Receptacles – Receptacle having means to facilitate maintaining contents... – Thermally insulated receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-05-22
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Receptacle having means to facilitate maintaining contents...
Thermally insulated receptacle
C220S592030, C220S592260
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234341
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a transport container for use in transporting temperature sensitive products and keeping them either cool or protecting them from chilling in transit, as required.
BACKGROUND ART
Certain products need to be kept cool whilst being transported from place to place by postal or courier services, particularly from a manufacturer or distributor to a consumer for the product concerned. Examples of such products are food products, pharmaceuticals and bio-chemicals including diagnostics, and they are generally known as “cold chain” products. Other products need to be protected from chilling during transport, particularly from freezing in air cargo, and in this specification these products are referred to as “warm” products. Examples of “warm” products include certain other foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, and blood products.
“Cold chain” and “warm” products have until now generally been transported in thermally insulated rigid containers such as fabricated polystyrene foam boxes as an example, but such containers can be fragile, expensive and inefficient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transport container.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a transport container comprises an insulating block, a plurality of layers of flexible insulating foam material forming sides of the container and mounted on the block which closes one end of the container, and a pressure envelope for applying pressure around the exterior of the sides and the block.
Preferably the pressure envelope is a heat shrunk polyethylene envelope.
Preferred also the insulating block is formed from stiff polyethylene foam.
Preferred also the sides of a plurality of layers of said flexible insulating material at least one sheet of said flexible insulating material wound a plurality of times around itself to form said plurality of layers.
Preferred further said at least one sheet of said flexible insulating material is wound a plurality of times around itself and around at least a portion of the insulating block.
Preferred further at least a portion of the insulating block is attached to at least the outer edge of the outer layer of the plurality of layers of said flexible insulating material at said one end of the container.
Preferred further said at least one sheet of said flexible insulating material is wound a plurality of times around itself and around at least a portion of the insulating block, and another portion of the insulating block is attached to at least the outer edge of the outer layer of the plurality of layers of said flexible insulating material at said one end of the container.
Preferred further the insulating foam material is of closed-cell low-density polyethylene.
Preferred further at least one of said plurality of layers is attached to the block by heat-bonding, or by adhesive, or by the use of adhesive tape.
Preferred further a strip of adhesive tape lapping over both said outer edge and a portion of the insulating block all the way around the block attaches the sides of the container to the block.
Preferred further the container includes closure means for closing the other end of the container.
Preferred further said closure means comprises a further insulating block to be attached to the sides to close the other end of the container.
Preferred further the transport container contains dry ice and a product to be transported in the transport container.
Preferred further the closed cells in at least the inner layer of the plurality of layers of the sides of the container are pressurised and expanded in the plane of the inner layer by the carbon dioxide gas sublimed from the dry ice.
The present invention also in a transport which has been used for transporting a product and has contained dry ice, wherein any closure means has been opened, the block has been removed, the sides have been flattened and at least the inner layer of the plurality of layers of the sides of the container has been thinned.
Other preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the subsidiary claims of the specification.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2803368 (1957-12-01), Koch
patent: 3139206 (1964-06-01), Matsch
patent: 3472568 (1969-10-01), Southwick
patent: 3888557 (1975-06-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 4377075 (1983-03-01), Russo
patent: 4862674 (1989-09-01), Lejondahl et al.
patent: 5009952 (1991-04-01), Klepsch et al.
patent: 3743372A (1989-06-01), None
patent: WO 80/01791A (1980-09-01), None
patent: 0157751A (1985-10-01), None
patent: 2419884A (1979-10-01), None
patent: 610559A (1948-10-01), None
patent: 1403771A (1975-08-01), None
patent: 1482325A (1977-08-01), None
patent: 2235523A (1991-03-01), None
patent: 2262155A (1993-06-01), None
Castellano Stephen
Fleshner & Kim LLP
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