Insulated Shipping Container
An insulating container is disclosed. The insulating shipping container includes an outer container and pieces of laminated foam, which are cut or scored to create hinges that permit the laminated foam pieces to be configured into an insulating enclosure. Alternatively, the laminated foam pieces may be formed without hinges and friction fit into the outer container.
This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/346,231 filed on May 19, 2010, which is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field of insulated shipping containers.
BACKGROUNDThe prior art contains numerous examples of coolers and shipping containers with a variety of configurations. Nevertheless, a need exists for a shipping container that has improved thermal properties and that is efficient to manufacture.
Both expanded polystyrene foam (“EPS”) and extruded polystyrene foam (“XPS”) are known for their thermal insulating properties and are widely used as insulating materials. It is also known that combining or impregnating foam polymers with other materials can improve the thermal properties of foam. For example, impregnating styrene polymers with graphite is now known to enhance the insulating properties of foam. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,130,265; 6,340,713; 6,384,094; 6,414,041, 5,977,197, 5,582,781, and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0189703 which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. An example of one commercially available graphite impregnated foam is NEOPOR® by the chemical company, BASF. NEOPOR is a graphite impregnated expanded polystyrene foam. The graphite flakes in NEOPOR foam reflect heat radiation, and therefore improve the thermal insulation properties of the foam. Graphite impregnated foam has greater thermal insulating ability than regular foam and helps to keep frozen items frozen during shipping or to keep warm items warm. The ability to maintain the temperature of the contents of the container without the use of ice or other agents is advantageous because such containers are lighter weight, and cost less to ship.
It is also known in the prior art to use foam panels or foam as the insulation material for shipping containers. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,762; 4,497,859; 4,682,708; 6,325,281. Some of these prior designs use mitred, hinged, or scored panels as an insulation material. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,441,170, and 3,980,005. It is also known in the prior art to use U-shaped padding or insulation panels. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,033,806; 4,928,847; 5,111,957; and 5,201,868. However, these hinge and panel shape designs are generally complicated and inefficient to manufacture, or time consuming to disassemble and assemble. The existing shipping containers and insulating methods, therefore, have significant shortcomings, and there is a need for a shipping container that has improved thermal properties, which is simple to assemble or disassemble, is reusable, and is efficient to manufacture.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.
In one embodiment of the invention, shown in
The outer container 1 can be any type of container, such as a box, bag, compartment, or any other item or enclosure that can contain matter. As best seen in
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the laminated foam pieces are prepared as follows. The desired thickness of the foam core 6 is selected, and the foam core sized or cut to the desired size. The laminate facers 7 are joined to the foam core 6, so that the foam core is at least partially disposed between laminate facers 7. The inner surface 8 and outer surface 9 of the foam core 6 can be joined to the laminate facers 7 using any suitable method, including, but not limited to heat-laminating, cold glue, etc.). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foam core 6 is essentially a sheet of foam, which is at least partially laminated on the inner and outer surfaces, namely the broad surfaces, of the sheet. Additionally, the laminate facers 7 on the two sides of a foam core are preferably different materials, having different melting points. The reason for this is to avoid having the parts stick together when they are cut or scored to create hinges. For example, one panel may be laminated with polypropylene and the other panel may be laminated with polyester. It would also be possible to only provide lamination on one side of the panel (the hinged side) but the panel would then have diminished insulative characteristics.
Then an operation is performed to cut the laminated foam into laminated foam pieces having the desired length and width, which is selected based on the size of the outer container. For efficiencies in manufacturing and cutting, the laminated foam may be stacked so that the panel surfaces are face-to-face, but the surfaces that are touching are not the same laminate material. If hot wires or other heated devices are used to cut the laminated foam to the desired length and width, the cut edges of laminate facers will not become melted together during cutting if the adjacent laminate facers are not the same material. Of course, if hot wires or other heated devices are not used to cut the laminated foam to length and width, the laminate facer materials on each side of the laminated foam can be the same.
Once the laminated foam pieces 2, 3, are prepared, they are then cut or scored to create hinges 4. The hinge positions are established to make the cut pieces fit properly into the designated outer container, which is integral to making the insulated shipping container function as intended. The hinges 4 are cut or scored into the laminate foam pieces 2, 3 at the appropriate locations using a slitter blade or hot wire apparatus. In cutting the hinges, it is imperative that one of the laminate facers remain intact (uncut). Once hinges are cut, the hinges define subsections of the foam core. In one embodiment of the invention (see
The laminated foam pieces 2, 3 are then prepared into the desired configuration and packed into the outer containers. There are multiple simple ways to assemble the laminated foam pieces into the insulating enclosure. One way is shown in
As shown in
As best seen in
One additional embodiment of the invention is show in
The present invention may be used in a variety of applications. For example, it may be used as a shipping container to keep its contents hot or cold during shipping or transport. Contents may include food, beverages, biological materials, medicines, or chemicals. The thermal properties of the insulation used will of course depend on the thermal properties of the foam core and laminate materials. However, the use of a foam core comprised of graphite impregnated EPS should be sufficient to keep food or biological products cold, frozen or warm during typical transport. The shipping container may also be used for storage, and the insulation used for packing or protection. The laminated foam pieces may also have other insulating uses in shipping or packing applications.
Although the invention has been herein described in what is perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims and the description of the invention herein.
Claims
1. An insulated container comprising:
- an outer container; and
- a plurality of laminated foam pieces, the laminated foam pieces each having a foam core with a first laminated face covering a side thereof; the laminated foam pieces having at least one hinge created by a score in the foam core that does not extend through the first laminated face; and wherein the laminated foam pieces are folded at the at least one hinge so as to create an insulating enclosure, the insulating enclosure positioned within the outer container.
2. The insulated container of claim 1 further comprising a second laminated face covering a side of the foam core opposite of that covered by the first laminated face.
3. The insulated container of claim 1 wherein the foam core is a graphite impregnated expanded polystyrene.
4. The insulated container of claim 2 wherein the first laminated face and the second laminated face are made from different materials.
5. The insulated container of claim 4 wherein the first laminated face is made from a material with a melting point higher than that of the second laminated face.
6. The insulated container of claim 4 wherein the first laminated face is made from polypropylene and the second laminated face is made from polyester.
7. A method of assembling an insulated container comprising the steps:
- selecting an outer container;
- selecting a first laminated foam piece and a second laminated foam piece;
- folding the first laminated foam piece along a hinge;
- placing the partially folded first laminated foam piece into the outer container;
- folding the second laminated foam piece along two hinges;
- placing the folded second laminated foam piece into the outer container; and
- folding the first laminated foam piece along a hinge.
8. A method of manufacturing an insulating enclosure comprising the steps:
- preparing a foam core by shaping it to a desired thickness;
- joining two laminate facers to the outer panels of the foam core to form laminated foam pieces, wherein each of the laminate facers are comprised of different materials;
- stacking the laminated foam pieces so that the laminate facers are not touching the same type of laminate facer material;
- cutting the laminated foam pieces to the desired length and width; and
- cutting hinges into the laminated foam pieces at appropriate locations in order for the laminated foam pieces to be configured into an insulating enclosure wherein edges of the foam core adjacent to the hinge are flush with the surface of the outer container.
Type: Application
Filed: May 19, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 24, 2011
Applicant: PLYMOUTH FOAM, INC. (Plymouth, WI)
Inventors: George M. Palmer (Kohler, WI), Randon M. Armstrong (Massillon, OH), Jeffrey D. Pahl (Newton, WI), David P. Waite (Grafton, WI)
Application Number: 13/111,129
International Classification: B65D 81/38 (20060101); B65B 17/00 (20060101); B65D 25/02 (20060101);