Thermal Insulation Box

Abstract

A thermal insulation box includes a casing and a liner. The casing includes a casing body and a casing lid. The casing lid is openably coupled to an opening of the casing body. The liner is disposed in the casing body and includes a waterproof fabric and a thermally insulating layer disposed between the waterproof fabric and an inner wall of the casing body. The waterproof fabric is made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a thermal insulation box and, more particularly, to a thermal insulation box that is easy to carry and capable of providing a temperature maintaining effect for objects received in the thermal insulation box.

2. Description of the Related Art

Busy modern people often choose outdoor leisure activities during holidays to soothe the life stress and to improve the relationship between them and their family and friends. In the case of an outing or wild camping, a user generally uses a portable thermal insulation box to carry food to be maintained at cold or warm temperature, permitting the user to enjoy cool or warm food at any time or retaining the freshness of the food until cooking to thereby prevent decay of the food.

However, the surface of the liner of a conventional thermal insulation box is generally made of nylon laminated fabrics whose cross sectional fibers will absorb liquids and, thus, smell, discolor, and/or become unhygienic. Therefore, an additional thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sealing strips are required to heat seal all of processed cross sections in the conventional thermal insulation box, which not only causes a burden in the costs but also causes difficulties in increasing the yield.

Thus, improvement to the conventional thermal insulation box is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To solve the above disadvantages, an objective of the present invention is to provide a thermal insulation box including a liner incapable of absorbing liquids, thereby saving the costs for heat sealing operations and related materials.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a thermal insulation box which is light-weighted.

When the terms “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “side”, and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention, rather than restricting the invention.

As used herein, the term “a” or “an” for describing the number of the elements and members of the present invention is used for convenience, provides the general meaning of the scope of the present invention, and should be interpreted to include one or at least one. Furthermore, unless explicitly indicated otherwise, the concept of a single component also includes the case of plural components.

As used herein, the term “coupling”, “engagement”, “assembly”, or similar terms is used to include separation of connected members without destroying the members after connection or inseparable connection of the members after connection. A person having ordinary skill in the art would be able to select according to desired demands in the material or assembly of the members to be connected.

A thermal insulation box according to the present invention comprises a casing and a liner. The casing includes a casing body and a casing lid. The casing lid is openably coupled to an opening of the casing body. The liner is disposed in the casing body and includes a waterproof fabric and a thermally insulating layer disposed between the waterproof fabric and an inner wall of the casing body. The waterproof fabric is made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh.

Thus, in the thermal insulation box according to the present invention, the waterproof fabric disposed on the surface of the liner can be made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh. The surface of the liner will not absorb liquids to avoid the problems of smell, discoloration, or poor hygiene. Furthermore, the costs for heat sealing operations and related material costs can be saved, reducing the manufacturing costs and increasing the yield.

In an example, the thermally insulating layer is made of polyphenylene oxide (PPO). Thus, the thermally insulating layer is further light-weighted and odorless and has reduced costs.

In an example, the mesh fabric is an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) mesh fabric in which the at least one film on each of the two sides of the mesh is at least one EVA film. Thus, the waterproof fabric has a light-weight feature to further improve the light-weight effect of the thermal insulation box.

In an example, the EVA mesh fabric has a working temperature in a range of −40 to 70° C. Thus, the demands in low-temperature refrigeration and the temperature maintaining effect can be fulfilled, thereby enhancing the utility of the thermal insulation box.

In an example, the waterproof fabric completely covers the thermally insulating layer, and the waterproof fabric has an edge coupled to the inner wall at a top end of the casing body. Thus, alien objects can be reliably prevented from entering between the liner and the casing body, keeping the temperature maintaining effect and prolonging the service life of the thermal insulation box.

In an example, the liner includes another thermally insulating layer disposed between another waterproof fabric and an inner wall of the casing lid. The another waterproof fabric completely covers the another thermally insulating layer. The another waterproof fabric has an edge coupled to the inner wall of the casing lid. When the casing lid is in a closed state covering the opening of the casing body, the another thermally insulating layer at the casing lid is located above the thermally insulating layer at the casing body. The another waterproof fabric at the casing lid abuts the waterproof fabric at the casing body. Thus, a closed receiving space can be formed to enhance the temperature maintaining effect.

In an example, the liner includes at least one reflective layer disposed between the thermally insulating layer and the inner wall of the casing body. Thus, the temperature maintaining effect can be enhanced.

In an example, the thermal insulation further comprises a supporting board disposed between the liner and the casing body, and the supporting board is a plastic, hollow, corrugated board. Thus, the thermal insulation box is light-weight and has an excellent supporting strength and is, thus, less likely to deform, prolonging the service life of the thermal insulation box.

In an example, the casing body and the casing lid are partially connected to each other. When the casing lid is in a closed state, the casing body and the casing lid are maintained in a connected state by a waterproof zipper unit. Thus, ambient water is prevented from entering the interior of the thermal insulation box.

In an example, the casing includes two lifting straps disposed on two opposite sides of the casing, respectively. Each of the two lifting straps is a hollow woven strap receiving a soft material. Thus, the thermal insulation box can be easily transported while providing more comfortable use.

