GB1568294A

GB1568294A - Heatinsulated container

Info

Publication number: GB1568294A
Application number: GB4225577A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-02-02
Filing date: 1978-02-02
Publication date: 1980-05-29

Description

(54) HEAT INSULATED CONTAINER (71) I, DAVID ,RUSSELL WATERMAN, a Bitish citizen, 7 Cheyne Walk, Tendon, London, N.W.4, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a heat-insulated container.

According to the present invention there is provided a container lined with a heatinsulating material which is distinct from the container and is formed of a base insulating material and a metallised plastics film attached to the base material.

A preferred base material is expanded polystyrene. This is light, has a low thermal conductivity (for standard density virgin polystyrene this is typically 0.038W/mK), and a water vapour transfer rate of 55/m2 in 24 hours. The use of polystyrene also has the advantage that it provides the container with additional rigidity, thereby affording additional protection to the oontents of the container. Other materials could be used instead of polystyrene. Preferably the material used should have a thermal conductivity which does not exceed lW/mK and a water vapour transfer rate not greater than 70g/m2 in 24 hours.

A preferred metallised plastics film is formed of a thin gauge plastics film, for example of polyester or polyvinylchloride metallised on one side or both sides with a fine deposit of pure aluminium. This gives a highly reflective surface. Other metallised films could be used instead, but whatever film is used it should have a low thermal emissivity rate, preferably not greater than 0.75, a low water vapour transfer rate, preferably not greater than 8Og/mZ in 24 hours, and a low oxygen transfer rate, preferably not greater than 9,600 cc/m2 in 24 hours To protect the metallised surface a lacquer can be applied to the metal film.The lacquer must be such that it does not absorb too great an amount of radiation, at least in the infra-red region of the speotrum. It should be noted, however, that the figures given above for the properties which should be possessed by the metallised film refer to an unlacquered film, and that the presence of a lacquer will alter those figures.

The metallised plastics film is preferably secured to the base material by means of an adhesive.

The container which the insulating material lines can be one of various types of container, for example a container formed of corrugated cardboard. If the container is one which possesses flaps covering an opening, these flaps are preferably such as to fully overlap one another, so as to prevent unnecessary heat loss. At least one piece of the insulating material is inserted within the container, though advantageously each of the internal sides of the container is covered by a respective piece of insulating material, the pieces of insulating material fitting tightly together in the container with insulating adhesive tape being used to seal the sides and corners to prevent heat loss between the pieces of insulating material.

Advantageously. the container is in collapsible form so that it can be delivered flat and subsequently assembled for use by the ultimate user. The user is supplied with containers in flat form and the necessary pieces of insulating material, and he then puts these together to form the containers which he desires to use.

It may be noted that as the container described above does not use any form of vacuum insulation it is suitable for use in unpressurized aircraft holds, in contrast to many prior known containers which cannot be so used.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A container lined with a heat-insulating material which is distinct from the container and is formed of a base insulating material and a metallised plastics film attached to the base material.

2. A lined container according to claim 1, wherein the base material has a thermal conductivity not greater than lW/mK.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. (54) HEAT INSULATED CONTAINER (71) I, DAVID ,RUSSELL WATERMAN, a Bitish citizen, 7 Cheyne Walk, Tendon, London, N.W.4, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a heat-insulated container. According to the present invention there is provided a container lined with a heatinsulating material which is distinct from the container and is formed of a base insulating material and a metallised plastics film attached to the base material. A preferred base material is expanded polystyrene. This is light, has a low thermal conductivity (for standard density virgin polystyrene this is typically 0.038W/mK), and a water vapour transfer rate of 55/m2 in 24 hours. The use of polystyrene also has the advantage that it provides the container with additional rigidity, thereby affording additional protection to the oontents of the container. Other materials could be used instead of polystyrene. Preferably the material used should have a thermal conductivity which does not exceed lW/mK and a water vapour transfer rate not greater than 70g/m2 in 24 hours. A preferred metallised plastics film is formed of a thin gauge plastics film, for example of polyester or polyvinylchloride metallised on one side or both sides with a fine deposit of pure aluminium. This gives a highly reflective surface. Other metallised films could be used instead, but whatever film is used it should have a low thermal emissivity rate, preferably not greater than 0.75, a low water vapour transfer rate, preferably not greater than 8Og/mZ in 24 hours, and a low oxygen transfer rate, preferably not greater than 9,600 cc/m2 in 24 hours To protect the metallised surface a lacquer can be applied to the metal film.The lacquer must be such that it does not absorb too great an amount of radiation, at least in the infra-red region of the speotrum. It should be noted, however, that the figures given above for the properties which should be possessed by the metallised film refer to an unlacquered film, and that the presence of a lacquer will alter those figures. The metallised plastics film is preferably secured to the base material by means of an adhesive. The container which the insulating material lines can be one of various types of container, for example a container formed of corrugated cardboard. If the container is one which possesses flaps covering an opening, these flaps are preferably such as to fully overlap one another, so as to prevent unnecessary heat loss. At least one piece of the insulating material is inserted within the container, though advantageously each of the internal sides of the container is covered by a respective piece of insulating material, the pieces of insulating material fitting tightly together in the container with insulating adhesive tape being used to seal the sides and corners to prevent heat loss between the pieces of insulating material. Advantageously. the container is in collapsible form so that it can be delivered flat and subsequently assembled for use by the ultimate user. The user is supplied with containers in flat form and the necessary pieces of insulating material, and he then puts these together to form the containers which he desires to use. It may be noted that as the container described above does not use any form of vacuum insulation it is suitable for use in unpressurized aircraft holds, in contrast to many prior known containers which cannot be so used. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A container lined with a heat-insulating material which is distinct from the container and is formed of a base insulating material and a metallised plastics film attached to the base material.

3. A lined container according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the base material has a water vapour transfer rate not greater than 70g/m2 in 24 hours.

4. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the base material is expanded polystyrene.

5. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metallised plastics film has a water vapour transfer rate not greater than 80g/m2 in 24 hours.

6. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metallised film has an oxygen transfer rate not exceeding 9,600 cc/m2 in 24 hours.

7. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metalized film is formed of a polyester film with a metal coating thereon.

8. A lined container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metallised film is formed of a polyvinylehioride film with a metal coating thereon.

9. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metal of the metallised plastics film is aluminium.

10. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metallised plastics film is coated with a lacquer.

11. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the metallised plastics film is secured to the base material by an adhesive.

12. A lined container according to any preceding claim, which is formed from flat collapsed blank.

13. A lined container according to any preceding claim, wherein the container is lined with a plurality of pieces of insulating material, each piece of insulating material fitting tightly against the next.

-14. A lined container according to claim 1, substantially as herein described.

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