WO2022126285A1

WO2022126285A1 - Shipping and/or storage containers and packages

Info

Publication number: WO2022126285A1
Application number: PCT/CA2021/051850
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vladimir Goldstein
Original assignee: Sunwell Engineering Company Limited; Vladimir Goldstein
Priority date: 2020-12-18
Filing date: 2021-12-20
Publication date: 2022-06-23

Abstract

A shipping and/or storage container comprising: a container body defining an interior space to accommodate a payload and coolant, the container body comprising an outer shell, an inner shell accommodated by said outer shell, a space between the inner and outer shells, and insulating material accommodated by the space between the inner and outer shells, the space between the inner and outer shells being evacuatable to bring the inner and outer shells towards one another and compress the insulating material thereby to form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel structure, the container body further comprising at least sealable opening to expose the interior space to facilitate placement and/or removal of the payload.

Description

SHIPPING AND/OR STORAGE CONTAINERS AND PACKAGES

Cross-Reference to Related Application

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/127,968 filed on December 18, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Field

[0002] The subject disclosure relates to shipping and/or storage containers and packages.

Background

[0003] The shipping of perishable, temperature sensitive goods is an important industry and a variety of insulated shipping container designs have been considered. Many of these shipping containers rely on insulating material that lines the interior walls of the shipping containers. To provide cooling to the interior of these insulated shipping containers, gel packs, dry ice, thermal batteries or other thermal storage devices within the shipping containers are sometimes employed. Unfortunately, these conventional insulated shipping containers are unable to maintain the necessary internal cooling temperatures for long enough durations, making them unsuitable for shipping highly temperature sensitive goods. For example, insulated shipping containers employing existing technologies are only able to maintain suitable internal cooling temperatures for a duration in the order of 12 to 24 hours. Practical inter-city transportation and courier applications however, require cooling durations in the order of 48 to 96 hours.

[0004] The underlying reason conventional insulated shipping containers have such a short cooling duration is primarily due to the use of poor quality insulation in the shipping container walls. In recent years, better quality insulation in the form of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) has been developed. VIPs have insulation properties 7 to 10 times greater per unit thickness than conventional insulation, such as polyurethane foam but VIPs still suffer deficiencies.

[0005] VIPs typically come in the form of pre-vacuumed rigid panels and are used to line the interior walls of shipping containers. While the VIPs exhibit improved insulation properties, VIPs do suffer heat losses around their free peripheral edges and at seams or joints between adjacent VIPs. The losses around free peripheral edges of VIPs is even more pronounced in smaller VIPs due to the fact that there is a greater perimeter to area ratio. The heat losses at the seams or joints between adjacent VIPs, drastically reduce the overall insulation value of the shipping containers. In order to reduce free peripheral edge heat losses, VIPs employ very thin and specially crafted sheets of plastic and aluminum, which serve to reduce heat losses from one side of the VIPs to the other around the free peripheral edges. Unfortunately, as the thickness of the VIPs decreases, their susceptibility to damage increases. As will be appreciated, damage to the VIPs often results in their vacuum seals being broken resulting in the VIP’s positive insulating properties being compromised.

[0006] Also, VIPs are typically designed to maintain their vacuum seals over a long period of time. However, due to gradual leakage in the vacuum, the overall insulation value of VIPs typically drops by 20% over a ten-year lifetime.

[0007] VIPs also have limited use in that they can only be used with containers that have the same shape as the VIPs. Once manufactured, the VIPs cannot be manipulated to conform to other complex shapes without destroying the insulation properties of the VIPs.

[0008] As will be appreciated, improvements in shipping and/or storage containers and packages for perishable, temperature sensitive goods are desired. It is therefore an object to provide a novel shipping and/or storage container and a novel shipping package.

[0009] This background serves only to set a scene to allow a person skilled in the art to better appreciate the following brief and detailed descriptions. None of the above discussion should necessarily be taken as an acknowledgment that this discussion is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

