Collapsible insulated container

• US 8,209,995 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Packit LLC
• Original Assignee: Packit LLC
• Inventors: Kieling, Melissa Renee, Brisacher-Dirksen, Jeannette Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Tyler, Cheryl J
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOAGEL, JONATHAN BRYAN
• Application Number:
  US12/652,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20100270317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 624/571, 624/572, 220/907, 220/915.1, 220/915.2, 383/38, 383/39, 383/40, 383/110, 383/2, 383/84, 383/85, 383/88
• US Class Current: 62/457.1
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/20 Lunch or picnic boxes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 3/001 Flexible materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 7/0077 collapsible to a minimal configuration, e.g. for storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2313/02 of hook-and-loop type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 31/10 with gusseted sides
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/24 using self-locking integral or attached closure elements, e.g. flaps B65D33/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3895 provided with liquid material between double walls
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3897 formed of different materials, e.g. laminated or foam filling between walls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/082 disposed in a cold storage element not forming part of a container for products to be cooled, e.g. ice pack or gel accumulator
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/0832 the liquid is disposed in an accumulator pack locked in a closable wall forming part of the container
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/0843 on the side of the product
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/0845 below the product
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/061 Collapsible walls
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/801 Bags
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/08 portable, i.e. adapted to be carried personally
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 220/907 Collapsible

Abstract

A collapsible insulated container has a base wall and a peripheral wall with an open end defining an enclosure. The peripheral wall has at least two layers and is divided into elongate pockets between the layers, with foldable crease lines between adjacent pockets. Each pocket contains a flexible-walled, insulating gel pack which substantially fills the pocket. The crease lines may be defined by stitching securing the outer and inner layers of the container together. The gel packs may be surrounded by matting, foam or mesh material which is sewn into the lines of stitching, or may have integral peripheral rims sewn into the lines of stitching. The container is foldable between an erect, open condition and a storage condition in which it is folded along the crease lines into a substantially flattened package.

Claims

1. A collapsible insulated container, comprising:

a base wall and a peripheral wall extending from the base wall to define a cavity having an open end;

each wall comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer with an interior space between the layers;

a plurality of substantially flat gel packs each containing a gel material, the gel packs being located side by side within the interior space in at least part of the peripheral wall and at least part of the base wall; and

the peripheral wall having a plurality of spaced, parallel foldable crease areas comprising first lines of stitching which extend through the wall layers and define separate pockets in the wall, each pocket containing a gel pack which substantially fills the respective pocket, and the collapsed container is folded only about the crease areas in the peripheral wall into a folded storage configuration with successive pockets containing gel packs stacked adjacent one another.

2. The container of claim 1, further comprising a fastener strap secured to the container at one end, a first fastener device on the fastener strap and a second, mating fastener device on the outside of one of the walls, the fastener strap being configured to extend around at least part of the container in the flattened, collapsed position with the first fastener device releasably attached to the second fastener device, whereby the container is held in the collapsed condition.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein the fastener devices comprise mateable strips of hook and loop fastener material.

4. The container of claim 2, wherein the first and second fastener devices comprise mateable first and second strips of hook and loop fastener material, the second strip is located on the rear wall of the container, the closure flap and fastener strap extending over the folded front and base walls and part of the rear wall to secure the first strip to the second strip in the folded, collapsed condition of the container.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite side walls, a closure flap extending from the peripheral wall which is movable between an open position and a closed position covering the open end of the container and in the collapsed condition, the side walls are folded inward, the front wall is positioned adjacent to the rear wall, the base wall is positioned against the front wall and the front and rear walls are folded over the base wall.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the base wall, front wall, and rear wall each have at least one elongated pocket containing a gel pack, and the side walls contain no gel packs.

7. The container of claim 6, wherein the front wall and rear wall each have at least two elongated pockets oriented generally parallel to the base wall in the folded, collapsed condition and extending across the front and rear wall, respectively, between the side walls.

8. The container of claim 5, wherein the front wall and rear wall each have at least two parallel rows of pockets formed between the crease areas, each row comprising at least two pockets each containing a gel pack, and at least one additional line of stitching extends transverse to the crease areas between adjacent pockets in each row.

9. The container of claim 1, further comprising a foam material surrounding each gel pack and sewn into the lines of stitching between adjacent gel packs.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein each crease line comprises at least two lines of stitching extending through the wall layers.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein each pocket is of elongate shape with opposite sides and ends comprising lines of stitching extending through the wall layers.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein each crease line comprises at least two parallel lines of stitching.

13. The container of claim 1, further comprising at least two additional layers between the inner and outer wall layers, at least one of the additional layers comprising a foam cushioning layer.

