GB2357573A

GB2357573A - Temperature controlled storage and transport system

Info

Publication number: GB2357573A
Application number: GB9930617A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Catherine Emma Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-24
Filing date: 1999-12-24
Publication date: 2001-06-27
Also published as: GB9930617D0

Abstract

A temperature controlled storage and transport system 5 primarily intended for cosmetics or medicaments, which comprises: a bag 6 having a base wall 7, upstanding side walls 8, 9, 10, 11 and a top wall 12, all of which are flexible and thermally insulating, the bag also has a closable opening 14. A chilling unit 15 is removably locatable in the interior 13 of the bag and is contained within a moisture absorbent sleeve 16. The chilling unit is of substantially the same shape as the base wall 7 and in use is locatable thereon, such that when the chilling unit is contained in its sleeve, the contents of the bag are isolated from direct contact with the chilling unit, which is preferably a ice pack chillable in a freezer. This also prevents moisture that condenses on the chilling unit from contacting the transported products. Such a system is particularly well suited to the transport and storage of cosmetics and medicaments as these are particularly temperature sensitive but need to be taken on journeys away from normal cooling equipment.

Description

2357573 Temperature Controlled Storage and Transport System The present

invention relates to a temperature controlled storage and transportation system which is primarily (but not exclusively) intended for cosmetics, medicaments or other temperature sensitive materials.

Temperature-controlled or insulated cases for the transport of food and some other temperature sensitive materials (hereinafter referred to as "cool boxes") have previously been proposed. In general, these previous cool boxes are large and unwieldy, and suitable only for short distance transportation, and certainly not for constant carrying around.

Make-up and other cosmetics are susceptible to temperature dependant degradation. They become significantly less useful if they are subjected to temperatures much above normal room temperature; for example lipsticks become too softened and may even start to mis-shape.

Such environmental temperature fluctuation is frequently encountered for example when visiting certain entertainment venues, or when going outside on hot days.

This would not pose a problem if the make-up could be left in a suitable location where the temperature is both suitable and stable. Unfortunately, many people either need or choose to carry these make-ups with them on some or all occasions. The desire, or need, to reapply certain elements of make-up during, for example, an evening out frequently occurs. Up until now people have carried make-up in make-up cases or loose in handbags, and sometimes the cases are small enough to fit inside a hand-bag or the like.

11862sp.doc Conventional make-up cases have been suggested in a variety of different forms, but none of these addresses the issue of temperature sensitivity of the make-up. If the make-up is carried around in such a makeup bag and the temperature changes by too great a degree the make-up will degrade to such an extent that its efficacy may be seriously reduced or even nullified.

Many of the above comments can similarly be made for certain medicaments. There is often a need for some medicaments to be carried around by a person at all times for regular or emergency administration. One lo example is that some diabetics must carry insulin if they are not going to be close to their normal supply. Another is that those with severe allergies often carry drugs for injection should a serious allergic reaction occur. However, these medicaments may degrade irrevocably if subjected too even a relatively small temperature increase, thereby rendering them ineffective.

It would of course be possible to carry both make-up and medicaments in conventional cool-boxes but there are certain significant disadvantages to doing this. First of all, the majority of cool-boxes are rigid in their construction as it is necessary for the walls to define suitable insulating spaces. This rigidity means that even were they suitably scaled down, which they have not been, the cool-boxes would still be difficult to fit inside other carrying cases such as a hand-bag.

Secondly, whilst expensive active cooling systems could be employed the most effective method of chilling these cool-boxes is to insert a frozen ice pack into the interior thereof. The knock on effect of this is that moisture in the air condenses on the ice pack, and this condensation can adversely affect 11862sp.doc the contents of the cool-box. Condensation may be only a minor problem in the field that conventional cool-boxes are intended for, but most make- ups and medicaments are far more sensitive, and consequently such could not be carried in such cool boxes. It would, as mentioned above, be possible to have some highly expensive active cooling system, and perhaps one that even avoids the problem of condensation, perhaps by supplying dry air. However, for all small-scale practical purposes such a system would be completely unfeasible. The cost of implementing such a system would discourage its use and people would simply accept the wastage of products as a cheaper alternative to providing a complex system to prevent that wastage.

Finally, as mentioned above the present invention is intended to provide a system for transport and storage of temperature sensitive material, and whilst the products it is intended to carry are probably more sensitive to an increase in temperature, they may also be sensitive to a drop in temperature. For example if the products were placed in a conventional coolbox some would abut directly against the ice pack, and consequently would be subjected to a significant drop in temperature. This might easily cause them to freeze, and lead to consequent degradation. In conventional cool- boxes there is no means to prevent the contents from directly abutting on the ice-pack.

