Fully recyclable shippers and methods of manufacture thereof

Abstract

Fully recyclable shippers and methods of making fully recyclable shippers. The shippers are formed from polyethylene terephthalate and may include additional insulating filler material. The shippers are non-hygroscopic and, when filled with insulating filler material, have improved thermal insulating properties than other ecofriendly shippers while remaining completely recyclable by typical material reclamation facilities.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shipper, comprising:
 a plurality of panels comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET),   wherein the insulated shipper consists of recyclable material.   
     
     
         2 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of panels comprises one or more PET layers defining one or more cavities. 
     
     
         3 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of panels comprise mechanical locking features configured to join the two panels. 
     
     
         4 . The shipper of  claim 3 , wherein the mechanical locking features comprise one or more shaped tabs in a first PET surface, each shaped tab configured to penetrate a slot in a second PET surface. 
     
     
         5 . The shipper of  claim 3 , wherein the mechanical locking features comprise one or more snaps in a first PET surface, each snap configured to penetrate a corresponding snap in a second PET surface, wherein each snap is formed by thermoforming the PET layer. 
     
     
         6 . The shipper according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of panels comprises PET corrugation. 
     
     
         7 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of panels comprises a PET envelope formed from PET film. 
     
     
         8 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of panels share a continuous, common surface configured to fold along a region between the at least two panels. 
     
     
         9 . The shipper of  claim 8 , wherein each of the at least two panels are characterized as having a right frustum shape with four tapered surfaces such that folding the at least two panels creates a seal between a tapered surface of a first panel and a tapered surface of a second panel. 
     
     
         10 . The shipper of  claim 8 , wherein each of the at least two panels are characterized as having a rectangular prism shape having four side surfaces and a top surface, such that folding the at least two panels creates a seal between a side surface of a first panel and a top surface of a second panel. 
     
     
         11 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of panels comprise 5 or 6 panels forming a box. 
     
     
         12 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of panels are translucent. 
     
     
         13 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of panels interface at edges, wherein the interfacing edges form a seal configured to reduce thermal energy transfer between the at least two panels. 
     
     
         14 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein the insulated shipper is non-hygroscopic. 
     
     
         15 . The shipper of  claim 1 , wherein the entire shipper is constructed of PET. 
     
     
         16 . The shipper of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more handles for carrying the insulated shipper. 
     
     
         17 . The shipper of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of panels comprises a thermoformed PET layer defining one or more open cavities, and a second PET layer configured to seal the one or more open cavities to form one or more sealed cavities. 
     
     
         18 . The shipper of  claim 17 , wherein the second PET layer is (i) a thermoformed PET layer, or (ii) a flexible PET film. 
     
     
         19 . The insulated shipper of  claim 17 , wherein the thermoformed PET layer and the second PET layer are heat-sealed together to form a heat-sealed boundary, such that the thermoformed PET layer, the second PET layer, and the heat sealed boundary define the one or more cavities. 
     
     
         20 . The insulated shipper of  claim 17 , further comprising an insulating filler disposed within the one or more cavities. 
     
     
         21 . A method of forming a shipper, comprising:
 forming a plurality of panels, and   assembling the insulated shipper from the plurality of panels,   wherein the plurality of panels are formed from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and   wherein the shipper consists of recyclable material.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming the plurality of panels comprises thermoforming a PET sheet. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein forming the plurality of panels further comprises attaching a PET film to the thermoformed panels. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein at least one panel in the plurality of panels comprises a cavity, and wherein the method further comprises attaching a second PET layer to the at least one panel in the plurality of panels to seal the cavity. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising inserting insulating filler into the cavity in the at least one panel in the plurality of panels.