Insulating packaging system using cellulose materials

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a temperature insulating packaging system and associated methods of manufacture and use that can be used for the transport of fresh produce. The insulating insert (100) is formed by folding one or more pieces of cellulosic raw material along predetermined fold lines (122, 124) and fold slots (120) to form the insert in a folded configuration suitable for insertion as an insulating liner within a container for use in transport.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to insulating inserts formed from cellulosic materials and packaging systems incorporating such inserts. [Background technology]

[0002] A temperature-controlled supply chain (sometimes referred to as a cold chain) is often required to extend the shelf life of some perishable products from manufacture to distribution. For example, an uninterrupted cold chain generally involves an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution operations, thereby consistently maintaining the product's environment within a desired relatively low temperature range. As a result, packaging materials used in cold chain transportation are often required to maintain the product's environment within a desired relatively low temperature range for extended periods of time, thereby ensuring that the product's temperature is maintained within the appropriate temperature range throughout the entire duration of the cold chain, from manufacture to end use.

[0003] Products requiring cold chain shipping are typically cooled prior to shipping and placed in thermally insulating material, with only a small amount of ice or coolant to absorb heat that flows through the insulation from the environment outside the package. For many years, molded expanded polystyrene ("EPS") containers have been used as thermal insulation material for cold chain shipping. Perishable goods, for example, are typically placed in an EPS container (e.g., a cooler) and then placed in a cardboard shipping box.

[0004] Although EPS containers provide sufficient insulating qualities and are generally lightweight, they do have their problems. For example, EPS is a "foamed" incompressible material consisting of many small air bubbles formed in a matrix of polystyrene. Thus, the low volumetric efficiency of EPS increases transportation costs when transporting empty containers to the point of use, increases warehousing costs when storing containers prior to use, and provides containers that are often larger than may be needed to contain the product, thereby increasing transportation costs and product transportation costs by requiring more refrigeration.

[0005] Various environmental concerns have also been raised regarding EPS packaging due to growing environmental concerns, including, for example, global warming and excessive packaging waste. For example, the low volumetric efficiency of EPS results in a large amount of packaging waste material that needs to be recycled and / or disposed of. Additionally, EPS is relatively difficult to recycle.

[0006] As a result, various "green" or environmentally friendly packaging insulation materials have been developed for cold chain transportation applications using expanded air, expanded cornstarch, or recycled EPS foam. However, such "green" options generally still lack satisfactory volumetric efficiency, e.g., product size relative to package size, and viable options for easy recycling. Therefore, to replace traditional EPS and other insulating packaging materials, it would be desirable to provide an insulating packaging system that is not only made from renewable resources, but also provides sufficient insulating quality and volumetric efficiency, and is relatively easy to manufacture. Various objects, features, characteristics, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be more readily understood from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, all of which form a part hereof. In the drawings, like reference numerals may be utilized to designate corresponding or similar parts in the various views and the various elements shown are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1A] 1A and 1B show an overview of a packaging system including a container formed from a cellulosic material and an insulating insert, with FIGS. 1A and 1B showing the packaging system in a partially exploded view and FIG. 1C showing the packaging system with the insulating insert disposed within the container. [Figure 1B] 1A and 1B show an overview of a packaging system including a container formed from a cellulosic material and an insulating insert, with FIGS. 1A and 1B showing the packaging system in a partially exploded view and FIG. 1C showing the packaging system with the insulating insert disposed within the container. [Figure 1C] 1A and 1B show an overview of a packaging system including a container formed from a cellulosic material and an insulating insert, with FIGS. 1A and 1B showing the packaging system in a partially exploded view and FIG. 1C showing the packaging system with the insulating insert disposed within the container. [Figure 2A] 2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2B] 2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2C]2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2D] 2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2E] 2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2F] 2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 2G]2A shows an embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, with FIG. 2A showing an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 2B-2F showing the insert at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded configuration suitable for insertion into a container, and FIG. 2G showing the insert in the completed folded configuration. [Figure 3A] 3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 3B] 3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 3C] 3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 3D]3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 3E] 3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 3F] 3A shows another embodiment of an insert formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate the interior volume of a container, where FIG. 3A shows an exemplary cellulosic raw material with features that enable folding, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert portions at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic raw material into a folded insert portion, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions to form a combined insert suitable for insertion into a container. [Figure 4] A and B represent multi-layer paperboard materials that may be utilized to form the insulating liners disclosed herein, the multi-layer material comprising alternating layers of embossed and flat sheets joined to form an effective insulating cellulosic material. [Diagram 5]1 compares the manufacturing process for forming a conventional sleeve-based insulating insert ("Insert A") with the manufacturing process for forming the insulating insert described herein ("Insert B"). [Figure 6] 1 shows a comparison of the insulating properties of a conventional cellulose-based insulating packaging liner and the cellulose material used in the insulating packaging system described herein. [Figure 7] 1 is a graph plotting temperature over time for a conventional packaging configuration incorporating a sleeve-based liner (A), an otherwise similar packaging system incorporating an insulating insert as described herein (B), and a standard Styrofoam cooler of similar size. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Overview of the thermal insulation packaging system The present disclosure relates to temperature insulating packaging systems and related methods of manufacture and use that can be used for the transportation of perishable materials that must be transported at controlled temperatures to maintain viability, efficacy, or usefulness, such as biological materials, food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, etc. Such packaging systems can be used, for example, as part of a cold chain transportation process.

