GB2543109A

GB2543109A - Thermally insulating containers

Info

Publication number: GB2543109A
Application number: GB1601290.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Austerberry Sean
Original assignee: Peli Biothermal Ltd
Current assignee: Peli Biothermal Ltd
Priority date: 2015-10-05
Filing date: 2016-01-25
Publication date: 2017-04-12
Also published as: GB201517533D0; GB201601290D0; GB2543047A; WO2017060695A1

Abstract

A thermally insulating wall panel 1010, e.g. for a detachable or collapsible container, may have an external wall panel 1020, an internal wall panel 1018 and one or more panels of a thermally insulating material 1044 arranged between the external 1020 and internal 1018 wall panels. The wall panel 1010 may have a thermally insulating frame 1040 removably mounted to the external wall panel 1020. The thermally insulating frame 1040 may extend around the periphery of the one or more panels of thermally insulating material 1044 and may be resilient expanded foam material. The internal wall panel 1018 and the one or more panels of insulating material 1044 can be mounted to the external wall panel 1020. Frame members of adjacent panels may abut one another when the container is assembled. Pockets (1042 fig 42) may receive additional thermal insulation. There may be no direct attachment of internal panels to external panels. Thermal conditioning elements may be coupled together. The container may have a cargo plate (1064 fig 45) and a door (fig 2). Thermal conditioning elements (fig 22) may fit into a thermally conductive frame (e.g. metal or plastic) with rails. Thermal conditioning elements 18 may be active or passive, e.g. containing a power source, or a PCM).

Description

THERMALLY INSULATING CONTAINERS

The present invention relates to thermally insulating containers.

It is frequently necessary to transport temperature sensitive goods by road, rail or air. Typically such goods are packed within an insulated container which contains a thermal conditioning material, for example coolant, typically in the form of packs which are arranged around the goods to maintain the goods at a desired temperature. Some such containers, particularly larger containers for transporting palletised goods, are collapsible so that they may be disassembled after use for storage or shipping to another location. Examples of collapsible containers are shown in GB-A- 2500657 and EP-A-2634110.

The present invention seeks to provide a novel, collapsible thermally insulating container.

From a first aspect, the invention provides a collapsible, thermally insulating container comprising a plurality of walls, for example: a base wall; a top wall; opposed side walls extending between the base wall and the top wall; a rear wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; a front wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; releasable fastening means for allowing said walls to be erected into a container and collapsed; wherein at least one wall comprise means for receiving one or thermal conditioning elements for conditioning a payload arranged within a payload space of the container; and further comprising thermal conduction means for conducting heat to or from the at least one wall to or from a wall not receiving thermal conditioning elements.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, means are provided to distribute thermal energy between walls of the container which have thermal conditioning elements and those which do not. This will provide a more even thermal conditioning of the payload within the container.

In one embodiment, each of said walls comprises a thermally conductive panel, with thermally conductive face panels being arranged in thermal contact when the container is assembled to provide a thermally conductive shell around a payload space.

From a further aspect, therefore, the invention provides a collapsible, thermally insulating container comprising a plurality of walls, for example: a base wall; a top wall; opposed side walls extending between the base wall and the top wall; a rear wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; a front wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; releasable fastening means for allowing said walls to be erected into a container and collapsed; wherein at least some of the walls comprising means for receiving one or thermal conditioning elements for conditioning a payload arranged within a payload space of the container; and each of said walls comprises a thermally conductive panel, adjacent thermally conductive face panels being arranged in thermal contact when the container is assembled to provide a thermally conductive shell around a payload space.

Thus in accordance with this aspect of the invention, a thermally conductive shell is formed around a payload space by means of thermally conductive panels provided on the respective walls of the container. The panels are arranged in thermal contact with one another upon assembly of the container to provide the shell. By providing a thermally conductive shell around the payload space, a more even distribution of thermal performance may be achieved. Moreover, it means that thermal conditioning elements may not be required on all the walls of the container to provide satisfactory thermal performance.

In the context of the present application, the term “thermally conductive” means having a thermal conductivity of at least 40W/m.K. More advantageously, the thermal conductivity is over 100W/m.K, more advantageously over 200 W/m.K.

Although an edge to edge abutment of adjacent thermally conductive panels may provide some thermal conduction between them, in some embodiments, thermal conduction elements may be provided between at least some of the adjacent panels.

These elements may be separate from and suitably arranged between the thermally conductive panels, but in preferred embodiments, at least some of the thermally conductive panels comprise thermal transmission elements for thermally coupling a portion of the panel face to face with a portion of an adjacent panel upon assembly. This may increase the contact area between the panels and thus improve thermal conductivity.

From a further aspect, the invention provides a wall element for erection into a thermally insulating container, said wall element comprising a thermally conductive panel element comprising one or more thermal transmission elements projecting therefrom for making thermal contact with an adjacent panel.

The thermally conductive panels may be provided on an innermost surface of at least some of the walls or the wall element.

The thermal transmission elements may, for example, comprise one or more flanges extending from an edge of the panel.

In one embodiment, the flanges may extend at an angle, for example 45°, from an edge of said panel, and in some embodiments from opposed edges of the panel.

The angled flanges on adjacent wall panels may thereby meet face to face, improving the thermal conduction between the two panels.

In another embodiment, a flange may extend at 90° from an edge of the panel.

This may allow the flange to engage with the face of an adjacent panel, thereby also improving the thermal conduction between the panels.

Flanges of both types may be provided on a panel. For example in one embodiment, a thermally conductive panel may comprise a pair of flanges extending at 45° from opposed edges of a panel and a flange extending at 90° from an edge of said panel extending between said panel. The 90° flange may be provided at a rear surface of the panel.

In one embodiment, such formations may be formed on the side walls, top wall and bottom wall, such that a vertical ring of panels is formed, with thermal contact between the adjacent angled flanges of the ring panels, and thermal contact between the face of the back wall thermally conductive panel and the 90° flanges of the other panels.

In an alternative embodiment, a thermal transmission element may project from a face of a panel.

In such an embodiment, the thermal transmission element may comprise an end face of an element projecting inwardly from a face of the panel.

To ensure good thermal contact between adjacent panels, in some embodiments, the container may further comprising biasing means for resiliently biasing contact surfaces together. For example, the aforementioned end surface may be biased against a face of the adjacent panel.

That end surface may, in certain embodiments, be formed on a rail element projecting inwardly from a wall panel. A plurality of rails may be provided, defining channels for receiving one or more thermal conditioning elements between them on an inwardly facing surface of the respective walls.

The rail elements may, for example, be provided on the side walls and the top wall of the container whereby thermal conditioning elements may be provided on the inwardly facing surface of those walls.

The rail may be made of a thermally conductive material such as a metallic material to improve thermal conduction from the thermal conditioning elements into the thermally conductive panels, but in other embodiments it may be made from a less thermally conductive material, for example a plastics material, for example a plastics extrusion.

To facilitate insertion and withdrawal of the thermal conditioning elements into and from the rails, particularly in larger containers, the rails may have a low friction surface.

This is also believed to be a novel and advantageous arrangement in its own right, not only in containers of the type described herein, but in any container receiving thermal conditioning elements, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a thermally insulating container or wall panel comprising a channel for receiving a thermal conditioning element, the channel having a low friction surface.

In certain embodiments, the rails or channel may be provided with a low friction coating such as PTFE on a surface thereof or with rollers projecting from a surface thereof.

In the various embodiments described above, the container walls are described as being unitary constructions. However, in other embodiments, one or more walls may be made from a plurality of elements attached together.

Suitable connectors may be provided between the wall elements, and in one embodiment, the elements may be provided with connectors in elements which, when the elements are assembled, form the rail for receiving a thermal conditioning element.

The base wall of the container may comprise a cargo plate for receiving the payload. This will provide support for the contents of the container.

The cargo plate may be mounted over a thermally conductive panel of the base wall, defining a space between them. This space may receive one or more thermal conditioning panels or other materials. One or more divider elements may be arranged in the space for forming channels for receiving the thermal conditioning panels or other materials.

The cargo plate may comprise drainage openings for allowing drainage of condensation from the bottom floor of the container to avoid condensation damage to the contents of the container.

The cargo panel may be formed with outwardly angled flanges for engaging over the inwardly facing angled flanges of an underlying thermally conductive panel such that they may be received between the angled flanges of the base wall panel and the adjacent side wall panel. The outwardly angled flanges at least of the cargo plate may be thermally conductive to enhance the thermal conduction between the angled flanges of the base wall panel and the adjacent side wall panel. In some embodiments, the entire cargo plate may be made of a thermally conductive material, for example aluminium alloy. However, in other embodiments, the load receiving surface of the cargo plate need not be thermally conductive.

In the arrangements above, the thermally conductive panels may be made of any thermally conductive material. However, in certain embodiments, they may be metallic, for example of aluminium or an aluminium alloy. However, any thermally conductive material may be used.

One or more of the container walls may further comprise an external wall panel and a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and the thermally conductive panel.

The invention also extends to a thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, a thermally conductive internal wall panel and a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and the internal wall panel.

The wall panel may optionally comprise the various features described above.

The external panel may be a structural panel, providing rigidity to the container and may, in certain embodiments be a honeycomb panel.

The insulating material should preferably have a thermal conductivity of less than 50mW/m.K, and may, for example, be a foam material.

