Shock absorbing insulated shipping container

Abstract

An improved shock absorbing insulated shipping container including an external corrugated cardboard box, receiving an insulated body having a cavity for holding a one or more breakable glass bottles, which bottles may contain high value liquid product being shipped, such as medicine or wine, and also receiving an especially configured and constructed, shock-absorbing filling structure or partition system for separating the glass bottles from one another, and from one or more receptacle cavities for holding phase change coolant or temperature control material in a predetermined relationship to the glass bottles. The container also includes an insulating and cushioning cover adapted to engage into a top opening of the insulated body after the bottles and coolant are received in the cavity thereof. The insulated body is preferably formed from injection molded polyurethane, wrapped in a plastic film.

1 . A shock absorbing insulated shipping container for transporting a breakable, temperature sensitive product, the container comprising: 
 an insulated body having a cavity defining an opening;    a filling structure received into said cavity and defining at least one vertically extending receptacle for receiving the product;    said filling structure including a shape-retaining crushable structure extending between said receptacle and said insulated body and defining a peripheral cushion space extending about said receptacle; and    at said peripheral cushion space said shape-retaining crushable structure including a plurality of crushable wall end portions which are short in comparison to their thickness so at to be crushable along their length in plan view substantially without buckling, and said crushable wall end portions extending between said receptacle and said insulated body.    
   
   
       2 . The shipping container of  claim 1 , wherein the insulated body includes a bottom wall and side walls cooperating to define said cavity, said side walls cooperating to define an opening to said cavity which opening is substantially the same size in plan view as is said cavity.  
   
   
       3 . The shipping container of  claim 1 , wherein said filling structure includes a grid of vertically and horizontally extending walls, which walls are shape-retaining and also are deformable and crushable to absorb shocks.  
   
   
       4 . The shipping container of  claim 3 , wherein said walls are each formed of a sheet of corrugated cardboard folded double on itself.  
   
   
       5 . The shipping container of  claim 4 , wherein the walls are folded double on themselves to form an upper edge thereof at which fold said walls form an upwardly disposed smooth and rounded upper edge for each wall.  
   
   
       6 . The shipping container of  claim 4 , said structure extending toward said insulated body includes an end portion of each of said walls, which end portion is formed of cardboard on edge with respect to a shock extending in a direction substantially parallel to the respective wall, so that said end portion is crushable to absorb this shock.  
   
   
       7 . The shipping container of  claim 1 , wherein said container further includes an external box.  
   
   
       8 . The shipping container of  claim 7 , wherein said external box is formed of cardboard, and said insulated body is closely slidably received into said external box.  
   
   
       9 . A method of transporting a temperature sensitive product, the method comprising steps of: 
 providing a shock absorbing insulated shipping container by providing an external box;    providing an insulated body received into said box, said insulated body having a cavity defining an opening; providing a shock absorbing filling structure received into said cavity and defining at least one vertically extending receptacle for receiving the temperature sensitive product; said filling structure also providing a shape-retaining crushable structure extending between said receptacle and said insulated body and defining a peripheral cushion space extending about said receptacle; and    at said peripheral cushion space providing for said shape-retaining crushable structure to include a plurality of crushable wall end portions which are short in comparison to their thickness so at to be crushable along their length in plan view substantially without buckling, and disposing said crushable wall end portions so as to extend between said receptacle and said insulated body.    
   
   
       10 . An insulated and shock absorbing shipping container comprising: 
 a shape retaining insulated body formed of expanded polyurethane foam, said insulated body having a bottom wall and plural side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, and said side walls defining an opening to said cavity,    a shape retaining and also yieldable and crushable filling structure received into said cavity, said filling structure including a grid of interlocking walls cooperatively defining an array of plural parallel receptacles extending between said bottom wall and said opening, and said filling structure including cushioning and spacing structure extending outwardly there from toward said side walls of said insulated body, said cushioning and spacing structure defining a cushioning space extending about said array of plural receptacles; and    at said cushioning space said filling structure providing for said shape-retaining crushable filling structure including a plurality of crushable wall end portions which are short in comparison to their thickness so at to be crushable along their length in plan view substantially without buckling, and said crushable wall end portions extending between said receptacles and said insulated body.    
   
   
       11 . The insulated shipping container of  claim 10 , wherein said filling structure includes a first plurality of substantially similar walls extending in a first direction, and a second plurality of substantially similar walls extending in a second direction substantially perpendicularly to said first direction, and said first plurality of walls and said second plurality of walls interlocking with one another to form a shape retaining grid of walls, and said spacing structure including each of said first and said second plurality of walls including an outwardly extending end portion disposed outwardly of said array of receptacles and extending toward a side wall of said insulated body, and said end portions of said first and second plurality of walls each being shape retaining and each also being selectively crushable to absorb shock.  
   
   
       12 . An insulated and shock absorbing shipping container, especially for shipping fine wine in breakable and delicate glass bottles, for preventing external scuffing of the bottles and their labels, for preventing breakage of the bottles in transit, and for maintaining the wine within a predetermined temperature range during transit, said shipping container comprising: an external cardboard box defining an upwardly disposed opening to an internal space having a height dimension, and said box including flaps for closing said opening; 
 a chambered insulated body formed of foamed polymer which is shape retaining and only slightly yieldable, said insulated body including a bottom wall, and plural side walls having a height dimension substantially matching the height dimension of said internal space, and said side walls and bottom wall cooperatively defining a cavity within said insulated body, and said side walls defining an upwardly disposed opening matching said cavity in plan view, said insulated body being slidably received into said cardboard box;    a filling structure slidably received into said cavity and having a grid of vertically and horizontally extending walls interlocking to define at least one vertically extending receptacle for receiving a delicate and breakable glass bottle containing fine wine;    said filling structure including a shape-retaining crushable structure extending between said receptacle thereof and said insulated body and defining a peripheral cushion space extending about said receptacle;    at said peripheral cushion space said shape-retaining crushable structure including a plurality of crushable wall end portions which are short in comparison to their thickness so at to be crushable along their length in plan view substantially without buckling, and said crushable wall end portions extending between said receptacle and said insulated body; and    a shape retaining and resilient insulated cover member adapted to engage into the open end of the insulated body, and to receive embedded therein an upwardly extending neck portion of the glass bottle.    
   
   
       13 . The shock absorbing and insulated shipping container of  claim 12  wherein said shape-retaining crushable structure extending between said filling structure and said receptacle and defining a peripheral cushion space extending about said receptacle includes each of said walls of said grid of interlocked walls of said filling structure including an end portion extending horizontally outwardly of a wall portion of said gird which is adjacent to said insulated body, said end portion spacing said wall which is adjacent to said insulated body away from said insulated body, and said end portion of said wall being shape retaining but having a selected crushability, so as to maintain said cushion space, and to be crushable in response to shock applied to said shipping container.