U.S. patent number 3,565,320 [Application Number 04/803,828] was granted by the patent office on 1971-02-23 for refrigerated shipping container.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Westvaco Corporation. Invention is credited to Edward L. Osborne, Franklin J. Wagner.
United States Patent |
3,565,320 |
|
February 23, 1971 |
REFRIGERATED SHIPPING CONTAINER
Abstract
A two component refrigerated shipping container is disclosed
including an outer container and an inner container, said inner
container being located within the outer container but isolated
from the walls thereof so that the product to be shipped can be
packed around the inner container and refrigerant added to the
inner container, and said outer container including top closure
flaps which cover the product for shipment yet leave the
refrigerant filled inner container open for reicing and
deicing.
Inventors: |
Edward L. Osborne (Kansas City,
KS), Franklin J. Wagner (Overland Park, KS) |
Assignee: |
Westvaco Corporation
(N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
25187541 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/803,828 |
Filed: |
March 3, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/120.02;
62/371; 206/591; 229/120.37; 220/908.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/5097 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
5/50 (20060101); B65d 005/58 (); F25d 003/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/23(B),6(A),15,14(H)
;62/371,372 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Davis T. Moorehead
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Larry C. Hall Robert S.
Grimshaw
Claims
We claim:
1. A two component shipping container for shipping refrigerated
products comprising: a. an outer container product component formed
from a scored and cut blank of paperboard or the like having a
plurality of sidewalls hingedly connected to one another along fold
lines; b. bottom closure flaps foldably attached to the lower edges
of each of said outer container sidewalls for closing the entire
bottom of said outer container; c. top closure flaps foldably
attached to the upper edges of each of said outer container
sidewalls and having their free edges spaced apart to leave a
central opening in the top of said outer container; and d. an inner
container refrigerant component formed from a cut and scored blank
of paperboard or the like having a plurality of sidewalls with
means attached thereto for maintaining the inner container under
the central opening of the outer container and spaced from the
walls of said outer container.
2. The shipping container of claim 1 wherein said spacing means
comprises flaps foldably attached to the lower edges of each of
said inner container sidewalls.
3. The shipping container of claim 2 wherein the top closure flaps
attached to said outer container sidewalls each have means on the
free edges thereof for securing the upper end of said inner
container in spaced relation to said outer container sidewalls.
4. A two component shipping container for shipping refrigerated
products comprising: a. an outer container formed from a scored and
cut blank of paperboard or the like having a plurality of sidewalls
hingedly connected to one another along fold lines; b. bottom
closure flaps foldably attached to the lower edges of each of said
outer container sidewalls; c. top closure flaps foldably attached
to the upper edges of each of said outer container sidewalls; d. an
inner container fitted inside of and spaced from the walls of said
outer container; e. said inner container having a plurality of
sidewalls hingedly connected to one another along fold lines, and
means attached thereto for maintaining the inner container in
spaced relation to the walls of said outer container; f. said
spacing means comprising flaps foldably attached to the lower edges
of each of said inner container sidewalls; g. the top closure flaps
of said outer container each having means on the free edges thereof
for securing the upper end of said inner container in spaced
relation to said outer container sidewalls; and h. said securing
means comprising locking flanges cut from the top closure flaps
which tuck inside said inner container sidewalls to close the
peripheral space around said inner container and leave open the
upper end of said inner container.
5. The shipping container of claim 4 wherein the locking flanges of
each top closure flap are formed by a pair of cut lines which
extend from the free edge of each top closure flap to a fold line
lying perpendicular to said cut lines and substantially in the
center of each top closure flap.
6. The shipping container of claim 5 wherein the locking flanges on
alternate opposed pairs of said top closure flaps contain tab
elements formed by the cut lines, and the locking flanges on the
other pairs of said top closure flaps contain slot areas formed by
the cut lines so that the adjacent tabs and slots may interlock
with one another when the top closure flaps are folded to close the
peripheral space around said inner container.
7. The shipping container of claim 6 wherein the outer container
sidewalls are tapered throughout their length.
8. The shipping container of claim 7 wherein both the outer
container blank and the inner container blank are coated with a
water impervious coating.
9. The shipping container of claim 8 wherein both the outer
container blank and the inner container blank are vented for use
with wet ice refrigerant.
10. The shipping container of claim 9 wherein said bottom closure
flaps are self locking.
Description
This invention relates to improvements in shipping containers, and
more particularly to relatively lightweight refrigerated containers
which have general utility in the transport of perishable goods.
The container of the invention in its preferred embodiment employs
a novel refrigerant retaining an outer container reinforcing insert
adapted to receive a heat absorbing material. The invention was
developed as a result of the need for a shipping container which
would separate the refrigerant from the product. As an attendant
benefit to separating the product from the refrigerant, it was
desired to construct a container which would eliminate the
possibility of bruising the product to be shipped and also provide
a means for reicing the container if necessary without reopening
it. The container employed by this invention may be made from solid
fiberboard, corrugated paperboard or any other suitable
material.
