Container

The invention generally relates to crustacean storage, in particular to landed lobster, other crustaceans, and / or bivalve water storage.

Live lobsters can actually live out of the water for up to about 48 to 60 hours. This allows air transportation to transport live lobster to most markets around the world.

<p num="0003"> Over the last decade, the usefulness and options for air transportation have tended to diminish as airplanes have been modified to carry more people and the volume of airplanes has decreased. This introduced a distribution challenge for airlifting live lobster to a destination.</p>

<p num="0004"> According to one embodiment of the present invention, the system is a container support having a surface for supporting a plurality of containers, and each container support is a living shellfish in a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the surface. A container support having a cell for accommodating, a reservoir supported by the container support, and a pump system coupled to the reservoir and supported by the container support, from the reservoir to above the shellfish. A pump system for pumping water into one or more containers and a collector coupled to a reservoir and supported by a container support that pumps the water over the shells. It has a collector for collecting and feeding in the pool.</p><p num="0005"> In one embodiment, the water reservoir is integrated with the container support.</p><p num="0006"> In one embodiment, the collector is integrated with the container support.</p><p num="0007"> In one embodiment, the system also has a power supply coupled to the pump system and carried by a container support.</p><p num="0008"> In one embodiment, the system also includes a water treatment system coupled to a reservoir.</p><p num="0009"> In one embodiment, the water treatment system has a filter and one or more conversion mechanisms for converting the water in the reservoir to fresh water.</p><p num="0010"> In one embodiment, the system also includes a container loaded onto the surface of the container support.</p><p num="0011"> In one embodiment, the container comprises a stack of multiple containers on the surface of the container support, and the pump system pumps water from the puddle onto the top container in the stack and in the stack. Each container has a drain from which the water flowing over the shells in the container is drained from the container.</p><p num="0012"> In one embodiment, each container in the stack comprises a bottom insert that directs water flowing over the crustaceans to the drain.</p><p num="0013"> In one embodiment, each container in the stack includes a partition that provides cells within the container.</p><p num="0014"> In one embodiment, each container in the stack has a plurality of top lids, and the containers in the stack below the top lid are stacked with the top lid open, and each of the containers in the stack below the top lid is stacked. The open top lid is adjacent to the drain of the top container in the stack and directs water from the drain of the top container in the stack to the top insert.</p><p num="0015"> A method is given according to another aspect of the present invention, wherein the method is a container support having a surface for supporting a plurality of containers, in which each container is a living shell in a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the surface. A pump system that has a cell for accommodating species, provides a container support, provides a reservoir supported by the container support, and is coupled to and supported by the container support. A process of providing a pump system for pumping water from a reservoir onto the shells of one or more containers, and a collector coupled to the reservoir and supported by a container support, pumped by the pump system. It has the steps of collecting the water flowing over the shells and providing a collector to feed the pool.</p><p num="0016"> In one embodiment, the basin is provided as an integrated basin integrated with the container support.</p><p num="0017"> In one embodiment, the collector is provided as an integrated collector integrated with a container support.</p><p num="0018"> In one embodiment, the method also comprises the step of providing power that is connected to the pump system and supported by a container support.</p><p num="0019"> In one embodiment, the method also comprises the step of providing a water treatment system coupled to a reservoir.</p><p num="0020"> In one embodiment, the water treatment system is provided as one or more to the filter and the exchange mechanism for exchanging the water in the reservoir for fresh water.</p><p num="0021"> In one embodiment, the method also comprises the step of feeding a plurality of containers.</p><p num="0022"> According to another embodiment, the method is the step of feeding multiple containers on a container support having a surface supporting the plurality of containers, a reservoir and a pump system, where each container is substantially perpendicular to the surface. By the process of having a cell for accommodating live shellfish in the vertical direction, and the process of pumping water from a reservoir onto the shellfish of one or more containers using a pumping system, and by the pumping system. It has the process of collecting the water that is pumped and flowing over the shells and feeding it to the reservoir.</p><p num="0023"> In one embodiment, the plurality of containers has a stack of the plurality of containers on the surface of the container support, and the step of pumping is the step of pumping water from the water reservoir to the top of the top container in the stack. Each container in the stack contains a drain through which water flowing over the shells in the stack drains to or from the lower container in the stack.</p><p num="0024"> In one embodiment, each container in the stack has a bottom insert that directs the water flowing over the shells to the drain, and each container in the stack is supported by a partition at or below the top edge of the container. Includes a perforated top insert, distributes water to cells in the stack, each container in the stack has multiple top lids, and the feeding process is the top container in the stacked stack with the top lid open. Containing the process of feeding multiple containers underneath, with the top lid of each container under the top container in the stack open, adjacent to the drain of the top container in the stack, the top of the stack Direct water from the drain of the container to the top insert.</p><p num="0025"> Further given a container, the container divides the interior space of the container into cells, a partition that houses living crustaceans in a vertical direction that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the container, and a partition that distributes fluid to the cells. It has a perforated top insert and is carried by or under the top edge of the container.</p><p num="0026"> In one embodiment, the fluid comprises one or more of water or air.</p><p num="0027"> In one embodiment, the partition has a fluid communication channel formed internally to allow fluid communication between adjacent cells of a plurality of cells.</p><p num="0028"> According to yet another embodiment, a container support is provided, which is supported by a surface supporting one or more containers containing live crustaceans, a water reservoir, and a water reservoir combined with and supported by the container support. It has a collector that collects water pumped from a water reservoir and flows over crustaceans and feeds it to the water reservoir.</p><p num="0029"> In one embodiment, the water reservoir is integrated with the container support.</p><p num="0030"> In one embodiment, the container support also has a water treatment system coupled to a water reservoir.</p><p num="0031"> In one embodiment, the water treatment system has one or more of a filter and an exchange mechanism for exchanging the water in the reservoir for fresh water.</p><p num="0032"> Other aspects and features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.</p><p num="0033"> Examples of embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.</p>

