Passive and forced air cooling for fresh produce

Abstract

Cases and containers for cooling produce may be cooperatively designed to provide cooling efficiencies in both passive ventilation and forced air cooling environments. Each container may include an element for helping form an opening or ventilation funnel within the center area of the cases, with a corresponding opening in the same area of the case for allowing cooling fluid to pass therethrough. Further, each container may include an element for parsing or dividing incoming forced cooling fluid into both the lid and the base. In some versions of the containers, the air may be divided based at least in part on the design of the container, including the proportions of the containers lid to base structure. In this way the forced cooling fluid may be proportionately passed into the overall container to more efficiently cool the produce therein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooling system for produce comprising:
 (a) a case comprising:
 (i) a wall; 
 (ii) a master vent slot defined by the wall and configured to pass a fluid therethrough; and 
   (b) a container configured to be received in the case in a cooling position and configured receive the fluid passed through the master vent slot, the container comprising:
 (i) a base; 
 (ii) a lid, wherein the lid includes a lip; 
 (iii) a main clamshell vent defined between the lid and the base and configured to fluidly communicate with the master vent slot when the container is disposed in the base in the cooling position, 
   wherein the lip is positioned to direct a portion of the fluid passing through the master vent slot away from the main clamshell vent when the container is disposed in the base in the cooling position.   
     
     
         2 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the master vent slot includes a master vent slot size, wherein the lip is positioned based at least in part on the master vent slot size. 
     
     
         3 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the main clamshell vent includes a main clamshell vent size, wherein the lip is positioned based at least in part on the main clamshell vent size. 
     
     
         4 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a lid height, wherein the base includes a base height, wherein the lip is positioned based at least in part on the lid height and the base height. 
     
     
         5 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a side wall and a lid vent defined in the sidewall, wherein the lip is positioned to direct the portion toward the lid vent. 
     
     
         6 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the lip extends into the master vent slot when the container is disposed in the base in the cooling position. 
     
     
         7 . A cooling system for produce comprising:
 (a) a set of containers, each container comprising:
 (i) a base, wherein the base includes two opposed sidewalls, two opposed end walls, and a bottom wall; 
 (ii) a lid, wherein the lid includes two opposed sidewalls, two opposed end walls, and a top wall; 
 (iii) an end recess, wherein the end recess includes an end portion recessed into one of the end walls of the base and a bottom portion recessed into the bottom wall of the base; 
 (iv) a side recess, wherein the side recess is recessed into one of the side walls of the base; 
 (v) a first mid-range vent defined by one of the end walls of the base and disposed in the end portion of the end recess; 
 (vi) a second mid-range vent defined by one of the sidewalls of the base and disposed in the side recess; 
 (vii) a bottom ramp vent defined by the bottom wall of the base and disposed in the bottom portion of the end recess; and 
   (b) a case, wherein the case includes two opposed sidewalls, two opposed end walls, and a bottom wall, wherein the case is configured to receive the set of containers therein, the case comprising:
 (i) a plurality of master vent slots defined by each end wall of the case; and 
 (ii) a plurality of funnel vents defined by the bottom wall of the case. 
   
     
     
         8 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , wherein the case further comprises an imaginary longitudinal center line extending along the center of the bottom wall of the case from one end wall to the other end wall, wherein the plurality of funnel vents includes a set of master funnel vents disposed along the imaginary longitudinal center line. 
     
     
         9 . The cooling system of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of funnel vents includes a set of minor funnel vents disposed on both sides of the imaginary longitudinal center line. 
     
     
         10 . The cooling system of  claim 9 , wherein a group of four containers in the set of containers define an opening therebetween, wherein the opening is in fluid communication with at least one of the master funnel vents when the group of four containers is disposed in the case. 
     
     
         11 . The cooling system of  claim 10 , wherein the set of containers is a set of eight containers, wherein the case is sized to receive the eight containers in two rows and four columns therein with three openings defined therebetween, wherein the set of master funnel vents comprises three master funnel vents disposed whereby each funnel vent is in fluid communication with an opposing one of the three openings. 
     
     
         12 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , wherein each container is a clamshell container, each container further comprising a hinge, wherein the lid is connected to the base via the hinge. 
     
