Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SHIPPING SYSTEM FOR STORING AND/OR TRANSPORTING
TEM PE RA1 U RE-SENSITIVE MATERIALS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to shipping systems for storing and/or
transporting temperature-sensitive materials and relates more particularly to
a novel such
shipping system.
It is often desirable to store and/or to transport temperature-sensitive
materials,
examples of such materials including, but not being limited to,
pharmaceuticals, biological
samples, foods, and beverages. As a result, various types of shipping systems
for storing
and/or transporting such materials have been devised, some of these shipping
systems
being parcel-sized shipping systems and some of these shipping systems being
pallet-
sized shipping systems. Typically, such parcel-sized shipping systems include
an
insulated container having a cavity for receiving a temperature-sensitive
material. Often,
the temperature-sensitive material is housed within a product or payload
container, the
product or payload container (with the temperature-sensitive material disposed
therewithin) being placed in the cavity of the insulated container. Such
shipping systems
often also include a phase-change material disposed within the insulated
container for
maintaining the temperature-sensitive material within a desired temperature
range. In
many instances, such as when the desired temperature range for the temperature-
sensitive
material is below the ambient temperature outside the insulated container, the
phase-
change material is refrigerated or frozen prior to being placed in the
insulated container so
that the phase-change material can act as a coolant.
An example of a parcel-sized shipping system of the type described above is
illustrated by U.S. Patent No. 6,868,982, inventor Gordon, which issued, March
22, 2005,
and which is incorporated herein by reference. According to this patent, there
is disclosed
an insulated shipping container and a method of making the same. In a
preferred
embodiment, the insulated shipping container comprises an outer box, an
insulated insert,
an inner box, and a closure member. The outer box, which is preferably made of
corrugated fiberboard, comprises a rectangular prismatic cavity bounded by a
plurality of
rectangular side walls, a closed bottom end, and top closure flaps. The
insulated insert is
snugly, but removably, disposed within the outer box and is shaped to define a
rectangular
prismatic cavity bounded by a bottom wall and a plurality of rectangular side
walls, the
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insulated insert having an open top end. The insulated insert is made of a
foamed
polyurethane body to which on all sides, except its bottom, a thin, flexible,
unfoamed
polymer bag is integrally bonded. The bag is a unitary structure having a
generally
uniform rectangular shape, the bag being formed by sealing shut one end of a
tubular
member with a transverse seam and forming longitudinal creases extending from
opposite
ends of the seam. The inner box, which is snugly, but removably, disposed
within the
insert, is preferably made of corrugated fiberboard and is shaped to include a
rectangular
prismatic cavity bounded by a plurality of rectangular side walls and a closed
bottom end,
the top end thereof being open. The closure member is a thick piece of foam
material
.. snugly, but removably, disposed in the open end of the inner box. In use, a
temperature
sensitive material is placed in the inner box, together with dry ice or some
other
temperature-stabilizing material.
Another example of a parcel-sized shipping system of the type described above
is
illustrated by U.S. Patent No. 9,045,278, inventors Mustafa et al., which
issued June 2,
2015, and which is incorporated herein by reference. According to this patent,
there is
disclosed an insulated shipping container and method of making the same. in a
preferred
embodiment, the aforementioned shipping container includes an outer box, an
insulated
insert, an insulated cover, a payload container and a plurality of coolant
members. The
insulated insert is snugly, but removably, disposed within the outer box and
is shaped to
include a plurality of sides and a top. The top includes a raised peripheral
edge and a
recessed shelf. A large rectangular prismatic cavity surrounded by a plurality
of smaller
cavities extends downwardly from the recessed shelf. The large cavity of the
insulated
insert is adapted to receive a payload container. Each of the smaller cavities
of the
insulated insert is adapted to receive a coolant member, the smaller cavities
having a "top
hat" shape when viewed from above that includes a crown portion and a brim
portion.
Other documents of interest may include the following, all of which are
incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent No. 5,897,017, inventor Lantz,
issued April
27, 1999; U.S. Patent No. 6,257,764, inventor Lantz, issued July 10, 2001;
U.S. Patent No.
5,924,302, inventor Derifield, issued July 20, 1999; U.S. Patent No.
6,044,650, inventors
Cook et al., issued April 4, 2000; U.S. Patent No. 5,709,307, inventors Rosado
et al.,
issued January 20, 1998; U.S. Patent No. 5,450,977, inventor Moe, issued
September 19,
1995; U.S. Patent No. 5,501,338, inventor Preston, issued March 26, 1996; U.S.
Patent No.
6,244,458, inventors Frysinger et al., issued June 12, 2001; U.S. Patent No.
6,192,703,
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inventors Salyer et al., issued February 27, 2001; U.S. Patent No. 7,950,246,
inventors
Mayer et al., issued May 31, 2011; U.S. Patent Appin. Publication No. US
2005/0224501
Al, inventors Folkert et al., published October 13, 2005; and U.S. Patent
Appin.
Publication No. US 2003/0102317 Al, inventor Gordon, published June 5, 2003.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping system
for
storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shipping system
for
use in transporting and/or storing temperature-sensitive materials, the
shipping system
comprising (a) an insulation unit, the insulation unit shaped to include a
cavity bounded by
a bottom wall, four side walls, and an open top; (b) a liner, the liner being
removably
mounted on the insulation unit, the liner being shaped to include a cavity,
wherein the
cavity of the liner extends into the cavity of the insulation unit; (c) a
product box, the
product box being removably disposed within the cavity of the liner; and (d)
at least one
temperature-control member, the at least one temperature-control member being
removably
disposed within the cavity of the liner.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the insulation unit may comprise
a
plurality of vacuum insulated panels.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the plurality of vacuum insulated
panels
may comprise a bottom vacuum insulated panel and four side vacuum insulated
panels, and
the four side vacuum insulated panels may be positioned on top of the bottom
vacuum
insulated panel.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the insulation unit may have a
top edge,
and the liner may be shaped to cover the top edge of the insulation unit.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the insulation unit may have a
top edge,
the liner may be further shaped to include a bottom wall, a plurality of side
walls, and a
flange, and the flange may cover all of the top edge of the insulation unit.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may be further shaped
to
include an outer extension extending downwardly from the flange.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may be a one-piece
construction made of a rigid material.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may comprise a
thermoformed
member.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may comprise corrugated
cardboard.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may comprise a polymer-
coated corrugated cardboard.
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ln a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may comprise a
corrugated
cardboard spray-coated with a polymer coating.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may comprise at least
one of
polyester paper, expanded polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and
plastic corrugate
panels.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may be a multi-piece
construction comprising a corrugated plastic member defining one or more of
the side
walls and a thermoformed plastic member defining the flange.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may be impermeable to
liquid.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the liner may be made of a
material that
may be cleaned with a cleaning solvent.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the side walls of the liner may
comprise
an upper portion, a lower portion, and an intermediate portion, the lower
portion may be
spaced inwardly relative to the upper portion, and the intermediate portion
may form a
shelf between the upper portion and the lower portion.
ln a more detailed feature of the invention, the cavity of the liner may
comprise an
upper portion and a lower portion, and the upper portion may have a greater
footprint than
the lower portion.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of temperature-control members, and one of the
plurality
of temperature-control members may have at least a portion snugly disposed
within the
lower portion of the cavity of the liner.
ln a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of temperature-control members, and the
plurality of
temperature-control members may be positioned snugly on all sides of the
product box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, each of the plurality of
temperature-
control members may comprise at least one pouch, and a layer of exactly one
pouch may
be positioned on all sides of the product box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, each of the plurality of
temperature-
control members may comprise at least one pouch, and a layer of more than one
pouch
may be positioned on at least one side of the product box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, each of the plurality of
temperature-
control members may comprise at least one pouch, a layer of more than one
pouch may be
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positioned on at least one side of the product box, and a layer of exactly one
pouch may be
positioned on at least one side of the product box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of temperature-control members, each of the
temperature-control members may comprise a phase-change material, and the
phase-
change material of all the temperature-control members may be identical.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of temperature-control members, each of the
temperature-control members may comprise a phase-change material, and some of
the
phase-change materials of the temperature-control members may be different.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of temperature-control members, each of the
temperature-control members may comprise a plurality of pouches, each pouch
may
contain a phase-change material, and at least one pouch may contain a
different phase-
change materials than another pouch.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise at least one inner temperature-control member and at least
one
outer temperature-control member, both the at least one inner temperature-
control member
and the at least one outer temperature-control member may be positioned in the
cavity of
the liner, the at least one inner temperature-control member may be more
proximal to the
product box, and the at least one outer temperature-control member may be more
distal to
the product box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one inner
temperature-
control member may comprise a first type of phase-change material, the at
least one outer
temperature-control member may comprise a second type of phase-change
material, and
the first type of phase-change material and the second type of phase-change
material may
be different. Moreover, the at least one inner temperature-control member and
the at least
one outer temperature-control member may be preconditioned at different
temperatures or
at the same temperature.
lii a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one inner
temperature-
control member and the at least one outer temperature-control member may
comprise an
identical phase-change material. Moreover, the at least one inner temperature-
control
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member and the at least one outer temperature-control member may be
preconditioned at
different temperatures or at the same temperature.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, at least one of the at least one
inner
temperature-control member and at least one of the at least one outer
temperature-control
member may be mechanically coupled to one another, such as by, but not limited
to, the
use of a sleeve, shrink-wrapping, hook and loop fasteners, glue, adhesive
tape, and the like.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the at least one temperature-
control
member may comprise a first temperature-control member, the first temperature-
control
member may comprise a plurality of pouches, at least some of the pouches of
the first
temperature-control member may comprise a first type of phase-change material,
at least
some of the pouches of the first temperature-control member may comprise a
second type
of phase-change material, and the first and second types of phase-change
material may be
different.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may further comprise a
lid,
and the lid may be removably mounted over the insulation unit for closing the
cavity of the
insulation unit.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the lid may comprise a vacuum
insulated panel.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may further comprise
an
outer box, and the insulation unit, the liner, the product box and the at
least one
temperature-control member may be removably mounted within the outer box.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the outer box may comprise a top
closure flap, and the shipping system may further comprise an insulated lid
coupled to the
top closure flap so that closure of the top closure flap positions the
insulated lid over the
cavity of the insulation unit.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the insulated lid may be
removably
mounted on the top closure flap.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may further comprise a
cover, and the cover may be mounted on the insulated lid.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the insulated lid may be
removably
mounted on the top closure flap, and the cover may be removably mounted on the
insulated
lid.
