PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE PRODUCTS
A packaging system for shipping a temperature-sensitive product is provided. The packaging system includes a thermally-insulated transport container providing a housing for the temperature-sensitive product and separate temperature-controlling packs and a separate rack for placement within the transport container for arranging the temperature-controlling packs. Each of the transport container and the rack has walls that are fully removable and able to be independently re-assembled during loading of the packaging system with the temperature-sensitive product and temperature-controlling packs.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/043,438, filed Jun. 24, 2020.
BACKGROUNDIn the transport of temperature-sensitive products, thermally-insulated packaging, transport, or shipping containers may be used to provide a sealed housing during transport for forming a space for the temperature-sensitive products and for gel packs or like temperature-controlling material or apparatus.
Examples of thermally-sensitive products may include medical products, biologics, biological materials or samples, blood, blood plasma, organs intended for transplantation, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, injectable medications, chemicals, food, and other temperature-sensitive articles. The term “biological material” as used herein is intended to include but not to be limited to blood and blood products including any type of human or animal blood, cells including stem cells, bone marrow, donor organs, tissue products and samples, plasma concentrates, reagents (including standards and controls) used to assay biological functions, specimens and the like, and any other biological products (including pharmaceuticals) that must be kept within predetermined temperature ranges during transport.
Gel packs or other containers or the like are typically filled with water, phase change material (PCM) or other fluids and may be conditioned (frozen, cooled, heated) to a pre-determined temperature and stabilized at the pre-determined temperature before use. A phase change material (PCM) is a substance with a high heat of fusion which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy.
Transport boxes, in particular, relatively large-capacity transport boxes that may stacked on shipment pallets or the like, are often relatively difficult to load, particularly a single worker. It can be difficult to properly secure and arrange the temperature-sensitive products and the PCM, gel packs, or the like in a proper arrangement within the box, which is critical for proper and safe shipment of the temperature-sensitive products. It can also be time-consuming to properly load such a transport box which thereby undesirably exposes the conditioned. PCM gel packs and temperature-sensitive products to ambient conditions for potentially extended-periods of time needed to properly load the transport box before it may be sealed closed.
SUMMARYAccording to an embodiment, a packaging system for shipping a temperature-sensitive product is provided. The packaging system includes a thermally-insulated transport container providing a housing for the temperature-sensitive product and separate temperature-controlling packs and a separate rack for placement within the transport container for arranging the temperature-controlling packs. Each of the transport container and the rack has walls that are fully removable and able to be independently re-assembled during loading of the packaging system with the to product and temperature-controlling packs to enable ready loading of the packaging system.
Various features of the embodiments described in the following detailed description can be more fully appreciated when considered with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein the same numbers refer to the same elements.
For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of the embodiments are described by referring mainly to examples thereof. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It ill be app (rent however, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that the embodiments may he practiced without limitation to these specific details. In some instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the embodiments.
According to an embodiment, a packaging system for transporting temperature-sensitive product is provided and includes a transport container, which forms an outer envelope of the packaging system, and a rack, which can be housed within the transport container for assisting with the loading and arrangement of PCM packs and the temperature-sensitive products within the transport container. The walls of the transport container may be formed by vacuum insulated panels and the base of the transport container may in the form of a shipping pallet. Thus, while the packaging system may be of any dimensions and have any designed capacity, some contemplated embodiments of the packaging system can provide relatively large capacities. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the packaging system may be configured to house a volume of temperature-sensitive products of at least about 500 liters, such as within a range of about 500 to 600 liters. Of course, the packaging system can be designed to provide other volumes, including larger and smaller volumes.
According to an embodiment, both the transport container 10 and the rack 12 can be readily disassembled for storage or return shipment and readily reassembled for re-use. In addition, the transport container 10 and rack 12 can each be assembled efficiently during a process of loading the PCM packs and temperature-sensitive products. Thus, according to embodiments, a single worker may be able to readily assemble or re-assembly fully load, and seal the packaging system in a minimum amount of time despite the PCM packs and/or temperature-sensitive products being provided in a relatively large, heavy, or bulky forms.
As best shown in
As best shown
The base 24 of transport container 10 may include an outturned support ledge 26 on which the front wall 14 may be supported. In addition, several separate hinge tabs 28 may project from the edge 30 of the ledge 26 and include inward-turned lips 32. See
The construction of the top wall or lid 22 is best shown in
In addition, as best shown in
Thus, the compartment 44 can be d. to securely hold tracking devices sensors, documents, or the like for shipment with the packaging system. The size of the compartment 44 is readily variable in that different-shaped foam layers 42 can be inserted and/or replaced and used for different size and shape Logger types.
As best shown in
Preferably, each of the walls of the transport container 10 are made of vacuum insulated panels. By way of example, the outside layers of the walls may be made of fiberglass or a plastic material having a thickness of no greater than about 4 mm. This permits the walls to be relatively thin, lightweight, and compact yet provide high-performance thermal insulation. Thus, the transport container 10 provides a thermally-insulated box-shaped structure when assembled and sealed closed.
