Claims:Claims:
We claim:
1) A portable, evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers comprising of;
a. side panel;
b. bottom panel and
c. another side panel.
Wherein the said side panel is with Side panel body; Water absorbing media; Top cover and Insulation layer made up of ping-pong balls & porus water absorbing media.

2)The portable evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said portable Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers requires watering once a day (15- 20lit) and is Suitable for first mile storage.

3. The portable evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said portable Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers reduces wastage and ensures better value for the goods and is Easy to install and to operate with zero maintenance cost.
4. The portable evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said portable Storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers maintains the desired temperature and conditions inside the chamber...

Date: 04/02/2022 For, Rukart technologies Pvt ltd,
Agent of the applicant
Pallavi unmesh deshmukh
, Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
(SEE SEC 10 AND RULE 13)

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

“An evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers”

Rukart Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Indian applicant having place of business at
B301, Mangeshi Elite Phase-1, Rambag Lane No.4 End, Kalyan (West), Thane. 421301 MH

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates generally to pre-cooling & storage of flower, fruit & Vegetables, and includes a process, conducted in a substantially sealed chamber, to establish a cooling & ripening trend in the stored produce. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable an evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which does not need any electricity/ fuel/ solar power. The portable storage cum ripening chamber needs watering once in a day only.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
A variety of goods transported throughout the world needs to be cooled from time to time before, during and/or after shipment to maintain their condition, which may be adversely affected by exposure to certain environmental conditions. For example, it is known that fresh fruits and vegetables have a limited commercial life, as they mature, ripen and, in fact, decay in the journey from harvest to market. To maximize shelf life, fruits and other produce are normally transported and stored under refrigeration to slow the metabolic processes associated with ripening and decay. Maintaining a substantially constant optimum temperature of a perishable commodity from harvest to market is referred to as maintaining the product's “cold chain”. A break in the cold chain from harvest to market can affect the condition and shelf life and, hence, the value of the commodity. Thus, it is desirable to maintain the cold chain from harvest to market.
Manufacture and maintaining freshness of the agricultural products is a continuous procedure of the agricultural production which is considered to “secondary industry” during the agricultural reproduction. The preservation, manufacture and maintaining the freshness of the agricultural product after the agricultural production are attached primary importance to the agriculture all over the world. The vegetables and fruits are fresh foods and easily become putrid. In order to extend the duration of freshness, one form of maintaining freshness of the vegetables and fruits is cold storage which can preserve the vegetables and fruits for a long time to keep the anniversary of the supply, even if the environmental temperature is high. Cold storage can reduce the respiratory rate and the rot rate of the vegetables and fruits, and incidence of the Pathogenic bacteria, to prevent the tissue from wane and extend the duration of freshness. There are many methods for maintaining the freshness with high energy consumption which can create a lower temperature circumstance than the freezing point of the tissue of the vegetables and fruits. However, the cold storage technology is of high electric energy consumption, and the foods are unacceptable for consumers due to the unsuitable storage temperature for the foods. The key to prevent the vegetables and fruits from cold-injury or cool-damage are, for example, to keep the storage temperature suitable depending on the nature of particular vegetables and fruits, to gradually reduce the temperature for avoiding the cold-injury.
Under certain circumstances, however, breaking the cold chain may be unavoidable and even necessary. For example, governmental quarantine regulations may require fumigation of a commodity that is being transported from one area to another to prevent the spread of pests that could pose a threat to the destination's agriculture. In circumstances such as these, fumigation may be conducted at a temperature above the optimum storage temperature for the commodity, thus resulting in a break in the cold chain. Fumigation of perishable agricultural products is most often accomplished using the pesticide methyl bromide. Methyl bromide must be in its gaseous state to be an effective fumigant and to cause the least damage to the commodity. Because its boiling point is 38.5 degrees F., however, government quarantine regulations require that the temperature of the commodity be at least 40 degrees F. for fumigation so that the methyl bromide does not liquefy. The optimum storage temperatures for many agricultural products, including most fruits, however, are at or near 32 degrees F., such that the eight degree increase in temperature required for fumigation affects a significant break in the cold chain. Accordingly, it is desirable to re-establish the cold chain as soon as possible after fumigation, as this can confer a significant benefit on the product.
Moreover, and again in the example of fumigation of fresh fruit, once the temperature of the commodity begins to increase, it typically does not stop at 40 degrees F. This is because once a warming trend is established in a large mass of fruit, it is difficult to halt quickly due to the mass, its being packed tightly together, and the metabolic processes that take place at temperatures above the optimum storage temperature. Returning the product to its optimum storage temperature involves not only stopping the warming trend, but also reversing it, and during these stages the cold chain remains broken. Traditionally this re-cooling has been accomplished simply by placing the product in a cold storage facility. Returning a product such as fresh fruit to it optimum storage temperature by this traditional means can take 24 to 72 hours if the fruit is packaged in wooden crates, and up to seven to ten days if it is packaged in cardboard containers, which are currently the packaging of choice.
In prior art systems and methods, fumigation is accomplished by sealing the commodity in a chamber formed by an enclosure, and filling the chamber with a fumigant at a sufficient concentration and temperature to obtain the desired results. When the commodity is fruit, for example, methyl bromide is circulated throughout the chamber for a period of time, typically several hours, to treat the fruit. Following the exposure period, the methyl bromide gas is evacuated from the chamber and the product is aerated for an additional period of several hours by fans that circulate fresh air. After that, the enclosure is removed and the product is left in place in still air so that methyl bromide absorbed or trapped by the packaging material can desorb. Finally the fruit can be put in a cold storage facility or refrigerated transport.
Once the fruit is in a cold storage facility, under prior art systems and methods, it takes from three to ten days or more to reduce the temperature of the fruit to its optimum storage temperature. This break in the cold chain substantially decreases the commercial value of the fruit by adversely affecting its condition. For example, for every day of delay in getting fresh fruit to market, it has been estimated that a case of highly perishable fruit can lose between 5 to 10% of its value. Currently, ships can deliver for fumigation as much as 700,000 cases of fruit at a time having a market value of approximately $7 million, and the trend is toward larger capacity ships. A 10% loss of value per day thus translates to a $700,000 loss per ship per day, in addition to the tangible expenses of rent for storage, added transportation costs, etc.
Accordingly, it would be helpful to the art to minimize the length of time during which the cold chain is broken. It would be further helpful to the art if a cooling method could be used to take a commodity to its optimum storage temperature after harvest by establishing the cold chain temperature rapidly in the first instance.
Therefore, there is a need to improve the cold storage technology which can work without any energy or lower energy and prevent the vegetables and fruits from cold-injury or cool-damage during the period of preservation.
One of the prior art discloses “Cooling apparatus, systems and methods” in patent no. US20040107707. The present invention is directed toward a method, apparatus and system for cooling goods, such as, for example, agricultural products, in a substantially sealed chamber. A method of the invention includes placing goods on a surface; forming a chamber over the goods on the surface; positioning a cooling apparatus having a first portion and a second portion proximate to the goods; enclosing the first portion of the cooling apparatus in the chamber; substantially sealing the chamber; and cooling the goods. A cooling system of the invention comprises a first support having a carrier; an evaporation coil mounted to the first support; a second support having a carrier; a compressor mounted to the second support, the compressor coupled to the evaporation coil; and a substantially sealed enclosure positioned over the evaporation coil and such that the compressor is positioned without the chamber.