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in a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may further comprise
an
environmental data logger for measuring and storing at least one environmental
parameter,
and the environmental data logger may be disposed in the outer box outside of
the
insulation unit.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the environmental data logger may
measure and store ambient temperature data.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may further comprise a
temperature indicator, and the temperature indicator may be positioned in
contact with the
product box and may be configured to provide a real-time indication of whether
or not the
product box is within a desired temperature range.
In a more detailed feature of the invention, the system may be well-suited for
reconditioning and/or reuse.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit for
assembling
a shipping system suitable for use in transporting and/or storing temperature-
sensitive
materials, the kit comprising (a) an insulation unit, the insulation unit
shaped to include a
cavity bounded by a bottom wall, four side walls, and an open top; (b) a
liner, the liner
being removably mounted on the insulation unit, the liner being shaped to
include a cavity,
wherein the cavity of the liner extends into the cavity of the insulation
unit; (c) a product
box, the product box being removably disposed within the cavity of the liner,
the product
box being designed to hold a payload; (d) an insulated lid, the insulated lid
covering the
cavity of the insulation unit; and (e) a plurality of alternative sets of
temperature-control
members, each alternative set of temperature-control members being removably
disposed
within the cavity of the liner and being designed to maintain the payload
within a different
temperature range.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit for
assembling at least one shipping system suitable for use in transporting
and/or storing
temperature-sensitive materials, the kit comprising (a) a first shipper, the
first shipper
comprising (i) a first insulation unit, the first insulation unit shaped to
include a cavity
bounded by a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls, and an open top, the
plurality of side
walls collectively defining a top edge, (ii) a first insulated lid, the first
insulated lid
removably mountable over the first insulation unit to close the cavity of the
first insulation
unit, (iii) a first liner, the first liner being removably mountable on the
first insulation unit,
the first liner being shaped to include a cavity and a flange, wherein the
cavity of the first
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liner is dimensioned to extend into the cavity of the first insulation unit
and wherein the
flange of the first liner is dimensioned to extend over the top edge of the
first insulation
unit, (iv) a first product box, the first product box being removably
positionable within the
cavity of the first liner, the first product box being designed to hold a
payload; (b) a second
shipper, the second shipper comprising (i) a second insulation unit, the
second insulation
unit shaped to include a cavity bounded by a bottom wall, a plurality of side
walls, and an
open top, the plurality of side walls collectively defining a top edge, (ii) a
second insulated
lid, the second insulated lid removably mountable over the second insulation
unit to close
the cavity of the second insulation unit, (iii) a second liner, the second
liner being
removably mountable on the second insulation unit, the second liner being
shaped to
include a cavity and a flange, wherein the cavity of the second liner is
dimensioned to
extend into the cavity of the second insulation unit and wherein the flange of
the second
liner is dimensioned to extend over the top edge of the second insulation
unit, (iv) a second
product box, the second product box being removably positionable within the
cavity of the
second liner, the second product box being designed to hold a payload, wherein
the second
product box is dimensioned to hold a differently-sized payload than the first
product box;
and (c) a set of temperature-control members, the set of temperature-control
members
being dimensioned for alternative deployment in the cavity of the first liner,
snugly fitting
around the first product box, or the cavity of the second liner, snugly
fitting around the
second product box.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method,
the
method comprising (a) providing a shipping system for use in transporting
and/or storing
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system comprising (i) an
insulation unit, the
insulation unit shaped to include a cavity bounded by a bottom wall, four side
walls, and an
open top; (ii) a liner, the liner being removably mounted on the insulation
unit, the liner
being shaped to include a cavity, wherein the cavity of the liner extends into
the cavity of
the insulation unit; (iii) a product box, the product box being removably
disposed within
the cavity of the liner; and (iv) at least one temperature-control member, the
at least one
temperature-control member being removably disposed within the cavity of the
liner; (b)
using the shipping system to transport a first payload; (c) then, cleaning or
replacing the
liner; and (d) then, using the shipping system to transport a second payload.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a shipping
system
for use in transporting and/or storing temperature-sensitive materials, the
shipping system
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comprising (a) an insulation unit, the insulation unit shaped to include a
cavity bounded by
a bottom wall, four side walls, and an open top, the insulation unit
comprising an assembly
of vacuum insulated panels encapsulated within a spray-coating of a polyurea;
(b) a
product box, the product box being removably disposed within the cavity of the
insulation
unit; and (c) at least one temperature-control member, the at least one
temperature-control
member being removably disposed within the cavity of the insulation unit.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a shipping
system
for use in transporting and/or storing temperature-sensitive materials, the
shipping system
comprising (a) an insulation unit, the insulation unit shaped to include a
cavity bounded by
a bottom wall, four side walls, and an open top, the insulation unit
consisting of an
assembly of vacuum insulated panels held together with a spray-coating of a
polyurea; (b)
a product box, the product box being removably disposed within the cavity of
the
insulation unit; and (c) at least one temperature-control member, the at least
one
temperature-control member being removably disposed within the cavity of the
insulation
unit.
For purposes of the present specification and claims, various relational terms
like
"top," "bottom," "proximal," "distal," "upper," "lower," "front," and "rear"
may be used to
describe the present invention when said invention is positioned in or viewed
from a given
orientation. It is to be understood that, by altering the orientation of the
invention, certain
.. relational terms may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Additional objects, as well as aspects, features and advantages, of the
present
invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in
part will be
obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In the
description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part
thereof and
in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments for practicing
the invention.
The embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled
in the art to
practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may
be utilized
and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of
the invention.
The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a
limiting sense.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are hereby incorporated into and constitute a
part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention
and, together with
the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. These
drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale, and certain components may have undersized and/or
oversized
dimensions for purposes of explication. In the drawings wherein like reference
numerals
represent like parts:
Fig. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the shipping system shown in Fig. 1, with the top
flaps of
the outer container being shown in an open state;
Fig. 3 is a partly exploded perspective view of the shipping system shown in
Fig. 1,
with the payload container, the temperature indicator, and the temperature-
control
members not being shown;
Fig. 4 is a top view of a blank used to make the outer box shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the data logger board shown in Fig.
3;
Fig. 6 is a partly exploded perspective view of the insulation unit shown in
Fig. 3;
Fig. 7 is a rear view, showing the insulation unit of Fig. 6 in an assembled
state;
Fig. 8 is an enlarged top view of the support shown in Fig. 3, the support
being
shown in an unfolded state;
Figs. 9(a) and 9(b) are enlarged side and enlarged perspective views,
respectively,
of one of the corner boards shown in Fig. 3;
Figs. 10(a) and 10(b) are perspective and top views, respectively, of the
liner shown
in Fig. 1;
Figs. 10(c) and 10(d) are section views taken along lines 1-1 and 2-2,
respectively,
of Fig. 10(b);
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the cover shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 12 is a partly exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
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Fig. 13 is a partly exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the system of Fig. 13,
showing in greater detail the insulation unit, the liner, and other components
not visible in
Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a partly exploded perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
Fig. 16 is a partly exploded perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
Fig. 17 is a blank used to make the liner shown in Fig. 16;
Fig. 18 is a partly exploded perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a
shipping
system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive
materials, the
shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of the present
invention;
Figs. 19(a) and 19(b) are top and section views, respectively, of the shipping
system of Fig. 18, with only the liner, the product box, and the temperature-
control
members being shown;
Fig. 20 is a partly exploded perspective view of a seventh embodiment of a
shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or transporting temperature-
sensitive
materials, the shipping system being constructed according to the teachings of
the present
invention; and
Figs. 21(a) and 21(b) are side, broken away in part, and simplified section
views,
respectively, of the insulation unit of the shipping system shown in Fig. 20.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to Figs. 1 through 3, there are shown various views of a first
embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed
according to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 11. For
clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 11 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from one or more of Figs. 1 through 3 or may be shown therein
in a
simplified manner.
System II may be used to maintain a payload within a desired temperature range
for an extended period of time. Solely for illustrative purposes and not to be
limited
thereto, system 11 may be configured to maintain a parcel-sized payload within
a
temperature range of +2 C to +8 C for a period of up to 96 hours or longer or,
alternatively, may be configured to maintain a parcel-sized payload within a
temperature
range of +15 C to +25 C for a period of up to 96 hours or longer or,
alternatively, may be
configured to maintain a parcel-sized payload within a temperature range of -
15 C to -
C for a period of up to 96 hours or longer.
System 11 may comprise an outer box 13. Outer box 13, which may be, for
example, a conventional corrugated cardboard box or carton, may comprise a
rectangular
20 prismatic
cavity 15 bounded by a plurality of rectangular side walls 17-1 through 17-4,
a
plurality of bottom closure flaps (not shown), and a plurality of top closure
flaps 19-1
through 19-4. Adhesive strips of tape or other closure means (not shown) may
be used to
retain, in a closed condition, the bottom closure flaps and top closure flaps
19-1 through
19-4.
25 A tab 21
may be secured, for example, by adhesive or similar means, to an interior
face 22 of top closure flap 19-1, and tab 21 may be situated on interior face
22 so as to
extend across a free edge 23 of top closure flap 19-1. In this manner, a user
may swing
open top closure flap 19-1 from a closed state by pulling generally upwardly
on tab 21.
Tab 21 may be made of a sheet of polymeric material, such as a polyvinyl
chloride or
similar material. Instead of being secured to closure flap 19-1, tab 21 may be
secured to an
insulated lid assembly mounted on closure flap 19-1.
A plurality of fasteners 25-1 through 25-4 may be secured, for example, by an
adhesive or similar means to interior face 22 of top closure flap 19-1. As
will be discussed
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further below, fasteners 25-1 through 25-4 may be used to removably couple a
vacuum
insulated panel (VIP) to top closure flap 19-1. In the present embodiment,
fasteners 25-1
through 25-4 may be hook (or loop) fasteners, with complementary loop (or
hook)
fasteners being secured, for example, by adhesive or similar means to the
vacuum insulated
panel; however, it is to be understood that other types of fasteners, such as
adhesive
fasteners applied to one or both of the vacuum insulated panel and top closure
flap 19-1,
may also be used. Also, although four fasteners 25-1 through 25-4 are shown in
the
present embodiment, it is to be understood that a greater number or lesser
number of
fasteners 25-1 through 25-4 may be used without departing from the present
invention.
Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown a blank 27, which may be used to form
outer box 13. Blank 27, which may be a unitary structure made of corrugated
cardboard or
a similar material, may be cut and scored to define a plurality of central
panels 29-1
through 29-5, a plurality of top panels 31-1 through 31-4, and a plurality of
bottom panels
33-1 through 33-4. Central panels 29-1 through 29-4 may be folded about lines
34-1 to 34-
3 to become side walls 17-1 through 17-4 of outer box 13, and central panel 29-
5 may be
used to secure central panel 29-1 to central panel 29-4 using an adhesive (not
shown) or the
like. Top panels 31-1 through 31-4 may be folded about lines 35-1 through 35-
4,
respectively, to become top flaps 19-1 through 19-4, respectively, of outer
box 13. Bottom
panels 33-1 through 33-4 may be folded about lines 37-1 through 37-4,
respectively, to
become the bottom flaps of outer box 13.
Referring back now to Fig. 3, system 11 may also comprise an environmental
data
logger 41. Environmental data logger 41 may be, for example, a conventional
temperature
data logger that may be configured to measure and to store the ambient
external
temperature to which system 11 is exposed over an extended period of time.
Additionally
or alternatively, environmental data logger 41 may be configured to measure or
to detect
and, optionally, to store one or more of shock/movement, global position,
moisture/humidity, or some other environmental parameter.
System 11 may additionally comprise a board 43, which is also shown separately
in
Fig. 5. Board 43, which may be, for example, a piece of honeycomb corrugated
cardboard,
may be shaped to include a transverse opening 45. Opening 45 may be
appropriately
dimensioned to receive data logger 41. In particular, opening 45 may be
dimensioned to
have a length and a width to snugly receive data logger 41. Preferably, board
43 has a
thickness that is approximately equal to or slightly greater than that of data
logger 41.
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Accordingly, in the present embodiment, data logger 41 may have a thickness of
approximately 0.4 inch, and board 43 may have a thickness of approximately 0.5
inch. In
addition, board 43 preferably has a length and a width that are slightly less
than those of
prismatic cavity 15 of outer box 13 to enable board 43 to be placed
horizontally within
prismatic cavity 15 of outer box 13.
Although not shown in the present embodiment, system 11 may also include a
foam
pad, which may be made of a polyurethane or the like, positioned between board
43 and
the bottom closure flaps of outer box 13. Such a foam pad may serve to keep
the
components that are contained within outer box 13 from jostling up and down,
despite
tolerances, and may also provide some shock absorption to protect the contents
disposed
within outer box 13.
System 11 may further comprise an insulation unit 51. Insulation unit 51,
which is
also shown separately in Figs. 6 and 7, may comprise a plurality of vacuum
insulated
panels 53-1 through 53-5, which may be identical to one another. Vacuum
insulated
panels 53-1 through 53-5, which may be conventional vacuum insulated panels,
may be
arranged with vacuum insulated panels 53-2 through 53-5 positioned
perpendicularly
relative to and sitting directly on top of vacuum insulated panel 53-1 so as
to define a
generally prismatic cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. The
four side
walls may be positioned relative to one another in a "pinwheel"-type
arrangement, wherein
one end of each vacuum insulated panel abuts the inside major surface of its
adjacent
vacuum insulated panel. Alternatively, the four side walls may be positioned
relative to
one another so that one end of each of two parallel vacuum insulated panels
abuts the
inside major surface of each of the two remaining parallel vacuum insulated
panels.
Insulation unit 51 may additionally comprise a support 61, which is also shown
separately in Fig. 8 in an unfolded state. Support 61, which may be made of
corrugated
cardboard or the like, may be a unitary box-like structure configured to
include a central
portion 63 and four side portions 65-1 through 65-4. Central portion 63 may be
rectangular, and each of four side portions 65-1 through 65-4 may extend from
a different
one of the four sides of the central portion 63. Support 61 may be folded
along edges 67-1
through 67-4 and may be appropriately dimensioned so that the central portion
63 of
support 61 may be positioned under vacuum insulated panel 53-1 and so that
side portions
65-1 through 65-4 of support 61 may be positioned along the outside faces of
vacuum
insulated panels 53-2 through 53-5, as well as along the peripheral edges of
vacuum
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insulated panel 53-1. As will be discussed further below, support 61 may be
used, in
conjunction with other structural members, to help keep vacuum insulation
panels 53-1
through 53-5 assembled together. In addition, support 61 may also provide some
additional thermal insulation to insulation unit 51.
Insulation unit 51 may further comprise a plurality of plastic binding straps
69-1
through 69-3. Straps 69-1 through 69-3, which may be conventional binding
straps, may
be wrapped around the four sides of support 61 and may be used to help retain
vacuum
insulated panels 53-1 through 53-5 in an assembled state.
Insulation unit 51 may further comprise a plurality of corner boards 71-1
through
71-4. Corner boards 71-1 through 71-4 may be identical to one another (corner
board 71-1
being shown separately in Figs. 9(a) and 9(b)). Corner boards 71-1 through 71-
4 may be
made of Kraft paper and may have a thickness, for example, of 0.06 to 0.08
inch. Corner
boards 71-1 through 71-4 may be positioned vertically at the four exterior
corners of
support 61 and may help to increase the thermal life of insulation unit 51 by
keeping panels
53-1 through 53-5 together and tighter for a longer period of time and by
protecting
support 61 and panels 53-1 through 53-5 from physical damage that may be
caused by
straps 69-1 through 69-3, particularly at the four corners of insulation unit
51. Comer
boards 71-1 through 71-4 also may help to increase the length of time that
straps 69-1
through 69-3 are able to hold a minimal required tension in a reuse
application.
Insulation unit 51 may be assembled as follows: First, support 61 may be
folded
and then placed in a fixture (not shown), whereby side portions 65-1 through
65-4 may be
maintained in a generally perpendicular orientation relative to central
portion 63. Next,
panel 53-1 may be positioned with its bottom major surface flush on top of
central portion
63. Next, panels 53-2 through 53-5 may be positioned on top of panel 53-1 in a
"pinwheel" arrangement. (Preferably, the seams of panels 53-1 through 53-5
face
outwardly towards support 61.) Next, corner boards 71-1 through 71-4 may be
placed
around the exterior four corners of the support 61. Next, straps 69-1 through
69-3 may be
wrapped around support 61 and corner boards 71-1 through 71-4. (Preferably,
each of
straps 69-1 through 69-3 provides a tension of at least 10 psi.) The resulting
structure is a
five-sided unit defining a cavity bounded by a bottom and four sides and
having an open
top. As can be appreciated, in the absence of the combination of support 61,
straps 69-1
through 69-3, and comer boards 71-1 through 71-4, there is nothing keeping
panels 53-1
through 53-5 in an assembled state.
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Referring back now to Figs. 1 and 3, system 11 may further comprise a
protective
liner (or shell or insert) 81, which is also shown separately in Figs. 10(a)
through 10(d).
Liner 81, which is appropriately dimensioned to be removably mounted on
insulation unit
51, may be a rigid structure, either one-piece or multi-piece, comprising or
consisting of
materials, such as a thermoformed plastic (e.g., high density polyethylene
having a
thickness of approximately 0.1 inch), a corrugated cardboard or plastic,
polyester paper,
expanded polypropylene (EPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), plastic
corrugate panels,
or some combination thereof Moreover, as will be discussed further below,
liner 81 may
comprise or consist of a polymer-coated corrugated cardboard, such as a
polyurea-coated
corrugated cardboard or a polyurethane-coated corrugated cardboard. In the
present
embodiment, liner 81 may be a one-piece thermoformed member shaped to include
a
cavity 83 bounded by a bottom wall 85 and four side walls 87-1 through 87-4.
Each of
side walls 87-1 through 87-4 may include a lower portion 89, an intermediate
portion 91,
and an upper portion 93. Lower portion 89 and upper portion 93 may extend
generally
vertically (although there may be a draft angle where liner 81 is made by
thermoforming),
with lower portion 89 being spaced inwardly relative to upper portion 93 and
with
intermediate portion 91 extending generally horizontally. In this manner,
cavity 83 may be
regarded as having a lower portion 83-1 of relatively smaller footprint and an
upper portion
83-2 of relatively larger footprint 83-2, with intermediate portion 91 forming
a shelf at the
bottom of upper portion 83-2. Liner 81 is preferably dimensioned so that
bottom wall 85
and side walls 87-1 through 87-4 may be inserted into the cavity of insulation
unit 51, with
bottom wall 85 being positioned over the top of vacuum insulated panel 53-1
and with side
walls 87-1 through 87-4 being positioned along the inner faces of vacuum
insulated panels
53-2 through 53-5. A flange 96 may extend peripherally outwardly from the open
top of
liner 81 and may be dimensioned to sit on top of and to cover the tops of
vacuum insulated
panels 53-2 through 53-5. In this manner, liner 81 may cover the exposed inner
and top
faces of vacuum insulated panels 53-2 through 53-5. Liner 81 may be
dimensioned so that
bottom wall 85 of liner 81 is spaced from the bottom vacuum insulated panel 53-
1, for
example, by approximately V8-1/4 inch, whereby an air gap is provided between
the bottom
of liner 81 and panel 53-1. This may be done to allow for tolerances of liner
81.
System 11 may further comprise a plurality of foam pads 97-1 through 97-4.
Pads
97-1 through 97-4, which may be identical to one another, may be made of an
open cell
urethane or similar material. Pads 97-1 through 97-4 may be fixedly mounted,
for
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example, with an adhesive (not shown), on the outside surfaces of side walls
87-1 through
87-4, respectively, of liner 81, preferably on upper portion 93 of side walls
87-1 through
87-4. Pads 97-1 through 97-4 may serve to keep liner 81 from moving laterally
relative to
the remainder of insulation unit 51. In this manner, damage to outer box 13 by
flange 96
may be reduced. Pads 97-1 through 97-4 may also provide some nominal thermal
insulation.
System 11 may further comprise a product box 99, in which the temperature-
sensitive materials (not shown) may be disposed. Product box 99, which may be
a
conventional corrugated cardboard box, may be appropriately dimensioned to be
received
within cavity 83 of liner 81. In the present embodiment, product box 99 may be
dimensioned to hold a payload volume of approximately 6L.