Brief Description

[0010] It should be appreciated that this brief description is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This brief description is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0011] Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a shipping and/or storage container comprising: a container body defining an interior space to accommodate a payload and coolant, the container body comprising an outer shell, an inner shell accommodated by the outer shell, a space between the inner and outer shells, and insulating material accommodated by the space between the inner and outer shells, the space between the inner and outer shells being evacuatable to bring the inner and outer shells towards one another and compress the insulating material and form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel structure, the container body further comprising at least sealable opening to expose the interior space to facilitate placement and/or removal of the payload.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the container body further comprises a valved inlet/outlet in communication with the space between the inner and outer shells, the valved inlet/outlet being configured to connect to a vacuum source that is operable to evacuate air from the space between the inner and outer shells. In this case, the inner shell may be expandable to move towards the outer shell during evacuation of air from the space between the inner and outer shells.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the container body further comprises at least one coolant inlet to permit the ingress of coolant into the interior space.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the shipping and/or storage container further comprises a payload holder accommodated by the interior space. The payload holder may be configured to hold one or more payload containing capsules. The payload holder may be fixedly mounted within the container body or alternatively, may be rotatably mounted within the container body. The payload holder may be formed of thermally conductive material and may optionally be perforated.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the outer shell is rigid.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the shipping and/or storage container further comprises a coolant distribution header within the interior space and fluidically connected to the at least one coolant inlet.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the vacuum insulated panel structure has an insulation value of about 25m² *K/W.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the vacuum insulated panel structure has a thickness in the range of from about 0.05m to about 0.08m.

[0019] According to another aspect, there is provided a shipping package comprising: a package body defining an interior space to accommodate a payload and coolant, the package body comprising inner and outer bag-like structures, a space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, and insulating material accommodated by the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, the space between the inner and outer baglike structures being evacuatable to bring the inner and outer bag-like structures towards one another and compress the insulating material thereby to form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel structure, the package body having an open end configurable between an open condition to expose the interior space and a closed condition to seal the package body. [0020] In one or more embodiments, the shipping package may further comprise a rigid tubular member accommodated by the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures. The tubular member may be positioned so that its outer surface abuts an interior surface of the outer bag-like structure or so that its inner surface abuts the outer surface of the inner bag-like structure.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the shipping package further comprises at least one valved inlet/outlet in communication with the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, the valved inlet/outlet being configured to connect to a vacuum source that is operable to evacuate air from the space between the inner and outer bag-like structure.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the shipping package further comprising one or more coolant holders within the interior space.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] Embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompany drawings in which:

[0024] Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shipping and/or storage container;

[0025] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping and/or storage container of

Figure 1 taken along line A - A;

[0026] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping and/or storage container of

Figure 1 taken along line B - B;

[0027] Figure 4 is an exploded, partially cut away, side elevational view of the shipping and/or storage container of Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a payload holder forming part of the shipping and/or storage container of Figure 1 ;

[0029] Figure 6 is a top plan view of the payload holder of Figure 5;

[0030] Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the shipping and/or storage container of Figure 4 identified by arrow C;

[0031] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a shipping package in a closed configuration;

[0032] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the shipping package of Figure 8 in an open configuration;

[0033] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping package of Figure 8 in the closed configuration;

[0034] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping package of Figure 8 in the open configuration;

[0035] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of a variation of the shipping package of Figure 8 in the closed configuration;

[0036] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping package variation of Figure 12 in the open configuration;

[0037] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of another variation of the shipping package of Figure 8 in the closed configuration;

[0038] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping package variation of Figure 14 in the open configuration;

[0039] Figure 16 is a perspective view of an alternative shipping package; [0040] Figure 17 is a top view of the shipping container of Figure 16; and

[0041] Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the shipping package of Figure 16.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0042] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain examples will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. As used herein, an element, feature, component, structure etc. introduced in the singular and preceded by the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not necessarily excluding the plural of the elements, features, components or structures. Further, references to "one example" or “one embodiment” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional examples or embodiments that also incorporate the described elements, features, components or structures.

[0043] Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, examples or embodiments "comprising" or "having" or “including” an element, feature, component, structure etc. or a plurality of elements, features, components or structures having a particular property may include additional elements, features, components or structures not having that property. Also, it will be appreciated that the terms “comprises”, “has”, “includes” means “including but not limited to” and the terms “comprising”, “having” and “including” have equivalent meanings.

[0044] As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements, features, components or structures.

[0045] It will be understood that when an element, feature, component or structure is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “affixed” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc. another element, feature, component or structure, that element, feature, component or structure, can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element, feature, component or structure, or Intervening elements, features, components or structures may also be present. In contrast, when an element, feature, component or structure is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly affixed” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, feature, component or structure, there are no intervening elements, features, components or structures present.

[0046] It will be understood that spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “above”, “upper”, “front”, “back” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of an element, feature, component or structure to another element, feature, component or structure feature as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms can however, encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. [0047] Reference herein to “example” means that one or more feature, structure, element, component, characteristic and/or operational step described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment and/or implementation of the subject matter according to the subject disclosure. Thus, the phrases “an example,” “another example,” and similar language throughout the subject disclosure may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same example. Further, the subject matter characterizing any one example may, but does not necessarily, include the subject matter characterizing any other example.

