Variable-volume insulated shipping container

Abstract

A variable-volume shipping container has both cushioning and insulating characteristics, so that it may be used to ship items which are fragile, or items which require refrigeration, or both. The container includes an expansible volume-varying element which expands in thickness while maintaining its plan-view shape after the container is closed and secured, so that fragile items are held snugly, or so that items needing refrigeration are held in good heat transfer relation to a refrigerant, such as dry ice, placed into the container along with the items to be shipped. Methods of making expansible volume-varying elements of various configurations and having a differing number of expansible elements are disclosed.

1 . A plan-shape-retaining expansible panel member usable as a volume-varying insulator or cushion for shipping, said expansible panel member comprising: 
 a resilient foamed polymer panel part having cells which are at least partially open, said panel part having a determined plan-view shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    a shape retaining base sheet having a respective plan-view shape substantially alike in size and shape to that of said panel part, said base sheet also having respective edge dimensions which approximate those of said panel part, said base sheet and panel part being arranged congruently to one another;    a fluid impermeable film encapsulating said base sheet and panel part and excluding ambient air from said cells of said panel member so that said panel part maintains a deformed thickness dimension which is a fraction of said undeformed thickness dimension;    whereby, said base sheet and said panel part are placed within said film while open to ambient air, and ambient air is at least partially removed from said cells so that said panel part defines a deformed thickness dimension which is less than said undeformed thickness dimension and defines a plan-view shape approximating that of said base sheet, and said film is then closed so that thereafter atmospheric pressure maintains said panel part substantially at said deformed thickness dimension until a user pierces said film to admit ambient air to said panel member.    
   
   
       2 . The expansible panel member of  claim 1  wherein said plan-view shape is rectangular.  
   
   
       3 . A plan-shape-retaining expansible panel member for usable as an insulator or cushion for shipping, said expansible panel member comprising: 
 a resilient foamed polymer panel part having cells which are at least partially open, said panel part having a determined plan-view shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    a fluid impermeable film encapsulating said panel part and excluding ambient air from said cells of said panel member so that said panel part maintains a deformed thickness dimension which is a fraction of said undeformed thickness dimension;    whereby, said panel part is placed within said-film while open and within a press having a cavity of substantially said determined shape, and said press is utilized to press ambient air at least partially from said cells so that said panel part defines a deformed thickness dimension which is less than said undeformed thickness dimension and defines a shape approximating that of said cavity, and said film is then closed so that thereafter atmospheric pressure maintains said panel part substantially at said deformed thickness and substantially in the shape of said cavity until a user pierces said film to admit ambient air to said panel member.    
   
   
       4 . The expansible panel member of  claim 3  wherein said plan-view shape is rectangular.  
   
   
       5 . A method of making a plan-shape-retaining expansible panel member useable as a volume-varying insulator or cushion for shipping, said panel member being expansible substantially only in thickness, said method comprising steps of: 
 providing a resilient foamed polymer panel part having cells which are at least partially open, configuring said panel part to have a determined shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    providing a fluid impermeable film;    placing said panel part within said fluid impermeable film while open to ambient;    providing a press having a cavity of substantially said determined shape and thickness less than said undeformed thickness;    utilizing said press to deform said panel member along said thickness dimension to press out ambient air at least partially from said cells so that said panel part defines a deformed thickness dimension which is less than said undeformed thickness dimension and defines a shape approximating that of said cavity, and    while maintaining said compression of said panel part closing said film so that thereafter atmospheric pressure maintains said panel part substantially at said deformed thickness and substantially in the shape of said cavity.    
   