System 11 may further comprise a plurality of temperature-control members 101-
1
through 101-3. Temperature-control member 101-1 through 101-3, which may be
identical
to one another, may be appropriately dimensioned to be received, along with
product box
99, within cavity 83 of liner 81. Materials suitable for use as temperature-
control members
101-1 through 101-3 are exemplified by, but are not limited to, conventional
ice packs,
conventional gel packs, or refrigerant packs of the type disclosed in U.S.
Patent No.
9,598,622 B2, inventors Formato et al., issued March 21, 2017, and U.S. Patent
Application Publication No. US 2018/0093816 Al, inventors Longley et al.,
published
April 5, 2018, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
According to one embodiment, temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
may be in the form of flexible mats having a plurality of discrete sealed
pouches, each
pouch containing a quantity of a phase-change material (PCM). The phase-change
material may be any phase-change material including any water-based or organic
phase-
change material. For example, if the phase-change material is water-based, the
phase-
change material may be water, a mixture of water and a thickener (e.g., a
polysaccharide
thickener) to produce a gelled water mixture, or a water/salt solution with an
optional
thickener.
Alternatively, if the phase-change material is an organic phase-change
material, the
phase-change material may be a gelled organic phase-change material, such as
is disclosed
in U.S. Patent No. 9,598,622 B2 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US
2018/0093816 Al. More specifically, a suitable gelled organic phase-change
material may
comprise one or more n-allcanes, such as n-tetradecane (C14), n-pentadecane
(C15), n-
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hexadecane (C16), n-heptadecane (C17), n-octadecane (C18), or combinations
thereof,
together with a gelling agent in the form of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-
styrene triblock
copolymer and/or a styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene triblock copolymer.
Solely for
purposes of illustration, where, for example, system 11 is designed to keep a
payload
within a temperature range of +2 C to +8 C, the gelled phase-change material
may
comprise a mixture of n-tetradecane (C14) and KRATONTm G1654 styrene-ethylene-
butylene-styrene (SEBS) tri-block copolymer. Alternatively, where, for
example, system
11 is designed to keep a payload within a temperature range of +15 C to +25 C,
the gelled
phase-change material may comprise a mixture of n-hexadecane (C16) and
KRATONTm
01654 styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) tri-block copolymer. Each pouch
of
temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 may contain suitable masses of
the
phase-change material and the gelling agent for the particular application to
which system
11 is put. For example, for the particular applications described above, each
pouch may
contain approximately 150-200 g of the n-alkane(s) and approximately 12-18 g
of the
gelling agent.
ln the present embodiment, there are three temperature-control members 101-1
through 101-3, and each of temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 has
four
generally rectangular, trough-shaped pouches 102: however, it is to be
understood that the
number of temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 and the number and
shape of
pouches 102 in temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 are merely
illustrative.
Consequently, the number of temperature-control members 101, as well as the
number and
shape of pouches 102 therein, may be varied while still coming within the
scope of the
present invention. Moreover, while, in the present embodiment, each pouch 102
of
temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 contains the same quantity and
type of
phase-change material, this need not be so as some of temperature-control
members 101-1
through 101-3 may contain different phase-change materials than others of
temperature-
control members 101-1 through 101-3 and/or different pouches of the same
temperature-
control member may contain different types of phase-change materials.
Temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 and product box 99 may be
appropriately dimensioned and arranged within liner 81 as follows: First,
temperature-
control member 101-1 may be arranged within liner 81 so that two of its four
pouches are
positioned within lower portion 83-1 of cavity 83 and so that two of its four
pouches are
positioned in upper portion 83-2 of cavity 83 on top of intermediate portion
91 and along
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side wall 87-3 of liner 81. The two pouches sitting within lower portion 83-1
of cavity 83
may be dimensioned to fit snugly therewithin. Product box 99 may then be
positioned on
top of the two pouches of temperature-control member 101-1 positioned within
lower
portion 83-1 of cavity, with the bottom of product box 99 substantially
aligned with the
bottom of upper portion 83-2 of cavity 83. Temperature-control member 101-2
may then
be positioned between liner 81 and product box 99 so that two of its four
pouches are
positioned on top of intermediate portion 91 of side wall 87-1 and so that two
of its four
pouches are positioned on top of intermediate portion 91 of side wall 87-4.
Temperature-
control member 101-3 may then be positioned within liner 81 so that two of its
four
pouches are positioned on top of intermediate portion of side wall 87-2 and so
that two of
its four pouches are positioned on top of product box 99. Preferably, liner
81, product box
99, and temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 are dimensioned so
that
temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 fit snugly around product box
99 within
liner 81. As can be appreciated, the method described above is exemplary;
accordingly,
the order in which temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 are placed
around
product box 99 and the positioning of temperature-control members 101-1
through 101-3
relative to product box 99 and liner 81 may be varied without departing from
the present
invention.
System 11 may further comprise a vacuum insulated panel 111. Vacuum insulated
panel 111 may be similar in construction to vacuum insulated panels 53-1
through 53-5. A
plurality of fasteners (not shown) that may be complementary to fasteners 25-1
through 25-
4 may be secured, for example, by adhesive or similar means to vacuum
insulated panel
111 and may be arranged on vacuum insulated panel 111 so as to permit
detachable mating
with fasteners 25-1 through 25-4. in this manner, vacuum insulated panel 111
may be
detachably secured to top closure flap 19-1 of outer box 13.
System 11 may further comprise a cover 121. Cover 121, which is also shown
separately in Fig. 11, may be made of the same material as liner 81 or may be
made of a
material similar thereto. Cover 121 may be shaped to include a bottom 123, a
plurality of
sides 124-1 through 124-4, and an open top. Cover 121 may be appropriately
dimensioned
to cover the bottom and sides of vacuum insulated panel 111. A plurality of
fasteners 125-
1 through 125-4 may be secured, for example, by an adhesive or similar means
to the
interior faces of sides 124-1 through 124-4 of cover 121, and complementary
fasteners (not
shown) may be secured, for example, by an adhesive or similar means to the
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edges of vacuum insulated panel 111 at locations thereon that permit
detachable mating
with fasteners 125-1 through 125-4. In this manner, vacuum insulated panel 111
may be
detachably secured to cover 121. In the present embodiment, fasteners 125-1
through 125-
4 may be hook (or loop) fasteners, with complementary loop (or hook) fasteners
being
secured to vacuum insulated panel 111; however, it is to be understood that
other types of
fasteners, such as adhesive fasteners applied to one or both of vacuum
insulated panel 111
and cover 121, may also be used. Also, although four fasteners 125-1 through
125-4 are
shown in the present embodiment, it is to be understood that a greater number
or lesser
number of fasteners 125-1 through 125-4 may be used without departing from the
present
invention.
Vacuum insulated panel 111 is preferably positioned on top closure flap 19-1
and
cover 121 is preferably positioned on vacuum insulated panel 111 so that liner
81 may be
closed simply by the closure of top closure flap 19-1. In this regard, cover
121 and
vacuum insulated panel 111 may be collectively regarded as a lid assembly 122
for
insulation unit 51.
System 11 may further comprise a temperature indicator 127. Temperature
indicator 127, which may be a conventional temperature indicator, may be
positionable on
top of product box 99 below the top two pouches of temperature-control member
101-3
and may be used to give a real-time indication of whether or not product box
99 is within a
desired temperature range. For example, temperature indicator 127 may indicate
a positive
condition (e.g., by displaying a particular color or symbol) if the
temperature is within the
desired temperature range and may indicate a negative condition (e.g., by
displaying a
particular color or symbol) if the temperature is outside of the desired
temperature range.
Alternatively, temperature indicator 127 may provide a real-time temperature
reading. As
can readily be appreciated, temperature indicator 127 may be replaced with or
may
additionally have the capability to measure or to detect shock/movement,
global position,
moisture/humidity or another environmental parameter.
System 11 minus temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 may be
referred to herein as a shipper.
One may assemble system 11 as follows: First, outer box 13 may be formed from
blank 27, and the bottom closure flaps of outer box 13 may be closed and,
preferably,
sealed. Next, data logger 41 may be inserted into opening 45 of board 43, and
the
combination of data logger 41 and board 43 may be placed in the bottom of
outer box 13.
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Next, liner 81 (with pads 97-1 through 97-4 secured thereto) may be placed in
insulation
unit 51, and the combination of insulation unit 51 and liner 81 may be placed
in outer box
13 on top of board 43. Next, cover 121 may be secured to vacuum insulated
panel 111,
and the combination of cover 121 and vacuum insulated panel 111 may be secured
to
closure flap 19-1. (Tab 21 may be secured to closure flap 19-1 prior to
securement of
cover 121 and vacuum insulated panel 111 to closure flap 19-1.)
Next, temperature-control member 101-1 may be placed in liner 81, with two
pouches 102 of temperature-control member 101-1 lining the bottom of liner 81
and with
two pouches of temperature-control member 101-1 lining one of the side walls
of liner 81.
Product box 99 (with the temperature-sensitive materials loaded therein and
with
temperature indicator 127 positioned on top of product box 99) may then be
placed in liner
81 on top of the bottom two pouches 102 of temperature-control member 101-1.
Temperature-control members 101-2 and 101-3 may then be placed in insert 81
around the
remaining exposed faces of product box 99. Next, top closure flaps 19-1
through 19-4 may
be closed, the closure of top closure flap 19-1 causing lid assembly 122 to be
swung down
on top of liner 81 and insulation unit 51.
The product load and temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 may be
preconditioned at appropriate temperatures prior to being loaded into insert
81 and may be
loaded into system 11 at a particular temperature. For example, to maintain
the
temperature-sensitive materials within a temperature range of +2 C to +8 C,
the product
load may be pre-conditioned at +5 C 3 C, temperature-control members 101-1
through
101-3 may contain a phase-change material having a phase-change temperature of
+5 C
and may be pre-conditioned at +3 C.- 3 C, and the above-described steps for
assembling
system 11 may be conducted at +5 C 3 C. Alternatively, to maintain the
temperature-
sensitive materials within a temperature range of +15 C to +25 C, the product
load may be
pre-conditioned at +20 C 5 C, temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
may
contain a phase-change material having a phase-change temperature of +17 C and
may be
pre-conditioned at +20 C. 5 C, and the above-described steps for assembling
system 11
may be conducted at +20 C 5 C. Moreover, as discussed above, in other
embodiments, it
may be desirable to have different pouches of the same temperature-control
member or of
different temperature-control members contain different types of phase-change
materials.
