WO2011023996A2

WO2011023996A2 - Packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product

Info

Publication number: WO2011023996A2
Application number: PCT/GB2010/051405
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Harrison
Original assignee: Paul Harrison
Priority date: 2009-08-27
Filing date: 2010-08-25
Publication date: 2011-03-03
Also published as: GB0914916D0; WO2011023996A3

Abstract

A method of packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product includes placing at least one first coolant member (102) on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product (101). The at least one product and the at least one first coolant member are placed inside a first thermally-insulated bag (200); placing at least one second coolant member (502, 504, 506, 508) on or adjacent at least one surface of the first thermally-insulated bag. The first thermally- insulated bag and the least one second coolant member are placed inside a second thermally-insulated bag (700).

Description

Packaging and Thermally-insulating at least one Product

This invention relates to packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product.

It is essential that some products, such as pharmaceuticals or foodstuffs, are kept at a suitable temperature during transportation. Conventionally, such products are transported in chilled trucks or containers, which are expensive to manufacture and maintain. The other option is to package the product in heavy- duty cooling packaging, which is expensive and heavy. Often, shipped products that arrive at depots on a Friday do not get dealt with until the following Monday. For such products that have already spent several days in transit, the additional delay can increase the risk of decay or contamination and so packaging that would help keep the products cool for an extended period is desirable.

Embodiments of the present invention are intended to address at least some of the abovementioned problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product, the method including:

placing at least one first coolant member on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product;

placing the at least one product and the at least one first coolant member inside a first thermally-insulated bag;

placing at least one second coolant member on or adjacent at least one surface of the first thermally-insulated bag; and

placing the first thermally-insulated bag and the least one second coolant member inside a second thermally-insulated bag.

The at least one product may be contained within at least one product container or box prior to the step of placing the at least one first coolant member adjacent at least one surface of the product.

The fist coolant member may include a coolant slab, which may be of a flat, square/rectangular shape. The step of placing the at least one first coolant member on or adjacent at least one surface of the at least one product may include placing at least one first coolant member on or adjacent each surface of the product. For example, where the product comprises, or is contained within, a box or cuboid-shaped container then at least one coolant slab may be placed on or adjacent six side surfaces of the product or container. In one embodiment, 6 said coolant slabs are placed on or adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the product/container, 3 said coolant slabs are placed on or adjacent each side surface of the product/container, and 2 said coolant slabs are placed on or adjacent each end surface of the product/container.

The first and/or the second thermally-insulated bag may be formed from a foil or metallised inner liner, preferably a filler material (such as polyester fibre or hollow fill fibre) outside of the inner liner, and preferably an outer layer (such as canvas, rubberised cotton, other cloth material (possibly impregnated with a polymer), or PVC). The first and/or second thermally-insulating bag may further include at least one intermediate layer between the filler material and the outer layer. The intermediate layers may comprise an aerogel material contained between a further foil or metallised layer adjacent the filler material and another foil or metallised layer adjacent the outer layer. The first and/or the second thermally-insulated bag may include a fixed, openable lid portion. The first and/or the second thermally-insulated bag may include at least one strap/carrying handle.

The at least one second coolant member may comprise a slab of aerogel material. The slab may be of a flat, square/rectangular shape. At least one layer of the aerogel material in the slab may be encased in metallised material or (e.g. aluminium) foil. The first thermally-insulated bag may be substantially cuboid in shape and at least one said second coolant member may be placed adjacent each surface of the first thermally-insulated bag.

The method may further comprise a step of placing at least one further coolant member on or adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the first thermally- insulated bag prior to the step of placing the at least one second coolant member. The at least one further coolant member may be configured to cool to a lower temperature than the at least one second coolant member. The method may include placing the first thermally-insulated bag and the least one second coolant member inside a box-like container prior to being placed inside the second thermally-insulated bag.