   
       6 . A multi-part, plan-shape-retaining expansible panel element, said expansible panel element which is expansible in thickness, said panel element comprising: 
 plural resilient foamed polymer panel parts each having cells which are at least partially open, each of said plural panel parts having a respective determined plan-view shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    a fluid impermeable film encapsulating said plural panel parts and excluding ambient air from said cells of said panel parts, said fluid impermeable film also providing a flexible web extending between adjacent panel parts, and providing both for hinging of said panel parts relative to one another by flexing of said web and for fluid flow communication between adjacent panel parts within said web;    whereby, said plural panel parts are partially evacuated within said film so that each panel part defines a deformed thickness dimension which is less than said undeformed thickness dimension and defines a shape approximating said respective determined plan-view shape, so that atmospheric pressure maintains said panel parts substantially at said deformed thickness until a user pierces said film to admit ambient air to said panel element, and thereafter said webs provide for air to flow among said plural panel parts to allow expansion toward said undeformed thickness dimension.    
   
   
       7 . Apparatus for use in making a partially evacuated expansible panel member having an undeformed thickness, and a deformed thickness which is less than said undeformed thickness, said panel member having a determined plan-view shape and edge dimensions which are substantially constant, said panel member including a resilient open-cell foam polymer panel part substantially of undeformed thickness, and an enclosing film of air-impermeable material preventing ambient air from entering said panel element so that atmospheric pressure maintains said panel part at said deformed thickness, said pressing apparatus-comprising: 
 a base member and a lid in relatively movable juxtaposition to one another and in a closed position cooperatively defining a cavity substantially matching said determined plan-view shape and a thickness substantially matching said deformed thickness;    forcing means for moving said base member and lid into said closed position;    heat sealing apparatus disposed relative to said base member and lid, and disposed to heat seal an extending skirt portion of a bag made of said film and containing said panel part within said closed cavity;    
   
   
       8 . A shipping container, said shipping container comprising: 
 an outer shape-retaining enclosure including rigid walls defining a fixed-volume cavity and an opening to said fixed-volume cavity, said shape-retaining container including a rigid lid for closing said opening;    plural expansible volume-varying panel members received in said cavity along said walls and cooperatively defining therein a respective variable-volume cavity, each of said plural expansible panel members comprising:    a resilient foamed polymer panel part having cells which are at least partially open, said panel part having a determined shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    a fluid impermeable film encapsulating said panel part and excluding ambient air from said cells of said panel member so that said expansible panel member maintains a thickness dimension only a fraction of said undeformed thickness dimension of said panel part,    whereby, an item to be shipped is received in the variable-volume cavity and immediately before closing said lid a user provides an opening through said film allowing entry of ambient air and expansion of said plural panel members about said item within the closed shipping container.    
   
   
       9 . A method of making a multi-part, plan-shape-retaining expansible panel element, said expansible panel element comprising: 
 providing plural resilient foamed polymer panel parts each having cells which are at least partially open;    configuring each of said plural panel parts to have a respective determined plan-view shape, an undeformed thickness dimension, and edge dimensions;    providing a bag member formed of a fluid-impermeable film;    encapsulating said plural panel parts in spaced apart relation within said bag member;    forming a web portion of said bag member extending between adjacent ones of said spaced apart panel parts, and configuring said web portion to provide at least one fluid flow passage providing for gas flow between said adjacent ones of said panel parts, and also providing for said flexible web to flex and effect hinging of said panel parts relative to one another;    at least partially removing ambient air from said cells of said plural panel parts while reducing the thickness dimension of said panel parts to a deformed dimension less that said undeformed dimension and maintaining their plan view size and shape substantially constant;    sealing said bag and employing said fluid-impermeable film to exclude entry of ambient air to said panel parts, and utilizing atmospheric pressure to maintain said panel parts at said deformed thickness dimension.    whereby, said plural panel parts are partially evacuated within said film so that each panel part defines a deformed thickness dimension which is less than said undeformed thickness dimension and defines a shape approximating said respective determined plan-view shape, so that atmospheric pressure maintains said panel parts substantially at said deformed thickness until a user pierces said film to admit ambient air to said panel element, and thereafter said webs provide for air to flow among said plural panel parts to allow expansion toward said undeformed thickness dimension.