The successful shipping of relatively fragile, perishable goods and
the like has long presented a problem. It is important, for
instance, to keep the product completely fresh and relatively
unmovable in the shipping container. Regardless of the care with
which the packages are handled, damage will often occur if the
refrigerant dissolves or otherwise disappears and if the contents
of the container are allowed to loosely move around.
In some of the prior art containers, which this package is intended
to replace, the exterior of the package was made from wood, or from
corrugated paperboard with wooden inserts. Obviously these
containers could not satisfy the basic requirements of product
safety and continuous refrigerability that has been achieved by the
present novel container.
It is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide a
refrigerated shipping container for shipping corn, radishes,
spinach and most other fruit and produce. The invention would also
be useful as a replacement for currently used bag-in-box shipping
containers with a simple reversal of function of the two
components.
Another object is to provide the user with a refrigerated shipping
container which can be trucked to the field in knocked-down
condition thereby offering the advantages of ease of handling, a
minimum of storage space required and a consequent reduction in
transportation charges. The shipping container would then be set up
at the site, packed with the product in the field, and iced at the
growers shed without opening and repacking, thereby saving one step
from that required with conventional refrigerated shipping
containers. This feature also offers more insurance against the
possibility of bruising the product since it is only handled once
from the grower to the market.
A further object of the present invention is that no stitching or
other manipulation is required by the packer. The container may
also be tapered for nesting when not in use and improved air
circulation during shipment. Upon arrival at the market, the
container, because of its construction, is easy to dispose of
simply by knocking it down again into its flattened condition.
Still another object of the invention is the advantage of better
insulation and less water absorption because of the novel
construction and design.
Yet another advantage of the present container is the important
feature of being able to add additional refrigerant without
reopening to expose the product. The unique refrigerant insert
which allows this provision also gives the container improved
stacking strength.
In addition, the container of this invention is preferably vented
to provide added ventilation and to keep the product fresh. Vents
are also provided with wet ice refrigerant so that the refrigerant
effluent does not remain in the container. The blanks from which
the two parts of the shipping container are formed are preferably
coated or otherwise treated with a wax or plastic covering to
protect the container from the deteriorating effects of wet ice
effluent. Of course, the unique design of the present invention is
not limited to refrigerated products because it could just as
readily be used for shipping two different products, unmixed in the
same container. It would, for instance, be possible to pack the
product in the inner container and surround the product with a
refrigerant. The bag-in-a-box technique could be used for this
purpose. However, this arrangement would result in a reversal of
function of the two components of the shipping container so that
reicing would not be possible without reopening the closure flaps
of the outer container. Hence this modification would only be
useful where an initial application of ice was sufficient to retain
the freshness of the product, or where the initially iced container
was to be shipped in a refrigerated truck or rail car. On the other
hand, the novel shipping container of the present invention when
used in the above noted way would permit readily available access
to the product being shipped to permit inspection or constant
supervision without reopening.
It is, moreover, the purpose and object of this invention to
improve the structure, utility and effectiveness of refrigerated
shipping containers, and more particularly shipping containers
wherein the refrigerant is wet ice located within an open-topped
cell which is in turn securely fixed in the center of the
product-carrying container.
The invention also consists of the parts and in the arrangements
and combinations of parts hereinafter specifically described and
claimed. An example of the preferred embodiment is accordingly
depicted in the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this
disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows in blank form one configuration that the shipping
container might take;
FIG. 2 shows in blank form an example of the refrigerant carrying
insert for the shipping container;
FIG. 3 shows the setup form of the two parts with the refrigerant
carrying insert about to be placed inside the shipping
container;
FIG. 4 shows the assembled container prior to being filled with the
product to be shipped; and,
FIG. 5 shows the container completely closed and filled with
refrigerant.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The container of this invention consists of two integral parts, one
of which fits inside of, and is locked in place by a second larger
part. The inner part comprises, in its preferred embodiment, a
vented tubelike configuration which is designed to hold a quantity
of ice or other refrigerant, while the second or larger part takes
the form of a conventional tapered carton for housing the product
to be shipped under refrigeration. In the assembled condition, the
refrigerant tube is positively located in the center of the outer
container by means of flaps or the like located on the lower end of
the tube, and by locking flaps foldably attached to the upper edges
of the outer container sidewalls which lock the upper end of the
refrigerant tube in place. Prior to folding over and locking the
outer container top closure flaps, the product is packed around the
refrigerant tube, and when the flaps are folded over, they
completely enclose the product leaving the refrigerant tube open
for later reapplication of ice or other refrigerant. This
configuration means that the product is handled only once, yet
there is opportunity for additional reicing. Also, because of the
existence of the central ice cell, good stacking strength is
achieved.
Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown
a typical blank from which the outer container of the present
invention might be constructed. The embodiment specifically
described herein is tapered, however, it could just as readily have
straight sides. An advantage of the tapered sidewall configuration
lies in the increased strength the container obtains where loads
are absorbed both vertically and horizontally. The preferred
container comprises four tapered sidewalls 10, 12, 14 and 16 which
are separated from one another by fold lines 11, 13 and 15. These
sidewalls are suitably sized so as to produce a container of the
desired configuration for the product to be shipped. Adjacent one
of the sidewalls 16 is a closure tab or manufacturers joint 18
hingedly attached along fold line 17. A self-locking bottom closure
is also preferred and illustrated although any form of bottom
closure could be used. Typical self-locking bottom closure flaps
19, 20, 21 and 22 are shown foldably attached to the container
sidewalls along the fold lines 43, 44, 45 and 46. These flaps are
arranged so that after the container is formed by securing tab 18
to the opposite sidewall 10, the bottom closure flaps are
interlocked with one another.
To set up the locking bottom closure, flap 19 is folded initially,
then the flaps 20 and 22 are folded over flap 19. Finally the flap
21 is folded over flaps 20, 22 and tucked under flap 19. This step
is accomplished, without bending flap 21, by forcing the already
folded flaps 19, 20, 22 down inside the container until the tab on
the end of flap 21 slips readily under the slot on flap 19.
Reversing this sequence of folding steps allows the outer container
to be quickly and efficiently knocked down after shipment so as to
resume its flattened condition for subsequent reuse.
Along the upper end of the outer container sidewalls 10, 12, 14 and
16 are located the top closure flaps 23, 24, 25 and 26 separated
from the respective sidewalls by fold lines 47, 48, 49, 50. Each of
the top flaps 23--26 contain the novel locking flanges which are
adapted to locate and secure the center ice cell inside the
container.
Two of the top flaps 23 and 25 include locking flanges 27, 29
formed by fold lines 31, 33 respectively located in the flaps
themselves. Flap 23 contains additional cut lines 35, 36 which
extend from the ends of fold line 31 to a pair of slot portions 51,
52 located at each side of the locking flange 27. Similarly, flap
25 contains additional cut lines 39, 40 which extend from the ends
of fold line 33 to a pair of slot portions 55, 56 located at each
side of the locking flange 29. The slot portions formed at each
side of the locking flanges 27, 29 are so located to cooperate with
tab portions formed on the locking flanges of the remaining two top
flaps 24, 26.
Top flaps 24, 26 hingedly attached to their respective sidewalls
along fold lines 48, 50, include locking flanges 28, 30 formed by
fold lines 32, 34 respectively located in the flaps themselves.
Flap 24 contains additional cut lines 37, 38 which extend from the
ends of fold line 32 to form a pair of tab elements 53, 54. These
tabs as hereinbefore mentioned, engage the slots 52, 55 of locking
flanges 27, 29 respectively when the outer container A is set up.
Similarly flap 26 contains additional cut lines 41, 42 which extend
from the ends of fold line 34 to form a second pair of tab elements
57, 58. The tabs engage the slots 51, 56 of locking flanges 27, 29
respectively when the outer container A is set up. When the top
closure flaps are folded to cover the packed product, the locking
flanges are manipulated so as to securely lock the inner container
in position. At this time the product is protected from
contamination from the field to the user and the open topped ice
cell is exposed for additional reicing and for deicing at the
terminal point.
If, on the other hand, it was desired to ice the container only
once and then ship it in a refrigerated car or truck so that
additional icing would not be needed, it is within the
contemplation of this invention to use only one pair of the top
closure flaps as a means for locking the inner ice cell in
position. The other pair of top closure flaps could then be folded
over and stitched or taped together to completely enclose both the
produce and the ice cell.
The novel outer or product carrying container comprises
conventional sidewalls, a self-locking bottom and top closure flaps
which include locking flanges for retaining the inner ice cell in
position.
FIG. 2 of the drawing illustrates the ice cell tube B in blank
form. The tube comprises four sidewalls 60, 62, 64 and 66 separated
from one another by fold lines 61, 63 and 65. Attached along fold
line 67 to the wall panel 66, is a closure tab or manufacturers
joint 68 for securing the tube together in its preferred
rectangular configuration prior to insertion inside the outer
container. In order that the ice cell tube B might be more securely
positioned inside the outer container, provision is made for
flanges or flaps on the bottom of the tube which extend from the
tube to the respective sidewalls of the outer container. The tube
flanges 70, 72, 74 and 76 are each connected to a respective
sidewall along fold lines 71, 73, 75 and 77.
When the ice cell tube is set up and tab 68 secured to panel 60,
the bottom flanges 70, 72, 74 and 76 are folded outward about fold
lines 71, 73, 75 and 77 and the tube is inserted in the outer
container as shown in FIG. 3. The product is next packed around the
inner container substantially as illustrated in FIG. 4, then the
inner container or ice cell is filled with refrigerant. Finally,
the locking flanges 27, 28, 29 and 30 are folded over the
respective sidewalls of the ice cell and the tabs and slots on the
locking flanges engaged with one another to secure the package for
shipment.
FIG. 5 shows the completely assembled, packed and iced container
ready for shipment. It is clear that the integrated package is
strong and secure and because the ice cell is left open, it is
readily reiced should the original refrigerant melt.
It will be understood that only a preferred embodiment of the
invention has been disclosed and changes in detail may be resorted
to without departing from the field and scope of the invention.
* * * * *