<figref num="1">FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a landed crustacean storage system.</figref><figref num="2">FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of a landed crustacean storage system.</figref><figref num="3">FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the method.</figref><figref num="4">FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the method.</figref>

The embodiments of the present disclosure are primarily described in the context of lobster. This is only an example, and the disclosure of the present invention is applicable to more general crustaceans, such as other crustaceans and / or bivalves.

One type of air transport box is designed to cool and maintain humidity during consignment sales of lobster. Lobsters are poikilotherms (cold-blooded animals), and metabolic rate is directly related to body temperature. A gel ice pack is used in the shipping box to keep the metabolism low during airlift to the customer, which keeps the lobster above the freezing temperature and below 5LC.

In nature, in flooded states, lobsters remove metabolites such as ammonia from blood through gills. The gills exchange oxygen from water for carbon dioxide. In the landed state, the method of removing ammonia and carbon dioxide and ingesting oxygen is attenuated. Therefore, ammonia and carbon dioxide accumulate in the blood and oxygen decreases. This accumulation effect can be measured by analyzing blood samples. Warmer, more metabolically active lobsters accumulate ammonia and carbon dioxide faster than colder lobsters. Therefore, the use of ice packs can keep metabolism low and reduce the rate of metabolites in the blood. At low temperatures in the shipping box, lobsters can withstand outside the water for 48-60 hours. It includes typical flight times to the seafood market from North America to Asia and Europe. This time limit is based in part on the concentration of ammonia generated in the blood and other blood changes that are detrimental to the health of the lobster.

Lobsters that have been returned to water after a long landing exchange accumulated ammonia and carbon dioxide for oxygen in the water, relatively quickly, mainly through the gills. The effect of long-term landing returns effectively in a relatively short period of time if ideal water conditions are given during the re-immersion. For example, a customer receiving live lobster cargo would unpack and re-flood in a storage tank at the receiving facility.

