system may include: a valved inflow conduit connected to one of the two bores 110; and a valved outflow conduit connected to the other of the two apertures 110, or any other arrangement as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the purge assembly includes a valve for one or more apertures in the lid housing or base.

Referring to fig. 2, the base 102, which may be referred to as a MAP box tray base, may have any size. Currently, the base has dimensions of 1.2 meters by 1 meter (or 1.035 meters), which is the standard pallet size for storage shelves. The base 102 is substantially flat or has a "flat" design. In this context, "substantially flat" means that they have no side walls as currently shown, or in other embodiments only very short side walls. This allows perishable material to be loaded laterally onto and unloaded from the tray base rather than vertically depending on the arrangement of the buckets or bins.

In addition, the base 102 forms a continuous surface (i.e., no penetrations/holes/apertures/openings) on which perishable goods are placed. This avoids loss of internal atmosphere through the base 102. In some embodiments, the base 102 may include an aperture similar to the aperture 110 to facilitate monitoring or modifying the internal atmosphere of the storage assembly 100. In this case, the seat 102 will not provide an absolutely continuous surface. In these embodiments, the apertures may be or may form part of the purging assembly.

The seat 102 includes a peripheral sealing member 114. A peripheral sealing member 114 extends around the periphery of the seat 102. In this context, "periphery of the base" should be understood to include the sealing member disposed at the very edge of the base 102, but also to include the sealing member disposed slightly inward of the edge of the base 102. The peripheral sealing member 114 functions to contact the sealing member 133 of the cover shell 104 to tightly seal the cover shell 104 to the base 102. Thus, "peripheral," "outer periphery," and the like will be understood to mean disposed sufficiently toward the edge of the base 102 to facilitate such contact.

The peripheral sealing member 114 may be rigid, e.g., made entirely of the same plastic material as the base 102, such as High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) or Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), or may contain a flexible seal. However, it is desirable that the peripheral sealing member be rigid to reduce the likelihood of damage during loading of perishable goods onto the base 102 and unloading of perishable goods from the base 102.

As shown in fig. 3, the base 102 includes an upper portion 116 and a lower portion 118. The upper portion 116 is configured to seal the lid shell 104 and the lower portion 118 is configured as a tray. Perishable goods are loaded onto the upper portion 116 and when the lid housing 104 is disposed on the base 102, the peripheral sealing member 114 contacts the sealing member 133 of the lid housing 104 to seal the storage assembly 100.

There may be no definite transition from the upper portion 116 to the lower portion 118. However, as noted above, these two parts will perform at least their respective functions.

In some embodiments, the base 102 may not include the lower portion 118. Rather, the base 102 may be configured to be placed on a pre-existing tray. For example, the base 102 may include downwardly extending ribs or protrusions to secure the position of the base 102 on a pre-existing tray. Such an arrangement will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure.

The base 102 is reinforced with steel bars to ensure rigidity during transport and storage. This rigidity reduces deformation of the storage assembly 100, thereby reducing air leakage. The skilled person will understand such a bar arrangement.

As shown in fig. 4, the underside 120 of the base 102 includes a convex surface. The raised surface includes a series of raised panels 122. These raised panels 122 are positioned to fit within the peripheral sealing member 114 of an adjacent seat 102 with a plurality of seats 102 stacked on top of one another. The stacking of the bases is shown in fig. 5, and fig. 6 and 6a illustrate the staggering or positioning of the raised panels 122 within the peripheral sealing member 114.

This prevents direct contact between the seat 102 and the top of the peripheral sealing member 114. Thus, the likelihood of damage to the peripheral sealing member 114 is reduced, which in turn reduces the likelihood of damage to the sealing member 133 of the cover shell 104. In addition, the base 102 includes notches 152-one notch 152 is provided at each corner of the base 102. The cover shell 104 includes a corresponding protrusion 154 for each recess 152. The projections 154 are shaped to be received in the corresponding recesses 152. This achieves two objectives: first, the receipt of the protrusion 154 in the recess 152 facilitates alignment of the cover shell 104 with the base 102 and over the base 102; second, when the cover shell 104 is positioned on the floor 156, the protrusion 154 lifts the sealing member 133 from the floor (see fig. 7), thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the sealing member 133.

As described with reference to fig. 1, the cover shell 104 includes a top 106 and a sidewall 108. The top 106 and the side walls 108 are shaped together to fit over the base 102 and to surround the perishable material on the base 102. The cover housing 104 further includes a sealing member 133. The sealing member 133 is adapted to seal against the base 102 to substantially inhibit air from entering the storage assembly 100.