The thermally insulating material may comprise an insulating foam material comprising one or more pockets for receiving additional insulating material.

The additional insulating material may be in the form of a vacuum insulating panel or a body of different insulating material from said insulating foam material.

The layer of insulating material may comprise a plurality of discrete insulation elements.

This is believed to be a novel and advantageous arrangement in its own right, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a container comprising a thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said thermally insulating material comprising a layer of insulating material comprising one or more pockets receiving additional insulating material, said insulating material comprising a plurality of discrete insulation elements.

The layer of insulating material may comprise a plurality of discrete insulation elements which may comprise locating formations, for example flanges and recesses for permitting said elements to be located adjacent one another in a desired configuration.

The layer of insulating material and the internal or thermally conductive panel may be mounted such that there is no direct attachment of the internal or thermally conductive panel to the external panel. This may be advantageous from a number of aspects. Firstly, the absence of a direct connection between the internal and external panels means that there is no direct heat bridge to the external panel.

Secondly, the foam material may act as a damper so as to isolate the container contents from shocks applied to the exterior of the container.

This is also thought to be a novel and advantageous arrangement in its own right, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a container comprising a thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and a layer of thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said thermally insulating material and said internal/thermally conductive panel being mounted such that there is no direct attachment of said internal/thermally conductive panel to said external panel.

The invention also extends to a thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and a thermally insulating material arranged between the external wall panel and the internal wall panel, said thermally insulating material and the internal/thermally conductive panel being mounted such that there is no direct attachment of the internal/thermally conductive panel to the external panel.

In one arrangement the insulating material may be mounted to the external panel and the internal/thermally conductive panel be mounted to the insulating layer.

The insulating layer may be attached to the external panel by one or more first fasteners, and the internal or thermally conductive panel may be attached to the layer of insulating material by one or more second fasteners, the second fasteners being offset from the second fasteners. This provides an extended thermal path between the panels.

To further improve the thermal insulation, the first and second fasteners may comprise respective thermally insulating fastener elements embedded in the external panel and the layer of insulating material respectively.

The first and second socket elements may be spin welded into the external panel and the layer of insulating material.

The layer of insulating material may be provided with load spreading elements engaging the second fasteners for distributing loads throughout the layer of insulating material to improve the robustness of the mounting.

In an alternative arrangement, a thermally insulating spacer element may be mounted to the external panel through the thermally insulating layer and the internal/thermally conductive panel be mounted to the spacer.

This is thought to be a novel and particularly advantageous arrangement for mounting vacuum insulating panels, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a container or thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, and internal wall panel and a layer of thermally insulating material including a vacuum insulating panel arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel and wherein a thermally insulating spacer element is mounted to the external panel through the thermally insulating layer and the internal/thermally conductive panel is mounted to the spacer such that there is no direct attachment of said internal/thermally conductive panel to said external panel.

The spacer may be hollow to allow access to a fastener for attaching the spacer to the external panel from the inside. Another end of the spacer may comprise a fastener e.g. a threaded socket for mounting the internal/thermally conductive panel. A protective, for example low-friction, layer may be provided between the insulating material and the internal or thermally conductive panel. This may be particularly advantageous it applications where vacuum insulating panels are being used as the additional insulation material.

In the above constructions, the front wall may comprise a door hingedly mounted within a door frame. This will allow easy access to the contents of the container once the container is assembled. Moreover, providing a door frame and door in the same wall, as opposed to mounting the door to a different wall, is advantageous in that proper opening and closing of the door may be facilitated.

This is also believed to be a novel and advantageous arrangement in its own right, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a collapsible container comprising: a base wall; a top wall; opposed side walls extending between the base wall and the top wall; a rear wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; a front wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; and releasable fastening means for allowing said walls to be erected into a container and collapsed; wherein said front wall comprises a door and a door frame, the door being hingedly mounted to the door frame.

Suitable connectors may be provided between the wall elements, and in one embodiment, the elements may be provided with connectors in elements which, when the elements are assembled, form a rail for receiving a thermal conditioning element.

The container may comprise a plurality of thermal conditioning elements mounted to one or more of its walls. The thermal conditioning elements may, for example, be mounted in rows or columns. In certain embodiments, the thermal conditioning panels are mounted horizontally and are mounted to the side walls, top wall and base wall through the front wall of the container.

To facilitate handling of the thermal conditioning elements, they may comprise coupling elements for coupling adjacent thermal conditioning elements together.

This is also believed to be a novel and advantageous arrangement in its own right, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a thermal conditioning element comprising a first coupling element and a second coupling element, the second coupling element being configured to couple to the first coupling element of a similar, adjacent thermal conditioning element

The coupling elements may be formed on opposite ends of the thermal conditioning element.

In certain embodiments, the coupling elements may comprise a hook element and a catch element for receiving the hook element. This may have the advantage that the hook and catch may disengage automatically as the elements are withdraw from the container.

One of the coupling elements may be resilient or resiliently mounted whereby the coupling elements may engage automatically as the adjacent thermal conditioning elements are moved together. In a particular embodiment, the hook element may be resilient such as to snap into the catch upon engagement of the thermal conditioning elements.

The thermal conditioning element may comprise a handle at one end for ease of handling, and one of the coupling elements, for example the catch element, may be formed in the handle. The opposite end of the thermal conditioning element may have a complementary recess for receiving the handle.

At least one of the first and second coupling elements may be formed integrally with the thermal conditioning element.

At least one of the first and second coupling elements is formed separately from the thermal conditioning element and mounted thereto.

For example, a male coupling part, such as a hook, may be formed separately from the thermal conditioning element and mounted thereto.

The separate coupling element and thermal conditioning element may have interengaging locating means.

The thermal conditioning may be a passive element containing, for example, a phase change material. In other embodiments, the thermal conditioning element may comprise an active thermal element, for example a Peltier device.

In order to promote thermal conduction between the thermal conditioning elements and an adjacent panel, the thermal conditioning elements may be resiliently mounted so as to project out of their receiving channels for contacting the adjacent panel.

Thus in certain embodiments, a resilient element, for example a resilient foam element may be provided at a base of the channel, the resilient element being resiliently deformed during assembly of the container.

From a further aspect, the invention provides a thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and one or more panels of a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said wall panel further comprising a thermally insulating frame removably mounted to the external wall panel, the thermally insulating frame extending around the periphery of the one or more panels of thermally insulating material and being made from a resilient expanded foam material and mounting said internal wall panel and said one or more panels of insulating material to the external wall panel.

Thus, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, a resilient foam frame surrounds thermal insulating panels and acts to mount those panels and the internal wall of the wall panel to the external wall panel.

In certain embodiments, the frame may comprise a unitary, one piece construction, but in other embodiments, , it comprises a plurality of separate frame members which together form a frame structure.

The frame members may be joined to one another, for example bonded together, or may simply abut each other.

The frame may be adjustably mounted to the external wall panel to allow its position relative to the external wall panel to be adjusted.

In certain embodiments, an rail or rails may be affixed to the external wall panel, the rail or rails may comprise a re-entrant slot or groove, for example a T shaped or dovetail groove which receives a fastener for attaching the frame to the external wall panel.

The fastener may comprise a first part having a head which is slidably received in the groove, and a second part which is mounted to the first part to fasten the frame in position.

The frame may be provided with suitable openings to receive the second fastener part.

The inner wall panel may be mounted to the frame in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the inner wall panel is sandwiched between the frame and the external wall panel.

The frame may therefore comprise an inwardly extending flange, the internal wall panel being received on the flange.

In another arrangement, the internal wall panel may interlock with the frame.

In one embodiment, the internal wall panel may comprise rails for receiving thermal conditioning elements.

In one embodiment, the rails may interlock with the frame to mount the internal wall panel to the frame.

In one arrangement, the frame element may comprise a projection which is received within a hollow interior of the rail element.

The rails may be formed as separate elements and wall panels be mounted between the rails.

The frames may have angled faces for engagement with adjacent faces of other frames when a container is erected from the container.

The external wall panel may have fasteners for attaching to an adjacent wall panel.

The invention also extends to a collapsible thermally insulated container erected from a plurality of the above wall panels.

The invention also extends to a thermally insulating container comprising a plurality of thermally insulating wall panels releasably fastened together, each panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and one or more panels of a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said wall panel further comprising a thermally insulating frame extending around the periphery of the one or more panels of thermally insulating material and comprising a resilient expanded foam material, the frame members of adjacent panels abutting one another when the container is assembled.

The container may comprise two side wall panels, a top wall panel and a base wall panel having thermal conditioning element receiving rails, and front and rear wall panels not having such rails.

The front wall may be openable and may comprise a door frame which is attachable to adjacent wall panels and a door panel pivotably mounted thereto.

The door frame is preferably a rigid frame so as to add rigidity to the container when its door is opened.