For example, according to one embodiment, some of temperature-control members
101-1
through 101-3 may contain a first type of phase-change material, for example,
a phase-
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change material having a phase-change temperature of +17 C, and some of
temperature-
control members 101-1 through 101-3 may, instead, contain a second type of
phase-change
material, for example, a phase-change material having a phase-change
temperature of
+24 C. Alternatively, according to another embodiment, one, some or all of
temperature-
control members 101-1 through 101-3 may have some pouches 102 (e.g., two of
four
pouches 102 of a given temperature-control member) containing a first type of
phase-
change material, for example, a phase-change material having a phase-change
temperature
of +17 C and may have some pouches 102 (e.g., the other two of four pouches
102 of the
same temperature-control member) containing a second type of phase-change
material, for
example, a phase-change material having a phase-change temperature of +24 C.
Where
two different types of phase-change material are each present in two of four
pouches 102,
the two different types of phase-change material may or may not be present in
an
alternating sequence of pouches 102 (e.g., A/B/A/B).
Furthermore, in certain
embodiments, whether the same phase-change materials or different phase-change
materials are used, it may be desirable, in certain instances, to precondition
all of the
temperature-control members at the same preconditioning temperature and, in
other
instances, to precondition some temperature-control members at a first
temperature and to
precondition other temperature control-members at a second (i.e., different)
temperature.
For example, where some temperature-control members contain a first type of
phase-
change material having a first phase-change temperature and where some
temperature-
control members contain a second type of phase-change material having a
different phase-
change temperature, it may be desirable, in certain instances, to precondition
the two types
of temperature-control members at different preconditioning temperatures.
According to another aspect of the invention, system 11 may be used as
follows:
First, system 11 may be assembled by a first party in the manner indicated
above, except
that temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 may be omitted from the
assembly
of system 11. (In addition, product box 99 may be devoid of product.) Then,
system 11 ¨
minus temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 ¨ may be shipped from
the first
party to a second party. Concurrently with the shipping of system 11 ¨ minus
temperature-
control members 101-1 through 101-3 (or therebefore or thereafter),
temperature-control
members 101-1 through 101-3 may also be shipped from the first party to the
second party.
Next, the second party may precondition temperature-control members 101-1
through 101-
3. =Next, while in a temperature-controlled environment, the second party may
open system
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11, insert the preconditioned temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
into insert
81 of system 11, and then re-close system 11. Next, the second party may
transport system
11 to a third party, the transport preferably being performed using a
refrigerated vehicle.
The third party may then use system II immediately or may keep it refrigerated
until the
third party is ready for its use. When ready for its use, the third party may
open system 11
and may check temperature indicator 127 to see if the current temperature of
product box
99 is in the desired range. If temperature indicator 127 indicates that the
current
temperature is not within the desired range, system 11 is returned to the
second party for
reconditioning and no product is shipped therein. If temperature indicator 127
indicates
that the current temperature is within the desired range, the third party may
remove
temperature indicator 127 from system 11 and may pack a product in product box
99. (The
removed temperature indicator 127 may then be shipped back to the first party
or the
second party.) The third party may then ship system 11, minus temperature
indicator 127
but with the product, to a fourth party. The fourth party may then remove the
product from
product box 99 and then return system 11 to the first party for cleaning,
refurbishment and
reuse.
Alternatively, in another embodiment, the roles of the above-described second
and
third parties may be performed by a single party, and the role of the fourth
party may be
eliminated. More specifically, system 11 ¨ minus temperature-control members
101-1
through 101-3 ¨ may be shipped from a first party to a second party.
Concurrently with the
shipping of system 11 ¨ minus temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
(or
therebefore or thereafter), temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
may also be
shipped from the first party to the second party. When the second party wishes
to ship a
product, the second party may precondition, if needed, temperature-control
members 101-1
through 101-3. Next, the second party may load the payload into payload box
99, then
may open system 11 and insert temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3
and
payload box 99 into insert 81 of system 11, and then may re-close system 11.
Next, the
second party may transport the thus-loaded system 11 to a third party. The
third party may
then remove the product from product box 99 and then return system 11 to the
first party or
to the second party for cleaning, refurbishment and reuse.
The cleaning and/or refurbishment of system 11 for reuse may comprise the
following (or some portion thereof): Removal of temperature-control members
101-1
through 101-3 from liner 81, inspection of temperature-control members 101-1
through
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101-3 for damage, and replacement of any damaged temperature-control members
101-1
through 101-3; removal of lid assembly 122 from outer box 13, separation of
vacuum
insulated panel 111 from cover 121, inspection of cover 121 and vacuum
insulated panel
111 for damage, and replacement of any damaged parts; removal of liner 81 and
insulation
unit 51 from outer box 13, separation of liner 81 from insulation unit 51,
inspection of liner
81 and individual components of insulation unit 51 for damage (and checking
that tension
of straps 69-1 through 69-3 is acceptable), and replacement of any damaged
parts; removal
of board 43 from outer box 13, inspection of board 43 for damage, and
replacement of
board 43 if damaged; and replacement of outer box 13. If one or more of liner
81, cover
121, and temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 are soiled, but are
not
otherwise damaged, these items may be cleaned (e.g., wiped with 70% isopropyl
alcohol
solution) and reused. Such cleaning and reuse of these items may take place
even if there
is no discernible soiling of these items. Payload box 99 may also be replaced
if soiled or
damaged.
System 11 possesses a number of advantageous features. One such advantageous
feature is that liner 81 may protect vacuum insulated panels 53-1 through 53-5
from
becoming soiled, such as by the items that are placed within cavity 83 (e.g.,
product box 99
and its contents, temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3) or
otherwise. This is
particularly the case where liner 81 is made of a liquid impermeable material
and does not
contain any seams, such as may be the case, for example, where liner 81 is
made by
thermoforming a single sheet of plastic.
Another advantageous feature of system 11 is that liner 81 may be removably
mounted on insulation unit 51. In this manner, after system 11 has been used,
liner 81 may
be removed from insulation unit 51 and may be cleaned (assuming that liner 81
is made of
a material that lends itself to being cleaned) or replaced, with a cleaned or
replacement
liner 81 then being mounted on insulation unit 51 for a subsequent use. In
this manner,
problems like cross-contamination, resulting from multiple uses, may be
minimized.
Still another advantageous feature of system 11 is that liner 81 may protect
vacuum
insulated panels 53-1 through 53-5 from damage, such as may occur due to
contact with
product box 99 and/or temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3.
Relatedly,
cover 121 may protect vacuum insulated panel 111 from damage.
Yet another advantageous feature of system 11 is that liner 81 may be sized
and
shaped relative to product box 99 and to temperature-control members 101-1
through 101-
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3 so that temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 may be snugly and
correctly
positioned around product box 99, with little available volume for temperature-
control
members 101-1 through 101-3 to move during shipping. This feature is
attributable, at
least in part, to the shape of liner 81, whose lower cavity 83-1 is smaller in
footprint than
its upper cavity 83-2. As a result of this shape, a shelf is formed upon which
the side
pouches 102 may be seated. This shelf keeps the side pouches 102 aligned with
the sides
of payload box 99 and prevents some of the side pouches 102 from sliding down
relative to
the payload box 99 (which could occur with a cavity of uniform cross-sectional
area along
its height).
Still yet another advantageous feature of system 11 is that lid assembly 122,
which
includes vacuum insulated panel 111, may be coupled to one of the top flaps of
outer box
13. As a result of this integrated construction, the closing of top flap 19-1
of outer box 13
automatically results in the correct placement of vacuum insulated panel 111
on top of
liner 81 and insulation unit 15, thereby creating a closed volume for
containing product
box 99 and temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3. Moreover, because
vacuum insulated panel 111 is detachably secured both to top flap 19-1 and to
cover 121,
vacuum insulated panel 111 may be periodically inspected (for example, after
each use)
and replaced if damaged.
Still yet even another advantageous feature of system 11 is that system 11 may
include data logger 41 and/or temperature indicator 127. Data logger 41 may be
used to
provide environmental data, such as ambient temperature, that is encountered
by system 11
during its use to transport temperature-sensitive materials. By contrast,
temperature
indicator 127 may be used to provide an indication to a shipping party as to
whether the
temperature within product box 99 is at an appropriate temperature at the time
of pack-out.
Still a further advantageous feature of system 11 is that system 11 may
readily lend
itself to being refurbished and/or reused. As noted above, components like
liner 81 and
cover 121 may be made of cleanable and/or disposable materials. Moreover, the
removable mounting of components like liner 81, cover 121, and vacuum
insulated panel
111 facilitate the inspection of system 11.
Still yet even a further advantageous feature of system 11 is that system 11
may be
adapted for maintaining different payloads at different temperature ranges
simply by using
different temperature-control members. For example, system 11 may be used, in
a first
job, to maintain a payload at +2 C to +8 C by using a first set of temperature-
control
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members, for example, temperature-control members containing phase-change
material
having a phase-change temperature of +5 C and then may be used, in a second or
alternative job, to maintain a different payload at +15 C to +25 C by using a
second set of
temperature-control members, for example, temperature-control members
containing
phase-change material having a phase-change temperature of +17 C. in this
manner, a
shipping party having an array of different types of temperature-control
members may
simply select an appropriate type of temperature-control member for a
particular job.
Still yet a further advantageous feature of system 11 is that, where
temperature-
control members 101-1 through 101-3 employ a +5 C phase-change material of the
type
described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2018/0093816, the
system can
hibernate under refrigeration for up to 5 days without reducing its ability to
provide
protection for 96 hours.
Referring now to Fig. 12, there is shown a partly exploded perspective view of
a
second embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed
according to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 151.
For clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 151 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from Fig. 12 or may be shown therein in a simplified manner.
System 151 may be similar in many respects to system 11. One difference
between
the two systems may be that, whereas system II may comprise temperature-
control
members 101-1 through 101-3, wherein each of said temperature-control members
may
have four pouches, system 151 may comprise temperature-control members 153-1
through
153-4, wherein each of said temperature-control member may have two pouches
155.
Notwithstanding the above, temperature-control members 153-1 through 153-4 may
have a
different number of pouches than shown and may include, for example, four
pouches.