It is an aim of the present invention to overcome these obstacles and provide a cheap and effective temperature controlled storage and transportation system. The system should be both cheap to manufacture and easy to use but also serves a need that has thus far been neglected.

11862sp.doc Therefore according to the present invention there is provided a temperature controlled storage and transport system primarily intended for cosmetics or medicaments, which system comprises: a bag having a base wall, upstanding side walls and a top wall, all of which walls are flexible and thermally insulating, the bag also having a closable opening; a chilling unit removably locatable in the interior of the bag; and a moisture absorbent sleeve within which the chilling unit is received; in which system the chilling unit is of substantially the same shape as the base wall to be locatable thereon such that in use, when the chilling unit is contained in its sleeve, the contents of the bag are isolated from direct contact with the chilling unit.

Preferably, the base wall is generally flat and substantially rectangular in configuration. With such a base wall the bag can be generally cuboid in overall shape, presuming that it is provided with upstanding side walls and a top wall generally matching the base wall. It is of course possible that the base wall could have any suitable shape, e.g. circular, in which case an overall cylindrical bag configuration would be achieved.

For the bag effectively to regulate the temperature on the inside, it is essential that the material of the bag is thermally insulating. There are many types of suitable insulating material available, but generally it is preferred that the material has a thermally-insulating core layer formed for example from a non-thermally-conductive cellular material such as foam or sponge. This core is beneficially provided with inner and outer covering layers which not only add to the stability of the bag material but also define inner and outer surfaces of a bag constructed from the material. It is desirable that, along with the core, the inner and outer walls are also made from a thermally- 11862sp.doc insulating material, and are advantageously formed of suitable woven materials or suitable sheeting such as plastics material sheeting.

In order to prevent the ingress of external water which could damage the contents of the bag, or the egress of any liquid contents of the bag which might damage whatever the bag is adjacent to, it is preferred that the inside of the bag is lined with a water-proof material. Not only does this prevent the majority of materials from being transmissible through the material of the bag, it also permits easy cleaning of the interior of the bag as and when necessary.

The closable opening on the top wall of the bag may be formed in an number of different ways. For example, the top wall might be joined in such a way along one of its edges with the other three sides being removably fastenable to the tops of their respective side walls, that the top may open along the one permanently joined side. A further preferred way of providing the opening is to have a slit in the bag material along approximately the centre of the top wall and to provide both sides of this slit with the two parts of an elongate clasp fastener such as a zip. Other suitable fastenings could also be used, such as two part hook and loop fastenings (e.g. Velcroo) or even buttons.

An important feature of the invention is the sleeve into which the chilling unit is placed for location on the base wall of the bag. It is essential that the sleeve is capable of absorbing moisture that condenses on the chilling unit, and therefore preferably the sleeve is formed from a moisture absorbent material. Advantageously the sleeve can be formed from woven materials which absorb liquid. Preferably, the sleeve is formed from at least two layers of material, with the outermost layer having an at least partial 11862sp.doc decorative role and being formed from tightly woven warps and wefts, and the innermost layer being responsible for the majority of the absorbion. This absorbency is preferably achieved by using a fluffy, loosely-woven material or an absorbent non-woven material. Such materials also are effective at isolating the contents of the bag from direct contact with the chilling unit. It is necessary to isolate the contents of the bag from the chilling unit to prevent sensitive materials from too severe a drop in temperature. Material bags have a certain degree of thermal insulation and therefore establish a temperature gradient with a sufficient change in temperature (At) over their lo thickness, therefore preventing any contents of the bag that rest against the chilling unit from experiencing too low a temperature.

Between uses of the system, it may be necessary to re-prepare the chilling unit and sleeve. Usually the chilling unit would comprise a suitable fluid filed container having therein a material with a suitably high thermal capacity. Advantageously the chilling unit would be formed from two sheets of a flexible material that are joined to define a number of discrete fluid containing cells. When frozen this type of structure allows the chilling unit to maintain a degree of flexibility to aid handling and allow it to fit into a number of bags and to allow bags into which it has been inserted to maintain their flexibility.

Such a chilling unit can be placed into a freezer or other temperature reduction device and its temperature reduced to a suitable point. When placed in a bag the chilling unit will then absorb the heat from the contents of the bag over a period of time, therefore keeping the average temperature of the bag at a reduced level with respect to the outside thereof.

11862sp,doc In use the sleeve into which the chilling unit is placed absorbs moisture which condenses on the chilling unit. However as there is a limit to the amount of moisture that the bag can absorb, it is important that this moisture is periodically removed from the sleeve. In general, this drying of the sleeve is achieved at the same time as the chilling unit is re-cooled, simply by removing the sleeve from within the bag (and the chilling unit from within the sleeve) and allowing any liquid to evaporate. It is possible also actively to dry the bag using a raised temperature andlor air circulation.