This is believed to be a novel arrangement with wider application, and from a further aspect provides a collapsible container comprising a pair of side wall panels, a rear wall panel, a top wall panel and a base wall panel coupled together at their edges and further comprising a rigid frame element coupled to the front edges of the wall panels, said rigid frame element mounting a removable or openable door.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 shows the container of Figure 1, with its front wall opened to provide access to the interior of the container;

Figure 3 shows the container of Figure 1 and 2 disassembled into its constituent parts;

Figure 4 shows an end view of a side wall of the container;

Figure 5 shows an exploded view of the side wall of Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows an exploded view of components of the side wall of Figure 4;

Figure 7 shows a plan view of a partially assembled side wall;

Figure 8 shows the arrangement of the thermal insulating cells of the side wall;

Figures 9A and 9B show perspective views of a thermally insulating cell;

Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the thermally conductive panel of the side wall;

Figure 11 shows a vertical cross section through the side wall;

Figure 12 shows a schematic partial vertical cross section through the side wall;

Figure 13 shows a perspective view of the top wall of the container;

Figure 14 shows an exploded perspective view of the rear wall of the container;

Figure 15 shows an exploded view of the bottom wall of the container;

Figure 16A shows a detail cross section of the front wall and its connection to the side wall of the container, with the door closed;

Figure 16B shows a detail cross section of the front wall and its connection to the side wall of the container, with the door open;

Figures 17A to 17F illustrate an assembly sequence for the container;

Figure 18 shows a detail cross section of the connection between the base wall and a side wall;

Figure 19 shows a detail cross section of the connection between the rear wall and the base wall;

Figure 20 illustrates the placement of thermal conditioning elements in the container;

Figure 21 illustrates the thermal engagement of thermal conditioning elements with the front wall of the container

Figure 22 illustrates a perspective view of a thermal conditioning element;

Figure 23 illustrates a second perspective view of the thermal conditioning element; and

Figure 24 illustrates a longitudinal cross section through a thermal conditioning element;

Figure 25 illustrates a cut away cross section through the coupling between adjacent thermal conditioning elements;

Figure 26 illustrates the withdrawal of thermal conditioning elements from the walls of the container;

Figure 27 shows an exploded view of a modular wall;

Figure 28 shows a cross section through Figure 27;

Figure 29 shows a detail of the connection between two wall panels on the wall of Figure 27;

Figure 30 illustrates a schematic cross section through an alternative wall construction;

Figure 31 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention;

Figure 32 shows a front perpective view of a further embodiment of thermal conditioning element;

Figure 33 shows an exploded front perspective view of the thermal conditioning element of Figure 32;

Figure 34 shows an exploded rear perspective view of the thermal conditioning element of Figure 32;

Figure 35 shows a sectional view along the line A-A of Figure 32;

Figure 36. shows a sectional view along the line B-B of Figure 32;

Figure 37 shows a second container embodying the invention;

Figure 38 shows the container of Figure 37 disassembled;

Figure 39 shows the container of Figure 37 partially disassembled;

Figure 40 shows a number of views of a side wall panel of the container of Figure 37;

Figure 41 shows an exploded view of the side wall panel of Figure 40;

Figure 42 shows a detail of the joint between two panels;

Figure 43 shows a first exploded view of the frame of the side wall panel of Figure 40

Figure 44 shows a second exploded view of the frame of the side wall panel of Figure 40;

Figure 45 shows a perspective view of the base wall of the container of Figure 37;

Figure 46 shows an exploded view of the rear wall panel of the container of Figure 37;

Figure 47 shows a perspective view of the front wall of the container of Figure 37;

Figure 48 shows a perspective view and detail of the frame of the front wall of Figure 47;

Figure 49 shows a further perspective view and detail of the frame of the front wall of Figure 47;

Figure 50 shows an exploded view of the frame;

Figure 51 shows a view of the door of the front wall;

Figures 52A to 52F illustrate the assembly of the container of Figure 37; and Figure 53 shows the container of Figure 37with its door open.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, a thermally insulating container 2 in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The container 2 in this embodiment is cubic in shape and has a front wall 4, a rear wall 6, sidewalls 8, 10, a top wall 12 and a bottom wall 14 each of the walls being generally square in shape. The walls define an internal payload space 16. Of course the container 2 need not be cubic and the walls need not all be square or rectangular. Thus, for example, the side walls 8, 10, need not be parallel. In one embodiment, for example, one or both side walls may have an angled portion and a vertical portion whereby the container may take the shape of a unit load device (ULD) as is commonly used in aircraft freight transport.

As illustrated schematically in Figure 3, the walls are detachable from one another so that the container 2 may be collapsed for storage or transit purposes. This will be described in further detail below.

Each of the walls has a thermally insulating construction which is generally similar for each wall. The opposed side walls 8, 10, top wall 12 and base wall 14 are adapted to removably receive thermal conditioning elements 18 (see Figure 20) for thermally conditioning a payload received within the payload space 16. Thus in the illustrated embodiment, thermal conditioning elements 18 are received on only four walls of the container 2. However, the construction of the walls provides for thermal conduction around the entire periphery of the entire payload space 16.

To this end, each wall comprises a respective thermally conductive panel 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 which faces the payload space 18 of the container 2. As will be described further below, when the container 2 is assembled, adjacent thermally conductive panels 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 are brought into thermal contact with one another to create a thermally conductive shell around the payload space 18. This will allow satisfactory thermal conditioning of the payload without having to provide thermal conditioning elements 18 on all sides of the payload space 18 which may facilitate construction and reduce the cost of the container 2.

The construction of one side wall 10 of the container 2 will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 10. As mentioned above, the construction of each of the walls of the container 2 is similar, so the following description will apply in general to all the container walls. Specific differences in the construction of different walls will be described as necessary.

With reference to Figure 4, the side wall 10 comprises a thermally conductive or inner panel 30 and an external or outer panel 32. A layer of thermal insulation 34 is arranged between the inner panel and the outer panel 32. Dovetail shaped rails 36 project inwardly from the inner panel 30 for supporting thermal conditioning elements 18, as will be described further below.

Figures 5 and 6 show the components of the side wall 10 exploded for clarity.

The external panel 32 in this embodiment is of a laminated honeycomb construction, to provide strength to the container 2. Such panels are known perse from general shipping containers and are manufactured by, inter alia, FAWIC B.V.. However, the principles of the invention are not limited to such materials and other materials may be used for the external panel 32.

The edges of the external panel 32 are provided with aluminium or other extrusions 38 which incorporate coupling elements 40 for coupling with complementary couplings provided on adjacent panels to allow for assembly of the container 2. In this embodiment, the couplings on both side walls 8, 10 are all male couplings, with female couplings being provided on the respective adjacent panels.

The panel 32 may also incorporate releasable fasteners 42 for fastening the panels together. In a preferred embodiment, the fasteners 42 may be provided in appropriate positions in the extrusion 38. Such releasable fasteners are known per se and examples may be found in WO 2006/085758 A1 to FAWIC B.V.. Of course other releasable fastening means may be provided within the scope of the invention. For example, straps, bolts, buckles, catches, clamps, clasps, hasps, latches, hook and loop fasteners and so on may be provided in alternative embodiments. Examples of different fasteners are given in EP-A-2634110.

The internal surface 44 of the external panel 32 is provided with an array of connectors 46. The connectors 46 mount the layer of thermal insulation 34 to the external panel 32 as will be described further below. In this embodiment, the connectors 46 are socket connectors, preferably plastics socket connectors, for example of polypropylene. The connectors are preferably spin welded into the external panel 32. Spin welded connectors are known perse, for example the EJOT® RSD system. The use of plastics connectors 46 is advantageous for thermal purposes as will be discussed further below. Of course, the connector 46 need not be socket connectors but could instead be male connectors projecting from the external layer 32.

The layer of thermal insulation 34 in this embodiment comprises an array of thermal insulation cells 50. In other embodiments, the layer 34 may be of a unitary, rather than a cellular construction.

Each cell 50 is formed of a thermally insulating material, such as a foam material. The foam material may be a rigid foam material such as polystyrene, polyisocyanurate or polyurethane. However, in preferred embodiments, it is resilient foam, for example polypropylene foam. As discussed further below this may have advantages in certain applications.

In this embodiment, each cell 50 is annular in configuration, having a rectangular annular peripheral wall 52 which defines a rectangular pocket 54. In other embodiments, however, the cell 50 may be a solid construction having no pocket 54. Thus, in its broadest embodiment, the insulating layer 34 may simply be a layer of an insulating material such as foam.

The base 56 of the pocket 54 is defined by an annular flange 58 projecting inwardly from the lower end of the peripheral wall 52. In this embodiment, therefore, a window 60 is defined in the base 56 of the pocket 54, although in other embodiments, the base 56 may be closed, i.e. the flange 58 extends completely across the base 56 of the pocket 54.

The flange 58 is provided with elongate rebates 62 in opposed edges which receive strips 64 of, for example a plastics material. The strips 64 and the rebates 62 are provided with aligned holes 66 for receiving respective fasteners 68 which will fasten the respective cells 50 to the external panel 32. The fasteners 60 should be ones compatible with the connector sockets 30, for example EJOT® Delta threaded fasteners. The strips 64 act to distribute the clamping force of the fastener 68 into the foam material of the flange 58, thereby reducing stresses therein.

The external surface 70 of the peripheral wall 52 of each cell 50 is provided with locating features 72 which allow the respective cells 50 to be assembled in a predetermined pattern, as illustrated for example in Figures 7 and 8. As can be clearly seen in Figures 9A and 9B, the locating features 72 may comprise a series of projections 74 and rebates 76 formed in the respective cell walls 52. These features 72 will allow the respective cells 50 to be positioned such that although their walls may not necessarily abut, there will still be an overlap between them to avoid gaps which might be detrimental to thermal insulation.

In this embodiment, there are three different cell structures, 50A, 50B, 50C, and the locating formations 72 on each of the cells 50A, 50B, 50C are such that the cells may only be assembled in a predetermined array, as illustrated in Figure 8.

