Method of preparing onions for shipment

• US 2,978,333 A
• Filed: 10/13/1958
• Issued: 04/04/1961
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1958
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Austin Teigen Ferdinand
• Original Assignee: Austin Teigen Ferdinand
• Inventors: AUSTIN TEIGEN FERDINAND
• Application Number:
  US03/766,946
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• US Class Current: 426/419
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 7/148 in a controlled atmosphere, e.g. partial vacuum, comprising only CO2, N2, O2 or H2O
• CPC Class Codes: A23N 15/08 Devices for topping or skinning onions or flower bulbs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 426/809 including harvesting or planting or other numerous miscellaneous processing steps

Claims

1. A METHOD OF PREPARING BULB ONIONS FOR SHIPMENT, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF:

REMOVING FROM THE SOIL BULB ONIONS WITH THE TOPS INTACT, FORCING INTO CONTACT WITH AND THROUGH SAID ONIONS AFTER REMOVAL FROM THE FIELD, AIR CONDITIONED TO HAVE A VAPOR PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF SAID ONIONS TO ONLY SUPERFICIALLY DRY HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID ONIONS TO ONLY SUPERFICIALLY DRY SAID ONIONS;

SEVERING THE TOPS OF SAID ONIONS AND COMPRESSING THE NECKS OF THE RESIDUAL BULBS BY SHEARING STRESS WHILE SAID ONIONS ARE FREE FROM SUPERFLUOUS MOISTURE, DELIVERING THE RESIDUAL BULBS SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOPPING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY WEATHER-PROOF ENCLOSURE, AND FORCING INTO CONTACT WITH AND THROUGH SAID BULBS, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BULBS IS OUTSIDE THE DEGREE FIXED AS THE CONCURRENTLY DESIRED TEMPERATURE THEREOF AND/OR WHEN SAID BULBS CARRY SUPERFLUOUS MOISTURE, AIR CONDITIONED TO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BULBS TO SAID FIXED DEGREE AND/OR TO DISSIPATE SUPERFLUOUS MOISTURE WHEN CARRIED BY SAID BULBS, UNTIL SAID BULBS ARE SHIPPED.