Another difference between the two systems may be that, whereas system 11 may
have the same number of pouches arranged on all six sides of product box 99
(i.e., one
pouch), system 151 may have different numbers of pouches on different sides of
product
box 99. For example, in the present embodiment, three pouches 155, in a
stacked
configuration, may be positioned over product box 99 (i.e., the two pouches of
temperature-control member 153-4 and one of the pouches of temperature-control
member
153-3), and one pouch may be positioned over the other five sides of product
box 99. The
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contents of the various pouches 155 of temperature-control members 153-1
through 153-4
may be the same, or some pouches may contain different phase-change materials
or may
have contents with a different phase-change temperature than the contents of
other
pouches. Moreover, regardless of the contents of the pouches, the various
temperature-
control members or even the various pouches of the same temperature-control
member
may be preconditioned at the same or different temperatures.
According to one embodiment, system 151 may be used to maintain a payload at a
temperature of -15 C to -25 C for up to 4 days or longer, and each of pouches
155 of
temperature-control members 153-1 through 153-4 may contain a salt/water
solution
having a phase-change temperature of -23 C. An example of a material suitable
for use as
temperature-control members 153-1 through 153-4 is a 500-ST series KOOLIT gel
pack
or saddlebag from Cold Chain Technologies, Inc. (Franklin, MA). In such a
case, the
product load may be pre-conditioned at -20 C 5 C, temperature-control members
153-1
through 153-4 may be pre-conditioned at -30 C 3 C, and system 151 may be
assembled at
a temperature of +20 C 3 C.
Also, although not shown, it is to be understood that one or more layers of
insulating material may be interposed between product box 99 and an adjacent
temperature-control member and/or may be interposed between two adjacent
layers of
pouches (either of a single, folded temperature-control member or of two
discrete
temperature-control members) along a common side of product box 99.
Referring now to Fig. 13, there is shown a partly exploded perspective view of
a
third embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperatm-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed according
to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 201.
For clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 201 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from Fig. 13 or may be shown therein in a simplified manner.
System 201 may be similar in many respects to system 11. One difference
between
the two systems may be that, whereas system 11 may be designed for a payload
of
approximately 6L, system 201 may be designed for a payload of approximately
15L.
Accordingly, system 201 may comprise an outer box 203, a board 207, an
insulation unit
209, a liner 211, a product box 213, and a lid assembly 215, all of which may
be similar in
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construction to the corresponding components of system 11 but may simply be
larger in at
least one dimension.
Outer box 201 may comprise a cavity 217 bounded by a plurality of side walls
218-
1 through 218-4, a plurality of top closure flaps 219-1 through 219-4, and a
plurality of
bottom closure flaps (not shown). Board 207 may comprise an opening 221 for
snugly
receiving an environmental data logger 223, which may be similar to
environmental data
logger 41 of system 11.
Referring now to Fig. 14, insulation unit 209 may comprise a plurality of
vacuum
insulated panels 225-1 through 225-5, a support 227, and a plurality of straps
229-1
through 229-3. Although not shown, insulation unit 209 preferably also
includes a
plurality of corner boards, which may be similar to comer boards 71-1 through
71-4 of
system 11. Liner 211, which may be similar to liner 81 but may have a more
elongated,
rectangular shape as opposed to a more square shape, may be shaped to include
a cavity
231, bounded by a bottom wall 233, and four side walls 235-1 through 235-4. A
flange
237 may extend peripherally outwardly from the top of liner 211 and may be
dimensioned
to cover the tops of vacuum insulated panels 225-2 through 225-5. A plurality
of pads
239-1 through 239-4, which may be similar in composition and function to pads
97-1
through 97-4 of system 11, may be secured to the outer surfaces of walls 235-1
through
235-4.
Referring back now to Fig. 13, it should be noted that, although lid assembly
215 is
not shown in Fig. 12 as being coupled to a top flap of outer box 203, lid
assembly 215
preferably is detachably coupled to flap 219-2 or 219-4 in a manner analogous
to that
discussed above for lid assembly 122 of system 11. It should also be noted
vacuum
insulated panel 240 and cover 242 of lid assembly 215 are preferably
detachably coupled
to one another by fasteners similar to those discussed above for detachably
coupling
vacuum insulated panel 111 to cover 121. It should additionally be noted that
system 201
is shown comprising a pad 243 disposed under board 207. Pad 243 may be used to
keep
the components that are contained within outer box 203 from jostling up and
down, despite
tolerances, and may also provide some shock absorption to protect the contents
disposed
within outer box 13. Notwithstanding the above, in some embodiments, pad 243
may be
omitted.
System 201 may further comprise a plurality of temperature-control members 251-
1 through 251-5. Temperature-control members 251-1 through 251-5 may be
identical to
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one another and to temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3, the only
difference
being that system 201 may include five temperature-control members whereas
system 11
may include three temperature-control members. Notwithstanding the above, it
is to be
understood that the number of temperature-control members 251-1 through 251-5
and the
number and shape of pouches 252 in temperature-control members 251-1 through
251-5
are merely illustrative. Consequently, the number of temperature-control
members 251, as
well as the number and shape of pouches 252 therein, may be varied while still
coming
within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, while, in the present
embodiment,
each pouch 252 of temperature-control members 251-1 through 251-5 contains the
same
quantity and type of phase-change material, this need not be so as some of
temperature-
control members 251-1 through 251-5 may contain different phase-change
materials than
others of temperature-control members 251-1 through 251-5 and/or different
pouches 252
of the same temperature-control member 251 may contain different phase-change
materials. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, whether the same phase-change
materials
or different phase-change materials are used, it may be desirable to
precondition some
temperature-control members at a first temperature and to precondition other
temperature
control-members at a second (i.e., different) temperature.
Temperature-control members 251-1 through 251-5 may be dimensioned relative to
product box 213 and liner 211 so that temperature-control member 251-1 may fit
snugly in
the lower portion of cavity 231, with product box 213 sitting thereon and with
temperature-
control members 251-2 through 251-5 snugly fitting around the sides and top of
product
box 213.
System 201 may further comprise a temperature indicator 261, which may be
similar in composition and function to temperature indicator 127.
System 201 may be used similarly to system 11.
Referring now to Fig. 15, there is shown a partly exploded perspective view of
a
fourth embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed
according to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 271.
For clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 271 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from Fig. 15 or may be shown therein in a simplified manner.
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System 271 may be similar in many respects to system 201. One difference
between the two systems may be that, whereas system 201 may comprise
temperature-
control members 251-1 through 251-5, wherein each of said temperature-control
members
may have four pouches, system 271 may comprise temperature control members 273-
1
through 273-6, wherein each of said temperature-control member may have two
pouches
277. Notwithstanding the above, temperature-control members 273-1 through 273-
6 may
have a different number of pouches than shown and may include, for example,
four
pouches.
Another difference between the two systems may be that, whereas system 201 may
have the same number of layers of pouches arranged on all six sides of product
box 213
(i.e., one layer), system 271 may have different numbers of layers of pouches
on different
sides of product box 213. For example, in the present embodiment, two layers
of pouches
277 may be positioned over product box 213 (i.e., the two pouches of
temperature-control
member 273-2 and one of the pouches of each of temperature-control members 273-
3 and
273-4), and one layer may be positioned over the other five sides of product
box 213. The
contents of the various pouches 277 of temperature-control members 273-1
through 273-6
may be the same, or some pouches may contain different phase-change materials
or may
have contents with a different phase-change temperature than the contents of
other
pouches. Moreover, regardless of the contents of the pouches, the various
temperature-
control members or even the various pouches of the same temperature-control
member
may be preconditioned at the same or different temperatures.
According to one embodiment, system 271 may be used to maintain a payload at a
temperature of -15 C to -25 C for up to 4 days or longer, and each of pouches
277 of
temperature-control members 273-1 through 273-6 may contain a salt/water
solution
having a phase-change temperature of -23 C. An example of a material suitable
for use as
temperature-control members 153-1 through 153-4 is a 500-ST series KOOLIT gel
pack
or saddlebag from Cold Chain Technologies, Inc. (Franklin, MA). In such a
case, the
product load may be pre-conditioned at -20 C 5 C, temperature-control members
273-1
through 273-6 may be pre-conditioned at -30 C 3 C, and system 271 may be
assembled at
a temperature of +20 C 3 C.
Also, although not shown, it is to be understood that one or more layers of
insulating material may be interposed between product box 213 and an adjacent
temperature-control member and/or may be interposed between two adjacent
layers of
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pouches (either of a single, folded temperature-control member or of two
discrete
temperature-control members) along a common side of product box 213.
Referring now to Fig. 16, there is shown a partly exploded perspective view of
a
fifth embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed
according to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 301.
For clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 301 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from Fig. 16 or may be shown therein in a simplified manner.
For
example, Fig. 16 does not show four straps that are used as part of the
insulation unit, such
straps being similar to straps 69-1 through 69-3 of system 11.
System 301 may be similar in some respects to system 11. One difference
between
the two systems may be that, whereas system 11 may be designed for a payload
of
approximately 6L, system 301 may be designed for a payload of approximately
59L.
Accordingly, system 301 may comprise an outer box 303, a board 307, an
insulation unit
309, and a product box 313, all of which may be similar in construction to the
corresponding components of system 11 but may simply be larger in at least one
dimension.
Outer box 301 may comprise a cavity 317 bounded by a plurality of side walls
318-
1 through 318-4, a plurality of top closure flaps 319-1 through 319-4, and a
plurality of
bottom closure flaps (not shown). A tab 321, which may be similar in
composition and
function to tab 21, may be secured to flap 319-4. A plurality of fasteners 325-
1 through
325-4, which may be similar in composition and function to fasteners 25-1
through 25-4,
may also be secured to flap 319-4. Fasteners 325-1 through 325-4 may be used
to
detachably mate with complementary fasteners (not shown) secured to a cover or
casing
327. Casing 327, which may be made of corrugated cardboard or a similar
material, may
be used to completely encase a vacuum insulated panel 329. Consequently,
vacuum
insulated panel 329 may be coupled to and integrated with flap 319-4.
Board 307 may comprise an opening 331 for snugly receiving an environmental
data logger 333, which may be similar to environmental data logger 41 of
system 11.
Insulation unit 309 may comprise a plurality of vacuum insulated panels 341-1
through 341-5, a support 343, a plurality of corner boards 345-1 through 345-
4, and a
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plurality of straps (not shown), the combination of which may be assembled in
a manner
analogous to that described above for insulation unit 51.
System 301 may further comprise a protective liner (or shell or insert) 351.
