Delivery container for temperature sensitive goods

Abstract

A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods is provided having sidewalls, a rear wall, top and bottom walls all of a heat insulated construction, an upright access opening opposite the rear wall and a door assembly for selectively closing the access opening. Multiple generally upright cavities are associated with the sidewalls and rear wall. A cooling gas distribution arrangement includes a refrigerant receiving recess ( 12 ) provided in a refrigerant support tray having surfaces ( 15 ) inclined downwardly towards an upper region of the sidewalls and rear wall for distributing cooling gases generated by refrigerant located in the refrigerant receiving recess ( 12 ) to openings communicating with the multiple upright cavities, in use. The door assembly preferably includes an uppermost panel ( 35 ) that opens separately from the balance ( 36, 37, 38 ) of the door to provide access to the refrigerant receiving recess ( 12 ) for installing or removing refrigerant whilst the rest of the door assembly remains closed.

1 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods, the delivery container having sidewalls, a rear wall, a top and a bottom wall all of a heat insulated construction, an upright access opening opposite the rear wall, a door assembly for selectively closing the access opening, and a cooling gas distribution arrangement including a refrigerant receiving recess in a top region of an interior of the container and multiple generally upright cavities associated with the sidewalls and rear wall, wherein the refrigerant receiving recess is provided in a refrigerant support tray having surfaces inclined downwardly towards an upper region of the sidewalls and rear wall of the delivery container for distributing cooling gases generated by refrigerant located in the refrigerant receiving recess to openings communicating with the multiple upright cavities, in use. 
     
     
         2 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which the refrigerant support tray is removable from the delivery container. 
     
     
         3 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which the multiple upright cavities are in the form of upright flutes between twin walls of an extruded plastics sheet. 
     
     
         4 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 3  in which the extruded plastics sheet is removable from the delivery container. 
     
     
         5 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which at least a part of the bottom of the refrigerant receiving recess is of a thermally conductive material with the balance of the support tray being of heat insulating material. 
     
     
         6 . A delivery container for refrigerated goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which the gas distribution arrangement includes a perforated gutter having a perforated metal section with an upper upright flange connected to an inwardly offset lower flange by way of an integral inclined web through which perforations pass. 
     
     
         7 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which the refrigerant support tray is removable in the manner of a drawer and the inclined surfaces are partially carried by a removable refrigerant support tray and partially by a ledge that extends inwards from the side wall and rear wall of the delivery container and that serves to support the tray. 
     
     
         8 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 1  in which the refrigerant support tray forms part of a support tray assembly that occupies the entire space between the side walls and rear wall and the downwardly inclined surfaces communicate directly with openings communicating with the multiple cavities 
     
     
         9 . A delivery container for temperature sensitive goods as claimed in  claim 8  in which the openings are the open ends of flutes of a fluted twin wall sheet. 
     
     
         10 - 15 . (canceled)