COLD CHAIN TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Product box for use in a shipping system for temperature-sensitive materials and shipping system including the product box. In one embodiment, the product box includes a front, a rear, a left side, and a right side. The upper edges of the front and the rear are higher than the upper edges of the left side and the right side. The box also includes upper flaps hingedly connected to the upper edges of each of the front, the rear, the left side, and the right side and further includes lower flaps hingedly connected to the lower edges of each of the front and the rear. When folded, the upper flaps of the front and the rear are spaced above the upper flaps of the left side and the right side, thereby forming an air gap. Wings at the upper edges of the four sides center the product box within a container.

System suitable for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In a preferred embodiment, the system may include a cooler made of expanded polystyrene foam. The cooler may include a base and a lid. The base may be a unitary structure that includes a cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. The base also may include an integral support that may include a platform elevated from the bottom wall, as well as a stanchion extending upwardly from the bottom wall along each of the side walls. The support may be constructed to removably receive a product box in the cavity and to orient the product box at an angle offset from the cavity. Dry ice pellets may be positioned around and under the product box, and additional dry ice pellets may be positioned in a tray mounted on the stanchions over the product box.

Shipping system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having four side walls, bottom closure flaps, and top closure flaps. A vacuum insulated panel (VIP) is detachably coupled to one of the top closure flaps and is removably covered by a cover. An insulation unit is removably positioned within the outer box, the insulation unit including a plurality of VIPs arranged to define a cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. A disposable liner is removably mounted on the insulation unit. The liner may be a thermoformed sheet and may cover the interior and top surfaces of the insulation unit. A plurality of temperature-control members and a product box may be removably positioned in the liner. Preferably, the liner is shaped so that the temperature-control members snugly fit around all sides of the product box.

Shipping system for temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the shipping system includes a frame defining an enclosure. The frame includes a bottom, a top, a front, a rear, a left side, a right side, a left corner gusset, and a right corner gusset. The front serves as a door. Thermal breaks are provided in one or more of the bottom, the front, the left corner gusset, and the right corner gusset. Vacuum insulated panels are positioned along all sides of the frame. Many of the vacuum insulated panels are encapsulated between the frame and an outer shell. A plurality of phase-change material assemblies are positioned within the frame along all sides. Heat-spreaders are positioned interior to the phase-change material assemblies. The shipping system are dimensioned so that four such shipping systems are seated on a prorate manual cargo sheet.

Method and system for maintaining temperature-sensitive materials within a desired temperature range for an extended time. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having a rectangular cavity. An insulation unit is snugly but removably positioned in the rectangular cavity. The insulation unit includes a support and a thermal insulation member. The support may be a generally rectangular sleeve with four sides, an open bottom and an open top. The thermal insulation may be a bilayer material wrapped around the four sides of the support to form a spiral structure. The bilayer material may include a first sheet of an expanded slit-sheet packaging material and a second sheet of tissue paper. The system may additionally include a bottom insulation member at the bottom of the support, a top insulation member at the top of the support, and a payload and temperature-control members between the top and bottom insulation member.

Shipping system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having four side walls, bottom closure flaps, and top closure flaps. A vacuum insulated panel (VIP) is detachably coupled to one of the top closure flaps and is removably covered by a cover. An insulation unit is removably positioned within the outer box, the insulation unit including a plurality of VIPs arranged to define a cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. A disposable liner assembly is removably mounted on the insulation unit. The liner assembly includes a first liner piece, a second liner piece, and a liner support. A plurality of temperature-control members and a product box may be removably positioned in a cavity defined by the liner assembly. The temperature-control members snugly fit around all sides of the product box and each include a container containing dry ice.

Shipping system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having four side walls and bottom and top closure flaps. An insulation unit is positioned within the outer box. The insulation unit includes a base and a lid assembly hingedly connected to the base. The base includes vacuum insulated panels arranged to define a cavity and an inner shield mounted within the cavity. The lid assembly includes a support hingedly connected to the base. A vacuum insulated panel and a protective cover are mounted on a bottom surface of the support. A compressible pad is mounted on a top surface of the support, and a cover sheet is mounted over the compressible pad. The cover sheet includes an integral handle. A plurality of temperature-control members and a product box may be removably positioned in a cavity defined by the inner shield.

Method for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the method involves predicting whether a given passive thermal shipping system will maintain a payload within a desired temperature range over its entire transport/delivery route. To this end, thermal capacitance data is compiled for the shipping system at a plurality of temperatures spanning a broad range of potential ambient temperatures to which the shipping system may be exposed. In addition, forecasted ambient temperature data is obtained for a plurality of time intervals spanning the transport/delivery route. An effective ambient temperature, based on the forecasted ambient temperature, as well as rolling and cumulative averages, is then determined at each of the various time intervals. Using the effective ambient temperature, the thermal capacitance is determined from the compiled data and is compared to the cumulative absorbed energy. The shipping system fails when the cumulative absorbed energy exceeds the thermal capacitance.

Shipping system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive materials. In one embodiment, the system includes an outer box having four side walls, bottom closure flaps, and top closure flaps. A vacuum insulated panel (VIP) is detachably coupled to one of the top closure flaps and is removably covered by a cover. An insulation unit is removably positioned within the outer box, the insulation unit including a plurality of VIPs arranged to define a cavity bounded by a bottom wall and four side walls. A disposable liner assembly is removably mounted on the insulation unit. The liner assembly includes a first liner piece, a second liner piece, and a liner support. A plurality of temperature-control members and a product box may be removably positioned in a cavity defined by the liner assembly. The temperature-control members snugly fit around all sides of the product box and each include a container containing dry ice.

Shipping systems for temperature-sensitive materials and methods of making and using same. In one embodiment, the shipping system includes a cooler base and a lid. The base includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion includes a thermal insulation unit including a bottom wall and four side walls. A thermally-conductive member is positioned on the bottom wall. A polymeric bag encapsulates the thermally-conductive member and some of the thermal insulation unit. The outer portion includes thermally-insulating material and defines an opening. The inner portion is permanently bonded to the outer portion, with cavities defined therebetween. A product box is placed in the inner portion directly over the polymeric bag and the underlying thermally-conductive member. First temperature-control members are disposed within the inner portion, with at least one temperature-control member directly over the polymeric bag and the underlying thermally-conductive member. Second temperature-control members are disposed within the cavities.