Inflatable insulating liners for shipping containers

Abstract

An inflatable insulating panel consisting of a plurality of sheet-form polyolefin layers, and its manner of fabrication, is provided. An outer peripheral seal forms an inflatable panel, with an intermediate interconnected web of layers formed out of an array of alternating seams of attachment between the outer and intermediate adjacent layers. Upon inflation of the panel, the interconnected web expands to form a plurality of individual baffle chambers.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09 / 683,392, filed Dec. 20, 2001, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 60 / 257,919, filed Dec. 21, 2000, now abandoned.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002] 1. Field of the Invention[0003] The present invention relates to thermally insulated shipping container liners, and, more particularly, to container liners that are inflatable. More specifically, the present invention relates to an envelope composed of multiple layers of a polymeric material that, upon inflation, form baffled layers configured as an insulating panel, and to a method of forming same.[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art[0005] In the transportation and distribution of products, both the product and the package define the "shipping environment". While the corrugated fiberboard boxes, steel drums, wooden crates, and pallets have not changed significantly over the past 80 years, the shipping requirements of the ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] A further object of the present invention is to reduce costs previously associated with the use of EPS. One such cost reduction is achieved as a result of the greater thermal efficiency previously discussed. The enhanced thermal insulation characteristic obtained under the present baffled liner enables extended shipping times without compromising the quality of the thermally-sensitive cargo.

[0062] Additionally, the loops of the polyolefin film 162 running through the dancer assembly 168 serve to dampen variances in tension applied to the polyolefin film 162 as a result of either downstream process or variance in the unwind speed. If the loop becomes shortened because of a greater downstream use of the polyolefin film 162, a tension sensor 172 detects the shortened film length and signals the drive motor 142 of the feed roll 132 to increase its speed. Likewise, a lessening demand for the film results in a signal to slow or stop the drive motor 142.

Problems solved by technology

Such liquid is unwelcome to cargo air carriers, as it has the potential to be damaging to the airplane structure and cleanup can be quite expensive and time-consuming to accomplish.

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