The method may further include placing the second thermally-insulated bag inside a further box-like container.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided at least one product packaged and thermally insulated according to a method substantially as described herein.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a thermally-insulating product packaging kit including: at least one first coolant member for, in use, being placed on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product;

a first thermally-insulated bag for, in use, containing the at least one product and the at least one first coolant member;

at least one second coolant member for, in use, being placed on or adjacent at least one surface of the first thermally-insulated bag, and

a second thermally-insulated bag for, in use, containing the first thermally- insulated bag and the least one second coolant member.

According to an alternative aspect of the present invention there is provided an insulating slab including at least one layer of aerogel material sealed in an outer casing. The outer casing may comprise foil or the like.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product, the method including placing at least one aerogel coolant member on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a thermally-insulating enclosure having walls defining:

an inner layer of foil material;

a layer of insulating fibre material;

a layer of aerogel material, and

an outer layer.

There may be a layer of foil material between the fibre material and the aerogel material. There may be a further layer of foil material between the aerogel material and the outer layer. The outer layer may be water-proof. The outer layer may comprise canvas or PVC.

The enclosure may further include an innermost layer of canvas or PVC.

The enclosure may be in the form of a bag, which may have an openable lid portion and/or at least one strap/carrying handle.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of features set out above or in the following description. Although illustrative embodiments of the invention are described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments. As such, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Furthermore, it is contemplated that a particular feature described either individually or as part of an embodiment can be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments, even if the other features and embodiments make no mention of the particular feature. Thus, the invention extends to such specific combinations not already described.

The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, embodiments thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a product box being surrounded by a set of first coolant members;

Figure 2 shows the box and the first coolant members being placed in a first thermally-insulating bag;

Figure 3 shows the first thermally-insulated bag in a closed configuration; Figure 4 is a sectional view through a part of the thermally-insulating bag;

Figure 5 shows the first thermally-insulated bag being surrounded by further sets of coolant members;

Figure 6 shows an example box that may be used during the packaging method, and

Figure 7 is a partial sectional view through packaging fitted around the product, including a second thermally-insulated bag.

Referring to Figure 1 , there is shown a cuboid-shaped product box 100 that contains at least one product (illustrated schematically in broken line at 101 ), which may comprise pharmaceuticals or the like. It will be appreciated that in other cases, the product itself may be directly packaged without the box 100, or that more than one box may be packaged. A first set of coolant members are illustrated as being placed around the box. In the example, the coolant members comprise rectangular ice packs configured to keep products at a temperature of around +5°C. Examples of suitable commercially-available coolant members of this type are known as "Sturdy Seal" and/or are supplied by Alpak Food Equipment, based in the United States of America. In the example a total of 22 packs are used: six placed on each of the top and bottom surfaces of the box; two at each end and three at each side surface. However, it will be understood that in practice the type, number, arrangement and dimensions of the coolant members can be selected on a case-by-case basis, depending on factors such as the dimensions of the box/product, the desired storage temperature, etc.

Figure 2 shows the box 100 and the first set of coolant members 102 being placed inside a first thermally-insulated bag 200, via an integrated openable lid portion 202. It will be appreciated that in some cases it may be easier to place at least some of the coolant slabs 102, e.g. the bottom set of six, inside the bag and then place to box 100 on top of those rather than pack the slabs around the box before placing the assembly inside the bag. Variations such as these to the packaging method are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 3 shows the bag 200 with the lid closed. The bag can have a width, height and depth of around 710 mm x 280 mm x 450 mm, but it will be appreciated that these dimensions are exemplary only. The bag can include at least one carrying handle and in the example there are two side straps 204A, 204B, in the form of 50 mm webbing, underslung and sewn onto the outer surface of the bag. The bag can also include a pocket 206 or the like for holding product/delivery information.

