Methods and systems for applying sprout inhibitors and/or other substances to harvested potatoes and/or other vegetables in storage facilities
First Claim
1. A method of applying sprout inhibitor to a pile of harvested vegetables in a storage facility, the method comprising:
- forming an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor;
directing at least a first portion of the aerosol in a first direction into an area above the pile of vegetables to provide a substantially uniform distribution of the sprout inhibitor over the vegetables; and
directing at least a second portion of the aerosol in a second direction into one or more ducts beneath the pile of vegetables to distribute the sprout inhibitor under the vegetables, wherein directing the first portion of the aerosol in the first direction includes operating a fan in a first direction, wherein directing the second portion of the aerosol in the second direction includes reversing the fan and operating the fan in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and wherein at least one of directing the first portion of the aerosol in the first direction and directing the second portion of the aerosol in the second direction includes introducing the corresponding portion of the aerosol into the storage facility upstream of the fan.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for applying CIPC and/or other sprout-inhibiting substances to post-harvest potatoes and/or other vegetables are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of applying sprout inhibitor includes directing a first portion of an aerosol of the sprout inhibitor toward a top portion of a pile of potatoes, and then directing a second portion of the aerosol toward a bottom portion of the pile. In one aspect of this embodiment, directing the aerosol toward a top portion of the pile can include operating a facility fan at a flow rate of 6 SCFM or more in a first direction, and directing the aerosol toward a bottom portion of the pile can include operating the fan at a flow rate of 6 SCFM or more in a second direction, opposite to the first direction. In another aspect of this embodiment, the sprout inhibitor aerosol can include a mixture of CIPC and solvent (e.g., clove oil) that remains liquid at temperatures less than 105° F.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of applying sprout inhibitor to a pile of harvested vegetables in a storage facility, the method comprising:
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forming an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor; directing at least a first portion of the aerosol in a first direction into an area above the pile of vegetables to provide a substantially uniform distribution of the sprout inhibitor over the vegetables; and directing at least a second portion of the aerosol in a second direction into one or more ducts beneath the pile of vegetables to distribute the sprout inhibitor under the vegetables, wherein directing the first portion of the aerosol in the first direction includes operating a fan in a first direction, wherein directing the second portion of the aerosol in the second direction includes reversing the fan and operating the fan in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and wherein at least one of directing the first portion of the aerosol in the first direction and directing the second portion of the aerosol in the second direction includes introducing the corresponding portion of the aerosol into the storage facility upstream of the fan. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of applying sprout inhibitor to a pile of post-harvest potatoes in a storage facility, the method comprising:
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operating a fan to circulate air in the storage facility in a first direction; introducing a first portion of an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor downstream of the fan in the storage facility while the air in the storage facility is circulating in the first direction, whereby the first portion of the aerosol flows into one of an area above the pile of potatoes or one or more ducts beneath the pile of potatoes; reversing the fan to circulate air in the storage facility in a second direction, opposite to the first direction; and introducing a second portion of the aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor upstream of the fan in the storage facility while the air in the storage facility is circulating in the second direction, whereby the second portion of the aerosol flows into the other of the area above the pile of potatoes or the one or more ducts beneath the pile of potatoes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of applying sprout inhibitor to a pile of potatoes in a storage facility, the method comprising:
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introducing a first portion of an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor into the storage facility; operating a fan in a first direction at a flow rate of 5 SCFM or more to move the first portion of aerosol into a head space above the pile of potatoes to provide a substantially uniform distribution of the sprout inhibitor over the potatoes; introducing a second portion of the aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor into the storage facility; and operating the fan in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, at a flow rate of 5 SCFM or more to circulate the aerosol in the storage facility through one or more ducts beneath the pile of potatoes and up through the pile of potatoes; wherein introducing at least one of the first portion of the aerosol and the second portion of the aerosol into the storage facility includes introducing the corresponding portion of the aerosol into the storage facility upstream of the fan. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A system for applying sprout inhibitor to harvested vegetables in a storage facility, the system comprising:
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means for forming an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor; means for directing a first portion of the aerosol in a first direction into a head space above a top portion of the vegetables to distribute the sprout inhibitor over the vegetables; and means for directing a second portion of the aerosol in a second direction into one or more ducts beneath a bottom portion of the vegetables to distribute the sprout inhibitor under the vegetables; wherein at least one of the means for directing the first portion of the aerosol and the means for directing the second portion of the aerosol include means for introducing the corresponding portion of the aerosol upstream of a fan and flowing the corresponding portion of the aerosol through the fan. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of applying a sprout inhibitor to a pile of harvested produce in a storage facility, the method comprising:
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providing a first portion of an aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor; operating a fan in a first direction to move the first portion of aerosol into a head space above the pile of harvested produce and provide a substantially uniform distribution of the sprout inhibitor over the produce; providing a second portion of the aerosol containing the sprout inhibitor; and reversing the fan to operate the fan in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to move the second portion of aerosol into one or more ducts beneath the pile of harvested produce and distribute the sprout inhibitor under the produce; wherein at least one of providing the first portion of the aerosol and providing the second portion of the aerosol includes providing the corresponding portion of the aerosol upstream of the fan. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification