NL2020039B1 - Method for handling roses - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rack for holding roses, comprising a first set of parallel pins, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a first rake; and a second set of parallel pins, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a second rake; wherein a plane in which the first set of pins is located is parallel to and at a distance from a plane in which the second set of pins is located wherein the first set of pins and the second set of pins extend to the same direction from the respective ends where they are connected, a handle, for carrying the rack.

Description

Patent center

The Netherlands © 2020039

BL PATENT (21) Application number: 2020039 © Application submitted: 07/12/2017

Int. Cl .:

01/00 3/00 (2018.01) B65D 85/50 (2018.01) A47G 7/00 (2018.01) A47G 7/02 (2018.01) A01G 5/04 (2018.01) A01G 5/06 (2018.01)

© Priority: 07/12/2016 EN 2017950 © Patent holder (s): COOPERATION ROYAL FLORAHOLLAND U.A. in Aalsmeer. © Application registered: 18/06/2018 © Inventor (s): Christoffel Adrianus Maria van der Meer © Request published: 18/06/2018 in Houten. © Patent granted: © Authorized representative: 02/07/2018 ir. H.Th. van den Heuvel et al. in 's-Hertogenbosch. © Patent issued: 11/07/2018

© Method for handling roses (57) The present invention relates to a rack for holding roses, including a first set or parallel pin, connected to a common connection on one side, thus forming a first rake; and a second set of parallel pins, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a second rake; where a plane in which the first set of pins is located is parallel to and at a distance from a plane in which the second set of pins is located is the first set of pins and the second set of pins extend to the same direction from the respective ends where they are connected, a handle, for carrying the rack.

NL Bl 2020039

This patent has been granted regardless of the attached result of the research into the state of the art and written opinion. The patent corresponds to the documents originally submitted.

Method for handling roses

The present invention relates to a method for treating roses, in particular for treating roses prior to and during their transport.

Roses for the European market, and in particular for auctions and distribution in the Netherlands, are nowadays often produced in Kenya or Ethiopia, and shipped to the Netherlands afterwards. The process usually comprises the steps of growing the roses, and after harvesting, sorting them based on quality and voice length.

During this process, the roses are put in water and cooled down in a cold store. Then, they are packed in bunches or for instance ten pieces, which are then put in boxes and shipped to an airport and sent further from there on. Once arrived at their destination airport, they are very often put in water again and transported to the auction or to a merchant for further resale.

During this handling process, the flowers are kept in water for many hours, which may count up to even twenty. Although it is a common perception that water is the best, if not the only way, to keep flowers in, it is an insight of the present invention, that this water has several disadvantages.

First of all, the availability of water may not be straightforward in all situations. In Kenya or Ethiopia for instance, water may be a scarce good. Furthermore, the water inevitably leads to the further growth of the roses, and in particular their petals become more fragile once they absorb more water. This occurs already after putting the roses on water for more than 2 hours. Additionally, water in Kenya and Ethiopia does not meet European standards and is a source of bacteria, and may have an impact on the flowers health or vase life or consumer value, by jamming or clogging their vessels.

It is a goal of the present invention, to provide a method for handling roses, that takes away the disadvantages of the prior art. The invention thereto proposes a method for treating roses, including the steps of, (A) harvesting the roses, (B) cooling down the roses, (0) packing the roses and (D) transporting the roses, contrary to the common believe and use, the roses are kept dry during the steps of harvesting the roses, cooling down the roses, packing the roses and transporting the roses, kept dry means not put in water or another liquid.

During step (A), use may be made of a rack for holding roses, including a first set of parallel pins, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a first rake and a second set of parallel pins, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a second rake in which the first set of pins is located is parallel to and at a distance from a plane in which the second set of pins is located and being the first set of pins and the second set of pins extend to the same direction from the respective ends where they are connected, and a handle, for carrying the rack.

Such a rack provides the advantage that one person can harvest roses multiple roses without damaging them and also facilitate boxing the roses as will be explained later on.

The rack according to the invention may be made of aluminum or a light weight plastics material. It may further comprise a shielding, oriented perpendicular to the plane, both common connections are arranged and perpendicular to the direction of the parallel pins, for shielding the roses from a person carrying the rack. Such shielding may include for instance a pin or a grid or a screen. Preferably the pins on one rack are spaced about 5 cm and have a diameter of about 3 cm.

The method according to the invention takes away the disadvantages introduced by the use of water, as described above. The roses are usually grown on large plantations or open greenhouses, where they are harvested by hand. During the process according to the prior art, the roses may be touched multiple times, which may count up to 20 times. The process according to the present invention reduces this number thoroughly, which leads to a further reduction of the chance or damaging the roses.

The advantage even increases when the leaves are all kept on the flower stems. No small wounds are made this way, and the chance that bacteria have access to the flower remains the smallest as possible.

In order to reduce the number of handling steps and the number of times a rose is touched, the roses may be put in a container, such as a basket or bucket, during step A, and are kept in the same container during step B.

The invention thereto also relates to a method for boxing roses, including arranging the roses in a rack according to any of the preceding claims, all flowers are put on the same side of one of the sets of pins; and steels of the flowers extend between the pins of both rakes, parallel to the shielding, applying an anchoring like a cord around the steels and the shielding, placing the rack and the flowers arranged thereon in the box, with the free ends of the pins are put toward the direction of the bottom of the box, removing the anchoring and removing the rack from the box, leaving the flowers in the box. The above method may form the steps (A) and (B).

