Heat storage pack, cold storage pack, logistic packaging container, logistic system, and logistic method

Abstract

A heat or cold storage pack is provided that contains a latent thermal storage material that can be restored during transport to prolong a heat or cold storage function thereof and that exhibits a reduced temperature change in a phase transition thereof to reliably maintain the temperature of an object to be kept warm or cold in a temperature range in which the object should be kept. The heat storage pack is for use in a logistic packaging container to adjust the temperature of an object to be kept warm and includes: a latent thermal storage material having a difference of less than 1° C. between a solidification temperature at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from liquid to solid and an onset temperature of melting at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from solid to liquid; and a housing section configured to house the latent thermal storage material, wherein the latent thermal storage material is selected in accordance with a temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept in such a manner that the solidification temperature is in the temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept and that the onset temperature of melting is lower than an upper limit of the temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept.

1 .- 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A logistic system where the article, for which the temperature range in which the article should be kept is determined, is packaged in the logistic packaging container and delivered by a transporter from a consignor to a consignee, the logistic system comprising:
 a heating device configured to control an external temperature of the logistic packaging container to be in the temperature range in which the article should be kept either before or after a time period in which temperature is not controlled or both before and after the time period, wherein   the logistic packaging container comprising:   a logistic packaging container body;   the heat storage pack to adjust temperature of an object to be kept warm, the heat storage pack being selected in accordance with a temperature range in which the article to be packaged should be kept;   a heat-storage-pack-holding section provided inside the logistic packaging container body to hold the heat storage pack; and   an article housing section provided inside the logistic packaging container body to house the article,   the heat storage pack comprising:   a latent thermal storage material having a difference of less than 1° C. between a solidification temperature at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from liquid to solid and an onset temperature of melting at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from solid to liquid;   a housing section configured to house the latent thermal storage material, wherein   the latent thermal storage material is selected in accordance with a temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept in such a manner that the solidification temperature is in the temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept and that the onset temperature of melting is lower than an upper limit of the temperature range in which the object to be kept warm should be kept and   the heating device heats the logistic packaging container at a temperature higher than the onset temperature of melting of the latent thermal storage material and lower than an upper limit of the temperature range in which the article should be kept, so that the latent thermal storage material changes phase from solid to liquid.   
     
     
         14 . The logistic system according to  claim 13 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes either a C 13 -C 30  straight chain alkane or a C 13 -C 20  straight chain alkyl alcohol. 
     
     
         15 . The logistic system according to  claim 13 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes a C 15 -C 24  straight chain alkane. 
     
     
         16 . A logistic system where the article, for which the temperature range in which the article should be kept is determined, is packaged in the logistic packaging container and delivered by a transporter from a consignor to a consignee, the logistic system comprising:
 a cooling device configured to control an external temperature of the logistic packaging container to be in the temperature range in which the article should be kept either before or after a time period in which temperature is not controlled or both before and after the time period, wherein   the logistic packaging container comprising:   a logistic packaging container body;   the cold storage pack to adjust temperature of an object to be kept cold, the cold storage pack being selected in accordance with a temperature range in which the article to be packaged should be kept;   a cold-storage-pack-holding section provided inside the logistic packaging container body to hold the cold storage pack; and   an article housing section provided inside the logistic packaging container body to house the article,   the cold storage pack comprising:   a latent thermal storage material having a difference of less than 1° C. between a solidification temperature at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from liquid to solid and an onset temperature of melting at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from solid to liquid; and   a housing section configured to house the latent thermal storage material, wherein   the latent thermal storage material is selected in accordance with a temperature range in which the object to be kept cold should be kept in such a manner that a main melting temperature of the latent thermal storage material is in the temperature range in which the object to be kept cold should be kept and that the solidification temperature is higher than a lower limit of the temperature range in which the object to be kept cold should be kept and   the cooling device cools the logistic packaging container at a temperature lower than the solidification temperature of the latent thermal storage material and higher than a lower limit of the temperature range in which the article should be kept, so that the latent thermal storage material changes phase from liquid to solid.   
     
     
         17 . The logistic system according to  claim 16 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes either a C 13 -C 30  straight chain alkane or a C 13 -C 20  straight chain alkyl alcohol. 
     
     
         18 . The logistic system according to  claim 16 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes a C 14 -C 16  straight chain alkane. 
     
     
         19 . A logistic method where the article, for which the temperature range in which the article should be kept is determined, is packaged in the logistic packaging container and delivered by a transporter from a consignor to a consignee, the logistic method comprising:
 adjusting, to the temperature range where the article should be held, by using a latent thermal storage material having a difference of less than 1° C. between a solidification temperature at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from liquid to solid and an onset temperature of melting at which the latent thermal storage material starts changing phase from solid to liquid,   controlling, by using a heating device or a cooling device, an external temperature of the logistic packaging container to be in the temperature range in which the article should be kept either before or after a time period in which temperature is not controlled or both before and after the time period, wherein   the heating device heats the logistic packaging container at a temperature higher than the onset temperature of melting of the latent thermal storage material and lower than an upper limit of the temperature range in which the article should be kept, so that the latent thermal storage material changes phase from solid to liquid or   the cooling device cools the logistic packaging container at a temperature lower than the solidification temperature of the latent thermal storage material and higher than a lower limit of the temperature range in which the article should be kept, so that the latent thermal storage material changes phase from liquid to solid.   
     
     
         20 . The logistic method according to  claim 19 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes either a C 13 -C 30  straight chain alkane or a C 13 -C 20  straight chain alkyl alcohol. 
     
     
         21 . The logistic method according to  claim 19 , wherein the latent thermal storage material includes a C 14 -C 16  straight chain alkane.