[0009] The disclosed packaging systems are preferably formed from, or at least primarily formed from, cellulosic materials, the use of which is beneficial in minimizing or avoiding the use of traditional packaging insulation materials, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and / or other polymers, which are difficult to recycle, are not suitable for composting, and contribute significantly to perpetuating landfill waste.

[0010] The disclosed packaging system is an improvement over conventional insulating packaging systems, many of which, as discussed above, incorporate EPS or other polymeric materials that are difficult to recycle, compost, or reuse in other sustainable ways.

[0011] Other packaging systems utilize cellulosic materials to circumvent such problems, but these cellulose-based packaging systems often have significantly inferior insulating performance compared to their polymer-based counterparts. Furthermore, previous cellulose-based insulating packaging systems often required relatively complex manufacturing steps to convert suitable cellulosic raw material pieces (such as paperboard) into a folded configuration capable of acting as a liner for placement within a container (such as a standard cardboard box).

[0012] For example, conventional cellulose-based insulating packaging systems may require an outer cover or sleeve that must be wrapped or otherwise encircled around an inner layer of cellulose material. Such an arrangement complicates the manufacturing process by requiring additional manufacturing steps. In contrast, the disclosed insulating insert is designed such that the unfolded insert can be converted through a relatively simple folding process into a folded configuration that can be inserted into a container.

[0013] Another limitation of conventional cellulose-based insulating packaging systems relates to the construction of the insert to obtain sufficient thickness. Cellulosic materials, such as paperboard, generally have a uniform thickness for a given piece of raw material. Of course, the cellulose raw material can be layered until a desired thickness is obtained, but it can be difficult to place layers in specific desired areas of the insert without adding excess thickness to other areas. The insulating inserts disclosed herein are beneficially constructed to provide sufficient stacking of the cellulose raw material, and therefore sufficient thickness of the insert, as a direct result of the simple folding process that places the insert in its folded configuration.

[0014] Of course, the cellulosic raw material could be cut into separate pieces and arranged as desired using glue, tape, etc., but this adds undesirable complexity to the manufacturing process. In contrast, the disclosed insulation inserts are configured such that at least the bottom and sidewall portions of the insert are readily formed from one or two pieces of cellulosic raw material without the need to cut and re-glue separate panels and without the use of glue, tape, or other adhesives.

[0015] Certain embodiments are particularly useful for insulating a cold source and one or more items for transportation when the cold source is solid carbon dioxide, known as "dry ice." Many items, such as biological materials, chemical reagents, and the like, are shipped with dry ice as opposed to ice packs or other cold sources due to regulatory and / or shipping temperature requirements. The insulating inserts described herein beneficially form a multi-layered bottom portion having additional thickness relative to the sidewall or top portions of the insert. For example, as described in more detail below, the inserts can be folded such that the bottom portion has four layers and the sidewalls have three layers. This beneficially provides additional insulation where most of the heat transfer is likely to occur when dry ice is used as the cold source (due to the higher density of carbon dioxide compared to dry air).

