4. Description

Technical Field of the Invention

[001] The present invention generally relates to the filed of cold storage industries. More particularly the present invention relates to novel methods and architectures of a cold storage.

Background of the Invention

[002] Typically, cold storage plays a vital role in storing different kinds of food products like seeds, vegetables, fruits and the like. The structure and layout of the cold storage determines the storage capacity and the amount of products it can store.
[003] Initially, the products are packed in small bags and stored in a single deep rack designs in the cold storage. A fork truck is used to place the packed products in the single deep rack designs, in which the fork truck can carry one tone of weight at a height of 3 meters. The single deep rack lay out is engineered to provide the usable storage volume in the cold storage and the amount of handling required of the product is more during the time it is in the cold storage. The usage of single deep racks leads to less amount of product storage and the capacity of the fork truck is less.

[004] Further, the product handling in these kinds of cold storages includes some extra steps in that when the product is initially palletized, spacers must be placed between each layer of cartons to allow for air circulation. After cold storing, the spacers must be removed and the product is re-stacked. Machines are available to carry the extra steps, but they are costly. The extra steps must be carried, whether they are done manually or mechanically. Also the conventional methods of cold storage include limitations, like heavy labor costs for lifting the bags and placing them in racks and also lack the conventional ,methods lack the availability of remote viewing of stock.

[005] In the view of aforementioned limitations, there is a need for well designed spacious cold storage employing advanced and novel technical features in terms of the storage capacity and maintenance of the stock, especially seeds.

Brief Summary of the Invention

[006] The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key/critical elements of the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[007] An exemplary objective of the present invention is to enable entire operations of the cold storage in single floor operations.

[008] Another exemplary objective of the present invention is to reduce the handling of seeds to prevent the wastage.

[009] Another exemplary objective of the present invention is to irradiate the germs, virus and bacteria to enhance the life of the seed being stored and after seed taken out of the cold storage.

[0010] Yet another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide real time viewing of relative humidity and temperature in the cold storage.

[0011] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide an instant SMS or message service on stock movement.

[0012] Another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide a web enabled instant report on the stock corresponding to the customers.

[0013] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide an online camera to view stock.

[0014] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide a multi deep racking to reduce number of aisles.

[0015] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide 100% evident demarcation of pallet space in the racks.

[0016] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide a fork-extendable fork lift so as to accommodate 8 to 16 rows of racks for every aisle.

[0017] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide an articulated fork lift to work in very narrow aisles.

[0018] Still another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide a hybrid wise stock inventory report.

[0019] Yet another exemplary objective of the present invention is to accommodate 1.5 tons of seeds in every pallet.

[0020] Another exemplary objective of the present invention is to access every bag without unpalletising the pallet eliminating an impact on the seed.

[0021] Yet another exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide one cross aisle to enable an easy flow of operations thereby maintaining faster delivery of the stock

[0022] Another exemplary objective of the present invention is to design a storage bag capable of accommodating huge quantity of seeds. The storage bag designed to efficiently utilize the space in the transportation vehicle and thereby increase the occupancy of the transportation vehicle.

[0023] According to a first aspect of the invention, a system for cold storage unit is disclosed. The system includes an ozonator system placed outside the cold storage unit incorporated with an oxygen concentrator system, whereby the oxygen concentrator system enabled to entrain atmospheric air.

[0024] According to a first aspect of the invention, the system includes a compressor arranged within the oxygen concentrator system for a continuous suction of the atmospheric air,

[0025] According to a first aspect of the invention, the system includes a plurality of non-woven fabric meshes enabled to filter the atmospheric air drawn by the oxygen concentrator system.

[0026] According to a first aspect of the invention, the system includes a high efficiency particulate filter associated to the plurality of non-woven fabric meshes enabled to draw highly purified air to generate required ozone.

[0027] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method adapted for cold storage of seeds is disclosed. The method includes stacking a plurality of bags capable of accommodating huge quantity of seeds in a plurality of multi deep racks.