In general, the standard acceptable mortality rate resulting from transport is less than 3-5% of the total cargo weight of live lobster. The causes of this mortality rate vary, most of which are due to temperature conditions during transshipment to the customer and the handling of the cargo box by the cargo worker. There is also a risk of mortality and reduced quality due to re-flooding water conditions in the customer's tank after transportation without adequate filters or refrigeration systems. Therefore, high water ammonia concentrations or warmer than ideal water temperatures, as well as pre-shipment quality selection criteria and conditions for lobsters shipped by suppliers, are also contributing factors. Recent evolutions in shipping box structures over the last decade have introduced new standards, as handling is an important key to successful shipping. By separating and holding the lobster in the transport box, damage caused by contact with the protruding crustaceans of adjacent lobsters can be minimized. Within the compartmentalized boxes, the lobsters are packed vertically, similar to a wine box, by a partition that creates cells within the box for each lobster. This type of packing reduces in-transit mortality and allows suppliers to safely transport lower quality lobsters that die in transit using standard co-packed lobster box configurations.

Re-immersion of lobster after prolonged landing results in the initial outflow (removal) of the product metabolites from the blood very rapidly, as described above. Along with this high-speed outflow, it is possible to keep the lobster alive in a strong state for a long time after landing by periodically feeding water such as seawater to assist the outflow of accumulated metabolites. Lobsters can acquire dripping water from above while stored vertically and use it for the outflow of accumulated metabolites.

Any variety of water flow configurations are potentially available to ensure proper distribution of water to lobsters within the transport system. For example, a waterproof container having a partition may be configured. Lobsters may be packed substantially vertically with the tail down and head up and placed under a spray of filtered and cooled seawater. In experiments with this type of configuration, blood parameters were measured at various intervals before and during spraying. As a result, it was found that lobster can maintain the concentration of metabolites in the blood in a natural state regardless of the length of time of the continuous spray condition. This means that lobster metabolites can be shed without being completely submerged in water. This special experiment came to a conclusion after about 4 weeks in the sprayed state. Lobsters were strong and found to have zero mortality. This represents an improvement over the standard storage method of keeping lobsters in water in water and flooding them. It should also be noted that the weak lobster used for the spray experiment became a strong lobster at the end of the experiment.

Although the present disclosure refers to crustacean sprays, this does not imply that water is distributed as needed through the spray nozzles. As described below, for example, the water stream is distributed to cells in the container using perforated plates. The flow of water is in the form of a spray, but it does not necessarily have to be a spray.

The next discovery step in determining if the spray was blocked is to expose the lobster to air and land, expose it to air for a period of time, then resume spraying at various time intervals and in the lobster's blood. It was to determine how many times the parameter needed to return to normal levels. Different landing / spray time combinations were investigated across multiple experimental courses. This series of experiments has shown that the spray time to return to normal blood parameters is related to the length of time the lobster is in the air, which accumulates metabolites in the blood. Further experiments have determined a landing / spray interval cycle that allows the lobster to be maintained continuously for an extended period (1-2 weeks) without quality degradation and death. For example, a set of landing / spray parameters includes a 15-minute spray after a 24-hour landing. This landing / spray cycle allows the lobster to remain in good condition. Other landing / spray parameters may be used and different results may be observed under other test and / or actual operating conditions. For example, an increase in spray flow can reduce the spray cycle interval somewhat shorter than 15 minutes. Landing times longer than 24 hours are feasible if the spray cycle time is adjusted to reduce ammonia to atmospheric levels.

In the experiments described above, using natural seawater, the flow rate was between 38 and 57 liters per minute, the temperature was between 3 ° C and 4 ° C, the pH was about 7.6 to 8.0, and the dissolved oxygen concentration was 95% to 100. Performed in the laboratory with conditions between%. These experimental conditions do not have to match other experimental or operating conditions.

Other experiments were performed with 0.5 liters of water per minute per lobster when the spray was on. This flow rate can be reduced and is still considered to work. As illustrated, the flow rate may be as low as 0.01 liters per minute per lobster. There may not be a maximum flow rate at which metabolite spills are not effective, but the actual flow rate is such that water passes through the container based on the size of the reservoir and / or the power consumption limits of the pump system. Limited based on the maximum flow rate that can flow.

The landing and periodic spray / flooding concepts are applicable for maintaining lobster for extended periods of storage and / or transportation. Applying this concept to transportation results in maintaining live lobster long enough to use other transportation methods such as sea transportation for international logistics.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a landed crustacean storage system. The illustrated system 100 has a waterproof transport box 102 with a partition 112. For example, standard cardboard or polystyrene boxes can be replaced with polyethylene-compatible boxes. Corrugated plastic is one of the materials suitable for this purpose due to its waterproof and insulating properties. Partition 112 is made from the same or different materials.