     
         13 . A method comprising:
 (a) disposing a first container, a second container, a third container, and a fourth container in a case, wherein the first container, the second container, the third container, and the fourth container define an opening therebetween;   (b) aligning a master funnel vent defined by a bottom wall of the case with the opening, wherein the master funnel vent and the opening are in fluid communication;   (c) defining a pair of first main clamshell vents between a lid of the first container and a base of the first container;   (d) defining a pair of second main clamshell vents between a lid of the second container and a base of the second container; and   (e) aligning a pair of master vent slots defined by a pair of sidewalls of the case with the pair of first main clamshell vents and the pair of second main clam shell vents, wherein the pair of master vent slots, the pair of first main clamshell vents, and the pair of second main clamshell vents are in fluid communication.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising forcing fluid into one of the pair of master vent slots, through the pair of first main clamshell vents, through the pair of second main clamshell vents, and out the other one of the pair of master vent slots. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising forming a bottom ramp vent in a bottom wall of the base of the first container. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising aligning a minor vent slot defined by a bottom wall of the case with the bottom ramp vent, wherein the minor vent slot and bottom ramp vent are in fluid communication. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising forming a mid-range vent in an end wall of the base of the first container. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the bottom ramp vent is disposed in a recessed portion of the bottom wall of the base of the first container. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the mid-range vent is disposed in a recessed portion of the end wall of the base of the first container. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the recessed portion of the bottom wall and the recessed portion of the end wall are contiguous. 
     
     
         21 . A method of cooling produce, the method comprising:
 (a) filling a set of four containers with produce;   (b) disposing the set of four containers in a case, wherein the set of four containers are disposed in the same general plane in a two by two configuration;   (c) allowing fluid to passively rise via convection from below the case to above the case through a master funnel vent defined by a bottom wall of the case and an opening defined between the set of four containers; and   (d) in response to the fluid passively rising through the master funnel vent, drawing heat out of the set of four containers through a plurality of vents defined therein to entrain the heat in the passively rising fluid.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 (a) defining a first master slot in a first sidewall of the case, wherein the first sidewall extends from the bottom wall;   (b) defining a second master slot in a second sidewall of the case, wherein the second sidewall extends from the bottom wall, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall are parallel; and   (c) forcing fluid into the first master slot, wherein the fluid forced into the first master slot passes through a first container in the set of four containers and a second container in the set of four containers and out the second master slot.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising orienting the first container and the second container within the case to dispose a first main clamshell vent of the first container proximate the first master slot, a second main clamshell vent of the first container proximate a first main clamshell vent of the second container, and a second main clamshell vent of the second container proximate the second master slot. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  23 , further comprising:
 (a) forming a bottom recessed portion in a bottom wall of a base of the first container, wherein the bottom recessed portion is recessed inwardly toward an interior of the first container; and   (b) venting the interior of the first container through a bottom ramp vent defined by the bottom wall of the base and within the bottom recessed portion.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  24 , further comprising:
 (a) forming an end recessed portion in a side wall of the base of the first container, wherein the end recessed portion is recessed inwardly toward the interior of the first container; and   (b) venting the interior of the first container through a mid-range vent defined by the end wall of the base and within the end recessed portion, wherein the bottom recessed portion and the end recessed portion are contiguous.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 (a) inserting a portion of a first container in the set of four containers into a master vent slot defined by a sidewall of the case, wherein the sidewall extends from the bottom wall;   (b) forcing fluid into the master vent slot toward the first container;   (c) dividing the forced fluid into a first portion and a second portion;   (d) receiving the first portion of the forced fluid in a lid vent defined by a lid of the first container; and   (e) receiving the second portion of the forced fluid in a main clamshell vent defined by the lid and a base of the first container.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are based on a size of the master vent slot and a size of main clamshell vent. 
     
     
         28 . A method of cooling produce, the method comprising:
 (a) forcing a fluid through a case toward a container disposed within the case; and   (b) directing a first portion of the fluid through a lid of the container; and   (c) directing a second portion of the fluid into a main clamshell vent defined between the lid and a base of the container.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising directing the first portion through the lid of the container via an element of the container. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising directing the second portion through the main clamshell vent via the element. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the element is an angled lip.