[0028] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method includes placing the plurality of bags on a plurality of pallets for stacking in the plurality of multi deep racks.

[0029] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method includes providing an evident demarcation of space of a pallet space in plurality of multi deep racks, where by software enabled system provides a real time view of the plurality of multi deep racks.

[0030] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method includes enabling a uniform flow of air on to the plurality of bags by the means of plurality of ducting evaporators, whereby the plurality of ducting evaporators mounted to roof of the room.

[0031] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method includes circulating an ultraviolet treated air on to the plurality if bags placed on the plurality of pallets for a germ free storage of seeds.

[0032] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of enabling to view temperature and relative humidity of cold room through a secured authentication code.

[0033] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of fork lifting the plurality of pallets to stack on the plurality of multi deep racks.

[0034] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of providing a web enabled directory of stock corresponding to a plurality of authorized customers.

[0035] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of providing a real time video of the cold storage stock to the plurality of authorized customers by establishing a plurality of image capturing devices.

[0036] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a flexible bag for bulk storage of seeds in cold storage is disclosed. The bag includes a top enclosure, a bottom enclosure, a plurality of lifting provisions formed along edges of a top end enclosure and a plurality of side covering members vertically extending down from the top end enclosure towards a bottom end enclosure and connecting the top end edges with respective edges of the bottom end enclosure to form a storage space for accommodating huge quantity of seeds.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0037] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used to designate like elements, and wherein:

[0038] Fig.1 is a diagram depicting a system in a cold storage unit.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting functionalities of cold storage.

[0040] FIG.3 is a diagram depicting a bag used for cold storage of seed.

[0041] FIG.4 is a diagram palates with bags placed in the multi deep racks.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method employed for cold storage of seeds.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0043] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0044] The use of "including", "comprising" or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms "a" and "an" herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Further, the use of terms "first", "second", and "third", and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

[0045] Referring to Fig.1 is a diagram 100 depicting a system in a cold storage unit. According to a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, an ozonator system 102 made up of SS-304 food grade steel which further contains oxygen concentrator 104 system placed outside the cold storage unit. The ozonator system 102 uses a compressor 106 to suck atmospheric air 108 continuously into the machine which is further filtered by passing through the series of non-woven fabric meshes 110 followed by a high efficiency particulate air filter 112 to draw the highly purified air to generate ozone 114. In accordance with a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, the generated ozone is then passed to the cold storage unit through ozone resistant polymer based pipelines. The ozone discharge units are mounted on the wall for every 20 feet gap on either side of the cold storage unit to ensure a constant flow of ozone to all the bags. The discharge unit further includes a pulsed UV unit which flashes at a range of 300 times per minute at a range of 180nm UV radiation.

[0046] According to a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, the cold storage unit is equipped with a pulsed UV laser system which flashes for at predetermined time intervals to check the half life of ozone. The cold storage unit is further equipped with vacuum systems to pump out the ozone rich gas through the ozone destruction chamber. The excess ozone is converted to oxygen and released to the environment by the ozone destruction chambers placed outside the cols storage.

[0047] In accordance with a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, the cold storage unit further equipped with a laser microscope to capture the image of the motile microbial load to display on a digital readout monitor. The digital readout monitors with touch operative screens are positioned outside the cold storage. The touch operative screens enable to a operate a software specifically designed for cold storage unit operations. The digital readout monitors provides an option to adapt a dynamic release of ozone or to manually decide the amount of ozone to be released. . The software enables the users to feed duty cycles and other functionalities and provides complete data of a batch through a USB port connectable to a user's data communication device. The data communication device may include but not limited to a personal computer, a handheld data communication device, a personal digital assistant and the like.