In practice, the roses may be grown at a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees. When harvested, the roses at least still include flower buds instead of full roses. To slow down the wilting process that arises after harvesting, the flowers are cooled. The step of cooling according to the invention may continue until a temperature of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius is reached. It has appeared that the wilting process is reduced as much as possible, without harming the flower by the low temperature.

In a further aspect of the invention, the roses are packed in the box per piece or vote, thus separately. This reduces the risk or damaging the flowers during handling even more. The step of packaging the roses may further include putting the separately packed roses in a container such as a box, in layers separated by a piece of paper or foam (for SFK, Single Folded Kraftliner) in order to protect the roses better. The packing is done inside the cold store to keep the flowers as cool as possible.

Preferably, transporting the flowers should take place in a cooled truck.

The transport may comprise transporting the roses by means of air transport, in order to have the shortest transport time. After transport, the roses may be tasks out of their boxes one by one, and hung in a sorting, grading and bunching machine. This machine sorts the flowers for instance by size, removes the lower leaves, creates a bunch of for instance or twenty flowers, and then they are wrapped or sleeved.

According to the art, the flowers are then put in a bucket with water and a treatment, and are cooled down again to 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.

The invention will now be elucidated into more detail with reference to the following figures,

- Figure 1 shows a flow chart or a method according to the state of the art;

- Figure 2 shows a flow chart or a method according to the invention;

- Figure 3 shows a rack according to the present invention; and

- Figure 4 shows method steps for boxing flowers using the rack from figure 3.

The steps indicated in the flow charts from figures 1 and 2 are self-explanatory. It becomes clear from a comparison of the two flow charts that not only the use of water or a solution is omitted, but the number of handling steps is reduced as well.

Figure 3 shows a rack 1 for holding roses according to the present invention, including a first set 2 or parallel pin 3, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a first rake and a second set 4 or parallel pin 5, connected to a common connection at one side, thus forming a second rake; where a plane in which the first set of pins is located is parallel to and at a distance 7 from a plane in which the second set of pins is located and is the first set of pins 2 and the second set of pins 3 extend to the same direction from the respective ends where they are connected, and a handle 6, for carrying the rack. The rack further comprises a shielding 8, oriented perpendicular to the plane, both common connections are arranged and perpendicular to the direction of the parallel pins 2,

4, for shielding the roses from a person carrying the rack.

Figures 4 A, B, C show a method for boxing roses 9. In Figure 4A, the roses 9 are arranged in a rack 1 as described with reference to figure 3. Flowers 10 of the roses are put on the same side of set 2 or pins and steels 11 of the flowers extend between the pins of both rakes 2, 4, parallel to the shielding 8.

Figure 4B shows how an anchoring like a cord 12 is put around the steels 10 and the shielding 8.

Figure 4C shows how the rack 1 and the flowers 9 arranged thereon are placed in a 5 box 16, wherein the free ends 13, 14 of the pins are put toward the direction of the bottom 15 of the box 16. The method is finished with removing the anchoring 12, removing the rack 1 from the box 16 and leaving the flowers 9 in the box 16.

The figures described above are exemplary only, and do not limit the scope of the 10 present invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims (8)

Conclusions A rack for holding roses, comprising a first set of parallel arranged pins, mutually connected at one end, thus forming a first rake; and a second series of pins arranged in parallel, interconnected at one end, thus forming a second rake; at which A plane in which the first series of pins is located is parallel to and spaced from a plane in which the second series of pins arranged in parallel is located; wherein the first set of pins and the second set of pins extend in the same direction from the respective ends to which they are connected; A handle for carrying the rack. 2. Rack according to claim 1, made from aluminum. 3. Rack according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one shield perpendicular to the surface in which there are interconnections and perpendicular to pins, for shielding roses placed in the rack from a person carrying the rack. The rack of claim 3, wherein the shield comprises a pin or grid or blade. Rack according to one of the preceding claims, in which the pins are fixed in one rake at a distance of approximately 5 cm. Rack according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the pins are approximately 3 cm in diameter. Method for placing roses in a box, comprising placing the roses in a rack according to one of the preceding claims, wherein: all flowers are inserted on the same side of one of the pin rows, and the stems extend parallel to the shield between pins of two rakes; - applying an anchor such as a cord around the shield and the stems; Placing the rack with the flowers arranged thereon in a box, the protruding ends of the pins being inserted into the opening of the box towards the bottom thereof; 10 - Removing the anchor; Removing the rack from the box, leaving the flowers in the box. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of: 15 - Cooling the roses; Packing the roses; Transporting the roses; The roses are kept dry during all steps, that is, not put in water. ς> J5 ^:: < si £ s S UÈ £ si asnoiiüssjS SiijAiaosy)} | eq Sujpe> £> SS ..... * .8 5 -S-s : Ί: -; ÖJO3SÖ | O5 UOÖX3 jspjeMJO] lUSjQJJ uocsueji> | fiMp} eeN: eU0UeLU5} U | Ö3IAJ9 $> püC] spuepsqis ^ üi TuaSeSyiipueH /: 3/5 4/5