The bag may be formed of a thermal insulator substantially as described in British patent No. GB2281772 in the name of Aerotrim UK Limited (the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference), or sold under the name "Polartherm" by Aerotrim UK Limited. Alternatively, the bag 200 may have walls as illustrated schematically in Figure 4. That Figure shows a cross-section through an example thermal enclosure wall 400. The wall includes an inner fabric layer 402, which may be formed of PVC, canvas or the like. This layer has a metallic/foil lining 404, which may be aluminium foil. Next, there is an insulating fibre lining 406, such as hollow fibre. On the other side there is another metallic/foil layer 408. In contrast to the insulator described in GB2281772, there is a further layer 410 comprising an aerogel material, such as the material produced by Aspen Aerogels, Inc, based in the USA, which are conventionally used for thermally insulating buildings by the construction industry. There is also a further metallic/foil layer 412 between the aerogel and an outer layer 414, which may be formed of PVC, canvas or the like. It will be appreciated that the construction of the insulator may be varied, e.g. different materials may be used for the inner/outer layers and one or more of the layers may be omitted. The ends, e.g. upper end 416, of the wall may closed by any suitable means, e.g. sewing or heat welded, for encapsulation. The insulator 400 provides excellent thermal insulation, even compared with the one described in GB2281772, and it will be appreciated that it can be used for purposes other than forming the bag 200. Again, it will be understood that this arrangement can be varied, e.g. at least some of the coolant members shown in the example may be omitted.

Turning to Figure 5, the bag 200 (closed and containing the product and packaging components illustrated in Figure 1 ) is shown being further packaged. A set of lower coolant slabs/ice packs 502A designed to cool to around -20⁰C are placed next to the bottom surface of the bag 200 and a similar set of upper coolant packs/slabs 502B are placed next to its top surface.

A second main set of coolant members is then placed around the bag 200 and the slabs 502 (if present). Each second coolant member may comprise a aerogel material constructed into a slab. Several, e.g. three, layers of aerogel material may be encased within metallised material, such as aluminium foil, to form the slab because the raw aerogel material can be dusty and fibruous to handle. In the example six aerogel slabs are used: two 504A, 504B placed adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the bag; two 506A, 506B placed adjacent/abutting end surfaces of the bag, and two 508A, 508B placed adjacent/abutting side surfaces of the bag. Again, it will be appreciated that this can be varied in practice, e.g. two half-shells that can be fitted together around the bag to form a rectangular box filled with aerogel material.

Figure 6 shows a box 600 that can (optionally) be used to contain the bag 200 and the surrounding packaging components/coolant members shown in Figure 5. The box can be formed of any suitable material, e.g. cardboard, and helps keep the packaging components/coolant members in place. In the example the box is cuboid in shape, includes openable upper lid/flaps 602, and has walls of C-shaped flute cross-section. The box 600 has a width, height and depth of around 800 mm x 440 mm x 530 mm, but it will be understood that the illustrated design and dimensions are exemplary only.

As shown in Figure 7, the box 600 (if used) can then be placed within a second thermally-insulated bag 700. The second bag may have the same construction as the first bag 200, or it may differ. In the example the second bag is constructed in the same way as the first bag, but has a width, height and depth of around 880 mm x 490 mm x 600 mm. If desired a second box (not illustrated) may be used to contain the second bag 700 and contents. Suitable width, height and depth for this second box would be around 910 mm x 540 mm x 660 mm.

The packaging kit and method described herein use a variety of coolants ranging between -20⁰C and +5°C. The use of the "bag in a bag" arrangement plus the intermediate Aerogel slabs and coolants allows the packaging to be used for shipping pharmaceuticals for up to around five to six and a half days or longer in both high and low ambient temperatures without the need for chilled trucks or other containers. There is also a reduction in weight compared with conventional insulated packaging that can keep a product cool for a similar period of time. For example, a packaging assembly as described herein would weight around 50 Kg compared with a conventional assembly weighing between 300 and 1500 Kg.

Claims

1. A method of packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product, the method including:

placing at least one first coolant member (102) on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product (101 );

placing the at least one product and the at least one first coolant member inside a first thermally-insulated bag (200);

placing at least one second coolant member (502, 504, 506, 508) on or adjacent at least one surface of the first thermally-insulated bag; and

placing the first thermally-insulated bag and the least one second coolant member inside a second thermally-insulated bag (700).

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one product (101 ) is contained within at least one product container or box (100) prior to the step of placing the at least one first coolant member (102) adjacent at least one surface of the product.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fist coolant member includes a coolant slab or ice pack (102) that is flat, square/rectangular in shape.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of placing the at least one first coolant member (102) on or adjacent at least one surface of the at least one product (101 ) includes placing at least said one first coolant member on or adjacent each surface of the product.

