US2969164A

US2969164A - Insulated container

Info

Publication number: US2969164A
Application number: US775506A
Authority: US
Inventors: Willard L Morrison
Original assignee: Liquefreeze Co Inc
Current assignee: Liquefreeze Co Inc
Priority date: 1958-11-21
Filing date: 1958-11-21
Publication date: 1961-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-24

Description

Jan, 24, 1961 w. L. MORRISON INSULATED CONTAINER Filed Nov. 21, 1958 Illllll IN V EN TOR.

0 Q 0 O goo @004Go o@ l I I I I l I 1 l. l, l I l l l I I l l 1 iNsULArED CoNTAINER Willard L. Morrison, Lake Forest, Ill., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Liquefreeze Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 21, 195s, ser. No. 775,516

s claims. (ci. zzo-9) This invention relates to improvements in insulated receptacles. .l v

One object is to provide a container forfshipmentor storage of frozen food and the like wherein the insulating effect is uniform regardless of changes in the relative inside and outside temperatures.

Another object is to provide an insulated container well adapted to receive and protect material, frozen to ternperatures hundreds of degrees F. below zero.

Another object is to provide an insulating system for a container where wide temperature variations will have no deleterious effect on the container, the insulation or the resistance to heat flow between the contents of the container and the ambient outside temperature conditions to which the container is exposed.

Another object is to provide a container which can be easily, rapidly, cheaply manufactured and erected with a minimum of skilled labor.

Another object is to provide a portable shipper container which may be assembled with wide tolerances and wherein expansion and contraction of the insulation responsive to change in temperature of the contents, or responsive to differential inside and outside temperature have no ill effect on the receptacle, its contents or its insulating value.

For convenience, the invention is illustrated as applied to a portable shipper container but it is equally well adapted to fixed storage installations, freight cars, automotive truck bodies, ships or airplanes.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l is a half section through a container with the insulation warm:

Figure 2 is a half section through a container with the insulation cold;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

The container includes a housing having bottom wall 1, side walls 2 and apertured top wall 3. The walls may be of metal, wood, or any other desired material.

Loosely contained within the housing, generally parallel to the walls are insulating bottom and side slabs 4, 5, of dyalite or similar generally rigid self-supporting insulating material. Inside the space detined by these slabs or panels is a liner 6, apertured in register with the aperture in the top wall 3 of the housing. The distances on all sides between the liner 6 and the housing walls is greater than the thickness of the insulating slabs, there being substantial clearance between the opposed walls. Close, accurate fitting is neither needed nor desired.

A flexible non-heat conductive, preferably fabric sleeve 7 is co-extensive in horizontal cross section with the registering apertures in the tops of liner and housing, is anchored along its lower end to the liner and along its upper end to the housing. A removable insulating door 8 closes both apertures.

. Patented Jamais@ .of the slabs and the walls and between opposed slab stirfaces.

The space Varound the sleeve 7 nand between lthe walls of housing and liner may, especially.` if the"'s"labs, l9 are used, be somewhat larger than that between the other opposed walls to serve as a reservoir yfor Vthe granular, easy flowing material. There will always be easy. access between the reservoir space and the otherspaces between the walls so that the space between the walls will be f'supplied by a gravity drop providing a head. of the Santocel uto make sure that this insulation will flow into all the clearances and completely fill them. Such lilling ofall clearances is essential to insure effectiv'eins'ulation and inhibit convection air currents in all the spaces between the opposed walls. v l

The housing of the shipper container is first 'assembled with an open top. The floor slabsare then put in position. The wall slabs rest on the floor Vslabs contacting the housing walls. The liner is then inserted, resting upon the oor slabs rand surrounded by the wall slabs. ,v'lflie housing -is then closed, the fabric sleeve is put in place joining the open top of the liner and the apertured 'to'p of the housing, leaving the wall slabs loosely contained in the space between the housing and liner walls.

The flexible sleeve somewhat longer axially than the distance between the housing and the liner will be installed and not being in tension, will be slightly upset and loose.

The powdered Santocel is then poured into the top of the housing through filler openings covered by the plugs 10. This insulation runs down into and fills all the clearances above, below and on both sides of the dyalite insulating slabs 4 and 5. Thus it completely l'ills the space between the liner and the outer walls. The filler openings may also be used for replenishing Santocel after use if that becomes necessary.

The area lat the top of the housing will contain a suiicient supply of Santocel to compensate for expansion and contraction and flow up or down of Santocel or other powdered insulation resulting from thermal change.

When the temperature of the liner and its contents are reduced, especially to very low temperatures as, for example, temperatures far below zero degrees F., the inner surfaces of the slabs are cooled more than the outer. The slabs warp, as shown in Figure 2. Because the clearance between the liner and the housing is very great, this warpa ing takes place without interference, but changes the shape of the clearance spaces. The Santocel flows into and out of such spaces above, below, and on both sides of the slabs and keeps all clearances filled to insure adequate insulation.

When at some later date, the contents of the shipper container rises in temperature and the slabs of dyalite resume their original shape, the Santocel again Hows just as would water, returning in the main to its original position.

I claim:

1. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls detining a self-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generally rigid liner fioating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space between the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular material loosely and owably lling the clearances between the panels and between them and the liner and housing walls.

2. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls dening a self-supporting, generally rigid housing, a Yselfsupporting, generally rigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, a plurality o' generally rigid selfsupporting, insulating panels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space between the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely flowing granular material loosely and ilowably filling the clearances between the panels and between them and the liner and housing walls, the panels and the granular material furnishing the sole means for positioning the liner within the housing.

3. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls dening a self-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generally rigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space between the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular material loosely and flowably filling the clearances between the panels and between them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housing have apertured registering top walls, a loose exible sleeve attached to liner and housing encircling the apertures.

4. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls defining a self-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generally rigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space between the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular material loosely and flowably filling the clearances between the panels and between them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housing having apertured registering top walls, a loose exible sleeve attached to liner and housing encircling the apertures, the top walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, the space between them bounded on the outer periphery by the wall of the housing and on the inner periphery by the sleeve dening a reservoir filled with the granular material and open to the spaces between the housing and liner side walls.

5. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls delining a self-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generally rigid liner floating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space between the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular material loosely and owably filling the clearances between the panels and between them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housing having apertured registering top walls, a loose ilexible sleeve attached to liner and housing encircling the apertures, the slabs and the granular material furnishing the sole means for positioning the liner within the housing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,561,937 Kilius Nov. 17, 1925 2,231,216 Nystrom Feb. l1, 1941 2,724,494 Gra Nov. 22, 1955