Packaging for Plants, Fruit or Vegetables

Abstract

This invention relates to packaging for the transportation and/or storage of plants or plant material such as nutritional items including fruit, berries or vegetables. It comprises an assembly for the transportation and/or storage of plants or plant material, comprising an upwardly open, rigid base member, and a retention net adapted to fit over the base member, and methods for its use.

Claims

1. An assembly for the transportation and/or storage of plants or plant material, which assembly comprises an upwardly open, rigid base member, and a retention net adapted to fit over the base member, wherein the retention net is formed from a unitary piece of mesh fabric that is square or rectangular in its pre-assembled state and has one pair of opposite sides that are elasticated, the juxtaposed ends of said elasticated sides and the respective intervening non-elasticated side being gathered together to form cinch points at each end of the fabric, thereby forming a net having an elasticated perimeter.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the unitary piece of mesh fabric is a knitted fabric.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric can be stretched under tension to at least 200% of its original size, and returns to its original size on removal of the tension.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric has a plurality of apertures, and wherein the aperture size when the mesh fabric is in the relaxed state is from about 0.375 mm to 10 mm.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the aperture size when the mesh fabric is in the relaxed state is from about 1 mm to 3 mm.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric has a plurality of apertures, and wherein the aperture size when the mesh fabric is in the extended state is from about 0.75 mm to 25 mm.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the aperture size when the mesh fabric is in the extended state is from about 3 mm to 10 mm.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein one or more elasticated lines extend longitudinally across the retention net.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the retention net is supplied as a chain of connected retention nets from which individual nets can be separated as required.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric comprises a synthetic yarn.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric comprises a polypropylene yarn.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric comprises a yarn of a thickness less than or equal to 100 denier.

13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric comprises a yarn of a thickness of from 10 to 50 denier.

14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric is coated with a light reflecting substance.

15. The assembly of claim 1 wherein one or more elastic yarns are incorporated into the knitted structure of the mesh fabric, to form the elasticated edges.

16. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the elasticated edges of the retention net comprise a reinforcing region.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the reinforcing region is a band of denser material formed integrally with the mesh fabric.

18. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the reinforcing region is from 0.5 to 2 cm wide.

19. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the retention net further comprises one or more additives selected from plant feeds, pesticides, insect repellents and non-insecticidal protective agents.

20. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the base member has upstanding sides, and an outwardly extending lip.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the base member has upstanding sides and a plurality of attachment members, at least one attachment member being located on each of at least one pair of opposing sides of the base member, the attachment members being engageable with the retention net.

22. The assembly of claim 21, in which the attachment members are in the form of protrusions extending from the periphery of the base member.

23. The assembly of claim 21, in which the attachment members engage with the retention net by inserting a portion of an attachment member through an aperture in the retention net.

24. The assembly of claim 23, wherein the elasticated edges of the retention net comprise a reinforcing region, and wherein the reinforcing region comprises at least one aperture, the at least one aperture being suitable to receive at least a portion of an attachment member.

25. The assembly of claim 21, in which the attachment members are located at least 2 cm away from a corner of the base member.

26. A tray for the transportation and/or storage of plants or plant material, the tray comprising an upwardly open, rigid base member, the base member having upstanding sides and a plurality of attachment members, at least one attachment member being located on each of at least one pair of opposing sides of the base member, the attachment members being engageable with a mesh fabric.

27. The tray of claim 26, in which the attachment members are in the form of protrusions extending from the periphery of the base member.

28. The tray of claim 26, in which the attachment members engage with a mesh fabric by inserting a portion of an attachment member through an aperture in the mesh fabric.

29. The tray of claim 26, in which the attachment members are located at least 2 cm away from a corner of the base member.

30. The tray of claim 26, wherein the attachment members are engageable with a retention net, the retention net being adapted to fit over the base member, and wherein the retention net is formed from a unitary piece of mesh fabric that is square or rectangular in its pre-assembled state and has one pair of opposite sides that are elasticated, the juxtaposed ends of said elasticated sides and the respective intervening non-elasticated side being gathered together to form cinch points at each end of the fabric, thereby forming a net having an elasticated perimeter.

31. A method of packaging plants and/or plant material for transportation and/or storage which method comprises (a) providing an upwardly open, rigid base member; (b) loading the plants and/or plant material into the base member; and (c) fitting a retention net over the base member; wherein the retention net is formed from a unitary piece of mesh fabric that is square or rectangular in its pre-assembled state and has one pair of opposite sides that are elasticated, the juxtaposed ends of said elasticated sides and the respective intervening non-elasticated side being gathered together to form cinch points at each end of the fabric, thereby forming a net having an elasticated perimeter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0058] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a packaging assembly according to the invention;

[0059] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

[0060] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, of a second embodiment of a packaging assembly according to the invention;

[0061] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, of a third embodiment of a packaging assembly according to the invention;

[0062] FIG. 5 illustrates a first step in a manufacturing process by which retention nets for use in the invention may be produced;

[0063] FIG. 6 illustrates schematically a further stage in the manufacture of retention nets for use in the invention;

[0064] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a base member according to the invention; and

[0065] FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of a packaging assembly according to the invention, comprising the base member of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Referring first to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a packaging assembly according to the invention is generally designated 10 and comprises a base tray 2 that carries a number of individual potted plants 31,32,33, and a retention net 4.