Each top insert 110 of the box 102 is made of the same material as the box or made of a different material and is perforated to distribute the water flow above the packed lobster and / or other crustaceans. Acting as a plate, water is distributed across each cell of the divider 112. As mentioned above, lobster is merely an example, and the teachings here are applicable to other crustaceans. In each of the lower partition cells of the insert 110, live lobsters are packed substantially vertically, with the tail or head facing up.

For convenience of illustration, lobster is not shown in FIG.

The water flowing over the insert 110 flows over and / or other crustaceans above and / or below the lobster, collects at the base of the box 102, and is drained out under the box. Figure 1 shows the bottom insert 114 as an example of a component used to direct the water inside the box 102 to the drain. This insert may be made of the same material as the other boxes, or it may be made of a different material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the box 102 can be loaded on the pallet 104. In the system 100 of this example, each box 102 has a drain 120 at the bottom of the bottom. In one embodiment, each drain 120 is provided at the bottom of each bottom surface of each box 102. Water flows over packed lobster and / or other crustaceans and then drains from these outlets. Although not specifically shown in FIG. 1, the partition 112 is formed with a flow path or channel at the bottom edge so that water flows from each partition cell to the drain 120. The bottom insert 114 has a flow path or channel, water can flow under the partition 112, and / or water can be directed to the drain 120.

The top insert 110 has a size that fits within the top edge of the box 102. The top edge of the top insert 110 is at or below the top edge of the box 102 when placed in the box. The top insert is supported by a partition 112. The upper edge of the top insert of one box 102 also carries the other boxes loaded on it. Water flowing through the drain 120 in the higher box 102 in the stack is directed onto the upper insert 110 in the lower box of the next stage in the stack by the lower lid 16 of the illustrated lower box. This type of configuration is provided using a drain at the bottom of each side and a side lid 118 of the lower box 102. Each drain 120, which is visible only on the bottom of each box 102 in FIG. 1, may be partially formed on the bottom or partially on the bottom or lid of each box. The portion of the drain 120 on the bottom or lid allows water to flow onto the lower lid 116 of the lower box 102, which is open from the drain, and to pass through the bottom edge of the upper box. As a result, the water flowing over the upper insert 110 of the lower box is blocked.

When water reaches the bottom box 102, it either is incorporated into a pallet 104 that holds all of the shipping box or flows into a collection compartment, which is a collection container located at the top of the pallet. In the illustrated system 100, water flows through a flow path 112 at the top of the pallet into a collection compartment incorporated into the pallet 104. The collection compartment or container may be coupled (and retained) to a pump system that holds the drained water and allows the water to be returned to the top box 102 for reuse. Depending on the flow rate of water, the collection compartment or container is connected to or contained in an active biofilter or other treatment system supported by pallet 104, and ammonia in water collected during the water flow cycle. And other metabolites are reduced.

In the system of this example, unlike individual shipping boxes, there are no gel ice packs. Temperature control for the pallet 104 is also provided by a transport truck trailer or refrigerated container that is loaded onto the truck and transported to the cargo ship. System 100 may be self-generated by an onboard power source such as a pump and a battery that has sufficient power during a single international shipment. Other options use power from refrigerated marine containers to keep the battery backed up or to fully energize the circulation system on each pallet 104. A pallet system such as System 100 in the example shown in FIG. 1 may be placed in a land-fixed cooler. If the pallet system is not self-powered, it may be placed under a seawater tap system that provides continuously or intermittently cooled seawater as described above. Alternatively, it may be located in a cooler equipped with auxiliary power to run the pump system.