The respective cells 50 are attached to the external panel 32 by the fasteners 68. By providing a cellular structure, the cells 50 may be individually attached to the external panel 32. This means that there is a certain amount of tolerance afforded during assembly in that rather than having to match the fastener and socket connector locations over the entire surface of the panel 32, only individual cells 50 have to align with the external panel connectors 46. It will also facilitate mounting of the thermally conductive panel 30, as will be discussed further below.

This embodiment, each cell 50 receives additional insulating material. In this particular embodiment, the additional insulating material is in the form of a vacuum insulating panel 80. In other embodiments, however, the additional insulating material may be in the form of a body of a different insulating material from the insulating material of the cell 50. For example, the additional material may be a material having better thermal properties than that of the cell material or one which is less expensive but at the same time providing adequate thermal insulation.

The vacuum insulating panel 80 is received on the flange 58 of the cell pocket 54 and is dimensioned such that it sits below the upper edge 82 of the annular wall 52 of the cell 50. This will provide protection to the VIP 80 which may be susceptible to puncturing and thereby loss of its thermal insulating properties.

As will be seen from Figure 7, the peripheral wall 52 of each cell 40 is provided with a plurality, in this case four, connectors 84. In this embodiment, the connectors 84 are socket connectors, although this is not essential. The socket connectors 84 may be, as in the external panel 32, spin welded connectors. The socket connectors 84 receive fasteners 86 which attach the thermally conductive panel 30 to the insulating layer 34.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, the connectors 84 are provided generally in corner regions of the cell wall 52, although other locations may be suitable. It will be seen from Figure 7 that the connectors 84 are offset from the adjacent fastener holes 66 meaning that there is a body of insulating material between the locations, thermally insulating one from the other.

As can be seen from Figure 5, the thermally conductive panel 30 and an intervening sheet 90, for example of plastics material such as polycarbonate, are arranged over the insulating layer 34. The sheet 90 protects the underlying vacuum insulation panels 80 and may have a low friction surface or coating facing the vacuum insulation panels 80. A similar sheet 90 may be provided in the base of each cell pocket 54.

The thermally conductive panel 30 and protective sheet 90 are provided with aligned inspection openings 92 which will allow a user to inspect the integrity of the vacuum insulating panels 80 in use. In use plugs 94 may be removably fitted into the openings 92 to avoid accidental damage to the vacuum insulating panels 80 through the openings 92.

The protective sheet 90 may be provided with a peripheral strip of adhesive 96 for attaching, at least temporarily, the sheet 90 to the thermally conductive panel 32 to facilitate assembly.

The protective sheet 90 and the thermally conductive panel 30 are also provided with a series of aligned holes 98 (typically formed together after the sheet 90 and panel 30 are joined together) which, when the panel 30 and sheet 90 are placed over the insulation layer 34, align with the socket connectors 84 in the cell walls 52.

The thermally conductive panel 30, is, in this embodiment, a sheet of a thermally conductive metal such as an aluminium alloy, for example 6063 aluminium alloy. However, other materials may be used for the thermally conductive panel, for example a graphite impregnated sheet material.

The thickness of the panel 30 depends on the particular application, but typically the panel 30 may be 3 to 4 millimetres thick. The thermally conductive panel 30 may then conveniently made by bending a sheet of thermally conductive material such as the aforementioned aluminium material.

The thermally conductive panel 30 has a central portion 100 and three flanges 102, 104, 106. As can be seen for example from Figure 11, the flanges 102, 104 oppose one another and each is angled inwardly relative to the plane of the central portion at an angle a. In this embodiment, the angle a is approximately 45°. The other flange 106 extends upwardly at right angles to the central portion 100. As will be described further below, the flanges 102, 104, 106 will act as thermal transmission elements between the wall 10 and adjacent walls.

For sealing purposes, strips 108 of a resilient sealing material, for example, rubber strip may be arranged around on the front and rear portions of the sheet 90 which project beyond the thermally conductive panel 30.

Also provided on the thermally conductive panel 30 is a pair of rails 36. These rails are dovetail in shape for receiving thermal conditioning elements 18. In fact, the rails 36 define, together with the adjacent rails 36 and the thermally conductive panel of the adjacent walls, a plurality of channels 180 for receiving the thermal conditioning elements 18.

In this embodiment, the rails 36 have a dovetail shape so as to act as a retainer for the thermal conditioning elements 18. In other embodiments, the rails 36 may have a different shape, for retaining the thermal conditioning elements 18 for example T-shaped. In yet other embodiments, they may be simple rectangular section rails, with other means being provided for retaining the thermal conditioning elements.

The rails 36 are made, for example, from a thermally conductive material such as aluminium alloy. In other embodiments, however, the rail may be made of a less thermally conductive material, for example a plastics material, for example an extruded plastics material.

The rails 36 are suitably attached to the thermally conductive panel 30, for example by a fastener, for example a screw fastener or a self-tapping fasteners. Typically the fastener would extend into the rail 36 from the back of the thermally conductive panel 30. In some embodiments, the rail 36 may have a socket for receiving the fastener. In other embodiments, the rails 36 could be formed integrally in the thermally conductive panel 30. The rails 36 are each provided with a thermally conductive end cap 110 at least at the front end, which, as will be discussed further below, provides a thermal conductive path to the thermally conductive panel 24 of the front wall 4 and thereby acts as a thermal transmission element.

To facilitate insertion of the thermal conditioning elements 18 into the channels 180, one or both surfaces of the of the rail 36 may be a low friction surface. For example, one or both surfaces may be provided with a low friction coating such as PTFE or as shown schematically in Figure 6, the rail may be provided with rollers or other bearing elements 111 projecting from the surface to reduce friction.

To assemble the wall 10, the thermally insulating cells 50 are arranged on the interior surface 44 of the exterior panel 32 in the appropriate pattern (see Figure 8) and attached to the external panel 32 by the fasteners 68. Since the cells 50 are discrete, any tolerances between the holes 66 in the cell walls 52 and the connectors 46 in the external panel 32 can be accommodated by suitable movement of the cells 50. As mentioned above, the rebates 76 and projections 74 on the walls 52 allow location and provide continuity of insulating material.

The vacuum insulating panels 80 or other insulating material are them mounted in the cell pockets 54 and the protective sheet 90 and the thermally conductive panel 30 then mounted (either individually or as a preassembly) mounted to the insulating layer 34 to cover the vacuum insulating panels 80 by means of the 86 and socket connectors 84. The vacuum insulating panels 80 are thereby safely sandwiched and protected between the external panel 32 and the thermally insulating panel 30. A partial schematic cross section of assembled wall is shown in Figure 11. This illustrates schematically the mounting of the connectors 46, 84 in the external panel 32 and the cell wall 52 respectively and the offset between them.

Turning now to the other walls of the container 2, the side wall 8 is of the same construction as side wall 10.

The top wall 12, illustrated in Figure 13 is generally similar to the side walls 8, 10 apart from the coupling elements 112 in the edge of the external panel 114. In the top wall 12, the coupling elements 112 are each formed as a downwardly female elements which receive the respective projecting male coupling elements 40 of the side walls 8, 10, front wall 4 and back wall 6. The coupling element 112 may be formed integrally in an extrusion 116 surrounding the external panel 124 or it may be formed in a separate component having respective female couplings on either end, the top wall external panel 114 then also being provided with respective projecting male couplings 32 as in the side walls. Such a construction is shown in WO 2006/085758 A1.

The rear wall 6, illustrated in exploded view in Figure 14, is again generally similar in construction to the side walls 8, 10. A first difference between them is that the external panel 118 of the rear wall 6 is provided with a pair of opposed male coupling elements 120 on the top and bottom edges of the external panel 118 and female coupling elements 122 provided on the opposed side edges of the external panel 118. Also, the thermally conductive panel 22 is planar and does not include any peripheral flanges.

The construction of the base wall 14 is generally similar to that of the top wall 6, and only the differences between the two walls will be discussed below.

As shown for example in Figures 3 and 15, the base wall 14 comprises an additional cargo plate 130 which is positioned over the thermally conductive panel 24 of the base wall 14.

The cargo plate 130 is, in this embodiment, also of a thermally conductive material, for example an aluminium alloy. Since the cargo plate 130 will have to support the weight of the payload in use, it may be of a thicker gauge than the thermally conductive panel 24. For example, in certain embodiments, the cargo plate 130 may be 6-7 millimetres thick.

The cargo plate 130 comprises a generally planar central portion 132 and a pair of flanges 134, 136 on opposed sides of the central portion 132. The flanges 134, 136 extend at an angle β relative to the central portion 132. In this embodiment the angle β is 135°.

The flanges 134, 136 are also provided with a series of through slots or openings 138, only those in flange 134 being visible in Figure 13.

The cargo plate 130 is further provided with a flange 140 on its rear edge. This flange 140 is at 90° to the central portion 132. A rearward portion of the central portion 132 is also provided with a series of drainage slots 142.

As can also be seen in Figures 3 and 15, a pair of ribs 144 is mounted to the underside of the cargo plate 130, for example by bonding, welding or fastening. As seen, particularly in Figure 2, this provides channels 146 for receiving the thermal conditioning elements 18 or other materials such as desiccant trays.

It will be noted that the front edge 148 of the cargo plate 130 is castellated with recesses 150 aligned with the channels 146 to facilitate access to the thermally conditioning elements 18.

