Thermal Technologies, Inc.

Kenneth H Bottom

James R Lentz

A storage apparatus for boxes containing fruit includes a cabinet having side walls, a rear wall, front wall portions, and a cover portion. The front wall portions together define an access opening for insertion of a stack of the boxes. Each of the side walls include an outer wall and an inner wall separated from the outer wall by a space, and a plurality of vertically oriented partitions disposed between the inner and outer walls. Each of the inner walls include a plurality of apertures, with each of the apertures being associated with a unique one of the air flow channels to allow the air in that channel to impact boxes of fruit located adjacent that aperture. Damper means close off one or more apertures as boxes are removed to enhance airflow through the remaining apertures.

Retail banana storage unit

A storage apparatus for boxes containing fruit includes a cabinet having side walls, a rear wall, front wall portions, and a cover portion. The front wall portions together define an access opening for insertion and withdrawal of a stack of the boxes. Each of the side walls include an outer wall and an inner wall separated from the outer wall by a space, and a plurality of vertically oriented partitions disposed between the inner and outer walls where the partitions are spaced from one another and are in intimate contact with the inner and outer side walls. In this way, the inner and outer side walls define, with the partitions, airflow channels. The cover portion is positioned atop the front, side and rear walls, and supports blowers disposed atop the airflow channels of each side wall and conduit means interconnecting the blowers and the channels for fluidly communicating said blowers with said air flow channels. The cover portion further houses an evaporator coil, an air-conditioning apparatus, and ducting communicating the interior of the cabinet with the interior of the cover portion. Each of the inner walls include a plurality of apertures, with each of the apertures being associated with a unique one of the air flow channels to allow the air in that channel to impact boxes of fruit located adjacent that aperture. Motors located in the cover portion drive the fans to cause circulation of the conditioned air through the cabinet and then back to the cover portion.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Kenneth H Bottom