Turning to a description of the rack 12, it can include a front wall 50, rear wall 52, and a pair of side walls 54 acid 56, as best shown in
Each of the front, rear, and side walls, 50, 52, 54 and 56, of the rack 12 can be readily separated and connected to enable ease of independently loading each of the walls with PCM packs and individually placing each wall within the transport container 10. As best shown in
As shown in
Magnets 62 may be fixed along opposite edges of the rear wall 16 of the transport container 10 (see
The rear wall 52 may be pre-loaded in advance with PCM packs in a temperature-controlled environment before being put into place in the transport container 10, which will typically be assembly, stored, and loaded in ambient atmosphere conditions. This reduces the time required for loading the transport container 10. Also, since the magnets 62 should be able to hold the rear wall 52 in place in an upright condition within the transport container 10, this should free the hands of the worker to perform other assembly and loading tasks.
As best shown in
As shown in
As best shown in
While the principles of the invention have been described above regarding specific devices, apparatus, systems, and/or methods, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as limitation. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.
Claims
1. A packaging system for shipping a temperature-sensitive product, comprising:
- a thermally-insulated transport container providing a housing for the temperature-sensitive product and separate temperature-controlling packs; and
- a separate rack for placement within the transport container for arranging the temperature-controlling packs;
- each of said transport container and said rack having walls that are fully removable and able to be independently re-assembled during loading of the packaging system with the temperature-sensitive product.
2. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said thermally-insulated transport container includes a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of side walls, a top wall, and a base, and wherein at least said front, rear, side, and top walls include vacuum insulated panels.
3. The packaging system according to claim 2, wherein said front wall of said transport container is fully removable from said transport container.
4. The packaging system according to claim 3, wherein said base of said transport container includes a support ledge for supporting said front wall of said transport container, and wherein said support ledge includes a series of upstanding hinge tabs and a lower portion of said front wall includes a series of corresponding hinge slots enabling a pivoting connection of said front wall relative to said base when said front wall is positioned on said support ledge.
5. The packaging system according to claim 3, wherein said top wall of the transport container includes at least one mechanical fastener for securing said front wall thereto to seal and close said transport container.
6. The packaging system according to claim 5, wherein said top wall of said transport container includes a pair of vacuum insulated panels separated by a foam layer, and wherein said at least one mechanical fastener is inset within said top wall and does not project above a substantially flat outer surface of said top wall.
7. The packaging system according to claim 6, wherein a logger compartment is formed in said foam layer between said pair of vacuum insulted panels of said top wall of said transport container, and wherein said logger compartment is sealed closed when said front wall of said transport container is secured to said top wall.
8. The packaging system according to claim 5, wherein said transport container includes profile components defining slots into which said side walls can be slid into position or entirely removed.
9. The packaging system according to claim 8, wherein, when said side walls of said transport container are fully slid into and retained in position by said profile components and when said front wall is secured to said top wall, said front wall locks said side walls in position on said transport container.
10. The packaging system according to claim 2, wherein said base of said transport container is in the form of a shipping pallet.
11. The packaging system according to claim 10, wherein a volume of shipping capacity provided by the packaging system is at least about 500 liters.
12. The packaging system according to claim 2, wherein said rack includes a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, and wherein each of said front, rear, and side walls of said rack is separately removable from the other walls of said rack and define areas for retaining a set of the temperature-controlling packs.
13. The packaging system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of said rack and said transport container has magnets for separately retaining said rear and side walls in upright positions relative to said rear and side walls of said transport container.
14. The packaging system according to claim 13, wherein said rack includes clips for automatically securing confronting free edges of said walls of said rack together when placed in position within said transport container.
15. The packaging system according to claim 13, wherein each of said front, rear, and side walls of said rack has a rail on a lower edge thereof, and wherein said base of said transport container includes grooves for receiving said rails to properly position said rack within said transport container.
16. The packaging system according to claim 15, wherein said rack includes a floor rack for placement on said base of said transport container for defining areas for retaining a set of the temperature-controlling packs.
17. The packaging system according to claim 16, wherein said floor rack includes a lower floor rack for defining areas for retaining a set of the temperature-controlling packs adjacent said base of said transport container and a separate upper floor rack stackable on said lower floor rack for providing a support surface for the temperature-sensitive product within said housing.
18. The packaging system according to claim 17, wherein said upper and lower floor racks have cooperatively-mating confronting surfaces that prevent relative lateral movement thereof when stacked together.
19. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature-controlling packs for being loaded on said rack are packs filled with a phase change material (PCM).
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 21, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 30, 2021
Inventors: Marcel Baske (Mettmann), Ingo von der Ruhr (Bergisch Gladbach), Volker Kirchner (Putzbrunn), Nils Markmann (Munchen)
Application Number: 17/352,854