INSULATED SHIPPING CONTAINERS WITH COMPOUND INSULATION HAVING SPACE THEREBETWEEN

• US 20180282049A1
• Filed: 04/03/2018
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Alton Williams, Jim Tumber
• Original Assignee: Alton Williams
• Inventors: TUMBER, Jim, WILLIAMS, Alton
• Application Number:
  US15/944,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20180282049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/0413 the inner and outer containers being rigid or semi-rigid and the outer container being of polygonal cross-section formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks, e.g. carton
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3816 formed of foam material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3818 formed with double walls, i.e. hollow
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3827 the external tray being formed of foam material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/383 the external tray being formed with double walls, i.e. hollow
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3832 the external tray being provided with liquid material between double walls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/804 Boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/06 Movable containers

Abstract

Provided are insulated shipping containers and shipping container systems that include outer side boundaries, in which a container or box may be contained, which outer side boundaries include smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls, wherein said smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls face one another and have one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together, the facing smooth side walls and ridged walls form at least one side space therebetween and form outer side boundaries of an insulated shipping container. The insulated shipping containers may also include a top and/or bottom boundary that also include at least two layers, having ridges or other spacer therebetween to form at least one top and/or bottom space. The present systems may further include an over-shipper box and/or one or more interior boxes, which may be adapted to include e.g., a payload and/or heat transfer element therein for temperature control. Further provided are kits which may include one or more components used in the present containers and/or systems, and methods of assembling such containers and/or systems.

Claims

1. An insulated shipping container system comprising

smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls, wherein said smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls face one another and have one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together, the facing smooth side walls and ridged walls form at least one side space therebetween and form outer side boundaries of an insulated shipping container.

2. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, wherein said insulated shipping container comprises a fabricated shipping container, wherein smooth side walls comprise three or more smooth side walls or smooth corner pieces, and wherein said ridged side walls comprise three or more ridged side walls or ridged corner pieces;

wherein edges of the corner pieces comprising the smooth corner pieces and ridged corner pieces, are offset from one another.

3. The insulated shipping container system of claim 2, further comprising a bottom smooth surface and a bottom ridged surface, wherein the bottom ridged surface faces the bottom smooth surface with one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together the bottom ridged surface and bottom smooth surface form at least one bottom space therebetween and form a bottom boundary of the insulated container.

4. The insulated shipping container system of claim 2, wherein said smooth side walls and said smooth corner pieces meet together at intersections, and said ridges bypass said intersections.

5. The insulated shipping container system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said bottom space, is filled with a fluid selected from the group consisting of a liquid and gas.

6. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1,

wherein said insulated shipping container comprises a molded shipping container,

wherein smooth side walls comprise a smooth molded container, and

wherein said ridged side walls comprise a molded container having ridges on the outside of the ridged container when the molded container having ridges is adapted to be fit within the smooth molded container;

or wherein said ridged side walls comprise a molded container having ridges on the inside of the ridged container when the smooth molded container is adapted to be fit within the molded container having ridges.

7. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, wherein said insulated shipping container comprises a molded container and a corresponding fabricated container, which taken together form the outer side boundaries of an insulated shipping container.

8. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, further comprising a top smooth surface and a top ridged surface, wherein the top ridged surface faces the top smooth surface with one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together the top ridged surface and top smooth surface form at least one top space therebetween and form a top boundary of the insulated container.

9. The insulated shipping container system of claim 8, wherein the top boundary forms a cooperative fit with the ridged side walls and/or smooth side walls.

10. The insulated shipping container system of claim 8, wherein at least one of said top space, is filled with a fluid selected from the group consisting of a liquid and gas.

11. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said side space, is filled with a fluid selected from the group consisting of a liquid and gas.

12. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, further comprising an over-shipper box in which over-shipper box, the insulated container may be placed or assembled.

13. The insulated shipping container system of claim 1, wherein interior dimensions of the side boundaries of the insulated container are configured such that an interior box may be placed therein.

14. A method of assembling an insulated shipping container comprising

forming an outer boundary of an insulated container, comprising smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls, wherein the smooth side walls and corresponding ridged side walls face one another and have one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together, the facing smooth side walls and ridged walls form at least one side space therebetween and form outer side boundaries of an insulated shipping container.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said forming comprises placing a first molded container within a second molded container, wherein said first and second molded containers are separated by at least one ridge or spacer to form air space between the first and second molded containers.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming an outer boundary of an insulated container, comprises forming three or more smooth side walls or smooth corner pieces joined together at intersections, and three or more corresponding ridged side walls or ridged corner pieces, wherein the smooth side walls/corner pieces face corresponding ridged walls/corner pieces, with one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together, the facing side walls/corner pieces and ridged walls/corner pieces form at least one side space therebetween, wherein edges of the corners are offset from one another.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising

forming a bottom boundary of the insulated container, said bottom boundary comprising at least one bottom smooth surface and at least one bottom ridged surface, wherein the bottom ridged surface faces the bottom smooth surface with one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together the bottom ridged surface and bottom smooth surface form at least one bottom space therebetween.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising

forming a top boundary of the insulated container, said top boundary comprising at least one top smooth surface and at least one top ridged surface, wherein the top ridged surface faces the top smooth surface with one or more ridges therebetween, such that taken together the top ridged surface and top smooth surface form at least one top space therebetween.

19. A kit comprising

one or more smooth side walls or smooth corner pieces;

and

one or more ridged side walls or ridged corner pieces;

wherein the one or more smooth side walls or smooth corner pieces and one or more ridged side walls or ridged corner pieces are configured such that they may be assembled together along with one or more ridges therebetween to form an outer boundary of an insulated shipping container.

20. The kit of claim 19, further comprising at least one additional component selected from the group consisting of instructions for assembling the insulated shipping container, a bottom smooth surface, bottom ridged surface, top smooth surface, top ridged surface, at least one tool or device for assembling the insulated shipping container, an over-shipper box, and an inner box.