Also illustrated in Figure 15 are feet 152 which are attached to bottom of the wall 4 to provide access for forklifts for transportation of the container.

Although described as being of a thermally conductive material, it is not essential that the whole cargo plate is thermally conductive. For example only the flanges 134, 136, 140 of the cargo plate 130 may be thermally conductive, with the central portion 132 not necessarily thermally conductive. It might, therefore be constructed of steel or other relatively low thermal conductivity metal or a composite material, with the flanges being suitably mounted thereto.

As can be seen from Figures 3 and 16, the front wall 4 comprises an outer door frame 160 formed by a plurality of extruded members 162. The extruded members 162 each have a female coupling element 164 facing rearwardly for engaging the male couplings of the adjacent side wall, top wall and base wall panels. A door 166 is hingedly connected to the extrusion 162 at one side of the frame 160 by a hinge 168.

The door 166 is of a similar construction to the rear wall 6 having an external panel 170 a thermally conductive inner panel 20 and an intervening layer 34 of insulating material. The profile of the door 166 is such that it engages in a sealing manner within the frame 160. There may, for example, be suitable seals around the edges of the door 166 and or frame 160. A suitable opening mechanism 172 (Figure 1) may also be provided in the door 166.

The hinge 168 has a first leaf 174 suitably connected to the door 166, for example engaging around an edge of the external panel 170 thereof. The leaf may be resilient to provide a degree of resilience in the mounting of the door 166 within the frame 160. The hinge 168 further comprises a second leaf 176 which is suitably mounted to the door frame extrusion 162.

Having described the individual walls of the container 2, a possible method of assembling the container will now be described with reference to Figures 17A to Figure 17F. It will be understood that this is just one possible sequence and that steps may be carried out in a different sequence.

The first step in the procedure is to place the cargo plate 130 over the thermally conductive panel 24 of the bottom wall 14 (Figure 17A). The rear flange 140 of the cargo plate 130 is hooked over the back of the thermally conductive panel 24 and the opposed angled flanges 134, 136 will rest against the angled flanges 90, 92 of the thermally conductive panel 24. As the respective angles of the flanges are complementary, there will be a good face contact between the flanges due to the angling of the flanges.

The side walls 8, 10 and the rear wall 6 can then be assembled to the base wall 4, as shown in Figures 17B to 17D, the female coupling elements on the base wall 14 receive the respective male coupling parts 32 on these respective walls. The male coupling elements 40 on the side walls 8, 10 are received in the female coupling elements 122 of the rear wall 6. The fastening means provided in the respective walls may then be tightened to retain the panels in position.

It will be seen from Figure 18 that when assembled, the flanges 134, 136 of the cargo plate 130 will be received between the respective angled flanges 102, 104 of the side walls 8, 10 and the base wall 4. This provides thermal continuity between the thermally conductive panels of the respective walls.

Also it will be understood that the rear, perpendicularly extending flanges 106 of the respective side wall thermally conductive panels 28, 30 will abut vertical edge regions 176 of the thermally conductive panel 22 of the rear wall 6 in a face to face manner also thereby providing thermal continuity between the rear wall 6 and the side walls 8, 10.

Moreover, as illustrated in Figure 19, a bottom peripheral section 174 of the thermally conductive panel 22 of the rear wall 6 will abut the rear flange 140 of the cargo plate 130, thereby providing thermal continuity between the thermally conductive panel 22 of the rear wall 6 and the rear flange 106 of the thermally conductive panel 24 of the base wall 4 via the cargo plate flange 140.

As will further be seen from Figure 19, the sealing strip 142 on the base wall 6 is received under the cellular structure of the rear wall 6.

The top wall 12 may then, as illustrated in Figure 17E, be mounted to the rear and side walls 6, 8, 10 via the respective coupling elements on those walls and the respective fasteners locked to hold the walls in position.

Finally, as illustrated in Figure 17F, the front wall 4 may be mounted to the other walls via the couplings 164 provided on the doorframe 160. The thermally conductive panel 20 of the door 166 will, when the door 166 is fully closed, engage the end caps 110 of the rails 36 provided on the respective side walls 8, 10 and top wall 12 so as to provide a thermal conduction path between the door 166 and those walls. To ensure a good thermal contact between these surfaces, either the thermally conductive panel 20 or the end caps 110 may be resiliently biased so as to accommodate assembly tolerances. For example, the end caps 110 may be resiliently biased out of the ends of the respective rails 36, with good thermal contact between the end caps 110 and the rails 36. The end caps 110 may therefore engage internal surfaces of the rails 36 in a sliding manner.

When fully assembled, the container 2 will be as illustrated in Figure 2. At this point, the thermal conditioning elements 18 may be mounted in the container 2.

This is illustrated in Figure 20.

The thermal conditioning elements 18 are received in the channels 180 formed on the internal faces of the side walls 8, 10 and the top wall 6 by the rails 36 attached to each of the thermally conductive panels 22, 28, 30, the angled peripheral flanges 102, 104 of the thermally conductive panels 22, 28, 30 of those walls and the angled flanges 134, 136 of the cargo plate 130.

Thermal conditioning elements 18 are also received in the channels 146 defined under the cargo plate 130. Although not illustrated, a resilient element such as a spring or resilient foam element may be provided at the distal end at one or of the respective base wall receiving channels 146 (or even the other wall channels 180) so as to bias the thermal conditioning elements 18 such that they project slightly out of the channels 146. This means that as the door 166 is closed, the resilient element may deform, allowing the thermal conditioning element 18 to engage the thermally conductive panel 20 of the door 166, as illustrated in Figure 21, thereby proving a further thermal conduction path into the door 166.

Thus thermal conditioning elements 18 are provided on just four sides of the container 2. However, as discussed earlier, the shell of thermally conductive panels 20...30 will distribute the thermal conditioning to all sides of the container 2 due to the thermal coupling of adjacent thermally conductive panels to one another.

The thermal conditioning elements 18 are illustrated in greater detail in Figures 22 to 26.

The elements 18 are shaped to be received in the respective channels 146, 180 and comprise a generally rectangular body 302 having a front face 304, a rear face 306, a top end 308, a bottom end 310 and opposed sides 312, 314 extending between the front and rear faces 304, 306. The terms top, bottom, front rear and side are merely relative terms in this context and do not imply any particular orientation of the element 18 in use.

The sides 312, 314 are angled relative to the front and rear faces 304, 306, the angle being complementary to the angles of the sides of the channels 146, 180, i.e. generally 45°. A handle 318 projects from the top end 308 of the element 300, and a generally complementary recess 320 is formed in the opposite, bottom end 310. In this embodiment the handle 318 and recess 320 are generally trapezoidal in shape, although other shapes may be used.

The handle 318 comprises a hand opening 322 closed by a top wall 324. A recess 326 is formed in the front face 328 of the top wall 324. A lip 330 projects downwardly from the top wall 324 into the hand opening 322 to define a first coupling element or catch. The upper edge 332 of the recess 326 is chamfered or radiused. A resilient hook element 340 projects from the bottom end 308 of the element 300 into the recess 320. The hook element 340 comprises a resilient body 342 having a rearwardly projecting lip 344 at its free end. This defines a second coupling part. The hook element 340 is offset rearwardly from the front face 304 of the element 300 such that when the elements 18 are inserted in the channels 146, 180, the hook lip 334 of the element being inserted will engage the chamfered upper edge of the handle recess 326 of the already inserted element 300 and move through the recess, finally snapping into position behind the handle recess lip 330, thereby coupling the elements 18 together, as shown in Figure 25. The depth of the handle recess 326 is such as to accommodate the deflection of the hook element 340 without the hook element 340 engaging the base of the respective channel 146, 180.

The arrangement of the hook element 340 in the recess 320 will provide protection for the hook element 340 in the event that the thermal conditioning element is dropped.

This arrangement is particularly advantageous when the elements 18 are being removed from the channels 146, 180, since the user need only pull the first element 18, that element 18 then bringing the remaining elements 18 with it. Moreover, as soon as the coupling parts are arranged outside the channels 146, 180, they may easily be disengaged simply by rotating the removed element 18 relative to the remaining elements 18 as illustrated in Figure 24. The one sided catch facilitates such disengagement.

In fact, providing the thermal conditioning elements 18 with couplings brings a number of advantages. Firstly, the elements 18 may be withdrawn from the front of the container 2 without an operative having to reach into the container 2 or change his or her position to remove the elements. Moreover, the elements 18 may be easily loaded and unloaded from the container 2 with the payload still in the container 2. In addition, the coupling between the elements 18 enables removal of elements 18 that are inserted into a closed cavity such as the channels 180. In larger embodiments of the invention, the coupling avoids the need for a person to climb inside the container 2 to remove the rearmost elements 18, having positive benefits for the health and safety of the operative. Also, the design could also be used to allow thermal conditioning elements to be easily mounted inside a cold store for conditioning by mounting the elements on suitably shaped racks. The elements could be mounted into racks outside the store and the rack then moved into the store for conditioning.

Of course the above is just one example of a coupling which may be used. Other, simpler couplings may be used, for example other forms of clip. Also, the coupling need not be provided on the handle 318 and recess 320, but on any part of the top and bottom ends 308, 310. However, providing the hook element 340 in the recess 312 protects the hook element 340 from damage.