[0048] Reference herein to “configured” means that the element, feature, component, structure or other subject matter is designed and/or intended to perform a given function. Thus, the use of the term “configured” should not be construed to mean that a given element, feature, component, structure or other subject matter is simply “capable of’ performing a given function but that the element, feature, component, structure and/or other subject matter is specifically selected, created, implemented, utilized, and/or designed for the purpose of performing the function. Subject matter that is described as being configured to perform a particular function may additionally or alternatively be described as being operative to perform that function.

[0049] Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used herein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to a “second” item does not require or preclude the existence of a lower-numbered item (e.g., a “first” item) and/or a higher-numbered item (e.g., a “third” item).

[0050] As used herein, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “substantially”, “generally” etc. represent an amount or condition close to the stated amount or condition that still performs the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “substantially”, “generally” etc. may refer to an amount or condition that is within engineering tolerances that would be readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art.

[0051] In general, shipping and/or storage containers and packages are described herein that lose heat at significantly lower rates than existing shipping containers and packages allowing perishable, temperature sensitive goods to be shipped large distances and over longer durations without worry of spoilage. This makes the shipping containers and packages extremely suitable for shipping vaccines that must be kept at very low temperatures prior to use.

[0052] Turning now to Figures 1 to 7, a shipping and/or storage container for temperature sensitive payload is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral 100. As can be seen, the shipping and/or storage container 100 comprises a generally cylindrical container body 102 having an interior space 104 to accommodate the temperature sensitive payload as will be described.

[0053] The container body 102 has a generally planar, circular base 110, a generally cylindrical sidewall 112, a generally planar, circular top 114 and rounded upper and lower edges 116 and 118 joining sidewall 112 to the top 114 and base 112, respectively. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the container body 102 may take other suitable geometric shapes.

[0054] The container body 102 is of a multi-layer construction. In this embodiment, the container body 102 comprises a rigid outer shell 130 formed of lightweight structural material. For example, the outer shell 130 may be formed of plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or other suitable material. [0055] A flexible or stretchable inner shell 132 is provided within the outer shell 130 and surrounds the interior space 104. In this embodiment, the inner shell 132 is formed of flexible material such as rubber or other suitable material. The space 134 between the inner and outer shells 130 and 132 is filled with insulating material such as silicon powder (silica), fiberglass or other suitable insulating material.

[0056] A valved vacuum inlet/outlet 140 is provided on the container body 102 and extends through the outer shell 130 into the space 134. The vacuum inlet/outlet 140 is configured to connect to a vacuum source to allow air to be evacuated from the space 134 as will be described and is actuable to release the vacuum and allow air to enter the space 134.

[0057] A valved coolant inlet 142 is also provided on the container body 102 and extends through the outer shell 130 and inner shell 132 into the interior space 134. In the embodiment shown, the vacuum inlet/outlet 140 and the valved coolant inlet 142 are positioned adjacent the base 110 and are diametrically opposite one another. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the vacuum inlet/outlet 140 and the valved coolant inlet 142 may be located on the container body at other positions.

[0058] An opening 150 is provided in the top 114 of the container body 102 to provide access to the interior space 104. The opening 150 is radially offset from the center of the top 114. The opening in this embodiment comprises a narrow, generally cylindrical neck 152 extending upwardly from the top 114 of the container body 102 that terminates in an annular flange 154. The neck 152 is integrally formed as an extension of the outer and inner shells 130 and 132, respectively. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the opening 150 may take other suitable geometric shapes and/or may be located at other positions.

[0059] A cap 160 is removably received by the neck 152 to seal the container body 102. As can be seen, the cap 160 comprises a cylindrical plug 162 formed of insulating material that is dimensioned to press-fit tightly into the neck 152. An annular flange 164 is provided about the top of the plug 162 and overlies the annular flange 154 at the top of the neck 152. A pressure release valve 166 in communication with the interior space 104 extends through the cap 160. A hook 168 is attached to the bottom of the plug 162 by a tether 170 and extends into the interior space 104. A handle 172 is provided on the top of the plug 162 to facilitate removal of the cap 160 from the neck 152.

[0060] Positioned within the interior space 104 is a payload holder 180. In this embodiment, the payload holder 180 is configured to hold capsules and is in the form of a carousel.