In an example, the casing lid is disposed on a top end of the casing body, and an annular wall is disposed around a peripheral edge of a top side of the casing lid. Thus, the objects at the top side of the casing lid are less likely to fall out of the thermal insulation box due to provision of the annular wall, enhancing the utility of the thermal insulation box.

The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thermal insulation box of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the thermal insulation box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circled portion B of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, a thermal insulation box of an embodiment according to the present invention comprises a casing 1 and a liner 2 disposed in the casing 1. The casing 1 includes a casing body 1a and a casing lid 1b. The casing body 1a includes an opening 11 for removing objects out of or placing objects into the casing body 1a. The casing lid 1b is openably coupled to an opening 11 of the casing body 1a and can be opened when placing or removal of the objects is required. The type of the casing 1 is not limited in the present invention. Namely, the casing body 1a and the casing lid 1b can have independent three-dimensional outlines. Furthermore, the opening 11 of the casing body 1a can be disposed in a top end of the casing body 1a or any other location, which can be varied according to needs by one having ordinary skill in the art and, therefore, should not be limited by the parallelepiped outlines disclosed in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the casing lid 1b is located at the top end of the casing body 1a. An annular wall 12 may be disposed around a peripheral edge of a top side of the casing lid 1b. Thus, the objects at the top side of the casing lid 1b are less likely to fall out of the thermal insulation box 1 due to provision of the annular wall 12.

Specifically, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the casing 1 of this embodiment, the casing body 1a and the casing lid 1b are partially connected to each other. The casing 1 includes a fixture portion 13 for maintaining the casing body 1a and the lid 1b in a connected state when the casing lid 1b is in a closed state. In an example, the fixture portion 13 may be in the form of a zipper unit, preferably a waterproof zipper unit. In another embodiment, the fixture portion 13 may be a tying strap, hook and loop fasteners, a magnetic coupling unit or any connection mechanism permitting repeated engagement and repeated disengagement. The present invention is not limited in this regard. The casing body 1a and the casing lid 1b can be made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) laminated fabric (e.g., a laminated fabric including a nylon sheet and two TPU films bonded to two sides of the nylon sheet, respectively) to provide a water-repellent effect.

Furthermore, the casing 1 may include two lifting straps 14 disposed on two opposite sides of the casing 1, respectively, allowing easy transportation of the thermal insulation box. Each of the two lifting straps 14 may be a hollow woven strap receiving a soft material for comfortable use. The casing 1 may include two buckle rings 15 disposed on two opposite sides of the casing 1, respectively. Two ends of a shoulder strap (not shown) can be coupled with the two buckle rings 15 to permit a user to carry the thermal insulation box across the shoulder or the back. The casing 1 may further include at least one adjustable fabric strap 16 on a rear side thereof. A user can extend a rope or a fixing strap (not shown) through the at least one adjustable fabric strap 16 to fix the casing 1 to a vehicle luggage rack. At least one pocket 17 can be provided on an outer face of the casing 1 for receiving the shoulder strap, the rope, or other small objects.

With reference to FIG. 3, the liner 2 is disposed in the casing 1 and defines a receiving space S intercommunicating with the opening 11 of the casing body 1a, permitting objects to be placed into the thermal insulation box. In this embodiment, a thermally insulating layer 21 is disposed between a waterproof fabric 22 and an inner wall of the casing body 1a. The thermally insulating layer 21 may be made of polyethylene (PE) foam material (such as polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polyphenylene ether (PPE)) or rubber foam material (such as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)). Thus, the temperature maintaining effect can be maintained up to 48-72 hours. A thermally insulating layer 21 made of NBR provides a longer holding time, whereas a thermally insulating layer 21 made of polyethylene (PE) foam material (such as polyphenylene oxide) is lighter than a thermally insulating layer 21 made of NBR by about 30% in weight, which is light-weighted and odorless and which has lower costs.

The waterproof fabric 22 is contiguous to the receiving space S and is made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh. Since the PE yarns have no pores and, thus, will not absorb liquids, the problems of smell, discoloration, or poor hygiene can be avoided even if the waterproof fabric 22 comes in contact with the liquids in the receiving space S. Furthermore, it is not necessary to heat seal the processed cross sections of the waterproof cloth 22, saving the costs and processing time for heat sealing. The mesh fabric can be, for example, an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) mesh fabric in which at least one EVA film is bonded to each of the two sides of the mesh made of PE yarns. The EVA mesh fabric has a specific weight of about 0.8-0.9 and, thus, has a feature of light weight. EVA material resistant to cold can be selected to be used in a low-temperature environment of about −40° C., which is more suitable for low-temperature refrigeration. Furthermore, EVA films can be used in a warm or hot temperature up to 70° C., which also meets the temperature keeping requirement of the thermal insulation box. In this embodiment, the waterproof fabric 22 completely covers the thermally insulating layer 21 to avoid exposure of the thermally insulating layer 21, and the objects placed into the receiving space S can only contact with the waterproof fabric 22. Furthermore, the waterproof fabric 22 can cover a top end of the thermally insulating layer 21, and an edge of the waterproof fabric 22 is coupled to the inner wall at the top end of the casing body 1a, preventing alien objects from entering between the liner 2 and the casing body 1a. Furthermore, in the embodiment including the casing body 1a made of a TPU laminated fabric, a hot melt glue film with material compatibility can be added into a coupling area between the waterproof fabric 22 and the inner wall at the top end of the casing body 1a, and high frequency fusion can be carried out for coupling, increasing the coupling reliability between the waterproof fabric 22 and the casing body 1a.

The liner 2 can further include another thermally insulating layer 21′ disposed between another waterproof fabric 22′ and an inner wall of the casing lid 1b. The another waterproof fabric 22′ can completely cover the another thermally insulating layer 21′, and an edge of the another waterproof fabric 22′ can be coupled to the inner wall of the casing lid 1b, such that when the casing lid 1b is in a closed state covering the opening 11 of the casing body 1a, the another thermally insulating layer 21′ at the casing lid 1b is located above the thermally insulating layer 21 at the casing body 1a, and the another waterproof fabric 22′ at the casing lid 1b abuts the waterproof fabric 22 at the casing body 1a. Thus, the receiving space S is sealed.

Furthermore, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, to enhance the temperature maintaining effect, the liner 2 can further include at least one reflective layer 23. The at least one reflective layer 23 can be, for example, an aluminum foil film to further reduce the heat exchange between the receiving space S and the ambience. In this embodiment, the liner 2 includes two reflective layers 23 and 23′. One of the two reflective layers 23 is disposed between the thermally insulating layer 21 and the inner wall of the casing body 1a. Another of the two reflective layers 23′ is disposed between the another thermally insulating layer 21′ and the inner wall of the casing lid 1b. Thus, through use of the thermally insulating layer 21 made of PPO, a temperature maintaining effect up to 60 hours can be provided, which is more suitable for leisure activities during weekends.

With reference to FIG. 3 again, the thermal insulation box can further include a supporting board 3 which can be a plastic, hollow, corrugated board (such as pp plate sheet). The supporting board 3 can be disposed between the liner 2 and the casing body 1a. Thus, the thermal insulation box is light-weight and has an excellent supporting strength and is, thus, less likely to deform.

In view of the foregoing, in the thermal insulation box according to the present invention, the waterproof fabric 22 disposed on the surface of the liner 2 can be made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh. The surface of the liner 2 will not absorb liquids to avoid the problems of smell, discoloration, or poor hygiene. Furthermore, the costs for heat sealing operations and related material costs can be saved, reducing the manufacturing costs and increasing the yield. Furthermore, the waterproof fabric 22 is lighter in weight, and in a case that the thermally insulating layer 21 made of PPO is used, the thermal insulation box does not smell and has a reduced overall weight, providing a high-utility thermal insulation box which is more light-weighted and which provides a sufficient holding time.

It is worth mentioning that the thermal insulation box according to the present invention not only can be used to carry food to be maintained at cold or warm temperature during outdoor leisure activities but also can be used in maintaining the temperature during production, transportation, or sale of medicines or food or even in transportation of organ donation. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the above applications.

Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A thermal insulation box comprising:

a casing including a casing body and a casing lid, wherein the casing lid is openably coupled to an opening of the casing body; and

a liner disposed in the casing body and including a waterproof fabric and a thermally insulating layer disposed between the waterproof fabric and an inner wall of the casing body, wherein the waterproof fabric is made of a mesh fabric having a mesh made of polyethylene yarns and at least one film bonded to each of two sides of the mesh, wherein processed cross sections of the waterproof fabric are not treated by heat sealing.

2. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating layer is made of polyphenylene oxide (PPO).

3. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mesh fabric is an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) mesh fabric in which the at least one film on each of the two sides of the mesh is at least one EVA film.

4. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 3, wherein the EVA mesh fabric has a working temperature in a range of −40 to 70° C.

5. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the waterproof fabric completely covers the thermally insulating layer, and wherein the waterproof fabric has an edge coupled to the inner wall at a top end of the casing body.

6. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 5, wherein the liner includes another thermally insulating layer disposed between another waterproof fabric and an inner wall of the casing lid, wherein the another waterproof fabric completely covers the another thermally insulating layer, wherein the another waterproof fabric has an edge coupled to the inner wall of the casing lid, wherein when the casing lid is in a closed state covering the opening of the casing body, the another thermally insulating layer at the casing lid is located above the thermally insulating layer at the casing body, and wherein the another waterproof fabric at the casing lid abuts the waterproof fabric at the casing body.

7. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liner includes at least one reflective layer disposed between the thermally insulating layer and the inner wall of the casing body.

8. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a supporting board disposed between the liner and the casing body, wherein the supporting board is a plastic, hollow, corrugated board.

9. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing body and the casing lid are partially connected to each other, and wherein when the casing lid is in a closed state, the casing body and the casing lid are maintained in a connected state by a waterproof zipper unit.

10. (canceled)

11. The thermal insulation box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing lid is disposed on a top end of the casing body, and wherein an annular wall is disposed around a peripheral edge of a top side of the casing lid.