In a further embodiment, illustrated in Figures 32 to 35, the hook element 340’ is formed as a separate component and suitably attached to the thermal conditioning element 18.

With reference to Figures 32 to 35, the hook element 340’ is formed as a planar member having a mounting portion 350 and a hook portion 360. The mounting portion 350 is received within a recess 352 of the element 18’. The recess 352 is provided with a pair of through bores 354 which each receive a boss 356 projecting from the mounting portion 350 of the element 18’. The bosses 356 are threaded to receive respective fasteners 358 which extend through the bores 354 to retain the hook element to the element 18’.

As illustrated in Figure 34, the mounting portion 350 also includes a projecting rib 362 which extends along substantially its entire width. The rib 362 is received within a complementary slot 364 formed in the recess 352 below the bores 354.

This provides location for the hook element 340’ in addition to the bosses 356 and bores 354.

The thermal conditioning element 18 used in the container may be of any kind, for example passive or active. For example a passive element may simply comprise a phase change material, water or so on. An active element 18 may comprise a heating or cooling device, for example a Peltier effect device and may also contain a power source and/or control for the device.

It will be understood that the thermal conditioning element 18 described above will also find application in other types of container than that described.

The walls of the container 2 as described so far have been of a unitary construction. It would also be possible, however, to construct the walls themselves in a modular manner, to allow the construction of containers of different sizes. Figures 27 to 29 illustrate such an arrangement.

In this embodiment, a wall 400 is made up of three wall panels 402, 404, 406. The individual wall panels 402, 404, 406 are constructed generally in the same manner as the walls described earlier. However, it order to allow a wall to be built up, the respective panels are provided with complementary profiles 408, 410 on their upper and lower edges. Moreover, each panel comprises rail forming elements 412, 414, 416. The middle panel 404 in this embodiment comprises a pair of rail forming elements 414 which have male connector parts 418 which engage with complementary female connector parts 420 in the adjacent trail forming elements 412 on the adjacent panels 402, 406. A suitable connector (for example as described in the aforementioned WO 2006/085758 A1 is provided in each of the male connector parts 418 to allow the panels 402, 404 and 406 to be releasably connected together. Such a construction may be used in any of the walls of the container 2 and may allow a container of different dimensions to be assembled from modular components.

It will be understood that the above description is of a preferred embodiment only and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Also while the container has been shown as incorporating thermal conditioning elements and thermally conductive panels, certain inventions disclosed herein may be used without those features. For example, the wall construction incorporating vacuum insulating panels or other insulating materials sandwiched between two protective panels, and the thermal conditioning elements are potentially of wider application.

Also, while flanges have been described as being a preferred form of thermal transmission element, other elements such as blocks of conductive material may be provided. In another embodiment, the flanges may take the form of alternating and interlaced fingers which, when the walls are assembled, contact the face of the adjacent thermally conductive panel.

Also, while the flanges are shown as being integral with the respective thermally conductive panels, they may be discrete elements suitably attached thereto.

In other embodiments, the thermal transmission elements may be separate from the thermally conductive panels and be suitably arranged or mounted between the relevant panels.

It is also possible to provide an alternative mounting arrangement for the inner/thermally conductive panel of the wall element. Figure 30 illustrates such a mounting arrangement.

In the embodiment of Figure 30, rather than the internal/thermally insulating panel 30 being mounted to the insulating layer 34 and the insulating layer 34 being mounted to the external panel 32, the internal/thermally insulating panel 30 and the insulating layer 34 are mounted to the external panel 32 by means of a spacer element 500.

The spacer element 500 is constructed of a thermally insulating material such as a plastics material, and may have a thermal conductivity of less than 1W/mK. The material of the spacer 500 may also be slightly resilient. A high density foam or PVC plastics material may be useful in this regard.

The spacer 500 is tubular in shape and has a hollow body providing a bore 502. The spacer is mounted in a bore 504 provided in the insulating material 34. The bore 504 may be provided through a cell 50 or between adjacent cells 50. There may be a clearance between the spacer 500 and the bore 504.

As in the earlier embodiment, a socket fastener part 46 is mounted in the external panel 32. A bottom end 506 of the spacer bore 502 is closed by a washer 508 for example, and the spacer 500 mounted to the external panel 32 by a fastener510 , for example a fastener 510 of the type used in the earlier embodiment.

The upper end 512 of the spacer is provided with a threaded insert 514 for receiving a threaded fastener 516.

The wall element is assembled by positioning the cells 40 on the external panel 32, inserting the spacers 500 (either before or after the positioning, and fastening the spacers 500 to the external panel 32 using the fasteners 510, for example using an Allen key or other tool which can access the fasteners 510 through the spacer bore 502. The internal/thermally conductive panel 30 is then positioned over the insulating layer 34 with mounting holes 518 aligned over the spacers 500 and the fasteners 516 then inserted and fastened into the threaded inserts 514 of the spacer 500.

In this way, the internal/thermally conductive panel 30 effectively sandwiches the insulating layer, with the vacuum insulating panels 80, between it and the external panel 32. The spacer 500 acts as both a thermal insulator and a vibration damper between the internal/thermally insulating panel 30 and the external panel 32.

Also, while the embodiments show containers which are intended to be opened and loaded from a front, the terms front, top, bottom etc. as used herein are not limiting. For example, in another embodiment as illustrated in Figure 31, the top wall 600 of a collapsible container 602 may be opened and the thermal conditioning elements 18 introduced into the container 602 vertically rather than horizontally. This construction may be applicable particularly to smaller containers.

Finally, while the specific embodiments discussed above involve thermally conductive panels on all walls, this may not be necessary. All that is necessary is for sufficient thermal transfer to take place to walls which do not receive thermal conditioning elements. Those walls may comprise a thermally conductive panel as described in order to distribute thermal energy over that wall. Thus in one alternative embodiment, only the front and rear walls may be provided with a thermally conductive panel, with thermal transfer with those walls taking place via suitable thermal conduction means, for example the thermally conductive rails described above, provided on the other walls or through the thermal conditioning elements themselves making thermal contact with the front and rear walls. In those embodiments, the internal panel of the other walls may not need to be thermally conductive. A further embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 37 to 52.

With reference to Figures 37 to 39, a second thermally insulating container 1002 in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The container 1002 in this embodiment is cubic in shape and has a front wall 1004, a rear wall 1006, side walls 1008, 1010, a top wall 1012 and a bottom wall 1014 each of the walls being generally square in shape. The walls define an internal payload space 1016. Of course the container 1002 need not be cubic and the walls need not all be square or rectangular. Thus, for example, the side walls 1008, 1010, need not be parallel. In one embodiment, for example, one or both side walls may have an angled portion and a vertical portion whereby the container may take the shape of a unit load device (ULD) as is commonly used in aircraft freight transport.

As illustrated schematically in Figures 38 and 39, the walls are detachable from one another so that the container 1002 may be collapsed for storage or transit purposes. This will be described in further detail below.

As in the earlier embodiment, each of the walls has a thermally insulating construction . The opposed side walls 1008, 1010, top wall 1012 and base wall 1014 are adapted to removably receive thermal conditioning elements 18 (see Figure 20) as in the first embodiment, for thermally conditioning a payload received within the payload space 1016. As in the earlier embodiment, thermal conditioning elements 18 are received on only four walls of the container 1002. However, the construction of the walls provides for thermal conduction around the entire periphery of the entire payload space 1016.

The construction of one side wall 1010 of the container 1002 will now be described with reference to Figures 40 to ??. As mentioned above, the construction of each of the walls of the container 2 is similar, so the following description will apply in general to all the container walls. Specific differences in the construction of different walls will be described as necessary.

With reference to Figures 40 and 41, the side wall 1010 comprises an inner panel 1018 and an external or outer panel 1020. Thermal insulation is arranged between the inner panel 1018 and the outer panel 1020. Dovetail shaped rails 1022 project inwardly from the inner panel 1018 for supporting thermal conditioning elements 18, as will be described further below.

The external panel 1020 in this embodiment is of the same general construction as that of the first embodiment, being of a laminated honeycomb construction, to provide strength to the container 1002.

As in the earlier embodiment, the edges of the external panel 1020 are provided with aluminium or other extrusions 1024 which incorporate coupling elements for coupling with complementary couplings provided on adjacent panels to allow for assembly of the container 1002. As in the earlier embodiment, the couplings on both side walls 1008, 1010 are all male couplings, with female couplings being provided on the respective adjacent panels.

Opposed sides of the internal surface 1026 of the external panel 1020 are provided with threaded or other socket connectors 1028 which receive threaded fasteners 1030. As in the earlier embodiment, the connectors 46 are preferably plastics socket connectors, for example of polypropylene, and they may be fitted in a similar manner as in the earlier embodiment, or in any suitable manner. The fasteners 1030 may also be of a plastics material. By making these components of plastics material, thermal conduction to the external wall panel is reduced.

The fasteners 1030 mount respective rails 1032 to the external panel 1020 via mounting slots 1034 provide in the rails. The rails 1032 are made from a thermally insulating plastics material such as Polycarbonate, PVC, HDPE, Nylon, PP or ABS. As shown in detail O of Fig 40 the rails 1032 each have a T-shaped slot 1036 extending along their length. The T-shaped slots 1034 slidably receive T- headed fasteners 1038, as will be described further below. The T-headed fasteners 1038 are also made from a plastics material in this embodiment.