[0061] As can be seen, the payload holder 180 comprises a cage 182 formed of structural lightweight, thermally conductive material such as aluminium that is fixedly secured to a rotatable central shaft 184 within the interior space 104. The cage 182 comprises a circular perforated base 186 having a central opening 188 therein through which the shaft 184 passes. A cylindrical perforated sidewall 190 extends upwardly from the peripheral edge of the base 186. A circular perforated top 192 is provided at the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall 190 and has a central opening 194 therein aligned with the central opening 188 of the perforated base 186 and through which the shaft 184 passes. A plurality of circular holes 196 arranged in a ring, in this example five (5) holes, is provided in the top 192 to expose the interior of the cage 182. Semi-cylindrical capsule guides 198 also formed of thermally conductive material such as aluminium are received by the holes 196. Each capsule guide 198 extends upwardly from the base 186, and passes through the respective hole 196 beyond the top of the cage 182. The capsule guides 198 are suitably secured to the cage 182. In this embodiment, the capsule guides 198 are fastened to the base 186 by welds.

[0062] In this embodiment, the ends of the central shaft 184 are rounded and are accommodated by cup-like retainers (not shown) secured to the inner shell 132 adjacent the top and bottom of the container body 102. In this embodiment, the cup-like retainers are formed of flexible material such as rubber or other suitable material and are secured to the inner shell 132 by adhesive. The central shaft 184 is also spring-loaded and biased longitudinally so that the ends of the central shaft 184 remain in the cup-like retainers. [0063] A coolant distribution header 200 that is connected to the coolant inlet 142 is positioned within the interior space 104 below the payload holder 180 and adjacent the bottom of the container body 102. The distribution header 200 is ring-shaped and has a plurality of upwardly aimed, circumferentially spaced coolant nozzles 202.

[0064] Cylindrical capsules 210 are removably received by the payload holder 180 with each capsule 210 being configured to pass through a respective one of the holes 196 and into the cage 182. Each capsule 210 comprises a semi-cylindrical sidewall 212 that abuts the capsule guide 198 when received by the cage 182. The sidewall 212 extends between a circular base 214 and a circular top 216. Vertically spaced, circular shelves 218 extend from the sidewall 212 intermediate the top 216 and base 214. The base 214 and the shelves 218 are configured to support a payload 220. In this embodiment, the payload is a vial box 220 configured to hold vaccines or other temperature sensitive products. A ring 222 is centrally positioned on the top 216 of the capsule 210.

[0065] When it is desired to load the container 100, the cap 160 is removed by pulling the plug 162 out of the neck 152 to expose the interior space 104. A capsule 210 that has been loaded with temperature sensitive payload 220 is then inserted into the interior space 104 via the opening 150 and so that the capsule 210 is received by the hole 196 in the top of the cage 182 that is aligned with the opening 150. During lowering of the capsule 210 into the container body 102, the hook 168 can be engaged with the ring 222 and the tether 170 can be paid out to control the descent of the capsule 210 into the cage 182.

Once the capsule 210 has been loaded into the cage 182, the hook 168 can be disengaged from the ring 222, the cage 182 can be rotated to bring the next hole 196 in the top of the cage 182 into alignment with the opening 150 and the process can be repeated to load the next capsule 210 into the container body 102. The loading process can continue until the desired number of capsules 210 are loaded into the cage 182 and/or the cage 182 is fully loaded.

[0066] Once the container 100 has been loaded as desired, the plug 162 of the cap 150 is press-fit back into the neck 152 until the annular flanges are in abutment thereby to seal the container body 102. A vacuum source is then connected to the valved vacuum inlet/outlet 140 and the vacuum source is operated to extract air from the space 134 between the outer and inner shells 130 and 132. As this occurs, the flexible inner shell 132 expands and moves towards the outer shell 130 and in turn, compresses the insulation within the space 134. As a result, the outer shell 130, insulation and inner shell 132 effectively form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel (VIP) structure that is devoid of seams and/or joints having extremely high insulating properties. Once the appropriate vacuum has been established between the outer and inner shells 130 and 132, the vacuum source can be disconnected from the valved vacuum inlet/outlet 140.

[0067] A coolant source such as a liquid cardon dioxide (CO₂) can be connected to the coolant inlet 142 and operated to deliver coolant into the interior space 104 via the distribution header 200 and nozzles 202. Once the desired amount of coolant has been delivered to the interior space 104, the coolant source can be disconnected from the coolant inlet 142. At this stage, the shipping and/or storage container 100 is ready for shipping to its desired destination or for storage. Coolant within the interior space 104 can form a layer on the inner surface of the inner shell 132 and/or on surfaces of the cage 182. As the coolant warms and turns to gas, the pressure within the interior space 104 may increase. The pressure release valve 166 is configured to open when the internal pressure within the container body reaches a threshold level to release gas from the interior space 104 and relieve the pressure build-up. The insulating properties of the shipping and/or storage container 100 allow the internal space 104 to remain at low temperatures for extended periods of time. The perforated cage 182 provides for the uniform distribution of coolant around the capsules 210 held by the payload holder 180 to maintain the payload 220 at desired low temperatures without spoilage.

