Thermally Activatable Insulating Packaging

Abstract

A method of making a container includes applying an insulating material in an inactive form to form a layer on a first substrate. The applied insulating material includes expandable microspheres. The method further includes joining a second substrate to the first substrate to adhere the first substrate to the second substrate and to create at least a portion of a multi-layer composite having at least one air gap between the first substrate and the second substrate. The method further includes heating the applied insulating material to activate expandable microspheres thereof to form expanded microspheres. The method further includes increasing the thickness of the applied insulating material layer to thereby increase the volume of the air gap between the first substrate and the second substrate of the multi-layer composite by the heating of the applied insulating material. The method further includes forming the multi-layer composite into a container having expanded microspheres.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making a container, the method comprising:
 applying an insulating material in an inactive form to form a layer on a first substrate, the applied insulating material comprising expandable microspheres;   shifting a second substrate toward the first substrate such that the applied insulating material contacts both the first substrate and the second substrate for creating at least a portion of a multi-layer composite having at least one air gap between the first substrate and the second substrate;   heating the applied insulating material to activate expandable microspheres thereof to form expanded microspheres;   increasing the thickness of the applied insulating material to thereby increase the volume of the air gap between the first substrate and the second substrate of the multi-layer composite by the heating of the applied insulating material; and   forming the multi-layer composite into a container having expanded microspheres.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the multi-layer composite into a container comprises forming the multi-layer composite into a wall of the container extending about an internal space thereof and having the at least one air gap defined by the first and second substrates and the expanded microspheres arranged therealong. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate comprises a paper-based material, and the first substrate and the second substrate are of a different material than the applied insulating material. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material is heated before the multi-layer composite is formed into a container. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material is heated after the multi-layer composite is formed into a container. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applying the insulating material comprises applying the insulating material in a pattern. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the pattern comprises generally straight bands, curved bands, dots, waves, squares, rectangles, circles, diamonds, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating material is applied in the inactive form by printing the insulating material in the inactive form. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating material comprises expandable microspheres having an activation temperature not exceeding 190° F. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating material comprises expandable microspheres having an activation temperature greater than 150° F. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying an adhesive material between the first substrate and the second substrate to adhere the first substrate and the second substrate together, with the adhesive material being different than the insulating material.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the adhesive material is a hot melt adhesive or a cold melt adhesive. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material layer has a thickness of approximately 1/64th of an inch prior to the heating thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material layer has a thickness of approximately 1/32nd of an inch after the heating thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material layer has a thickness of approximately 1/16th of an inch after the heating thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applied insulating material layer has a thickness after the heating thereof that is approximately 100-400% greater than the thickness of the applied insulating layer before the heating thereof. 
     
     
         17 . A method of making a container, the method comprising:
 providing a first substrate and a second substrate;   applying an insulating material comprising expandable microspheres between the first substrate and the second substrate;   heating the expandable microspheres to activate the expandable microspheres and expand the insulating material to form expanded insulation including expanded microspheres such that the first substrate, the second substrate, and the expanded insulation including the expanded microspheres define at least one air gap.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the insulating material is applied between the first substrate and the second substrate by applying the insulating material to an inner surface portion of the first substrate, and shifting the second substrate toward the first substrate inner surface portion such that the insulating material contacts both the first substrate inner surface portion and an inner surface portion of the second substrate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the insulating material is applied by printing the insulating material in a pattern. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the insulating material is applied by applying the insulating material in a pattern, and the pattern comprises generally straight bands, curved bands, dots, waves, squares, rectangles, circles, diamonds, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the insulating material is applied by applying the insulating material in a pattern such that the at least one air gap comprises a plurality of air gaps between inner facing surface portions of the first substrate and the second substrate with the expanded insulation extending along the air gaps. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are paper-based substrates, and the insulating material has insulative properties different than insulative properties of the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the expanded insulation has a thickness after the heating that is approximately 100-400% greater than the thickness of the applied insulating layer before the heating.