Upon arrival abroad, the box 102 is transported to the storage or customer in the same refrigerated shipping container used to transport the box abroad. Box 102 is held in a pallet system and placed in a continuous water flow system to hold lobster and / or other crustaceans until final sale. Alternatively, an ice pack may be attached to the individual box 102, the drain 120 may be sealed, the top of the box may be closed and sealed, and shipped using traditional air or refrigerated land transportation methods. .. When the final customer receives the individual boxes 102, the boxes can be placed in the cooler, removing used gel ice packs and periodically cold seawater distribution plates or drip top inserts 110 in the boxes. Overlaid to refresh the internal lobster and / or other crustaceans, customers can store crustaceans for extended periods of time without the need for expensive and complex fresh storage systems.

Other box designs are possible. For example, a somewhat classic box design, but when closed, the top and bottom lids do not close the entire top and bottom of the box, through which water enters the box, on its top insert 110 and on crustaceans. A top opening is provided between the closed top lids that can flow into, and a bottom opening between the closed bottom lids through which water can flow into other boxes or lower collection containers. The top and bottom openings are then sealed with a cover, adhesive tape or other to maintain the insulating box and drain water from the bottom of the box when the box is removed from the pallet system for other transportation or storage. To prevent.

The way the openings are sealed within the box may vary between different embodiments. The cover described above provides an example for sealing a box. Tape can also be used. In other embodiments, the box may be placed in a separate external box or container if shipped and / or stored with a gel ice pack.

The running water system may be used with other container types. For example, harvested lobster is packed into an industrial standard plastic crate that holds approximately 90 to 100 pounds for landing from a cargo ship. This crate typically has an open interior space and slot sides for drainage. The lobster is packed substantially vertically so that the dividers are used within this crate and the water is fed to the divider cells so that they flow into the gills of the lobster. Top inserts, such as those shown at 110 in FIG. 1, are also placed on the divider after the lobster is packed in the divider cell. The crate, including the two top lids that partially overlap and interlock when closed, is then left open and virtually stacked as shown in Figure 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of a landed crustacean containment system. The system 200 of this example has a water sump 202, a water treatment system 204, a pump 206, a controller 207, a distributor 208, one or more containers 210, and a collector 212. Most of the components in Figure 2 are connected through pipes, pipes, or other types of connecting members for carrying water. Controller 207 may be connected to other components such as pump 206, distributor 208 and / or water treatment system 204 through electrical and / or other types of control connections.

Figure 1 shows how at least some of the components in Figure 2 are executed. For example, box 102 in FIG. 1 represents an example of container 210 in FIG. The pallet 104 of FIG. 1 has an integral sideburn, through which water flows from the stack box 102 to the sideburns 122. The integrated sideburns and integrated flow path are examples of the sideburns 202 and collector 212 shown in FIG.

The water treatment system 204 is directly coupled to the basin 202 in this example, but may be indirectly coupled to the basin through the pump 206 if water is treated on the output side of the pump. Water may be treated on the collector 212 side of the sump 202. The water treatment system 204 has a filter for filtering metabolites from the water collected by the collector 212. In some embodiments, an exchange mechanism may be provided to exchange the water in the sump 202 with fresh water. When carried out during sea transport, for example, a fresh seawater supply is effective. The water in the sump 202 may be refreshed from time to time by the supply of seawater. Populated seawater is also available. Depending on the application, it is also possible to use a water flow system that does not have a water reservoir 202. For example, harvesters have readily available seawater. Seawater is supplied to the water flow system when needed and the collected seawater can be returned to the sea from the collector 212. This stream through the system provides improved water quality on boats or facilities that have a seawater supply.

The water treatment system 204 is actually performed in a basin 202, such as inside a pallet. A biofilter that filters metabolites is actually performed as any material for growing bacterial colonies that metabolize lobster / crustacean metabolites. A biofilter material with some large surface area may be provided inside the sump 202 to inhabit biofilter bacteria that actively filter the spray water during the spray cycle.

The exact execution of pump 206 depends on factors such as flow rate (depending on the number and temperature of lobsters stored or transported), power requirements and usefulness. Various types of fluid pumps can be used. Controller 207 is similarly executed depending on the conditions. The fluid pump may incorporate an integrated controller, in which case it is not necessary to provide a separate controller. Controller 207 has multiple functions such as pumping (water cycle and interval, pumping / flow rate), water distribution (eg, turning off the water line if the pallet is not full), and / or water treatment 204. Can be controlled.