[0068] When it is desired to remove one or more capsules 210 from the shipping and/or storage container 100, the cap 160 is removed from the neck 152 by pulling the cap upwardly via the handle 172 thereby to expose the interior space 104. The tethered hook 168 depending from the plug 162 can then be used to engage the ring 222 on the capsule 210 that is in alignment with opening 152. Once the hook 168 has engaged the ring 222, the capsule 210 can be lifted out of the cage 182, through the opening 150 and out of the container body 102. If it is desired to remove another capsule 210, the cage 182 can be rotated to bring the next capsule 210 into alignment with the opening 150 and the above steps can be repeated. If no other capsules 210 are to be removed from the shipping and/or storage container 100, the cap 160 is press-fit back onto the neck 152 to reseal the shipping and/or storage container 100. This allows one or more capsules 210 to be removed from the shipping and/or storage container 100 with minimal heat loss.

[0069] Depending on the environment, the dimensions of the shipping and/or storage container may be varied. For example, shipping and/or storage containers may have the following dimensions:

[0070] The insulation value or R-value of the vacuum insulated panel structure of the shipping and/or storage container 100 is approximately 25m² *K/W (141ft²*°F*h/BTU).

Multiplying the R-value by surface area gives an overall thermal resistance of 11 .28K/W (5.95°F*h/BTU). In comparison to a known shipping box for temperature sensitive goods produced by Pfizer, the subject shipping and/or storage container exhibits significantly higher overall thermal resistance. This significantly reduces the amount of coolant that is required to maintain the payload at the necessary low temperature especially in higher ambient temperature conditions.

[0071] As will be appreciated, the insulating characteristics of the shipping and/or storage container 100 result in very low heat loss allowing the internal temperature within the shipping and/or storage container to remain at very low levels (e.g. -70°C and lower) for extended periods of time compared to conventional shipping containers. This is particularly important for highly perishable, temperature sensitive goods such as vaccines, and in particular CoVid-19 vaccines that need to be shipped long distances while being maintained at very low temperatures. This is achieved at least in part by the construction of the multilayer container body that comprises inner and outer shells presenting continuous surfaces in conjunction with a space therebetween that is filled with insulation and can be subjected to a vacuum to effectively form a generally continuous vacuum insulated panel structure devoid of joints or seams.

[0072] If desired, in instances where the ambient temperature is higher or the transportation/storage duration is extended, a coolant source may be connected to the coolant inlet 142 to recharge the interior space 104 of the container body 102 with coolant. A portable coolant source such as a CO₂ canister or bottle that remains connected to the coolant inlet 142 may be employed for this purpose. Delivery of coolant from the portable coolant source to the interior space 104 of the container body 102 may be done automatically. For example, a temperature sensing module (not shown) comprising one or more temperature sensors that is configured to sense the temperature within the interior space 104 may be provided within the container body 102 and mounted on the cage 182 or inner shell 132. When the temperature sensing module senses a temperature within the interior space 104 above a threshold level, the temperature sensing module signals the valved coolant inlet 142 causing it to open thereby to allow coolant to be delivered automatically from the portable coolant source to the interior space 104.

[0073] If desired, the interior surface of the inner shell 132 may be coated with thermally conductive material to provide uniform heat distribution within the container body 102. Alternatively, a thermally conductive layer may line the interior surface of the inner shell 132. The conductive material may be, for example, a recyclable, gas non-permeable material.

[0074] If desired, a geographic position module (not shown) such as a global positioning system (GPS) unit may be provided on the shipping and/or storage container 100 that tracks container location. The container location data held by the geographic position module may be stored for reading by a suitable reading device or may be transmitted to a remote location over a suitable communications network. In this case, if the shipping and/or storage container employs one or more temperature sensors, temperature data may also be stored and/or transmitted to a remote location.

[0075] Although the use of a tethered hook on the cap and rings on the capsules are described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the capsules may be inserted and removed from the container body using other means. For example, tongs or other types of implements may be used to extract and insert the capsules from and into the cage 182, in which case, the tethered hook may be removed from the cap. Depending on the type of tool being used, the rings on the capsules may be replaced with different formations to facilitate gripping of the capsules.

[0076] Although the payload holder has been described as comprising a cage that is secured to a rotatable shaft, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations are possible. For example, rather than the cage being fixed to the shaft, the cage may be rotatably affixed to the shaft via bearings and the ends of the shaft may be geometrically shaped and accommodated by retainers with complimentary shapes that inhibit rotation of the shaft relative to the retainers.