Another one prior art means is disclosed in “Physical method for maintaining freshness of vegetables and fruits via technology of optical signal and optical signal generator ’’ in patent no. US 20160143116. A physical method for maintaining the freshness of vegetables and fruits via the technology of the optical signal and optical signal generator are disclosed. By adopting the computer programmable pulsed scanning signal generator, it controls the light-emitting device mounted with red, green and blue light sources group to generate optical signal with pulsed or pulsed periodical scanning combined spectrum. The optical signal irradiates the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables preserved in the storage assembly at room temperature or at controlled temperature and humidity. By regulating the optical signal with periodical pulsed spectrum or pulsed scanning spectrum or periodical pulsed scanning combined spectrum, the irradiated vegetables and fruits obtain photon energy needed in light reactions of photosynthesis from the lighting environment of artificial optical signal which is in bright and dark periodic variation. The metabolism of the cellular tissue is recovered and maintained, and the growth inertia is kept at slow speed. It effectively prolongs the freshness state of vegetables and fruits which are preserved in the storage assembly.
Another one Prior art products includes cooling unit of Cool crop. CoolCrop’s control module manages the cooling unit components to maintain the desired temperature and conditions with optimum energy utilization. The control module can easily be programmed and monitored using an Android or iOS phone based interface which enables the user to set the temperatures and monitor the parameters. Results from the initial pilots have shown energy savings of at least 20% over conventional cooling modules. It can easily be monitored using an Android or iOS phone based interface which enables the user to set the temperatures and monitor the parameters.
There is phase change material-based technologies or refrigerant based cold-storages and a prototype of sand based evaporative cooling chamber with limited results. E.g., Solar Cold Storage