Distributor 208, shown in FIG. 2, schematically represents a pipe or pipe through which water is distributed to container 210. In the example system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the top insert 110 in the top box 102 of each stack distributes water to the cells inside each box. Therefore, a simple tube or hose with some sort of splitter or manifold in which spray water is supplied to multiple boxes can be performed as the distributor 208. In embodiments, perforated tubes or pipe segments are joined to feed the tubes or pipes and are located at the top of the box at the top of the stack. As a result, water from the supply tubing or pipe is drained through the holes and thereby distributed to the container 210. The holes can be drilled or formed as perforated tubes or pipes. Perforated tubes or ends of pipes that do not connect to feed tubes or pipes are capped or sealed to allow water to pass through the holes.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a container support such as the pallet 104 in FIG. 1 has a surface for supporting the container 210, in the drawing the box 102. Each container 102, 210 has its own cell or compartment. It faces perpendicular to the surface of the container support and houses the lobster and / or other crustaceans individually alive, generally vertically, substantially perpendicular to the surface of the container support. The basin 202 is supported by a container support and may be integrated within the container support in certain embodiments as shown in FIG. A pump system that includes at least the pump 206 and, in certain embodiments, other components such as the distributor 208, is coupled to the basin 202, supported by a container support, and from the basin one or more containers 102, 210 and Pump water over lobster / crustaceans. In the system shown in FIG. 1, water is pumped to the top of each box 102 at the top of each raw tap. The collector 212 is also connected to the basin 202 and is carried by a container support, pumped by a pump system and collects water flowing above the lobster / crustaceans. This causes the water to be recovered and recycled, giving the landing storage system a self-contained operation in certain embodiments.

As mentioned above, the basin 202 may be integrated within the container support. The collector 212 may be integrated within the container support, for example as a flow path 122.

In addition to pump 206, the complete pump system may include a power source coupled to the pump system and carried by a container support. An embodiment of an external power source is also applicable.

When there are multiple containers 102, 210 in the stack on the surface of the container support, the pump system pumps water from the basin 202 to the top of the container at the top of the stack. Each of the containers 102, 210 in the stack has a drain, which is the drain 120 in the drawing. Through it, the water flowing over the lobster / crustaceans in the container is drained to the lower container in the stack or flows from the bottom container in the stack to collectors 122, 212. The water flowing over the lobster / crustaceans is directed to the drain by the bottom insert 114 in each container 102, 210.

The top insert 110 is an example of a perforated top insert, which is supported by a partition 112 on or below the top edge of each container 102, 210 to distribute water to cells within the container. In FIG. 1, each container 102, 210 in the stack has an upper lid. Containers are stacked with the top lid open. The open top lid of each container below the top container in each stack is close to the drain of the top container in the stack and directs water from the drain of the top container in the stack to the top insert 110. In the system 100, the drainage port 120 and the bottom lid 116 are arranged in this way.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described primarily in the context of exemplary systems, methods are also applicable. For example, method 300 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 relates to the manufacture of this system. Illustrative Method 300 comprises providing a variety of system components, including a container support (302), a reservoir (304), a pump system (306), and a collector (308). Other system components may also be given in certain embodiments.

Another exemplary method 400 is shown in FIG. This exemplary method relates to the use of the system disclosed herein. The method comprises step 402 of feeding the container on the container support. The container support has a surface for supporting the container, the reservoir, and the pump system. As mentioned above, each container contains cells for containing lobsters and / or other crustaceans alive individually in a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the plane. The exemplary method 400 uses a pump system to intermittently pump water from a reservoir into one or more containers above the lobster / crustaceans, with step 404 pumping by the pump system to the lobster / crustaceans. It has step 406 to collect the water flowing over it. The collected water is then returned to the sump.

Illustrative methods 300 and 400 are merely exemplary. Other embodiments may include fewer and / or different actions that are performed in a similar or different order. For example, FIG. 3 does not imply that each action must be performed individually or in succession. The pallet with integrated basin and collector is made of casting or plastic and at the same time provides a container support, basin and collector (302, 304, 308). The pump system and / or other components may be separately provided by different companies.