[0048] In accordance with a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, depending on the volume of the air circulated in cold storage, the system is designed. The cold usually ranges from 30million tons to 100 million tons. The quantity of ozone to be released is calculated depending on the length, width, height and the food material inside stored in the storage unit.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting functionalities of cold storage. According to the non limiting exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, multiple functionalities of the cold storage 202 may include but not limited to the web enabled report 204, instant SMS 206 corresponding to the stock is delivered to the customers, relative humidity and temperature 208 of the cold storage can be viewed by the customers with a secured user name and password at any time, a software 210 for providing a pictorial bird's eye view of the racks present in the cold storage, providing real time video 210 of the cold storage utilizing multiple image capturing devices including but not limited to cameras and the like.

[0050] Referring to FIG.3 is a diagram 300 depicting a bag used for cold storage of seed. In accordance with a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, the bag 300 includes multiple lifting provisions 302a, 302b and 302c formed over the top end for enabling a fork lifting of the bag. The bag 300 filled with the seeds are placed in the pallets and stacked in the multi deep racks of the cold storage. This bag 300 referred as jumbo bag configured to accommodate bulk quantity of seeds.

[0051] Referring to FIG.4 is a diagram 400 depicting palates with bags placed in the multi deep racks. According to a non limiting exemplary aspect of the present invention, the jumbo bag are placed over the pallets 400 and stacked in the multi deep racks. The multi deep racks reduces the number of aisles. The racks may include but not limited to 4 deep or 8 deep and the like.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 5 is a flow chart 500 depicting a method employed for cold storage of seeds. According to the non limiting exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, at step 502 the seeds are packed in to secondary bags or jumbo bags and at step 504 the bags are fork lifted to stack in the multi deep racks at step 506. Next at step 508 the climatic conditions of the cold storage is maintained at a temperature of 10 degrees to 15 degrees centigrade and a relative humidity of 40% to 50% for storing the seed bags.

[0053] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

5. CLAIMS

What is claimed is

1. A system for a cold storage unit comprising:

an ozonator system placed outside the cold storage unit incorporated with an oxygen concentrator system, whereby the oxygen concentrator system enabled to entrain atmospheric air;

a compressor arranged within the oxygen concentrator system for a continous suction of the atmospheric air;

a plurality of non-woven fabric meshes enabled to filter the atmospheric air drawn by the oxygen concentrator system; and

a high efficiency particulate filter associated to the plurality of non-woven fabric meshes enabled to draw highly purified air to generate required ozone.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a digital read out monitor comprising a touch operative screen and a specifically designed software to adapt the dynamic release of ozone to the cold storage unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the digital read out monitor comprising a specifically designed software to adapt the dynamic release; and a manual release; of ozone to the cold storage unit.

4. A method adapted for cold storage of seeds, the method comprising:

stacking a plurality of bags capable of accommodating huge quantity of seeds in a plurality of multi deep racks;

placing the plurality of bags on a plurality of pallets for stacking in the plurality of multi deep racks;

providing an evident demarcation of space of a pallet space in plurality of multi deep racks, where by software enables system provides a real time view of the plurality of multi deep racks;

enabling a uniform flow of air on to the plurality of bags by the means of plurality of ducting evaporators, whereby the plurality of ducting evaporators mounted to roof of the room; and

circulating an ultraviolet treated air on to the plurality of bags placed on the plurality of pallets for a germ free storage of seeds.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising a step of enabling to view temperature and relative humidity of cold room through a secured authentication code.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising a step of fork lifting the plurality of pallets to stack on the plurality of multi deep racks.

7. The method claim 4 comprising a step of providing a web enabled directory of stock corresponding to a plurality of authorized customers.

8. The method of claim 4 comprising a step of providing a real time video of the cold storage stock to the plurality of authorized customers by establishing a plurality of image capturing devices.

9. A flexible bag for bulk storage of seeds in cold storage, comprising:
a top end enclosure;
a bottom end enclosure;
a plurality of lifting provisions formed over edges over the top end enclosure; and
a plurality of side covering members vertically extending down from the top end enclosure towards the bottom end enclosure and connecting the top end edges with respective bottom end edges to form a storage space for accommodate huge quantity of seeds.