[0077] In embodiments, the payload holder may be freely rotatable within the container body or may be rotatable through indexed positions, with each indexed position being such to position a respective hole in the top of the cage in alignment with the opening. [0078] In embodiments, the payload holder may be stationary and fixed in position within the interior space. In this case, the opening provided in the container body is sized and positioned to enable capsules to be removed from the capsule holder and container body. Alternately, multiple openings may be provided in the container 100 to provide access to different regions of the interior space 104.

[0079] In embodiments, the payload holder may take other geometric shapes. Also, the perforations may be replaced with slits or slots or a combination of perforations, slits and/or slots may be employed. Of course, the payload holder may be devoid of perforations, slits and/or slots and may rely on the thermal conductive properties of the capsule holder material(s) to provide cooling to the payload.

[0080] In embodiments, the capsules may also take other geometric shapes and the holes in the payload holder may be similarly shaped to readily accommodate the capsules. The capsules may also take other forms to accommodate the payload. For example, the capsules may be in the form of tubular containers in which the payload is placed and that have removable lids accommodating the ring or other shaped formation to facilitate removal from or placement into the container body.

[0081] Although the coolant has been described as dry ice, those of skill in the art will appreciate that other coolants may be delivered to the interior space via the distribution header and nozzles. For example, a source of ice slurry (ice crystals in a brine solution commonly referred to as liquid ice) may be connected to the valved coolant inlet and the ice slurry can be delivered to the interior space via the distribution header and nozzles to cool the interior space and payload therein.

[0082] Although the cap is described as being press-fit into the neck, those of skill in the art will appreciate that different cap designs may employed. For example, the cap and neck may comprise mating formations to allow the cap and neck to matingly engage. These formations may allow the cap and neck to snap fit together or allow the cap to be threaded onto the neck.

[0083] Although the inner shell is described above as being formed of rubber or other suitable material, those of skill in the art will appreciate that other designs are possible. For example, the inner shell may have a more rigid but stretchable/expandable structure such as a corrugated structure such that when the vacuum is created in the space between the inner and outer shells, the inner shell can deform and expand towards the outer shell and effectively form a generally continuous vacuum insulated panel structure.

[0084] As will be appreciated, the shipping and/or storage container shown in Figures 1 to 7 and described above is of a robust design and is configured to accommodate a sizeable payload. In many instances however, much smaller payloads need to be shipped and the insulating properties of conventional smaller format packages used to ship such smaller payloads are worse. These conventional packages often employ Styrofoam or polyurethane, which have limited insulation values, and are unable to sustain perishable, temperature sensitive goods for any length of time and certainly not over extended 3 to 4 day periods that are often required during shipping.

[0085] Turning now to Figures 8 to 11 , a shipping package is shown and is generally identified by reference character 300. As can be seen, in this embodiment, the shipping package 300 comprises a generally cylindrical package body 302 of a multi-layer construction. The package body 302 comprises an outer bag-like structure in the form of a heavy duty, flexible outer bag 304 formed of PVC or other suitable material. An inner baglike structure in the form of a heavy duty, flexible inner bag 306 also formed of PVC or other suitable material is disposed within the outer bag 304 with the outer and inner bags 304 and 306, respectively, defining an enclosed space 308. Insulation in the form of silicon powder (silca) or fiberglass or other suitable material is accommodated by the enclosed space 308. The interior of the inner bag 306 defines the interior space 310 of the package body 302 into which coolant and payload to be shipped are placed. A cylindrical tube 312 formed of steel or other suitable structural material is accommodated by the enclosed space 308. The tube 312 has an outer surface that abuts the inner surface of the outer bag 304. A valved inlet/outlet 314 that is configured to connect to a vacuum source is provided on the outer bag 304 and extends into the enclosed space 308. The valved inlet/outlet 314 is also actuable to release the vacuum and allow air to enter the enclosed space 308.

[0086] One or more removable coolant holders 320 are accommodated by the interior space 310. In this embodiment, two (2) coolant holders are employed and are stacked on top of each other to line the interior surface of the inner bag 306. The coolant holders 320 are in the form of cylindrical pouches or bags configured to hold coolant such as an ice slurry. The coolant holders may of course take other configurations. Although two (2) coolant holders are shown, those of skill in the art will appreciate that more or only one coolant holder may be employed. Each coolant holder may comprise a continuous internal space to hold coolant or may include discrete pockets that can be individually charged with coolant.

