The present invention relates in particular to a method for the withering of harvested grape, but it is to be meant that the same invention could be advantageously used for all those cases wherein a withering treatment is required, for example for the desiccation of vegetables, officinal herbs, fruit of various kind and more.

Hereinafter in this description the case of the grape withering will continue to be referred to, by way of example and for description simplicity, without wanting in this way to limit to this case the application of the method and of the equipment according to the present invention.

As the persons skilled in the art know, the grapes' withering traditionally involves the transfer of grape from a gathering container used during grape-harvest and the grape bedding out on hurdles which are kept exposed to air in specific open environment for a determined number of weeks, until a desired sugar concentration in the berries before pressing is reached.

Nevertheless such procedure becomes always more expensive since it involves a great use of manpower, both for the transfer and the laying of grape on hurdles and for the repeated handling to eliminate possible rotten berries from the bunches spread out on the hurdles, and the subsequent recovery of the withered grape for the pressing.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a new method for the withering of vegetables, which enables to considerably simplify the traditional processes with consequent drastic saving in the manpower requested for the implementation thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to place at disposal a new equipment replacing the traditional hurdles to carry out the withering of vegetable grapes according to the present invention.

According to a first aspect of the present invention a method for the withering of vegetables is provided, comprising the harvest of vegetables in gathering containers and the bedding out of harvested vegetables in aired environment for a predetermined time interval and the retaking of withered vegetables for a subsequent treatment, characterized in that the bedding out of vegetables takes place by transferring the same containers used for the harvest full of vegetables into an aired environment apt for the withering of the vegetables themselves, and by the fact that the retaking of the withered vegetables takes place by using the same containers used for the harvest therefrom the withered vegetables are directly emptied into a treatment station or onto a medium for feeding the treatment station.

According to another aspect of the present invention a new equipment for implementing the method for the withering of vegetables according to any of the preceding claims is provided, characterized in that it comprises at least a stackable box container and equipped with at least a removable lateral side or wall and at least two fixed or lowerable sides.

Advantageously, said equipment comprises a pallet or similar support member to support a stack or pile of box containers and equipped of retaining means to prevent the fall thereof due to sliding once the pallet is slanted to discharge by fall the load contemporaneously from said stack of box containers.

Additional advantages, features and application modes of the present invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, shown by way of example and for limitative purposes, by referring to the figures of the

enclosed drawings, wherein : figure 1 illustrates a perspective slightly top view of a first embodiment example of a rectangular-planned box with short sides removable according to the present invention, obtained by connection of two modular components; figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the trace II-II of figure 1 ; figure 3 shows a perspective view in enlarged scale of particulars relating to the stacking engagement between two boxes as the one of fig. 1; figure 4 is a partial perspective view in enlarged scale showing the coupling between box and removable lateral side, as well as a joint key according to a variant compared to the box of fig. 1; figure 5 shows an elevational front view of the junction between adjacent sides of two modular components by means of the small key of fig. 4; figure 6 is a partial perspective elevational view of a groove-joint end of a fixed side of the box of figs.

4 and 5; figure 7 illustrates a partial perspective elevational view of the other tongue-joint end of a fixed side of a box according to figs. 4 and 5; figure 8 illustrates a schematic view in reduced scale of a locking key inserted between a groove-and- tongue joint of figs 6 and 7; figure 9 is a perspective view showing an embodiment example of a box according to the invention with not removable sides provided lowerable; figure 10 shows a schematic view in reduced scale of a box with two modular components as the one of fig. 1 with the addition of two ending modular components equipped with removable ending side; figure 11 is a perspective view and in reduced scale of a supporting pallet of a box pile or stack according to the invention equipped with retaining means to prevent

the box sliding further downwards during the discharge operations by inclining a box pile or stack; and figure 12 is an elevational side view of a pallet sustaining a box pile according to the invention for the discharge therefrom contemporaneously of the content thereof by fall.

In the enclosed drawings, like or similar parts have been marked by the same reference numerals.

By firstly referring to the figures 1 to 9, it will be noted that a piece of equipment for implementing the method for the withering of grapes according to the invention comprises a plurality of modular and stackable box containers 1, which are preferably quite little deep in height.

Of course, it is to be meant that the height of the box containers could advantageously be varied depending upon the specific application therefor they are manufactured and/or depending upon the specific fruit and/or vegetable which has to be withered.

More in particular, each box 1 is rectangular planned and it has two pairs of opposed lateral sides or walls.

A pair of opposed sides 2 and 3, the shorter sides (for example 60 cm), are fixed and integral with the bottom 6 of the box or they can be lowerable with respect thereto, whereas the other pair of opposed sides 4 and 5, that is the longer sides (for example 80 cm), are removable.

It is however to be meant that container variants are possible wherein all sides are lowerable, or other variants wherein all sides are removable.

As it has been illustrated by referring to figure 1, the box 1 has been assembled by approaching, at its own flanks aimed at housing the removable sides 4 and 5, to an additional identical box 1, so as to obtain a composite box formed by the joining of two boxes 1.

More in particular, the junction between the two

boxes 1 in the example shown in figure 1 is carried out thanks to the fact that in order to allow the removable insertion of the removable sides at the ends of the fixed or lowerable sides 2 and 3, a counterfort member or centering 7 is provided extending, slanted to divaricate, starting from the bottom 6 and bearing on itself a plurality of small stakes 8 projecting towards the box inside and arranged aligned in the direction of the slope of the corresponding counterfort 7.

Once the two containers 1 are approached together, on the inner side a junction plate 9 is scaffold-like applied, preferably of the same material thereof the boxes 1 are made, equipped with holes complementary to the position of the small stakes 8, by simply inserting preferably by release the plate 9 onto the small stakes 8 of a pair of adjacent counterforts 7.

At the same time, since each modular box 1, along the bottom 6 at its own flanks aimed at housing a removable side, has a shaped lowering 10 that is fluted with rounded corners in the longitudinal direction, the two approached boxes 1 (fig. 2) result to be locked together by a pair of junction plates 9 and kept in the correct position even by the action of mutual joint at the corresponding lowerings 10.

In the embodiment example shown in the figures 4 to 8, a junction between adjacent boxes has been shown by means of a dovetail small key 11 apt to be inserted into a specific seat 12 obtained partially at one end of a fixed or lowerable side 2 or 3 terminating with a groove- joint 13 (fig. 6) and partially at the end of an adjacent fixed or lowerable side terminating with a tongue-joint 14 (fig. 7).

Moreover, the small key 11 can be equipped with a pair of opposed tangs lla for the snap insertion into a corresponding notch 12a provided in the seats 12.

Each removable wall 4,5 can be removably arranged in position along a pair of sliding guides 15 obtained on

the inner face at both the ends-of each fixed or lowerable side 2 and 3 (figs. 4 and 6).

Such sliding guides 15 are slanted with respect to the bottom of the respective box container, by an angle preferably different from 90°.

Both the bottom 6 of the boxes and the fixed and lowerable sides 2 and 3 are interested by a plurality of through openings aimed at allowing an easy passage of the air therethrough and they can be shaped like slots, windows, drillings, clefts and/or the like.

The openings on the bottom and on the lower part of the fixed or lowerable sides 2 and 3, obviously, can be smaller sized, however so as to keep the load, for example grapes, with respect to the ones provided in the upper part of the sides, where preferably they can be much bigger.

The sides 4 and 5 can be lowerable for a more comfortable storage during the non-use thereof and they can have the configuration shown in figure 9, where each side 4 or 5 has a slit 16 at the corner thereof adjacent to the bottom 6 of the respective box, at thereof they have a pair of pins: upper 17 and lower 18, extending parallely in longitudinal direction to the respective side.

The bottom 6 of the box has an angular projection 19 projecting therefrom, wherein an upper slot 20 is obtained aimed at housing an upper pin 17 and a lower seat 21 aimed at housing a lower pin 18.

When, upon use, a side 4 or 5 is raised upwards until making the upper pins 17 thereof to come out from the respective slot 20, the side may rotate around its own lower pins 18, preferably aligned in the longitudinal direction, and thus it can be turned over on the bottom 6 of the box, whereas when it is upright with respect to the bottom 6 and with its own upper pins 17 inserted into the respective slots 20, it is constrained to remain in the upright position.

Figure 10 illustrates schematically a composite box with two intermediate modules 1 and two side modules 22 and 23, preferably having width equal to the one of the two intermediate modules 1 and length equal to half thereof, so as to constitute for example a 120-cm-long and 80-cm wide composite box. The modules 1 and 22 and 23 can be joined together according to one of the above described modes.

As it can be better seen in figure 3, a pair of spaced transversal centerings 24 projects from the bottom 6 of each modular box 1, each of them having a lower notch 25 in order to surmount a top longitudinal rib 27 of a box below and in order to delimit a resting outer foot 26 aimed at inserting into a notch for example delimited between a pair of parallel ribs 28, for example making one body with the rib 27 and extending perpendicularly thereto.

Thanks to this stacking configuration the various box containers remain constrained therebetween even if the stack is slanted sideways by a considerable sloping angle and so as to allow to discharge the load by gravity from all the boxes of the stack or pile.

Figure 11 illustrates a top perspective view of a pallet 30, preferably in plastic material, which apart from having four hollow feet 31 for the insertion of a fork of a forklift (not shown in the drawings) has on its own discharge plane a pair of opposed longitudinal centerings 32 equal in sizes to a rib 27 on the top of each box container, each one equipped with a pair of parallel ribs 33 wholly analogous to the ribs 28 delimitating a notch for receiving a respective foot 26 of a lower container of a pile 34 (fig. 12) of containers placed on the pallet 30.

With this configuration of the pallet 30 and of the containers forming the stack 34, it is possible to slope considerably a pile of containers, in case after having removed at least one or both the removable sides 2 and 3,

as illustrated in figure 12, in order to perform contemporaneously the discharge by fall of the content (for example of the withered grape into the containers themselves) of all the containers of the pile in a wished place, for example a machine feeding hopper for pressing the withered grape or a feeding conveyor of the hopper itself. The whole thing can be performed for example with a hoister with forks which can be lifted in an indipendent way the one from the other, and therefore without manual intervention on the individual boxes, which, among other things, are always and in any way easily all inspectionable, once removed the removable sides, both during the grape withering for the handling of the grape itself and after the content discharge to check that no remainder is left in any box.

The present invention has been sofar described according to a preferred embodiment thereof shown by way of example and not for limitative purposes.

It is to be meant that other embodiments may be provided, all to be considered as comprised within the protective scope of the same, as defined by the annexed claims.