Arranged between the interior and exterior panel walls 1018 and 1020 is a frame 1040, in this embodiment a square frame. The frame is formed of a thermally insulating material, such as a foam material. The foam material may be a rigid foam material such as polystyrene, polyisocyanurate or polyurethane. However, in preferred embodiments, it is resilient foam, for example expanded polypropylene foam. In this embodimebnt, the foam may have a density of about 60 grams per litre, although this density could be a lower or higher density depending on the durability required of the container. Densities of from 20 - 200 g/l are therefore envisaged, for example 40-70 g/l, or 55- 65g/l. As discussed further below this may have advantages in certain applications. Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) is a highly versatile closed-cell bead foam that provides an atrtractive range of properties, including outstanding energy absorption, multiple impact resistance, thermal insulation, buoyancy, water and chemical resistance, exceptionally high strength to weight ratio and 100% recyclability.

The frame 1040 defines a pocket 1042 which receives one or more panels of insulating material 1044, for example one or more vacuum insulating panels 1044.

These are retained in the frame 1040 by the internal wall 1018 as will be discussed further below. The pocket 1042 is surrounded by a flange 1045 (see e.g. Fig 42).

As can be seen more clearly from Figures 43 and 44, the frame 1040 comprises opposed first and second pairs of frame elements 1046, 1048. The first pair of frame elements 1046 are provided with counterbores 1050 for receiving the shanks of the T-headed fasteners 1038 and fasteners, for example threaded fasteners, 1052 which engage with the T-headed fasteners 1038 to secure the frame elements to the external wall panel 1020.

The second pair of opposed frame elements 1048 are not directly attached to the external wall panel 1020, but are attached to the first pair of frame elements 1046 as will be described further below. The second frame elements 1048 are formed with an inwardly sloping surface 1054, angled at approximately 45°. They are also formed with a recess 1056 along their inner forward edge.

The internal wall 1018 is an assembly of a first pair of dovetail shaped extrusions 1060, a second pair of extrusions 1062, and a plurality of panels 1064. Although three panels 1064 are illustrated here, the number of panels 1064 can differ, depending on the size of container 1002. As in the earlier embodiment, the panels contain inspection openings 1065 closable by plugs 1067.

The extrusions 1060, 1062 may be made of any suitable material, for example an aluminium alloy material, or a plastics material.

The first extrusions 1060 have a generally dovetail shaped central portion 1066 defining a central bore 1068, and a pair of wings 1070 extending from the central portion 1066. Each wing 1070 is formed with a slot 1072 for receiving the edge of a panel 1064. While a dovetail shaped extrusion is illustrated, it will be understood that the extrusion may be formed with any profile which will be able to retain the thermal conditioning elements 18.

The second extrusions 1062 are formed with a central trough portion 1074 for receiving a thermal conditioning element 18. Extending from one side of the trough portion is a wing 1076 which is formed with a slot 1078 for receiving the edge of a panel 1064. Extending from the other side of the trough portion 1074 is a generally L-shaped lip 1080 having a free end 1082.

The profile of the second extrusions 1062 is generally complementary to that of the inner lip region 1086 of the second frame elements 1048. The second frame elements 1048 have a groove 1086 extending along their length which receives the free end 1082 of the second extrusion lip 1080. The second frame elements 1048 are formed with a dovetail groove 1088 in a projecting block 1089 at either end.

As can be seen from Figures 43 and 44, the first frame elements 1046 are provided with first and second projecting plugs 1088, 1090. The first plugs 1088 are complementary in shape to the central bore 1068 of the first extrusions 1060. The second plugs 1090 are each provided with a projecting dovetail 1091 which is complementary in shape to the dovetail groove 1088 at the end of the second frame elements 1048.

The inner wall panel 1018 and frame 1040 form an integrated unit which is mountable to the external wall panel 1020. In assembling the unit, the inner wall panel 1018 is first assembled by assembling the individual panels 1064 into the slots 1072, 1078 of the first and second extrusions 1060, 1062. The panels 1064 may, for example, be bonded or otherwise secured into the slots 1072, 1078.

The second extrusions 1062 may then be mounted to the second frame elements 1048 and again suitably secured thereto, for example by bonding. The upper and lower most wall panels 1064 are received within the recesses 1056 of the second extrusions. The first frame members 1046 are then assembled onto this subassembly, with the plugs 1088, being received in the respective sockets formed in the first extrusion elements 1060 and the dovetails 1091 of the second frame elements 1046 being received in the grooves 1088 in the second extrusion elements 1048. The opposed end faces 1093, 1095 of the plugs 1090 and the second frame elements 1048 will abut and may be bonded together for strength.

To assemble the unit thus formed to the external wall panel 1020, the vacuum insulation panel(s) 1044 are received within the frame 1040 (together with any protective layers on one or both sides thereof, as in the earlier embodiment). The vacuum insulation panels may be for example taped into position to facilitate assembly. This subassembly is offered up to the external wall panel 1020 such that the T-headed fasteners are received through the counterbores 1050 in the frame 1040. Since the T-headed fasteners can slide in the rails 1032, the position of the frame may easily be adjusted before it is secured in position by the fasteners 1052.

Turning now to the other walls of the container 1002, as in the earlier embodiment, the side wall 1008 is of the same construction as side wall 1010 and the top wall 1012, is generally similar to the side walls 1008, 1010 apart from the coupling elements in the edge of the external panel, as described in the earlier embodiment. Also, as can be seen in Figure 42, the flange 1045’ surrounding the top wall frame pocket 1042 is wider than the flange 1045 surrounding the pocket 1042 in the side walls 1008, 1010.

The bottom wall 1014 is similar in construction to the top wall panel 1012, apart from having a pair of runner elements 1060 attached to its external surface. As seen in Figure 45, the runners 1060 project beyond the front edge 1062 of the base wall 1014. A cargo plate 1064 is received on top of the base wall 1014. Unlike the first embodiment, however, the cargo plate 1064 is a simple planar element which sits loosely on top of the base wall 1014 and may be mounted in position after assembly of the container 1002. It may be made from any suitable material, for example a metallic, plastics or composite material.

The rear wall 1016 is illustrated in exploded view in Figure 46 and it is similar in certain respects to the side walls 1008, 1010.

The rear wall 1016 comprises an inner panel 1100 and an external or outer panel 1102. Thermal insulation 1104, for example in the form of one or more vacuum insulation panels, is arranged between the inner panel 1100 and the outer panel 1102. A frame 1106 mounts the inner panel 1100 and insulating material to the external panel 1102.

The external panel 1102 is of the same general construction as that of the side wall external panels 1020. However, as in the rear wall of first embodiment, the external panel 1102 is provided with a pair of opposed male coupling elements 1108 on its top bottom edges of the external panel 1102 and female coupling elements 1110 on the opposed side edges of the external panel 1102.

In contrast to the side walls 1108, 1110, all four side regions of the internal surface 1112 of the external panel 1102 are provided with threaded or other socket connectors 1114 which receive respective threaded fasteners 1116.

The fasteners 1116 mount respective rails 1032 to the external panel 1102. The rails are similar in construction to those of the side walls 1108, 1110, other than they are provide on all four sides of the external wall panel 1102 rather than on just two sides thereof. The rails receive T- headed fasteners 1038, which in turn also receive threaded fasteners 1052 as in the side walls 1108, 1110.

The frame 1106 is different from the frame 1040 of the side walls 1108, 1110. In this embodiment is made in two separate pieces 1120, 1122. In other embodiments, it may be formed in more than two pieces, for example four pieces, or in a single piece. When formed from more than one piece, the pieces may or be joined together, for example bonded together. However, they need not be bonded together and may simply abut one another. The frame 1106 is formed from the same material as the side wall frame 1040, or a similar material.

The frame 1106 defines a recess or pocket 1124 on its rear face to receive the inner wall panel 1100 and the insulating material 1104.

The frame 1106 has a generally planar front face 1126 and a curved top face 1128 extending therefrom, the curved face 1128 having counterbores 1130 for receiving the shanks of the T-headed fasteners 1038 and fasteners 1052.

The inner wall panel 1100 may be of any suitable material. For example, it may be a metallic panel or a plastics or composite plastics panel.

The frame 1106 is mounted to the external panel via the fasteners 1038, 1052 and is adjustable in position in two mutually perpendicular planes due to the arrangement of the rails 1118.

As can be seen from Figures 47 to ???, as in the first embodiment, the front wall 1004 comprises an outer door frame 1200 and a door 1202 pivotally mounted thereto.

The outer door frame is 1200 is a rigid frame assembly comprising four frame elements 1204, 1206 joined together. The frame elements 1204, 1206 may be extrusions, for example aluminium alloy extrusions. Three frame elements 1204 are generally similar, but the fourth frame element 1206 is provided with hinge elements 1207, which may, for example be welded to the frame element 1206..

In this embodiment, the frame elements 1204, 1206 are mitred at their ends and a joining plate 1208, for example an aluminium alloy plate, secured between adjacent frame elements at each corner of the frame 1200. The mitred frame element faces and the joining plates 1208 are joined by seam welds 1209 to provide strength to the frame 1200.

As can be best seen in Figure 49, the rear face of the frame 1200 includes a peripheral channel 1210 which receives a plurality of female panel couplings 1212 shown in Figure 50. The panel couplings 1212 are secured in the channel 1210 by any suitable means, for example bonding and face rearwardly for engaging the male couplings of the adjacent side wall, top wall and base wall panels.