5. A method according to claim 4, where the product (101 ) comprises, or is contained within, a box (100) or cuboid-shaped container and at least one said first coolant member (102) is placed on or adjacent six side surfaces of the product or container.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein six said first coolant members (102) are placed on or adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the product (101 )/container (100), three said first coolant members are placed on or adjacent each side surface of the product/container, and two said first coolant members are placed on or adjacent each end surface of the product/container.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first (200) and/or the second (700) thermally-insulated bag is formed from a foil or metallised inner liner (404), a filler material (406) outside of the inner liner, and an outer layer (414).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the outer layer (414) is formed of canvas, rubberised cotton, cloth material impregnated with a polymer, or PVC.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the first (200) and/or second (700) thermally-insulating bag further includes at least one intermediate layer (408, 410, 412) between the filler material (406) and the outer layer (414).

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one intermediate layer comprises an aerogel material (410) contained between a further foil or metallised layer (408) adjacent the filler material (406) and another foil or metallised layer (412) adjacent the outer layer (414).

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first

(200) and/or the second (700) thermally-insulated bag includes an integrated, openable lid portion (202).

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first (200) and/or the second (700) thermally-insulated bag includes at least one strap/carrying handle (204).

13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one second coolant member comprises a slab including aerogel material (504, 506, 508).

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the slab (504, 506, 508) is flat, square/rectangular in shape.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein at least one layer of the aerogel material in the slab (504, 506, 508) is encased in metallised material or (e.g. aluminium) foil.

16. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first thermally-insulated bag (200) is substantially cuboid in shape and at least one said second coolant member (504, 506, 508) is placed adjacent each surface of the first thermally-insulated bag.

17. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a step of placing at least one further coolant member (502A, 502B) on or adjacent top and bottom surfaces of the first thermally-insulated bag (100) prior to the step of placing the at least one second coolant member (504 , 506, 508).

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one further coolant member (502A, 502B) is configured to cool to a lower temperature than the at least one second coolant member (504, 506, 508).

19. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, further including placing the first thermally-insulated bag (100) and the least one second coolant member (504, 506, 508) inside a first box-like container (600) prior to being placed inside the second thermally-insulated bag (700).

20. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, further including placing the second thermally-insulated bag (700) inside a further box-like container (600).

21. A product (101 ) packaged and thermally insulated according to the method of any one of the preceding claims.

22. A thermally-insulating product packaging kit including:

at least one first coolant member (102) for, in use, being placed on or adjacent at least one surface of at least one product (101 );

a first thermally-insulated bag (200) for, in use, containing the at least one product and the at least one first coolant member;

at least one second coolant member (504, 506, 508) for, in use, being placed on or adjacent at least one surface of the first thermally-insulated bag, and

a second thermally-insulated bag (700) for, in use, containing the first thermally-insulated bag and the least one second coolant member.

23. A thermally-insulating enclosure (400) having walls defining:

an inner layer (404) of foil material;

a layer (406) of insulating fibre material;

a layer (410) of aerogel material, and

an outer layer (414).

24. An enclosure according to claim 23, including a layer (408) of foil material between the fibre material (406) and the aerogel material (410).

25. An enclosure according to claim 24, including a further layer (412) of foil material between the aerogel material (410) and the outer layer (414).

26. An enclosure according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the outer layer (414) is water-proof.

27. An enclosure according to claim 26, wherein the outer layer (414) comprises canvas or PVC.

28. An enclosure according to any one of claims 23 to 27, further including an innermost layer (402) of canvas or PVC.

29. An enclosure according to any one of claims 23 to 28, wherein the enclosure is in the form of a bag (200).

30. An enclosure according to claim 29, wherein the bag (200) includes an openable lid portion (202) and/or at least one strap/carrying handle (204).

31. A method of packaging and thermally-insulating at least one product substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings.

32. A thermally-insulating product packaging kit substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings.

33. A thermally-insulating enclosure substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings.