Refrigeration – Portable – commodity-containing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-09
2001-12-25
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Portable, commodity-containing
C062S372000, C062S457200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332334
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the field of handling and transportation of temperature-sensitive items.
BACKGROUND
Storage and distribution of consumer goods, particularly perishable consumer goods, becomes an ever greater challenge as consumer products companies grow larger and span greater geographical areas. Large grocery chains, for example, may receive meat and produce from different locations, each many miles away, that must then be stored in a central warehouse facility and later trucked to points of sale far away from the warehouse facility. This situation poses extensive logistical problems, but also requires that foods such as frozen foods or fresh vegetables be handled and transported under controlled conditions to maintain their salability. In the case of a large grocery store chain, each type of item is typically shipped to a central warehouse in a specialized vehicle such as a refrigerated truck or a truck with freezer facilities. The problem of food handling is somewhat simplified when large quantities of foods with similar handling requirements can be shipped and stored in bulk together. Transporting food products having dissimilar handling requirements, such as an individual consumer order, still poses significant problems. One approach to the problem of keeping frozen foods cold, for example, involves lining a standard transportation container with a disposable liner made of a material such as Styrofoam. The use of Styrofoam has disadvantages. For example, the Styrofoam is not durable, so it is easily broken and must be frequently replaced. Styrofoam is not sanitary enough for reuse in transporting foods, even if it is not broken. Because Styrofoam is very porous, it traps contaminants and cannot be adequately cleaned because of its delicacy.
SUMMARY
A container for handling and transporting temperature-sensitive items is described. The container includes an exterior made of a resilient material. The exterior has attached flaps for completely covering a top opening. The closed dimensions of the container make the container compatible with commercial product-handling equipment. The container includes a liner that fits snugly into the exterior. The lining includes a shell made of a resilient material. When inserted in the exterior, the liner shell covers all of the interior surfaces of the container. The shell is filled with insulating material. The liner includes a lid sized to fit securely over the opening of the shell. The lid includes a layer of the insulating material and a compartment adjacent to the layer of insulating material such that the compartment faces the interior of the liner when the lid is in place. The compartment is accessible for the insertion of a refrigerant material. The lid, including the layer of insulating material and the compartment, is coated by a layer of resilient material.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2781643 (1957-02-01), Fairweather
patent: 3406532 (1968-10-01), Rownd et al.
patent: 4213310 (1980-07-01), Buss
patent: 5105627 (1992-04-01), Kurita
patent: 5235819 (1993-08-01), Bruce
patent: 5533361 (1996-07-01), Halpern
patent: 5899088 (1999-05-01), Purdum
Bennett Henry
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Jiang Chen-Wen
Webvan Group, Inc.
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