GB2406849A

GB2406849A - Insulated transport container

Info

Publication number: GB2406849A
Application number: GB0322482A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Colin Harrison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-09-25
Filing date: 2003-09-25
Publication date: 2005-04-13
Also published as: GB0322482D0

Abstract

A transport container comprises an Insulated Pallet 1 having a peripheral side; a containment of Flexible Insulation Material; and releasable means of securing the containment directly to the Insulated Pallet 1 with an overlap and abutment of the Flexible Insulation Material with the peripheral side of the Insulated Pallet 1 around the entire periphery thereof. The pallet 1 preferably comprises an expanded polystyrene core and a high impact polystyrene skin. The containment may comprise an outermost layer of heavy duty woven textile, an inner layer of moisture proof PVC, inner and outer foam-backed metallised layers and a central non-woven fibre layer secured together by stitching. The containment may be secured to the pallet by a sliding clasp fastener, a hook and loop fastener or hooks on the pallet 1 engageable with an elastic cord stitched to a hem of the containment.

Description

TRANSPORT CONTAINER

The present invention relates to a transport container, particularly, though not exclusively for goods to be transported by airfreight at a stable temperature.

Weight is at a premium in airfreight. Also aircraft hold temperature varies widely, being very cold in flight and subject to ambient temperature at airports. Thus temperature sensitive goods may require to be kept either cool or warm according to the stage of their journey.

In my patent No 2,281,772, I have disclosed flexible insulation for goods in transport, the insulation comprising a plurality of fabric and other layers. For use, this is stitched to suitable configuration and provided with flexible fasteners for securing around the goods to be insulated. In the case of air transport, we have provided an insulated floor, which is mounted on a pallet. The insulation weighs very little, but the floor and the pallet have significant weight, which is uneconomic.

Lightweight pallets of plastics material have become available. Their use still poses the challenge of how to minimise the weight of any superstructure on the pallet to connect the insulation material to the pallet.

In order to clarify the scope of the invention, I use the term "Flexible Insulation Material" to mean a multi-layer material having a variety of insulation properties and including an outer wear layer for protecting the more delicate inner layers, the layers being stitchable.

Further, by "Insulated Pallet", I mean a pallet of plastics material, having a continuous deck (in contradistinction to a conventional wooden pallet, which has gaps between its planks) and an outer skin surrounding a central void or foam interior, the insulation coming from the low conductivity of the skin and the void or foam in combination with the continuity of the deck.

e e eeve e e e e e e ee c e e e e e e e e 2 cue ee me ee Please note that the scope of the invention depends on the detail of neither the Flexible Insulation Material nor of the Insulated Pallet, both of which can take any known form.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved insulated transport container.

According to the invention there is provided a transport container comprising: an Insulated Pallet having a peripheral side; lo a containment of Flexible insulation Material; and releasable means of securing the containment directly to the Insulated Pallet with an overlap and abutment of the Flexible Insulation Material with the peripheral side of the Insulated Pallet around the entire periphery thereof.

It has surprisingly been found that, at least where the pallet is an Insulated Pallet, not only is there no requirement for additional insulation over the pallet as an insulated floor to the container; but also the releasable means holding the containment in direct overlapping abutment with the peripheral side of the pallet provides adequate thermal insulation at the interface between the pallet and the containment.

Whilst the preferred releasable securement is a hook and loop fastener, with the one band stitched to the containment and the other attached to the peripheral side of the pallet, other securements can be used. For instance, one band of a sliding clasp fastener can stitched to the securement and the other attached to the pallet. Again, elastic cord can be stitched into the hem of the securement and hooks for it secured to the pallet or indeed the pallet can be provided with integral hooks. It should be noted that in the last two alternatives, the inner most layer of the containment is in contact with the pallet, whereas in the preferred embodiment, the abutment of the securement is via the two hook and loop fastener bands. This is regarded as direct securement of the container to the pallet, insofar as no additional structure added to the pallet or the containment is provided. c

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C 3, .. . To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure l is a perspective view of a transport container according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a scrap cross-sectional v i ew of a securement of the containment to its pallet.

Referring to the drawings, the transport container comprises a pallet l and a lo containment 2 for goods (not shown) to be transported on the containment.

The pallet is an Insulated Pallet, comprising an expanded polystyrene core 11 with a high impact polystyrene skin 12 vacuum formed to it.

The containment is of Flexible Insulation Material, comprising an outermost wear layer 21 of heavy duty woven textile, an innermost moisture proof layer 22 of PVC sheet, inner and outer foam backed, metallised layers 23,24 and a central non woven fibre layer 25. These layers are secured together by stitching along edge hems and at corner joints as necessary.

The bottom hem 26 of the containment has a loop band 27 of hook and loop fastener stitched to it. Similarly the peripheral side 14 of the pallet has a complementary hook band 15 adhesively attached to it.

In use, the hook and loop fastening is closed, securing the containment directly to the pallet, with an overlap of the containment and the side, i.e. the containment extends below the top of the pallet. It should be noted that the containment directly abuts the side of the pallet, with the interposition of the hook and loop fastening only.

The bands are 50mm wide and it has surprisingly been found that heat loss or gain at the securement provided by the hook and loop fastener is negligible in terms of that through the rest of the container.

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As a practical matter, for loading of the container, one of the sides of the containment can be provided to be openable by means of further hook and loop fasteners provided along the corners between the sides or similarly placed sliding clasp fasteners, in both cases provided with substantial overlapping flaps.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance, the hook and loop securement between the containment and the pallet could be replaced by a sliding clasp fastener.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A transport container comprising: an Insulated Pallet having a

peripheral side; a containment of Flexible Insulation Material; and s releasable means of securing the containment directly to the Insulated Pallet with an overlap and abutment of the Flexible Insulation Material with the peripheral side of the Insulated Pallet around the entire periphery thereof.
2. A transport container as claimed in claim 1, wherein, releasable securement is a lo hook and loop fastener, with the one band stitched to the containment and the other attached to the peripheral side of the pallet.
3. A transport container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the releasable securement is a sliding clasp fastener, with one band stitched to the securement and the other attached to the pallet.

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4. A transport container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the releasble securement comprises elastic cord stitched into the hem of the securement and hooks for it secured to the pallet or the pallet being provided with integral hooks.
5. A transport container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.