[0016] 1A-1C show an exemplary packaging system including an insulating insert 100 and a container 102. The insert 100 is formed from a cellulosic material and includes a bottom 116 and a sidewall 118. The insert 100 is shown here in a completed final folded configuration suitable for insertion into the container 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the insert 100 may be completed by placing a top portion 105 on or in contact with the sidewall 118, which is sized to rest on or fit within the sidewall 118 to completely enclose the interior volume to be insulated. The top portion 105 may be made from the same type of raw material as the other portions of the insert 100. In other embodiments, the top portion 105 may be made from a different raw material as compared to the other portions of the insert 100.

[0017] As described in more detail below, the insert 100 may be provided as an unfolded section of cellulosic feedstock that can be folded into the folded configuration shown. The unfolded insert beneficially includes features that minimize the time and effort required to convert it to the folded configuration shown in Figures 1A-1C. Furthermore, even if the unfolded insert is initially provided as a single layer of cellulosic feedstock, the insert 100 is configured to provide multiple layers of cellulosic material when formed into the folded configuration.

[0018] The container 102 is shown here as a standard cubic "box" with a typical movable flap 103 to access the interior volume of the container 102. The insulating insert 100 described herein is not limited to such containers 102. For example, packaging containers having circular, curvilinear, rectangular, or other polygonal cross-sectional shapes may be utilized. The size of the container 102, and therefore the size of the interior volume, may vary depending in part on the size of the item being shipped and the period for which the item needs to be insulated / cooled. In some embodiments, the container 102 has an interior volume of about 1,500 cm 3 , 3,000cm 3 , 8,000cm 3 , 0.027m 3 , 0.125m 3 or within a range with endpoints defined by any two of the preceding values. Other volumes may be used.

[0019] The container 102 and / or insert 100 may be formed from a variety of materials, such as one or more sheets of a cellulosic material, such as wood, cotton, cloth, and / or paper. More commonly, the container 102 and / or insert is constructed from one or more sheets of paper, such as paperboard. Paperboard may have no corrugation, known as "flat," corrugated, or combinations thereof. Paperboard typically includes cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard. Thus, the container 102 may be a conventional cardboard shipping box. The materials used to form the container 102 are typically foldable and have a thickness ranging from 0.8 mm to 5 mm, more commonly 0.8 mm to 3 mm, or 1 mm to 3 mm. Other thicknesses may be used depending on the needs of a particular application.

[0020] In some embodiments, the container 102 and / or the insert includes a water-impermeable coating on the respective exterior and / or interior surfaces. The coating may be, for example, a polymer. The coating is preferably a biodegradable polymeric material, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), such as poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), poly-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHV), and polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHH), polylactides (PLA), polysaccharide-based polymers that may be based on starch, cellulose, chitosan, and / or alginate, including cellulose acetate, or other suitable polymers that are at least more biodegradable than conventional petroleum-based polymers, as well as copolymers thereof. The coating may be sprayed, painted, printed, or otherwise applied during or after the formation of the raw materials used to form the insert 100 and / or the container 102. The coating may also be applied during the formation of the insert 100 and / or the container 102 or after the insert 100 and / or the container 102 are formed.

[0021] The packaging system may further include a cold source and one or more transport items. The cold source and one or more transport items may be disposed within an insulating insert 100, which is received within the container 102 and functions to insulate the cold source and one or more transport items by covering the interior surface of the container 102. Examples of items or materials that can be transported with the disclosed packaging system include biological materials, food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and other materials that need to be transported at lower temperatures to maintain their viability. Examples of biological materials include reagents, cell cultures, vaccines, cryopreserved cells, competent cells, proteins, enzymes, and antibodies.

[0022] The cold source may include dry ice, ice, one or more gel packs, a phase change material, other cold sources for keeping materials cooled for a relatively short period of time, and combinations thereof. Dry ice is typically used in pellets, slabs, or other desired shapes and sizes. The cold source may also include a separate container in which the dry ice, ice, frozen gel packs, and phase change material are housed. Examples of such containers include bags, bottles, plastic containers, etc.

[0023] In some embodiments, the container 102 may be omitted or replaced with a bag, carton, shell, canister, or other form of outer packaging structure. In some embodiments, more than one container 102 may be included. For example, one or more additional containers may be utilized as a safety measure in case the insert 100 and / or the innermost container 102 fails.

