Drop-stitch inflatable unit

Abstract

An article of manufacture, comprising an inflatable unit having at least a portion with a drop-stitch construction is provided. The inflatable unit may comprise a first inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a bottom wall, a second inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a plurality of side walls, and a third inflatable drop-stitch chamber defining a lid of the inflatable unit.

1 . An article of manufacture, comprising:
 a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion;   a plurality of foldable sections extending through a second pair of sides, the foldable sections enabling an angular position, with respect to the bottom portion, of each of the sides in the first pair of sides to be adjusted; and   an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides, wherein the article of manufacture only partially comprises drop-stitch construction and multiple sides have a common inflation chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , where the article is a shipping container. 
     
     
         3 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of foldable sections enable the first pair of sides to be arranged in an expanded configuration and a condensed configuration, in the expanded configuration distal ends of a first and second side in the first pair of sides are further away from the bottom portion when compared to distal ends of the first and second sides in the first pair of sides in the condensed configuration, and where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, a first and a second foldable section included in the plurality of foldable sections and positioned in one of the sides in the second pair of sides extend towards one another. 
     
     
         4 . The article of manufacture of  claim 3 , where, when the first pair of sides is in the condensed configuration, the inflation chamber is at least partially deflated; and where a volumetric size of the interior storage compartment is smaller in the condensed configuration than the expanded configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2 , where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, the plurality of foldable sections extends from an intersection between the bottom portion and the second pair of sides to an intersection between the second pair of sides and a top portion. 
     
     
         6 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , where the plurality of foldable sections is configured to crease in the condensed configuration; and where a range of the angular position may be at least from 0 to 90 degrees when measured from the bottom portion. 
     
     
         7 . The article of manufacture of  claim 1 , where the first pair of sides includes a first side opposing a second side and the second pair of sides includes a third side opposing a fourth side; and where the inflatable chamber is included in the first and second pairs of sides. 
     
     
         8 . An inflatable unit, comprising:
 a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion;   a first and a second foldable section extending through a second pair of sides, the first and second foldable sections enable the first pair of sides to be arranged in an expanded configuration and a condensed configuration, in the expanded configuration a first and second side in the first pair of sides are spaced away from the bottom portion and in the condensed configuration the first and second sides in the first pair of sides are adjacent to the bottom portion; and   an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides, wherein the inflatable unit only partially comprises drop-stitch construction and multiple sides have a common inflation chamber.   
     
     
         9 . The inflatable unit of  claim 8 , where, when the first pair of sides is in the expanded configuration, the plurality of foldable sections extends towards one another and in a vertical direction or where the first pair of sides includes a first side opposing a second side and the second pair of sides includes a third side opposing a fourth side; and where the inflation chamber is included in each side in the first and second pairs of sides. 
     
     
         10 . The inflatable unit of  claim 8 , where inflation of the inflation chamber moves the first pair of sides into the expanded configuration and deflation of the inflation chamber moves the first pair of sides into the condensed configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The inflatable unit of  claim 10  wherein the unit is a shipping container. 
     
     
         12 . A stack for shipping,
 comprising:
 a first unit having a first pair of sides extending from a bottom portion; 
   a plurality of foldable sections extending through a second pair of sides, the foldable sections enabling an angular position, with respect to the bottom portion, of each of the sides in the first pair of sides to be adjusted; and an inflation valve connected to an inflation chamber positioned between an interior storage compartment and an external layer, the inflation chamber positioned in one or more sides in the first pair of sides and the second pair of sides, wherein the article of manufacture only partially comprises drop-stitch construction and multiple sides have a common inflation chamber; and   a second unit, identical to the first unit, stacked vertically above the first unit.