14. The container of claim 13, wherein both additional layers comprise foam cushioning layers and the pockets are defined between the foam cushioning layers.

15. The container of claim 1, further comprising matting material in each pocket extending around the respective gel pack, the matting material having peripheral edges extending away from the gel pack around at least part of the gel pack, the peripheral edges being sewn into the first lines of stitching, whereby the gel pack is held in a substantially flat condition in the pocket regardless of the orientation of the container.

16. The container of claim 15, wherein the matting material comprises a woven mesh material.

17. The container of claim 15, further comprising second lines of stitching extending through the wall layers in a direction perpendicular to the first lines of stitching at opposite ends of each pocket, the second lines of stitching extending through the peripheral edges of the matting material at opposite ends of the respective gel packs in each pocket.

18. The container of claim 1, wherein each gel pack has an outwardly projecting peripheral rim extending around at least part of its periphery, and at least part of the peripheral rim is sewn into the first lines of stitching along opposite edges of the respective pockets in which the respective gel packs are located, whereby the gel packs are held in a substantially flat condition in the pockets.

19. The container of claim 18, wherein each gel pack is generally rectangular in shape and has a perimeter comprising opposite side edges and opposite ends, the outwardly projecting peripheral rim extends around the entire perimeter of the gel pack, and second lines of stitching extend through the wall layers in a direction perpendicular to the first lines of stitching at opposite ends of each pocket, the second lines of stitching also extending through the peripheral rim of the respective gel packs contained in each pocket at opposite ends of the respective pockets.

20. The container of claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall is a cylindrical wall having a central longitudinal axis and opposite ends, and said pockets extend axially between the opposite ends of the cylindrical wall with a foldable crease line between each adjacent pair of pockets.

21. The container of claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and spaced side walls, and gel packs extend parallel to one another in the interior space in the front wall, rear wall, and base wall.

22. The container of claim 1, further comprising an insulated divider wall that separates the internal cavity into two separate storage areas.

23. The container of claim 22, wherein the insulated divider wall is removable.

24. The container of claim 22, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite side walls and the insulated divider wall extends between the front wall and the base wall.

25. A collapsible insulated container, comprising:

a base wall and a peripheral wall extending from the base wall to define a cavity having an open end;

each wall comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer with an interior space between the layers;

a plurality of substantially flat gel packs each containing a gel material, the gel packs being located within the interior space in at least part of the peripheral wall and at least part of the base wall; and

the peripheral wall having a plurality of foldable crease areas comprising first lines of stitching which extend through the wall layers and define separate pockets in the peripheral wall, a plurality of said pockets each containing a gel pack which substantially fills the respective pocket, and the collapsed container is folded only about the crease areas in the peripheral wall into a folded storage configuration having a plurality pockets containing gel packs stacked parallel to the gel pack in the base wall.

26. The container of claim 25, further comprising a fastener strap secured to the container at one end, a first fastener device on the fastener strap and a second, mating fastener device on the outside of one of the walls, the fastener strap being configured to extend around at least part of the container in the flattened, collapsed position with the first fastener device releasably attached to the second fastener device, whereby the container is held in the collapsed condition.

27. The container of claim 26, wherein the fastener devices comprise mateable strips of hook and loop fastener material.

28. The container of claim 25, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite side walls, a closure flap extending from the peripheral wall which is movable between an open position and a closed position covering the open end of the container, and in the collapsed condition, the side walls are folded inward, the front wall is positioned adjacent to the rear wall, the base wall is positioned against the front wall and the front and rear walls are folded over the base wall.

29. The container of claim 28, wherein the base wall, front wall, and rear wall each have at least one elongated pocket containing a gel pack, and the side walls contain no gel packs.

30. The container of claim 25, further comprising matting material in each pocket extending around the respective gel pack, the matting material having peripheral edges extending away from the gel pack around at least part of the gel pack, the peripheral edges being sewn into the first lines of stitching, whereby the gel pack is held in a substantially flat condition in the pocket regardless of the orientation of the container.

31. The container of claim 25, wherein each gel pack has an outwardly projecting peripheral rim extending around at least part of its periphery, and at least part of the peripheral rim is sewn into the first lines of stitching along opposite edges of the respective pockets in which the respective gel packs are located, whereby the gel packs are held in a substantially flat condition in the pockets.

32. The container of claim 25, further comprising an insulated divider wall that separates the internal cavity into two separate storage areas.

33. The container of claim 32, wherein the insulated divider wall is removable.

34. The container of claim 32, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite side walls and the insulated divider wall extends between the front wall and the base wall.