The door 1202 is similar in construction to the rear panel except that instead of having panel couplings around its periphery, its external wall 1214 (which will form the front wall of the container 1002 in use) is provided with edge elements 1216, 1218, one of which is provided with hinge elements 1220 which cooperate with the hinge elements 1207 of the door frame and a hinge pin (not shown) to form a hinge for the door 1202. Caps (not shown) are provided over the open sides of the frame and door hinge elements for cosmetic purposes and to reduce friction and facilitate opening of the door 1202.

The external wall panel 1214 is also somewhat thicker than the external wall panels of the other walls as it also accommodates a locking mechanism 1222 (Figure 51)which is recessed into the panel 1214.

Assembly of the container 1002 will now be described. The sequence with reference to Figures 52A to 52F. A first step in the procedure can be to place the cargo plate 1062 on the bottom wall 1014 although this can be positioned at a later time.

The rear wall 1016 and side walls 1008, 1010 can then be assembled to the base wall 1004, as shown in Figures 52B to 52D. The female coupling elements on the base wall 1004 receive the respective male coupling parts on these respective walls. The male coupling elements on the side walls 1008, 1010 are received in the female coupling elements of the rear wall 1006. The fastening means provided in the respective walls may then be tightened to retain the panels in position.

It will be seen that the sloping edges of the respective wall frames engage with one another to providing continuous layer of insulation. As can be seen from Figure 42 the flanges 1045 of the side walls 1008, 1010 sit on top of the wider flanges 1045’ of the base wall 1004.

The top wall 1012 may then, as illustrated in Figure 52E, be mounted to the rear and side walls 1006, 1008, 1010 via the respective coupling elements on those walls and the respective fasteners locked to hold the walls in position.

Finally, as illustrated in Figure 52F, the front wall 1004 is mounted to the other walls. The couplings 1212 provided on the door frame 1200 engage the couplings on the other walls. The thermally insulating frame of the door 1202 will, when the door 1200 is fully closed, engage the frame members of the adjacent walls to provide a fully insulated space.

It should be noted that the second embodiment allows for some degree of adjustment of the insulation once the container is assembled. The fasteners 1052 are positioned such as to be accessible from the insider of the container. By loosening the fasteners 1052, the frames and insulation may be moved slightly to a desired position and the fasteners then re-tightened.

Also, the resilience of the insulating frames will allow a good seal to be achieved between the frames. Should the frame material be too rigid however, then a more resilient insulating material, for example a more resilient foam material, may be provided an interfacing surfaces of one or more of the frames.

When fully assembled, the thermal conditioning elements 18 may be mounted in the container 2 and the cargo plate 1062 positioned on the base 1004 if not already so positioned.

Thus it will be seen that while similar in some respects to the first embodiment, the second embodiment differs in a number of respects. For example, it does not use a thermally conductive inner shell, thereby simplifying construction. Also, the coolant retaining rails are formed in a different manner from the first embodiment.

It also incorporates a more substantial unitary door frame 1200 which provides significant additional stability to the container when the door 1202 is opened, as is illustrated in Figure 53. That door frame can also be used in other containers, not necessarily thermally insulating containers to provide stability when a wall of the container is removed. Thus in other embodiments, a removable wall may be mounted to the frame 1002 in a non- hinged manner through suitable means.

Claims

1. A thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and one or more panels of a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said wall panel further comprising a thermally insulating frame removably mounted to the external wall panel, the thermally insulating frame extending around the periphery of the one or more panels of thermally insulating material and being made from a resilient expanded foam material and mounting said internal wall panel and said one or more panels of insulating material to the external wall panel.

2. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel of thermally insulating material is a vacuum insulating panel.

3. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of separate frame members which together form a frame structure, or is a unitary, one piece structure.

4. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the frame members are joined to one another, abut one another.

5. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the frame is adjustably mounted to the external wall panel.

6. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 5, comprising an adjustment rail affixed to the external wall panel.

7. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rail comprises a re-entrant slot or groove, which receives a fastener for attaching the frame to the external wall panel.

8. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fastener comprises a first part having a head which is slidably received in the groove, and a second part which is mounted to the first part to fasten the frame in position.

9. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the frame is provided with suitable openings to receive the second fastener part.

10. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inner wall panel is sandwiched between the frame and the external wall panel.

11. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the frame comprises an inwardly extending flange, the internal wall panel being received on the flange.

12. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the internal wall panel interlocks with the frame.

13. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the internal wall panel comprise rails for receiving thermal conditioning elements.

14. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claims 12 and 13, wherein the rails interlock with the frame to mount the internal wall panel to the frame.

15. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 14, wherein, the frame element comprises a projection which is received within a hollow interior of the rail element.

16. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in claim 13, 14 or 15, wherein the rails are formed as separate elements and wall panels are mounted between the rails.

17. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the frame comprises angled faces for engagement with adjacent faces of other frames when a container is erected from the container.

18. A thermally insulating wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the external wall panel is provided with fasteners for attaching to an adjacent wall panel.

19. A collapsible thermally insulated container erected from a plurality of thermally insulating wall panels as claimed in any preceding claim.

20. A thermally insulating container comprising a plurality of thermally insulating wall panels releasably fastened together, each panel comprising an external wall panel, an internal wall panel and one or more panels of a thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel, said wall panel further comprising a thermally insulating frame extending around the periphery of the one or more panels of thermally insulating material and comprising a resilient expanded foam material, the frame members of adjacent panels abutting one another when the container is assembled.

21. A container as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein the container comprises two side wall panels, a top wall panel and a base wall panel having thermal conditioning element receiving rails, and front and rear wall panels not having such rails.

22. A thermally insulating container as claimed in claim 19, 20 or 21, wherein the front wall is openable and comprises a door frame which is removably attachable to adjacent wall panels, and a door panel pivotably mounted thereto.

23. A thermally insulating container as claimed in claim 22, wherein the door frame is a rigid frame.

24. A collapsible container comprising a pair of side wall panels, a rear wall panel, a top wall panel and a base wall panel coupled together at their edges and further comprising a rigid frame element removably coupled to the front edges of the wall panels, said rigid frame element mounting a removable or openable door.

25. A collapsible container as claimed in claim 23 or 24 wherein said frame comprises a plurality of frame elements welded together.

26. A container or thermally insulating wall panel comprising an external wall panel, and internal wall panel and a layer of thermally insulating material arranged between said external wall panel and said internal wall panel and comprising one or more pockets receiving additional thermal insulation, said thermally insulating material and said internal panel being mounted such that there is no direct attachment of said internal panel to said external panel.

27. A container or wall panel as claimed in claim 26, wherein said layer of insulating material is attached to said external panel and said internal wall panel is attached to said insulating layer.

28. A container or wall panel as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said insulating layer is attached to said external panel by one or more first fasteners, and said internal /thermally conductive panel is attached to the insulating material by one or more second fasteners, the second fasteners being offset from the second fasteners.

29. A container or wall panel as claimed in claim 28, wherein said first and second fasteners comprise respective thermally insulating socket elements embedded in the external panel and the insulating material respectively.

30. A container or wall panel as claimed in claim 29, wherein said first and second fasteners are spin welded into the external panel and insulating material.

31. A container or wall panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said external panel is of a honeycomb construction.

32. A container or wall element as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a protective, for example low-friction, layer is provided between the insulating material and the internal wall panel.

33. A collapsible container comprising: a base wall; a top wall; opposed side walls extending between the base wall and the top wall; a rear wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; a front wall extending between the base wall and the top wall and between the side walls; and releasable fastening means for allowing said walls to be erected into a container and collapsed; wherein one of said walls, for example said front wall, comprising a door and a rigid door frame receiving the door and releasably attached to the adjacent panels.

34. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of thermal conditioning elements mounted to one or more of said walls.

35. A container as claimed in claim 34, wherein said thermal conditioning elements are mounted in rows or columns.

36. A container as claimed in claim 34 or 35, wherein said thermal conditioning elements comprise coupling elements for coupling adjacent thermal conditioning elements together.

37. A thermal conditioning element comprising a first coupling element and a second coupling element, the second coupling element being configured to couple to the first coupling element of a similar, adjacent thermal conditioning element

38. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 36 or 37, wherein said coupling elements are formed on opposite ends of the thermal conditioning elements.

39. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 36, 37 or 38, wherein said coupling elements comprise a hook element and a catch element for receiving the hook element.

40. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 39, wherein the hook element is resilient.

41. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 39 or 40, wherein the catch element is formed in a handle portion of the thermal conditioning element.

42. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 41, wherein the opposite end of the thermal conditioning element comprises a recess for receiving the handle portion of a similar thermal conditioning element, the hook projecting into the recess.

43. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in any of claims 36 to 42, wherein at least one of the first and second coupling elements formed integrally with the thermal conditioning element.

44. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in any of claims 36 to 42, wherein at least one of the first and second coupling elements is formed separately from the thermal conditioning element and mounted thereto.

45. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 44, wherein a male coupling part, is formed separately from the thermal conditioning element and mounted thereto.

46. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in claim 44 or 45, wherein the separate coupling element and thermal conditioning element have interengaging locating means.

47. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in any of claims 34 to 46, wherein said thermal conditioning element contains a phase change material.

48. A container or thermal conditioning element as claimed in any of claims 34 to 46 comprises an active thermal element.