The drawbacks of the existing prior art products are
1. The existing products/technologies require energy sources to run like Solar, Electricity or fossil fuels.
2. High recurring cost due to requirement of utility (fuels, electricity etc.)
3. Not suitable for first mile storage
4. Requires regular maintenance and skilled people to operate.
5. Fuel and electricity results in higher CO2 emission
So there is a need for an electricity/ fuel/ solar powered free portable an evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers. The present invention does not require electricity/ fuel and solar power. It only requires watering once a day (20 liters) and is Suitable for farm-gate storage & first mile storage. The present invention is Easy to install and operate. Hence, no skilled person is required. No recurring cost as it doesn’t require any fuel or electricity.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
The main object of the present invention is to reduce post-harvest loss of fruits, vegetable and flowers by slowing down the ageing process of the flowers, fruits and vegetables and extend the shelf-life of vegetables, fruits and flowers

Another object of the present invention is to increase farmer’s income and to provide first mile storage facility (i.e. at the farmgate).

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable, evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which does not require any source of energy.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable, Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which requires watering once a day (20lit).

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an economical, eco-friendly portable, Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which is Suitable for first mile storage and is Easy to install and to operate with zero maintenance cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
Accordingly, a portable, an evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers. The cooling chamber of the present invention requires watering every day. It do not need any shade and should be kept out side. It Cause no chill injury to produce. No chemical is needed for ripening. The present invention cooling chamber assembly involves three panel i.e. side panel, bottom panel and side panel. The present invention involves hydrophilic insulation sheet in between panel bodies. Side panel consists of
a. Side panel body;
b. Water absorbing media;
c. Top cover and
d. Insulation layer.
The insulation layer consists of ping-pong balls & porus water absorbing media.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Fig 1 depicts the assembly and exploded view of the portable, an evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers.
Fig 2 depicts top panel exploded view.
Fig 3 depicts side panel exploded view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS:
The invention will now be described in detail in connection with certain preferred and optional embodiments, so that various aspects thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated.

The present invention relates to portable, an evaporative cooling apparatus, systems and methods for storage cum ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers. The present invention does not requires any source of energy. It only requires watering once a day (20lit) and is Suitable for first mile storage. The present invention is Easy to install and operate, no skilled person required. No recurring cost as it doesn’t require any fuel or electricity. The present invention helps to reduce post-harvest loss of Fruits, vegetable and flowers by slowing down the ageing process of the flowers, fruits and vegetables and extend the shelf-life of vegetables, fruits and flowers. The present invention helps to increase farmer’s income and to provide first mile storage facility (i.e. at the farmgate).The present invention provides a portable, Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which does not require any source of energy. The present invention requires watering once a day (20lit) and reduces wastage and ensures better value for the goods. The present invention is economical, eco-friendly portable, Storage cum Ripening chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers which is Suitable for first mile storage and is Easy to install and to operate with zero maintenance cost. The present invention maintains the desired temperature and conditions inside the chamber...
In one embodiment, the present invention is a Maintenance-free 100 Kg Cooling chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers. The present invention involves zero operational cost as diesel, electricity or any other energy is not required. The present invention only requires 15-20 liters of water per day. The present invention boosts shelf life and improves the shelf life of the vegetables, fruits and flowers by 5 - 6 days. The present invention helps to maintain long lasting freshness of the vegetables, fruits and flowers and reduces wastage (reduces and checks for fungus growth) and improves selling price of the vegetables, fruits and flowers by 25-30 %. The present invention can be installed at the farm-gate. There is no need to monitor the Cooling chamber for vegetables, fruits and flowers using any Android or iOS phone based interface.
The cooling chamber of the present invention requires watering every day. It do not need any shade and should be kept out side. It Cause no chill injury to produce. No chemical is needed for ripening.