[0067] The base tray 2 is of generally conventional form, being vacuum-formed in relatively thin plastics material, and having upstanding side walls 21 with a peripheral, outwardly-extending lip 22.

[0068] The potted plants 31,32,33 are positioned within the base tray 2. In the illustrated embodiment, there are three potted plants 31,32,33 and the base tray 2 is dimensioned to closely receive that number of plants, in a row. In other embodiments, the number of potted plants may be considerably greater, for instance sixteen plants may be arranged in four rows of four, and the base tray will be shaped and dimensioned accordingly.

[0069] The retention net 4, the manufacture and construction of which is described in greater detail below, has an elasticated periphery 41 that allows the net 4 to be stretched such that it can be fitted over the walls of the base tray 2, the elasticated periphery 41 of the net 4 engaging beneath the lip 22, as shown in FIG. 2. The retention net 4 further has a reinforced edge 51 in the form of a band of denser material approximately 1 cm wide, which reduces the chance of the retention net 4 becoming damaged.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a second embodiment of an assembly according to the invention, generally designated 20. The second embodiment 20 differs from the first embodiment 10 only in that, rather than a base tray that holds a number of discrete potted plants, the base part of the second embodiment 20 is itself a single plant pot 22.

[0071] Likewise, in a third embodiment of the assembly according to the invention, designated 30 and shown in FIG. 4, the base part of the assembly is a vacuum-formed tray 32 that includes several (in the illustrated embodiment, three) plant wells 34,35,36, each of which contains an individual plant and its associated soil.

[0072] Turning now to the method by which the retention nets used in the previously described embodiments are manufactured, a first step in the process is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5. This Figure shows a continuous band of knitted mesh fabric 50. The fabric is produced by a generally conventional two bar warp knitting method, with the lateral edges of the fabric 50 being knitted in thicker yarn and/or with a greater density of stitches to produce reinforced edge regions 51,52, each approximately 1 cm wide. In addition, elasticated yarns (denoted 53,54 and represented by heavy black lines) are incorporated into the knitted structure adjacent to each edge region 51,52. The mesh fabric has an aperture size of 1 mm in its relaxed state.

[0073] The fabric 50 is knitted as a continuous band. To form individual retention nets 4, the fabric is gathered together at regular intervals, as indicated by the transverse broken lines in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, with the fabric 50 gathered in this manner, pairs of cinch points 55 (represented by horizontal bars in FIG. 6) are formed by any suitable method, such as the application of heat and pressure, sonic welding, or the application of mechanical fasteners such as metal clips. The cinch points 55 of each pair are separated by only a few centimeters. In a final stage of manufacture, the fabric is severed between the cinch points 55 of each pair (as indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 6) to produce individual retention nets 40. In an alternative approach, rather than the fabric 50 being completely severed, a line of weakness may be formed between the cinch points 55 of each pair, so that the retention nets remain connected, in a chain, but can be separated later, as and when required, simply by tearing at the line of weakness.

[0074] FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of a base member 70 according to the invention. The base member 70 is formed of a tray 71 of generally conventional form, being vacuum-formed in relatively thin plastics material, and having upstanding side walls 72. Attachment members 73 are disposed along the upper edge of opposing walls 72. The attachment members 73, 74 take the form of an inverted L shape and extend in an outward direction from the tray 71. These attachment members are fixable to a retention net or mesh by inserting the L shaped protrusion through an aperture in the mesh fabric, the downward portion of the protrusion preventing the net or mesh from sliding off.

[0075] The attachment members 73, which are located closest to the corners of the tray, are spaced from the corners by a distance L, to prevent excess pressure being applied to the plants in the corner of the tray. The magnitude of L depends on the size of the tray, but may typically be at least 2 cm.

[0076] FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the base member 70 of FIG. 7 in use. The potted plants 81,82,83 are positioned within the tray 71. In the illustrated embodiment, there are three potted plants 81,82,83 and the base tray 71 is dimensioned to closely receive that number of plants, in a row. In other embodiments, the number of potted plants may be considerably greater, for instance sixteen plants may be arranged in four rows of four, and the base tray will be shaped and dimensioned accordingly.

[0077] The retention net 8, the manufacture and construction of which is described in FIGS. 5 and 6, has an elasticated periphery 84 that allows the net 8 to be stretched such that it can be fitted over the walls of the base tray 71. The attachment members 73, 74 are inserted through apertures in the net 8, to fix the net 8 to the base tray 71. It will be appreciated that the base tray in this embodiment may alternatively take the form of a tray that includes several plant wells, each of which contains an individual plant and its associated soil.