The addition of components as shown in Figure 3 is not always necessary for manufacturing these components. For example, the component may be supplied by the manufacturer. It does not necessarily have to be manufactured by the same company that actually manufactures the water flow system or uses containers as disclosed herein. The manufacture and assembly of components may be performed by separate companies. In this case, the manufacturer supplies the system component by manufacturing it, and the assembler purchases it from the manufacturer or wholesaler and supplies the component.

The same can be said for the exemplary method 400.

Embodiments of the present disclosure result in the maintenance of live lobster and / or crustaceans for an extended period of time outside the water during storage and / or transport. It is possible to save physical space, weight, and water used. Live lobster / crustaceans stored virtually vertically can replace conventional industrial standards for immersion within a 90 lb permissible crate. The embodiment also improves storage mortality.

In addition, handling efficiency is improved. In one scenario, freshly harvested lobster / crustaceans are taken out of the water in a plastic crate, placed on a refrigerated truck, and transported to a central storage and transportation facility. Lobster / crustacean crates are then floated within an industrial standard refrigerated water reservoir system. Lobsters / crustaceans are packed virtually in crates in shipping boxes for shipping to customers. With the technology disclosed herein, lobster / crustaceans are packed in a shipping box after harvest, transported to a central facility with intermittent water streams as described above, and then until the box needs to be shipped to the customer. Retained in the water flow system at the central facility. This can effectively reduce the excessive handling and effort required to repack the lobster / crustaceans in the central facility and is an improvement over lobster / crustaceans in distribution and storage. Give an environment.

Currently, there are several spray systems for lobster, but these use standard packing boxes or crates and must be placed in a special shipping container equipped with a spray, refrigerate, and filter system. It doesn't become. Such systems have the disadvantage of custom execution and are therefore unsuitable for sea transport unless used only on the return route to the place of shipment. The storage system disclosed here does not require a custom shipping container and the lobster / crustacean load is as small as a pallet. Since lobster / customer pallets are self-contained in some embodiments and only need to use the refrigeration system provided by the sea shipping container, other items should be packed in the same shipping container going over the sea. Can be done.

Examples of complete landed crustacean containment systems and methods were described in detail. These exemplary systems have containers (eg, boxes) and container carriers (eg, pallets).

Considering the container itself, in addition to acting as a drip tray in the landing storage system, when the container is used as a standard shipping box outside the water, the top insert 110 is gel-like placed on it. Provides a better distribution of cold air from the ice pack. When the ice pack is placed at the top of the partition in the container, the cold air tends to fall into the cell immediately below it, making the lobster in that particular cell more than the lobster in a cell that is not directly under the ice pack. Make it cold. Better distribution of cold air by the top plate 110 reduces cold / hotspots in the container. Fluid communication channels such as vent holes or slits may be formed in each of the cell walls, or in at least some, in at least one-third of the bottom of the partition. This channel provides a more freely diffused and descending flow of cold air from the gel ice pack not just above the individual cells, but to other adjacent cells. As a result, the cold air is trapped in the individual cells of the partition, so that the temperature inside the container becomes constant, and the problem that one section of the container is warmer or colder than the other sections can be alleviated or eliminated.

Therefore, in one embodiment, the container may have a partition that divides the interior space of the container into its respective cells. It is oriented perpendicular to the bottom of the container support and against the bottom of the container and the perforated top insert, which is carried by a partition to or below the top edge of the container and distributes fluid to the cell. Contains live crustaceans in a virtually vertical vertical direction. The fluids are water (in the landing containment system) and / or air.

A container support according to another embodiment collects and feeds a surface supporting one or more containers containing live crustaceans, a water reservoir, and water pumped from the water reservoir and flowing onto the crustaceans. Thus, it has a collector that is coupled to a reservoir and supported by a container support.

The application of the principles of the embodiments of the present invention has been described. Other configurations and methods can be performed by those skilled in the art without departing from the aspects of the present invention.

For example, the drawings are for illustration purposes only. Other embodiments may include more, less, or additional features configured in a manner similar to or different from the illustrated method.

Additionally, as described primarily in the context of methods and systems, it can also be implemented as a computer-readable medium containing instructions for spray control or water treatment control features.