The cover shell 104 also includes a lower or lower peripheral edge 126, as shown in fig. 7, for abutting the seat 102 to seal the seat 102. Thus, the lower edge 126 is the edge that rests on the base 102 during use. In the illustrated embodiment, a sealing member 133 is disposed along the lower peripheral edge 126. The sealing member 133 may be considered to be part of the lower peripheral edge 126.

The sealing member 133 is a flexible seal, for example, an industrial grade rubber seal or a silicon gasket. In particular, the sealing member 133 comprises an elongated flexible seal. The sealing member 133 forms a continuous ring on the cover shell 104, although it may be made of one or more fixed lengths of sealing material arranged end-to-end.

In some embodiments, the seat 102 may not have any corresponding sealing member, such as the peripheral sealing member 114. Instead, the sealing member 133 of the cover housing may conform to a portion of the base 102 (e.g., the top surface of the base 102) to form a seal. However, at present, the sealing member 133 seals against the peripheral sealing member 114 of the base 102 to seal the cover shell 104 and the base 102 together. To this end, as shown in fig. 2, the peripheral sealing member 114 includes a rigid rib that presses into the sealing member 133 to seal the cover shell 104 against the base 102.

The lid housing 102 is substantially rigid and is adapted to be lifted and mounted over perishable materials. When the sealing member 133 seals the base 102, the perishable material is thereby contained in the storage assembly 100 in a gas-tight manner. It should be appreciated that over time, a small amount of leakage may occur from the hermetic seal. Thus, "airtight" does not mean that the internal atmosphere (i.e., the atmosphere within the storage assembly 100 when the cover shell 104 and the base 102 are sealed together) is not permanently lost or diluted in any way. Reasonable constructions should employ the term "airtight".

The cover case 104 is in the shape of a cube, e.g., a cube with the bottom surface removed or in the present case a rectangular prism, so the cover case 104 can be mounted over perishable material. The seat 102 thus forms a bottom surface in the shape of a cube. Although the shape is a square, the cover shell 104 may have a slight taper, for example, when the cover shell 104 is used on the base 102, the cover shell 104 may taper upward and its corners or edges may be rounded. However, the general square shape will be clearly visible, as shown in fig. 1.

The storage assembly 100, including the cover shell 104, is 1.35 meters tall and, therefore, has the base dimensions specified above, which are suitable for narrow lane (VNA) shelf storage. Furthermore, it would be desirable for the total weight of the storage assembly 100 to not exceed 30 kilograms and to be able to withstand contents weights (the weight of perishable goods) of up to 1 ton.

The cover shell 104 shown in fig. 7 is made of LLDPE by rotational molding. Other manufacturing processes may be used. The thickness of the sidewall 108 is currently 4 millimeters, as indicated by arrow X, although any desired thickness may be used. The cover shell 104 and/or the base 102 may be made of a fire resistant material, a flame retardant material, a uv stable non-toxic material, and a material having other combinations of properties. The cover shell 104 and/or the base 102 may also be a multi-layered structure formed, for example, by an inner wall and an outer shell with an air gap or insulating layer therebetween to improve temperature control within the storage assembly 100.

Similar to the base 102, the cover shell 104 may include a reinforced steel frame (not shown). The frame may be embedded in the cover during manufacturing to provide additional strength at the seal and reduce warping of the cover shell 104 during movement and storage. In some embodiments, the atmosphere within the storage assembly 100 is to be purged prior to racking the storage assembly 100, so it is necessary to ensure that warping does not occur so that a gap is not temporarily created between the cover shell 104 and the base 102 so that the modified atmosphere within the storage assembly 100 is not diluted by mixing with the ambient atmosphere during racking.

The cover shell 104 may be made sufficiently strong so that negative or positive pressure may be used in the internal atmosphere. Alternatively, the pressure inside the assembly may be the same as the ambient atmospheric pressure surrounding the assembly.

It is contemplated that the perishable goods utilized with storage assembly 100 will be edible goods, such as rice and other grains. Particularly for long term storage (e.g., 6 to 12 months), it is important to maintain the atmosphere within the storage assembly 100 to reduce oxidation of perishable goods. As mentioned above, the atmosphere can be modified by 2 holes 110, each of which is currently shaped to accommodate a quick-connect valve: one such valve would be for nitrogen injection or delivery (i.e., modified atmosphere delivery), while another such valve would be for oxygen or ambient extraction, or in any case, extraction of the atmosphere in the storage assembly 100.

