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 temperature control (such as refrigeration or warming). 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 temperature control, such as 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 . An insulated, cushioning shipping box for items needing cushioning and temperature control during transit, said shipping box comprising:
 an outer shape-retaining box including substantially rigid walls defining a cavity of fixed volume, and said walls further defining an opening to said cavity;   means providing a rigid lid for closing said opening so as to enclose said fixed volume;   an expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member received in said cavity of fixed volume;   said shipping box being capable of receiving into said cavity of fixed volume and within said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member an item to be shipped along with a mass of temperature control material to be disposed in selected heat-transfer relationship to said item, said mass of temperature control material having a volume decreasing with time;   said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member expanding about said item to be shipped within said fixed volume of said cavity so as to urge said mass of temperature control material upon said item to be shipped to maintain close heat transfer relation between said mass of temperature control material as said mass of temperature control material decreases in volume with passing time;   whereby, the item to be shipped is received in the cavity of fixed volume in a selected heat transfer relationship with the mass of temperature control material, and as the volume of said mass of temperature control material decreases with time said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member increases in volume to substantially maintain said selected close heat transfer relationship.   
   
   
       2 . The shipping box of  claim 1  wherein said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member includes a first member of substantially C-shape, and a second member also of substantially C-shape within said fixed volume and intermeshing with one another so as to define an inner cavity of variable volume for receiving said item to be shipped. 
   
   
       3 . The shipping box of  claim 2  wherein said first member and said second member of said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member cooperatively expand within said fixed volume cavity so as to urge said mass of temperature control material into tight heat transfer contact with said item to be shipped. 
   
   
       4 . The shipping box of  claim 1  wherein said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member includes only a singular expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member, and said singular expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member expands between a fixed rigid wall of said container and said mass of temperature control material so as to urge said mass of temperature control material into tight heat transfer relation with said item to be shipped. 
   
   
       5 . A method of using an insulated, cushioning shipping box for items needing cushioning and temperature control during transit, said method comprising steps of:
 providing an outer shape-retaining box including substantially rigid walls   utilizing said substantially rigid walls of said box to define a cavity of fixed volume;   providing an opening to said cavity, and a substantially rigid lid for closing said opening so as to enclose a fixed volume;   providing an expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member received in said cavity of fixed volume;   into said cavity of fixed volume receiving an item to be shipped;   along with said item to be shipped receiving into said fixed volume a mass of temperature control material to be disposed in selected heat transfer relationship to said item to be shipped;   utilizing a mass of temperature control material having a volume decreasing with time or a shape becoming indefinite with time;   expanding said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member within said fixed volume of said cavity so as to urge said mass of temperature control material into tight heat transfer relationship with said item to be shipped to maintain said selected heat transfer relationship between said item to be shipped and said mass of temperature control material as said mass of temperature control material decreases in volume or becomes of indefinite shape with passing time.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , further including the steps of utilizing said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member to define a variable volume cavity within said fixed volume cavity of said box, and decreasing the volume of said variable volume cavity with time during transit of said box so as to maintain said selected heat transfer relationship of said item to be shipped and said mass of temperature control material. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5  further including the steps of utilizing a mass of packing material to surround said item to be shipped within said fixed volume cavity on all sides save one side within said box, and providing on said one side of said item to be shipped within said cavity of said box a mass of temperature control material, which mass of temperature control material decreases in volume or becomes of indeterminate shape during shipping and with the passage of time, and utilizing said expansible volume-varying cushioning and insulating member to urge said mass of temperature control material on said one side of said item to be shipped into a substantially constant heat transfer relationship with said item to be shipped during transit of said box and item to be shipped. 
   
   
       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.