Liner
351, which is appropriately dimensioned to be removably mounted on insulation
unit 309,
may be a rigid structure, either one-piece or multi-piece, comprising or
consisting of
materials, such as a corrugated cardboard or plastic, polyester paper,
expanded
polypropylene (EPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), plastic corrugate
panels, or some
combination thereof. Moreover, as will be discussed further below, liner 351
may
comprise or consist of a polymer-coated corrugated cardboard, such as a
polyurea-coated
corrugated cardboard or a polyurethane-coated corrugated cardboard. In the
present
embodiment, liner 351 may be a one-piece, corrugated cardboard or plastic
member shaped
to include a cavity 353 bounded by a bottom wall 355 and four side walls 357-1
through
357-4. Each of side walls 357-1 through 357-4 may extend peripherally
outwardly at its
top end to form a flange 359 and then may extend downwardly a short distance
to form an
outer wall or extension 361.
Referring now to Fig. 17, there is shown a blank 370 that may be used to make
liner
351. As can be seen, blank 370 may include a central panel 372, a first
plurality of
intermediate panels 374-1 through 374-4, a second plurality of intermediate
panels 376-1
through 376-4, and a plurality of end panels 378-1 through 378-4. A first
plurality of fold
lines 380-1 through 380-4 is provided at the interface of central panel 372
with each of
intermediate panels 374-1 through 374-4, respectively. The folding of blank
370 about
fold lines 380-1 through 380-4 may be used to define bottom wall 355 and side
walls 357-1
through 357-4. A second plurality of fold lines 382-1 through 382-4 is
provided at the
interface of intermediate panels 374-1 through 374-4 with intermediate panels
376-1
through 376-4, respectively. The folding of blank 370 about fold lines 382-1
through 382-
4 may be used to define flanges 359. A third plurality of fold lines 384-1
through 384-4 is
provided at the interface of intermediate panels 376-1 through 376-4 with end
panels 378-1
through 378-4, respectively. The folding of blank 370 about fold lines 384-1
through 384-
4 may be used to define outer walls 361.
Liner 351 is preferably dimensioned so that bottom wall 355 and side walls 357-
1
through 357-4 may be inserted into the cavity of insulation unit 309, with
bottom wall 355
being positioned over the top of vacuum insulated panel 341-1 and with side
walls 357-1
through 357-4 being positioned along the inner faces of vacuum insulated
panels 341-2
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through 341-5. Flanges 359 may be dimensioned to sit on top of and/or to cover
the tops
of vacuum insulated panels 341-2 through 341-5, and outer walls 361 may extend
downwardly along the exterior faces of support 343. In this manner, liner 351
may cover
the exposed inner and top faces of vacuum insulated panels 341-2 through 341-
5.
Liner 351 may be maintained in a folded state by insulation unit 309. In other
words, if liner 351 is removed from insulation unit 309, there is nothing
maintaining side
walls 357-1 through 357-4 perpendicular to bottom wall 355. Alternatively, in
another
embodiment, liner 351 may be maintained in a folded state, independently of
insulation
unit 309, using one or more strips of adhesive tape (not shown) or using a
polymer coating
of the type described above (not shown), either of which may be used to secure
adjacent
side walls 357-1 through 357-4 to one another. Alternatively, in yet another
embodiment,
liner 351 may be maintained in a folded state, independently of insulation
unit 209, by
providing blank 370 with suitable mating tabs and slots (not shown). Other
ways of
maintaining liner 351 in a folded state will be apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art.
Although, in the present embodiment, liner 351 may be a one-piece structure,
it is
to be understood that liner 351 need not be a one-piece structure and may be
formed by the
assembly of two or more pieces. For example, liner 351 may be formed by
joining
together a first structure defining the walls of liner 351 with a second
structure defining the
flanges and, optionally, outer walls of liner 351. For purposes of
illustration, such a first
structure defining the walls of liner 351 could be one or more pieces made of
corrugated
plastic, and such a second structure defining the flanges and, optionally,
outer walls of liner
351 could be one or more pieces made of thermoformed plastic.
Also, as noted above, liner 351 may comprise or consist of a polymer-coated
corrugated cardboard, such as a polyurea-coated corrugated cardboard or a
polyurethane-
coated corrugated cardboard. More specifically, for example, blank 370 (Fig.
17), which
may be made of corrugated cardboard or a similarly suitable material, may be
folded in the
manner discussed above, and one or more strips of adhesive tape may be used to
secure
adjacent side walls 357-1 through 357-4 to one another. (Instead of securing
adjacent side
walls 357-1 through 357-4 to one another in the above fashion, the folded
blank 370 may
simply be placed in a suitable structure to maintain blank 370 in the desired
folded state.)
Next, a polymer coating may be applied to one or more exposed surfaces of the
liner. For
example, the polymer coating may be a conventional sprayable, two-part
polyurea system,
in which one feed is an isocyanate and the other feed is an amine. An example
of such a
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polyurea system is commercially available from Ultimate Linings (Houston, TX)
as UL
XT 66 two-component modified polyurea protective coating. Other types of
chemistries
may also be used. For example, instead of a polyurea system, a polyurethane
system may
be used, in which one feed is isocyanate and the other feed is polyol. As
noted above, the
polymer coating may be applied to one or more exposed surfaces of the liner.
For
example, the polymer coating may be applied to some or all of the exposed
surfaces of
bottom wall 355 and/or side walls 357-1 through 357-4 including flanges 359
and
extensions 361. Without wishing to be limited to any particular thickness for
the polymer
coating, the polymer coating may have a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 3
mm,
preferably about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 min.
As can readily be appreciated, instead of applying the above-described polymer
coating after blank 370 has been folded, the polymer coating could be applied
before
folding blank 370.
One benefit of applying a polymer coating of the aforementioned type to the
corrugated cardboard of liner 351 is that, as a result of such a coating,
liner 351 may be
rendered more water-resistant or even water-proof Consequently, liner 351 may
become
less susceptible to water damage and may be more easily wiped-down or cleaned
between
uses. In addition, the polymer coating may even make liner 351 more
structurally durable,
for example, more crush-resistant and/or more scratch-resistant. Where liner
351 comprises
or consists of a polymer-coated corrugated cardboard of the type described
above (or
perhaps even independently thereof), casing 327 may, but need not, similarly
comprise or
consist of a polymer-coated corrugated cardboard.
System 301 may further comprise a first plurality of spacers 381-1 through 381-
4
and a second plurality of spacers 383-1 through 383-4. Spacers 381-1 through
381-4 and
spacers 383-1 through 383-4 may function similarly to pads 97-1 through 97-4
of system
11 and may be made of a corrugated cardboard or similar material. Spacers 381-
1 through
381-4 may be secured to the outside surfaces of liner 351, and spacers 383-1
through 383-4
may be secured to the outside surfaces of spacers 381-1 through 381-4,
respectively.
System 301 may further comprise a plurality of temperature-control members 391-
1 through 391-12. Temperature-control members 391-1 through 391-12 may be
identical
to one another and to temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3, the
only
difference being that system 301 may include 12 temperature-control members
whereas
system 11 may include three temperature-control members. Notwithstanding the
above, it
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is to be understood that the number of temperature-control members 391-1
through 391-12
and the number and shape of pouches 393 in temperature-control members 391-1
through
391-12 are merely illustrative. Consequently, the number of temperature-
control members
391, as well as the number and shape of pouches 393 therein, may be varied
while still
coming within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, while, in the
present
embodiment, each pouch 393 of temperature-control members 391-1 through 391-12
contains the same quantity and type of phase-change material, this need not be
so as some
of temperature-control members 391-1 through 391-12 may contain different
phase-change
materials than others of temperature-control members 391-1 through 391-12
and/or
different pouches 393 of the same temperature-control member 391 may contain
different
phase-change materials. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, whether the same
phase-
change materials or different phase-change materials are used, it may be
desirable to
precondition some temperature-control members at a first temperature and to
precondition
other temperature control-members at a second (i.e., different) temperature.
Temperature-control members 391-1 through 391-12 may be dimensioned relative
to product box 313 and liner 351 so that temperature-control member 391-1
through 391-
12 may fit snugly around product box 315.
System 301 may further comprise a temperature indicator 395, which may be
similar in composition and function to temperature indicator 127.
System 301 may be used similarly to system 11.
Many of the systems described herein may use identical types of temperature-
control members to keep payloads within a particular temperature range. For
example, the
temperature-control members used by systems 11, 201 and 301 to keep a payload
within a
temperature range of, for example, +2 C to +8 C, may be identical, the only
difference
being the number of such temperature-control members used by these systems and
the
arrangement of such temperature-control members within the respective systems.
As a
result, a party may keep inventories of various types of temperature-control
members
designed for keeping payloads within particular temperature ranges and then
may use these
temperature-control members, as needed, within the various systems. This is
advantageous
as it reduces the number of different types of temperature-control members
that may be
needed by a party using differently-sized systems.
Referring now to Figs. 18, 19(a) and 19(b), there is shown a partly exploded
perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use
in storing
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and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being
constructed
according to the present invention and being represented generally by
reference numeral
411. For clarity and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping
system 411 that are
discussed elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an
understanding of the
invention may be omitted from one or more of Figs. 18, 19(a) and 19(b) or may
be shown
therein in a simplified manner.
System 411 may be similar in many respects to system 11. Accordingly, system
411 may comprise an outer box 413, which may be similar to outer box 13 of
system 11, a
board 415, which may be similar to board 43 of system 11, an environmental
data logger
417, which may be similar to environmental data logger 41 of system 11, an
insulation unit
419, which may be similar to insulation unit 51 of system 11, a protective
liner 421, which
may be similar to protective liner 81 of system 11, a product box 423, which
may be
similar to product box 99 of system 11 but may be scaled down in size, and a
lid assembly
425, which may be similar to lid assembly 122 of system 11. Although not shown
in Fig.
18, lid assembly 425 may be detachably coupled to a top flap of outer box 413
in a manner
analogous to that discussed above for lid assembly 122 of system 11.
System 411 may differ from system 11 in that system 411 may additionally
comprise a pad 427, which may be made of foam or a similarly suitable
material, disposed
in outer box 413 under board 415. Pad 427 may be used to keep the components
that are
contained within outer box 413 from jostling up and down, despite tolerances,
and may
also provide some shock absorption to protect the contents disposed within
outer box 413.