[0087] The upper end of the package body 302 may be configured between an open condition to expose the interior space 310 of the package body and a closed condition where the upper end of the package body 302 can be collapsed, folded and clamped via releasable, mating sealing strips 330 or Zip-locks™ or other suitable sealing formations to seal the package body 302 as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[0088] When it is desired to load the shipping package 200, the upper end of the package body 302 is configured to the open condition. The coolant holders 320 which have been charged with coolant are then placed into the interior space 310 together with payload to be shipped. Once the coolant holders 320 and payload have been loaded into the interior space 310, the upper end of the package body 302 is conditioned to the closed configuration and sealed. Once sealed, the vacuum source is connected to the valved inlet/outlet 314 and operated to evacuate air from the enclosed space 308 resulting in the inner bag 306 being pulled outwardly towards the tube 312 and outer bag 304 and compressing the insulation resulting in the inner and outer bags, tube 312 and intermediate insulation effectively forming a continuous vacuum insulated panel structure devoid of seams and/or joints. As will be appreciated, the tube 312 within the enclosed space 308 provides rigidity so that the shipping package 300 retains its shape after the vacuum insulated panel structure has been formed.

[0089] At this stage, the shipping package 300 is ready for transport. Once the shipping package 300 has been delivered, removing the delivered payload from the shipping package is a simple exercise. To do this, the upper end of the package body 302 needs to be configured to the open condition to expose the interior space 308 allowing the payload to be easily removed. If desired, with the shipping package in the open configuration, the coolant holders 320 can also be removed, recharged with coolant, and placed back into the interior space 310 allowing the shipping package 300 to be used for longer transportation durations. [0090] Variations to the shipping package 300 are of course possible. For example, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the cylindrical tube 312 is positioned so that its interior surface surrounds and abuts the outer surface of the inner bag 306. In this case, when the vacuum source is connected to the valved inlet/outlet 314 and operated to evacuate air from the enclosed space 308, the outer bag 306 is pulled inwardly towards the tube 312 and the inner bag 306 thereby compressing the insulation and resulting in the inner and outer bags, tube and intermediate insulation effectively forming a continuous vacuum insulated panel structure devoid of seam and/or joints.

[0091] If desired, the tube 312 can be removed as shown in Figures 14 and 15 making the shipping package 300 more flexible. In this case, after the shipping package 300 has been loaded with the coolant holder(s) and payload, as described above, the interior space 310 can also be connected to a vacuum source to evacuate air from the interior space 310 thereby to vacuum pack the coolant holder(s) and payload within the package body. [0092] Turning now to Figures 16 to 18, another shipping package similar to those shown in Figures 8 to 15, is shown and is generally identified by reference character 400. As can be seen, in this embodiment, the shipping container comprises a multi-layer package body 402. The package body 402 comprises an outer bag-like structure in the form of a heavy duty, flexible outer bag 404 formed of PVC or other suitable material. An inner baglike structure in the form of a heavy duty, flexible inner bag 406 also formed of PVC or other suitable material is disposed within the outer bag 404 with the outer and inner bags 404 and 406 defining an enclosed space 408. The interior of the inner bag 406 defines the interior space 410 of the package body 402 into which coolant and payload to be shipped are placed. Insulation in the form of silicon powder (silca) or fiberglass is accommodated by the enclosed space 408. A valved inlet/outlet 414 that is configured to connect to a vacuum source is provided on the outer bag 404 and extends into the enclosed space 408. The valved inlet/outlet 414 is also actuable to release the vacuum and allow air to enter the enclosed space 408.

[0093] One or more removable coolant holders 420 are accommodated by the interior space 410. In this embodiment, two (2) coolant holders are employed and are stacked on top of each other to line the interior surface of the inner bag 406. In this embodiment, the coolant holders 420 are in the form of cylindrical pouches or bags configured to hold coolant such as an ice slurry. Although two (2) coolant holders are shown, those of skilled in the art will appreciate that more or only one coolant holder may be employed. In this embodiment, each coolant holder 420 comprises discrete pockets 422 that can be individually charged with coolant, although those of skill in the art will appreciate that the coolant holders 420 may comprise a single continuous pocket configured to hold coolant. [0094] The top of the package body 402 is configured to define an oval-shaped neck 432. A flexible, foldable sleeve 434 is provided in the neck 432. The neck and sleeve are configurable between an open condition to expose the interior space 410 of the container body 402 and a closed condition where neck and sleeve can be collapsed, folded and clamped via releasable, mating sealing strips or Zip-locks™ or other suitable sealing structure to seal the container body 402. Those of skill in the art will appreciate however that the neck may take other geometric forms and may be located at a different position on the top of the container body.