Thus, in an embodiment, the purge assembly includes one or more valves located on the top 106 of the lid housing 104 or on the side wall 108 near the top 106 such that the one or more valves are accessible from one side of the assembly (e.g., from the same side regardless of the number of valves) when stored in a tray storage system such as a shelf.

Additionally, referring to FIG. 1, a sampling port 128 may be installed to sample the internal atmosphere (i.e., the atmosphere within the storage assembly 100) either manually or automatically.

To ensure that the cover shell 104 remains in a fixed position on the base 102, the storage assembly includes a locking mechanism 112 for securing the cover shell to the base, see fig. 1. The locking mechanism 112 is arranged to press the cover shell 104 and the base 102 together to apply pressure to the sealing member 133.

To accomplish this, the locking mechanism 112, shown in a disengaged/unlocked state in fig. 8a, includes a plurality of locking devices 130 on each of the four sides of the cover shell 104 and the base 102. In some embodiments, there may be a single locking device, or multiple locking devices as desired. Each locking device 130 is formed in two parts, one 131 on the cover shell 104 and one 138 on the base 102, which engage to secure the cover shell 104 to the base 102. In the present case, each locking device 130 comprises a locking lever 132 (now with a handle 140) which extends parallel to the sealing member 133 and is movably (e.g. rotatably) mounted on the cover shell 104. In other embodiments, the lock lever may be similarly mounted to the base 102. The locking lever 132 is mounted to the opposite side of the projection 136 by the arm 134 and is rotatable on the arm 134 (although in some cases the lever 132 may be integrally formed with the arm 134 or fixed in position on the arm 134 and therefore not rotatable thereon). On the base 102, a respective projection 138 is provided for each locking device 130. In positioning the cover shell 104 on the base 102, the projections 136 of each locking device 130 are aligned and the lever 132 can be rotated over a pair of

projections

136, 138 to secure them together, as shown in fig. 8 b.

The locking bar 132 has an oval cross-section or other irregular cross-section such that it has a major axis and a minor axis. Currently, rather than providing an elliptical cross-section along the entire length of the stem 132, the stem 132 has a series of protrusions 139 that provide an elliptical (or substantially elliptical) cross-section where there are protrusions. Thus, the major axis extends through the protrusion in the relevant position (i.e. where there is a protrusion) -in the upward direction along axis X-X with reference to fig. 8a, while the minor axis extends transversely thereto-in the upward direction with reference to fig. 8b and along axis Y-Y in fig. 8 a. Once the rod 132 is positioned on the

protrusions

136, 138, the major axis is directed inwardly with respect to the storage assembly 100, as shown in fig. 8b, e.g., perpendicular to the sealing member 133. Rotation of the lever 132 directs the long axis towards the protrusion 138 and thus, referring to fig. 8c, generally towards the sealing member 133, increasing the pressure applied to the sealing member 133.

A slightly modified embodiment is shown in fig. 8 d. A slightly modified locking device comprises a rod 132 'with an oval cross-section, a handle 140' and an arm 134', the arm 134' being substantially identical to the arm 134. A further modification shown for the oval cross-section bar 132 "is that the oval cross-section bar 132" is slightly angled (e.g., 45 deg. from the arms 134 ') so as to be inserted under the protrusions 138, and when the handle 140' is rotated 90 deg. down toward the base, the bar 132 "will rotate so that the major axis of the cross-section of the bar 132" points up and away from the assembly. Thus, in each case, the handle 140' is tilted to remain in the locked state.

The locking devices herein (also referred to as locking clamps) are all capable of withstanding forces in excess of 200 kilograms.

The storage assembly 100 may be manufactured by rotational molding, injection molding, or other processes. The material may be any suitable material, for example HDPE or LLDPE. The storage assembly is reusable, but may alternatively be made partially or entirely of recyclable materials, and thus may be recycled in the event that the cover shell 104 or base 102 (which may be referred to as the tray base 102) is damaged.

Thus, the storage assembly 100 is a recyclable container or assembly that is sufficiently robust to be used for both internal storage and external transport.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method 142 of storing perishable material with storage assembly 100. The method 142 generally includes the steps of:

step 144: loading perishable material onto the base of the storage assembly 100;

step 146: mounting the cover shell 104 over the perishable material, thereby enclosing the perishable material;

step 148: sealing the cover shell 104 to the base 102 to prevent air ingress; and step 150: the storage assembly is purged with air through purge assembly 110.

As described with reference to fig. 1, the cover shell 104 is substantially rigid, and installing the cover shell 104 over the perishable material per step 146 will generally include lifting the cover shell 104 over the perishable material (not shown) and onto the base 102.

The step 148 of sealing the cover shell 104 to the base 102 may include compressing the sealing member 133 between the sidewall 108 and the base 102. This may be accomplished by actuating a locking mechanism, such as locking mechanism 112. To press the cover shell 104 onto the base 102. For example, compression may be achieved to press the cover shell 104 and base 102 together using the oval cross-section bar 132 described with reference to fig. 8. In this embodiment there are a plurality of locking devices, and thus step 148 would involve actuating a plurality of locking devices positioned along the sealing member 133 on the base 102 when the cover shell 104 is installed over the perishable material. The locking device 130 may be actuated in a particular sequence or by any other process.

Step 150 involves purging the storage assembly 100, for example, by connecting the purging assembly to a modified atmosphere source (i.e., a source such as a gas tank or gas storage containing modified atmosphere for delivery to one or more assemblies) and delivering modified atmosphere (e.g., nitrogen and/or other inert and/or non-toxic gases) from the source into the storage assembly 110.

The overall goal of the storage assembly or MAP cartridge 100 may be to purge nitrogen (displace oxygen with nitrogen), perform through 2 valves (nitrogen injection and air evacuation) and control the oxygen content below 2% within the MAP cartridge 100.

The top cover or cover shell 104 is designed to allow a user to stack goods (e.g., rice) onto the tray (base 102) using his normal stacking process and cover the loaded tray with the cover shell 104. The cover shell 104 is designed to be sealed with silicone or similar substance to create an airtight environment within the storage assembly 100.

In this embodiment, purging with a gas atmosphere is equivalent to purging with nitrogen. This process efficiently converts oxygen (O)₂) The level is reduced to PPM (parts per million) level.

One simply connects 2 hoses to, for example, the hole 110 and then initiates the decontamination process by touching a button on a Programmable Logic Control (PLC) control panel. As described above, a hose was connected for nitrogen (N)₂) Injecting, the other hose is used for oxygen (O)₂) And (4) extracting. The decontamination process for each storage module is expected to take 3-5 minutes to achieve<1% of O₂。

Purging may be repeated or periodically topped up. If O in the storage component 100₂This operation will be performed if the level increases to an undesirable level. To determine when to perform further decontamination, an oxygen or gas sensor may be attached to or integrated with storage assembly 100. For example, the sensor may be attached to port 128 of fig. 1.

The above storage assembly 100 and method of use 142 endeavor to provide a reusable storage method that promotes rapid decontamination of the interior air, long storage life, and does not degrade the contents.

It will be understood that many further modifications and permutations of the various aspects of the described embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the described aspects are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims

1. A storage assembly for storing perishable material, the assembly comprising:

a base adapted to store perishable material thereon;

a cover shell, the cover shell comprising: a top and sidewalls shaped together to fit over the base and to enclose the perishable material on the base; and

a purification assembly disposed on one or both of the base and the lid shell, the purification assembly being connectable to a modified atmosphere source and for delivering modified atmosphere from the modified atmosphere source into the storage assembly,

wherein the base is adapted to be lifted by a pallet lift and the lid shell includes a sealing member adapted to seal against the base to inhibit air from entering the storage assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover shell is rigid and adapted to be lifted and mounted over the perishable material.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the cover shell is cube shaped with a bottom surface removed so the cover shell can be mounted over a perishable material.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the base is flat.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the base includes a peripheral sealing member and the sealing member of the cover shell contacts the peripheral sealing member such that the cover shell seals against the base.

6. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising a locking mechanism for securing the cover shell to the base.

7. An assembly according to claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged to press the cover shell and the base together to apply pressure to the sealing member.

8. The assembly of claim 6 or 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises one or more locking devices on each of four sides of the cover shell or the base.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein each locking device comprises an oval cross-section bar rotatably mounted on one of the cover housing and the base and extending parallel to the sealing member, and wherein a different one of the cover housing and the base comprises a protrusion on which the oval cross-section bar can be mounted such that the oval cross-section bar rotates to point a long axis of the oval cross-section bar towards the protrusion to increase the pressure applied to the sealing member.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the purge assembly comprises one or more valves located on a top of the lid housing or on the side wall proximate the top such that the one or more valves are accessible from a side of the assembly when stored in a tray storage system.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the base comprises an upper portion configured to seal the lid housing and a lower portion configured to be a tray.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover shell includes a lower peripheral edge for abutting the base to seal the base.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the sealing member is disposed along the lower peripheral edge.

14. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the sealing member comprises an elongated flexible seal and the peripheral sealing member comprises a rigid rib that presses into the sealing member to seal the cover shell against the base.