Notwithstanding the above, in some embodiments, pad 427 may be omitted.
System 411 may also differ from system 11 in that, whereas system 11 may
comprise three temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3, system 411 may
comprise six temperature-control members, namely, three inner temperature-
control
members 431-1 through 431-3 and three outer temperature-control members 433-1
through
433-3. In the present embodiment, each of inner temperature-control members
431-1
through 431-3 may have four generally rectangular, trough-shaped pouches 432,
and each
of outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 may have four
generally
rectangular, trough-shaped pouches 434. Inner temperature-control members 431-
1
through 431-3 may be arranged around product box 423 so that two pouches 432
of inner
temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 may face each side of product
box 423.
Outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 may be similarly
arranged
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around inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3. Preferably,
inner
temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-control
members
433-1 through 433-3 are dimensioned to snugly fit between product box 423 and
protective
liner 421. Notwithstanding the above, it is to be understood that the number
and/or
dimensions of inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer
temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3, as well as the number of
pouches 432
and 434 therein, may be varied without departing from the present invention.
Inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-
control members 433-1 through 433-3 may be similar to temperature-control
members
101-1 through 101-3 in terms of size, shape, and general construction.
However, as can be
appreciated, the types and/or quantities of phase-change materials used in
inner
temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and in outer temperature-
control
members 433-1 through 433-3 may or may not be the same as that of temperature-
control
members 101-1 through 101-3 and may differ therefrom, for example, by one or
more of
phase-change temperature, specific heat, chemical composition, and quantity.
In fact, the
types and/or quantities of phase-change material in inner temperature-control
members
431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3
may be
tailored to a particular application. For example, one, some, or all of inner
temperature-
control members 431-1 through 431-3 and/or one, some, or all of temperature-
control
members 433-1 through 433-3 may contain a different type and/or a different
quantity of
phase-change material than is contained in temperature-control members 101-1
through
101-3. (In fact, the type and/or quantity of phase-change material may even
differ among
different pouches of the same temperature-control member.)
Moreover, the
preconditioning temperatures used for inner temperature-control members 431-1
through
431-3 and for outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 may or may
not be
the same as that for temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3 and may
be tailored
to a particular application. For example, one, some, or all of inner
temperature-control
members 431-1 through 431-3 and/or one, some, or all of temperature-control
members
433-1 through 433-3 may be preconditioned at one or more temperatures
different than that
used to precondition temperature-control members 101-1 through 101-3.
Notwithstanding
the above, in certain applications, it may be desirable for inner temperature-
control
members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-control members 433-1
through 433-
3 to contain the same type of phase-change material and/or to be
preconditioned at the
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same temperature. This may be desirable, for example, where the phase-change
material
that is needed exceeds that which is contained in a single temperature-control
member.
Where, for example, system 411 may be used to maintain a payload at a
temperature of +15 C to +25 C for an extended period of time, such as 4 days
or longer,
each of pouches 432 of inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3
and each
of pouches 434 of outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 may
contain an
equal quantity of a phase-change material having a phase-change temperature of
+17 C,
with inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 being
preconditioned at
+20 C and with outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 being
preconditioned at +5 C. A +17 C phase-change material suitable for use in
pouches 432
of inner temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and in pouches 434 of
outer
temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 may be, for example, a gelled
n-
hexadecane of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 9,598,622 B2 and/or U.S.
Patent
Application Publication No. US 2018/0093816 A.!, which are incorporated herein
by
reference.
Alternatively, pouches 432 of inner temperature-control members 431-1 through
431-3 may contain a +17 C phase-change material (which may be a gelled n-
hexadecane
of the type described above), and pouches 434 of outer temperature-control
members 433-1
through 433-3 may contain a +24 C phase-change material (which may be, for
example, a
gelled n-hexadecane/n-octadecane of the type described in U.S. Patent No.
9,598,622 B2
and/or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2018/0093816 Al, which are
incorporated herein by reference), with inner temperature-control members 431-
1 through
431-3 being preconditioned at +20 C and with outer temperature-control members
433-1
through 433-3 also being preconditioned at +20 C. Alternatively, the contents
of inner
temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-control
members
433-1 through 433-3 may be swapped, with inner temperature-control members 431-
1
through 431-3 containing a +24 C phase-change material preconditioned at 20 C
and with
outer temperature-control members 433-1 through 433-3 containing a +17 C phase-
change
material preconditioned at 20 C.
Although not shown, to facilitate assembly of system 411, one or more of inner
temperature-control members 431-1 through 431-3 and outer temperature-control
members
433-1 through 433-3 may be removably or permanently housed in a sleeve or
container
(e.g., a corrugate sleeve or container). For example, inner temperature-
control member
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431-1 and outer temperature-control member 433-1 may be housed within a first
sleeve or
container, inner temperature-control member 431-2 and outer temperature-
control member
433-2 may be housed within a second sleeve or container, and inner temperature-
control
member 431-3 and outer temperature-control member 433-3 may be housed within a
third
sleeve or container. In particular, where the inner and outer temperature-
control members
are pre-conditioned at the same temperature, such pre-conditioning may take
place with the
inner and outer temperature-control members housed within their corresponding
sleeve or
container. Instead of using a sleeve or container, one or more inner
temperature-control
members and one or more outer temperature-control members may be coupled to
one
another by other techniques, such as, but not limited to, shrink-wrapping,
hook and loop
fasteners, adhesive tape, glue, and the like.
As can readily be appreciated, a protective liner of the type exemplified by
protective liners 81, 211 and 421 may be replaced with a protective liner of
the type
exemplified by protective liner 351 and vice versa. In other words, for
example, protective
liner 81, protective liner 211, or protective liner 421 could have an overall
shape similar to
that of protective liner 351 and/or could comprise or consist of the materials
used to make
protective liner 351, such as a polymer-coated corrugated cardboard, and
protective liner
351 could have an overall shape similar to that of protective liners 81, 211
or 421 and/or
could comprise or consist of the materials used to make protective liners 81,
211 or 421.
Referring now to Fig. 20, there is shown a partly exploded perspective view of
a
seventh embodiment of a shipping system suitable for use in storing and/or
transporting
temperature-sensitive materials, the shipping system being constructed
according to the
present invention and being represented generally by reference numeral 511.
For clarity
and/or ease of illustration, certain details of shipping system 511 that are
discussed
elsewhere in this application or that are not critical to an understanding of
the invention
may be omitted from Fig. 20 or may be shown therein in a simplified manner.
System 511 may be similar in many respects to system 301. Accordingly, system
511 may comprise an outer box 513, which may be similar to outer box 303 of
system 301,
a board 515, which may be similar to board 307 of system 301, an environmental
data
logger 517, which may be similar to environmental data logger 333 of system
301, a
temperature indicator 521, which may be similar to temperature indicator 395
of system
301, a product box 523, which may be similar to product box 313 of system 301,
and
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temperature-control members 525-1 through 525-12, which may be similar to
temperature-
control members 391-1 through 391-12, respectively, of system 301.
System 511 may differ from system 301 in that, whereas system 301 may comprise
insulation unit 309, system 511 may instead comprise an insulation unit 531.
Insulation
unit 531, which is also shown in Figs. 21(a) and 21(b), may be similar in many
respects to
insulation unit 309 of system 301. Accordingly, insulation unit 531 may
comprise a
plurality of vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5, which may be similar
to
vacuum insulated panels 341-1 through 341-5, respectively, of system 301, a
support 535,
which may be similar to support 343 of system 301, a plurality of corner
boards 537-1
through 537-4, which may be similar to corner boards 345-1 through 345-4 of
system 301,
and a plurality of straps 539-1 through 539-3, which may be similar to straps
69-1 through
69-3 of system 11. However, insulation unit 531 may differ from insulation
unit 309 in
that insulation unit 531 may also comprise a coating 541. Coating 541, which
may be a
polymer coating similar to the polymer coating that may be applied to liner
351 of system
301, may be used to encapsulate, partially or completely, the assembly of
vacuum insulated
panels 533-1 through 533-5, support 535, corner boards 537-1 and 537-4, and
straps 539-1
through 539-3. Accordingly, in one embodiment, coating 541 may be formed by
spraying
or otherwise applying a conventional sprayable, two-part polyurea or
polyurethane system
over the aforementioned assembly of components. Preferably, coating 541 is
applied over
at least the entirety of the exposed portions of vacuum insulated panels 533-1
through 533-
5; however, coating 541 could be applied to only some of the exposed portions
of vacuum
insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5 (e.g., the inner surfaces forming the
floor and sides
of insulation unit 531).
One benefit of insulation unit 531, particularly where coating 541 at least
encapsulates the exposed portions of vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-
5, is that
system 511 need not include a liner. in other words, product box 523 and
temperature-
control members 525-1 through 525-12 may be positioned directly within
insulation unit
531. This may be beneficial in reducing the cost and complexity of system 511
and may
also permit a larger product box to be used.
Although insulation unit 531 is described above as being made by assembling
vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5, support 535, corner boards 537-1
and 537-
4, and straps 539-1 through 539-3 and then applying coating 541 to the
assembly, one
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could apply the coating to the individual vacuum insulated panels 533-1
through 533-5 and
then assemble the various components.
Also, where vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5 are assembled with
support 535 and then coating 541 is applied to the assembly, it may be
possible to omit
corner boards 537-1 through 537-4 and/or straps 539-1 through 539-3. in fact,
by applying
coating 541 directly to an assembly of vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through
533-5, it
may further be possible to omit support 535, whereby the resulting insulation
unit may
consist merely of vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5 and coating 541,
with the
vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5 being held together by coating
541.
System 511 may further comprise a vacuum insulated panel 551 and a casing 553.
Casing 553 may be similar to casing 327 of system 301 but may additionally be
partially or
completely encapsulated within a coating similar to coating 541.
Alternatively, casing 553
may be omitted, and vacuum insulated panel 551 may be partially or completely
encapsulated within such a coating.
The encapsulation of vacuum insulated panels 533-1 through 533-5 and/or vacuum
insulated panel 551 with a coating similar to 541 may result in improved
thermal properties
for system 511. Also, such encapsulation may create a seal between vacuum
insulated
panels 533-1 through 533-5 and vacuum insulated panel 551, for example, when
outer box
513 is closed.
The embodiments of the present invention described above are intended to be
merely exemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerous
variations
and modifications to it without departing from the spirit of the present
invention. All such
variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the
present invention.
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