INSULSTED SHIPPING BAGS

• US 20080260303A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coldkeepers, LLC
• Original Assignee: Coldkeepers, LLC
• Inventors: Flowers, Langdon Strong, Stampfli, Robert Gary, DE LESSEUX, Lionel de Bazelaire
• Granted Patent: US 9,290,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 383/110
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 41/0066 Flexible containers or jackets
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 41/0072 Double walled vessels comprising a single insulating layer between inner and outer walls
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/389 formed of foam material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3893 formed with double walls, i.e. hollow
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3897 formed of different materials, e.g. laminated or foam filling between walls

Abstract

A collapsible insulated bag designed to allow items retained within an inner pouch thereof to remain within predetermined temperature ranges for predetermined periods of time and wherein the bags are designed to be easily compressed or compacted for storage or shipment to end users. The bags include at least an outer reflective layer, an intermediate open foam layer and the inner pouch layer.

Claims

1. An insulated shipping and/or storage bag including an outer radiant energy reflecting layer, an intermediate foam material layer and an inner plastic layer that is configured to form an article receiving pouch, an opening into the bag and means for sealing the opening into the bag.

2. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 wherein said inner plastic layer includes a cuff in which upper portions of the intermediate foam material layer are received to thereby retain said intermediate foam material layer secured to said inner plastic layer.

3. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 including means to vent air from between said inner plastic layer and said outer reflective layer in order to permit the shipping and/or storage bag to be compactly configured for shipment to an end user.

4. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 3 including means for covering said means to vent.

5. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 wherein said intermediate layer is between approximately one half inch to one and one half inches in thickness.

6. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 wherein said intermediate layer is formed of a sheet of material having cut outs at each of the four corners thereof and opposing cut outs generally centrally along opposite side edges of the sheet of material, said cut outs facilitating a free standing configuration of the bag.

7. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 6 including slits extending inwardly of the sheet material from each of the cut outs.

8. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 including securing said inner layer to an inner surface of said outer layer adjacent the opening into the bag.

9. The insulated shipping and/or storage bag of claim 1 in which the means for sealing includes a handle means.

10. A method for shipping a plurality of the insulated shipping and/or storage bags of claim 1 including the steps of:

A. At least partially removing air from within the intermediate layer of each of the bags to collapse the bags to compact structures; and

B. Placing the compact structures within a shipping container to ship to an end user.

11. The method for shipping a plurality of the insulated shipping and/or storage bags of claim 10 including the additional step of:

C. At least partially evacuating air from the shipping container.