[0095] As will be appreciated, loading and unloading of the shipping package 400 is performed in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figures 8 to 15. Like the shipping and/or storage container of Figures 1 to 7, the insulating characteristics of the shipping packages of Figures 8 to 18 result in very low heat loss allowing the internal temperature within the shipping and/or storage container to remain at very low levels for extended periods of time as compared to conventional shipping packages. Again, this is achieved at least in part by the construction of the multi-layer container body that comprises inner and outer bag-like structures presenting continuous surfaces in conjunction with a space therebetween that is filled with insulation and can be subjected to a vacuum to effectively form a generally continuous vacuum insulated panel structure devoid of joints or seams.

[0096] In embodiments, the space between the inner and outer shells or the space between the inner and outer bags that accommodate the insulation may be divided into separate compartments by flexible internal walls. In this case, a valved vacuum inlet/outlet is provided for each compartment to allow air to be evacuated. In this manner, damage to one area or region of the package body that compromises the vacuum seal will be limited to the compartment(s) in that area or region.

[0097] In the embodiments of Figures 8 to 18, if desired, the inner surface of the inner bag may be lined or coated with a thermally conductive layer or coating to assist in uniformly distributing heat within the interior space.

[0098] If desired, a geographic position module (not shown) such as a GPS unit may be provided on the shipping packages 300 and 400 that track package location. The package location data held by the geographic position module may be stored for reading by a suitable reading device or may be transmitted to a remote location over a suitable communications network.

[0099] Although in the embodiments of Figure 8 to 18, the coolant has been described as an ice slurry that is held by coolant containers such as pouches, those of skill in the art will appreciate that other coolants may be used. For example, dry ice can be delivered to the interior spaces of the shipping packages. In this case, the shipping packages may be fitted with pressure release valves to allow gas to be released from the interior spaces of the shipping packages if the internal pressure within the shipping packages exceeds a threshold pressure.

[0100] Although embodiments have been described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1 . A shipping and/or storage container comprising: a container body defining an interior space to accommodate a payload and coolant, the container body comprising an outer shell, an inner shell accommodated by the outer shell, a space between the inner and outer shells, and insulating material accommodated by the space between the inner and outer shells, the space between the inner and outer shells being evacuatable to bring the inner and outer shells towards one another and compress the insulating material thereby to form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel structure, the container body further comprising at least sealable opening to expose the interior space to facilitate placement and/or removal of the payload.

2. The shipping and/or storage container of claim 1 , wherein the container body further comprises at least one valved inlet/outlet in communication with the space between the inner and outer shells, the valved inlet/outlet being configured to connect to a vacuum source that is operable to evacuate air from the space between inner and outer shells.

3. The shipping and/or storage container of claim 2, wherein the inner shell is expandable to move towards the outer shell during evacuation of air from the space between the inner and outer shells.

4. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container body further comprises at least one coolant inlet to permit the ingress of coolant into the interior space.

5. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a payload holder accommodated by the interior space.

6. The shipping and/or storage container of claim 5, wherein the payload holder is configured to hold one or more payload containing capsules.

7. The shipping and/or storage container of claim 5 or 6, wherein the payload holder is fixedly mounted within the container body.

8. The shipping and/or storage container of claim 5 or 6, wherein the payload holder is rotatably mounted with the container body.

9. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the payload holder is formed of thermally conductive material.

10. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the outer shell is rigid.

11 . The shipping and/or storage container of claim 4, further comprising a coolant distribution header within the interior space and fluid ically connected to the at least one coolant inlet.

12. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the vacuum insulated panel structure has an insulation value of about 25m² *K/W.

13. The shipping and/or storage container of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the vacuum insulated panel structure has a thickness in the range of from about 0.05m to about 0.08m.

14. A shipping package comprising: a package body defining an interior space to accommodate a payload and coolant, the package body comprising inner and outer bag-like structures, a space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, and insulating material accommodated by the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, the space between the inner and outer baglike structures being evacuatable to bring the inner and outer bag-like structures towards one another and compress the insulting material thereby to form a generally continuous vacuum insulating panel structure, the package body having an open end configurable between an open condition to expose the interior space and a closed condition to seal the package body.

15. The shipping package of claim 14, further comprising a rigid tubular member accommodated by the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures.

16. The shipping package of claim 15, wherein the tube is positioned so that its outer surface abuts an interior surface of the outer bag-like structure or so that its inner surface surrounds an outer surface of the inner bag-like structure.

17. The shipping package of any one of claims 14 to 16, further comprising at least one valved inlet/outlet in communication with the space between the inner and outer bag-like structures, the valved inlet/outlet being configured to connect to a vacuum source that is operable to evacuate air from the space between the inner and outer bag-like structure.

18. The shipping package of any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising one or more coolant holders within the interior space.