Patent ID: 7340995

Claim:
An apparatus for fruit ripening and display whereby fruit ripening is substantially accelerated comprising a) two or more display parts wherein the size of said two or more display parts permits them to fit entirely on a countertop two feet long by two feet wide when combined; b) one or more chambers for retaining ripening gas formed at least in part by the combination of two or more of the display parts wherein i) at least one of said one or more of the chambers has one or more walls comprising gas impermeable material and is ventilated by at least two vents sufficient for one or more of the chambers to retain an effective amount of ripening gas a day after one or more of the chambers are filled substantially full of ripening gas-producing fruit whereby fruit ripening is substantially accelerated; ii) at least one or more chambers for retaining fruit ripening gas are substantially hemispherical or substantially ellipsoidal; and c) two or more support surfaces for ripening fruit wherein i) one or more of said two or more display parts comprise at least part of one of the two or more support surfaces for ripening fruit; ii) one or more of said two or more display parts comprise at least part of another of the two or more support surfaces for ripening; iii) at least one of the aforesaid support surfaces for ripening fruit is enclosed inside one or more chambers for retaining fruit ripening gas when one or more of the chambers are formed at least in part by combination of two or more of the display parts; iv) at least one of the one or more support surfaces for ripening fruit is located outside of the one or more chambers for retaining ripening gas when one or more of the chambers are formed at least in part by combination of two or more of the display parts; v) at least one of the one or more support surfaces for ripening fruit that are located outside of the one or more chambers for retaining ripening gas when one or more of the chambers are formed at least in part by combination of two or more of the display parts is at least in part concave and at least in part inwardly sloped.