By way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention will now be described in more details. The figures that accompany the specification are as follows:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a transportation and storage device according to the present invention, with a cut away portion revealing the interior of the bag and sleeve; Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-section of area A indicated on Figure 1, which enlargement shows the material from which the bag is formed; Figure 3 a plan and side view of one embodiment of chilling unit; and Figure 4 is a plan view of a sleeve removed from the embodiment as shown in Figure 1.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a transportation and storage device is generally indicated 5. The device comprises a bag (generally indicated 6), which bag comprises a base wall 7, side walls 8, 9, 10 and 11 upstanding from the base wall 7, and a top wall 12 attached to the upper edges of the side walls 8, 9, 10, 11. The bag defines an internal space, which is generally indicated 13, and it is within this space that any items to be transported and 11862sp.doc stored are contained. Access to the space 13 is gained through an opening in the top wall of the bag, and the opening is selectively resealable using an elongate clasp fastener (such as a zip) 14.

The base wall 7, side walls 8, 9, 10, 11 and top wall 12 are all formed from a multi-layer thermally-insulating material. This material is better shown and described with reference to Figure 2 which is an enlargement of area A. Where they meet, the walls may be joined for example by stitching or gluing. Alternatively, a number of the wall may be formed from a single piece of material folded into the correct shape and joined as appropriate.

A chilling unit 15 is contained within an absorbent sleeve 16. The combination of sleeve and chilling unit are removabiy insertable into the interior 13 of the bag 6 and when inserted therein lie on, and have substantially the same shape as, the base wall.

Figure 2 shows a section through the material of the bag, being an enlargement of area A in Figure 1. The material comprises three layers, an inner wall 20, an outer wail 21 and a core layer 22. The core layer 22 is formed from a multi-cellular material such as foam, and this is responsible for the majority of the thermal insulation. The outer layer 21 is formed from a tightly-woven fabric material which may have been treated to provide it with a certain degree of water resistance, however it is generally speaking better for it to be gas permeable. The inner layer 20 is a waterproof plastics sheeting material which prevents the ingress or egress of liquid from the interior of the bag. The outer layer 21 may be provided with surface decoration.

A side view and a plan view of a chilling unit generally indicated 15 are shown in Figure 3. The unit is formed from two sheets of material which are 11862sp.doc -g- joined, for example by gluing or heat sealing, around the periphery 25 and also along intermediate lines to define a number of cells 26. The cells 26 contain a liquid, such as water, with a suitable thermal capacity. When this chilling unit is placed in a freezer it will cool down and the contents of the cells 26 will freeze. The use of a cellular structure allows the chilling unit 15 to maintain a degree of flexibility even when the liquid is frozen, by folding along the join lines between the cells.

Prior to being placed within the bag, the chilling unit 15 is inserted, within a sleeve as shown in Figure 4. The sleeve generally indicated 16 is lo formed from a sheet of absorbent material that has been folded and suitably joined to define a space for containing the chilling unit. One side 30 of the sleeve 16 defines an opening through which the chilling unit may be inserted. A flap 31 is provided so that once the chilling unit has been inserted the flap may be folded over the opening to ensure the chilling unit is properly covered and prevented from accidentally exiting the bag. The flap 31 may be held down by suitable retaining means such as a two part hook and loop fastener. Alternatively the sleeve could be provided with a drawstring arrangement to close the opening.

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Claims

1 A temperature controlled storage and transport system primarily intended for cosmetics or medicaments, which system comprises:

a bag having a base wall, upstanding side walls and a top wall, all of which walls are flexible and thermally insulating, the bag also having a closable opening; a chilling unit removably locatable in the interior of the bag; and a moisture absorbent sleeve within which the chilling unit is received; in which system the chilling unit is of substantially the same shape as the base wall to be locatable thereon such that in use, when the chilling unit is contained in its sleeve, the contents of the bag are isolated from direct contact with the chilling unit.

2. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in claim 1, in which the base wall is substantially rectangular.

3. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the interior of the bag is lined with a waterproof material.

4. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in any of claim 1 to claim 3, in which the closable opening in the top wall is formed by a slit therein and the two sides of the slit are provided respectively with the two parts of an elongate clasp fastener.

5. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the sleeve is formed from a material which is capable of absorbing liquid that condenses on the chilling unit and from which the liquid may be removed when the bag is not in use.

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6. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the sleeve is formed from at least two layers of woven material.

7. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in any claim 6, in which the outermost sleeve layer is decorative and the innermost is absorbent.

8. A temperature controlled storage and transport system as claimed in any of the preceding claims and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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