[0024] As mentioned above, the size of the container 102 depends on the size of the item or items being shipped and the period of time the item(s) need to be kept cold. That is, the larger the size of the item(s) and / or the longer the time the item(s) need to be kept cold, the larger the size of the container 102. Increasing the size of the container 102 provides more space for additional cold sources. The packaging system is generally configured to maintain the contents therein at a temperature of less than about 11° C., 8° C., 2° C., or −10° C. for at least 10 hours, 15 hours, 20 hours, 30 hours, 40 hours, 50 hours, or a range of time between any two of the aforementioned values. Of course, the conditions also depend on other factors, such as the expected ambient temperature.

[0025] In some embodiments, not all of the space within the insert 100 is needed. In such situations, filler material can be placed within the insert 100 to occupy the unnecessary space. In some embodiments, the filler material includes conventional dunnage, batting, stuffing, or other packing materials used to occupy space, and is generally recyclable and / or biodegradable.

[0026] Exemplary Insulation Inserts 2A-2G show an embodiment of an insert 100 formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate an interior volume of a container. FIG. 2A shows the insert 100 as a single, unfolded piece of cellulosic raw material. As shown, the insert 100 includes a top edge 104, a bottom edge 106, a left edge 108, and a right edge 110. As used herein, the direction extending from the top edge 104 to the bottom edge 106 and vice versa is referred to as the longitudinal direction (V), and the direction extending from the left edge 108 to the right edge 110 and vice versa is referred to as the transverse direction (L). In other words, the longitudinal direction (V) is substantially parallel to the left edge 108 and the right edge 110, while the transverse direction (L) is substantially parallel to the top edge 104 and the bottom edge 106.

[0027] The illustrated insert 100 includes a plurality of folding slots 120. Each folding slot 120 begins at the bottom edge 106 and extends longitudinally toward the top edge 104 until it reaches a folding slot terminus 121. Each folding slot 120 also defines longitudinal fold lines 122 (one of which is shown in phantom). Each longitudinal fold line 122 extends longitudinally from a corresponding folding slot terminus 121 toward the top edge 104. Each folding slot 120 also defines a primary transverse fold line 124 (best seen in FIG. 2B). Each primary transverse fold line 124 extends transversely from a corresponding folding slot terminus 121 (or a region substantially proximate terminus 121) toward the left edge 108 and / or right edge 110. The illustrated embodiment shows primary transverse fold lines 124 extending from the fold slot ends 121 toward the left edge 108 , with a rightmost primary transverse fold line 124 extending from the right edge 110 toward the rightmost fold slot 120 .

[0028] The sections of insert 100 disposed below each primary transverse fold line 124 (also referred to interchangeably herein as "panels" of insert 100) are defined as bottom sections 112, and the sections above each primary transverse fold line 124 are defined as sidewall sections 114. Folding insert 100 along primary transverse fold lines 124 and along longitudinal fold lines 122 forms a folded configuration (see FIG. 2G) having sidewalls 118 formed by sidewall sections 114 and an insert bottom 116 formed by bottom section 112.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, each folding slot 120 has a slightly different length such that each primary transverse fold line 124 is longitudinally offset from the other primary transverse fold lines 124. In other words, the distance from the bottom edge 106 is different for each primary transverse fold line 124 and the distance from the top edge 104 is different for each primary transverse fold line 124. In a preferred embodiment, the folding slots 120 are arranged at successively shorter or longer lengths such that the primary transverse fold lines 124 are successively lower or higher.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, each folding slot 120 is successively shorter than the previous one from the left edge 108 to the right edge 110. Accordingly, each primary transverse fold line 124 is successively lower than the previous one from the left edge 108 to the right edge 110. The vertical offset distance from one primary transverse fold line 124 to the next may be approximately the same as the thickness of the cellulosic feedstock used to form the insert 100. As described below, this beneficially allows the bottom sections 112 to overlap one another to form the multi-layered bottom 116 when the insert 100 is converted to a folded configuration.

[0031] The illustrated insert 100 also includes a series of notches 130. As shown, the notches 130 may be vertically aligned with the corresponding folding slots 120 (and thus the corresponding vertical fold lines 122). One of the notches 130 is an edge notch 130' that coincides partially with one of the side edges of the insert 100 (in this example, the left edge 108). Thus, the edge notch 130' is open to one side, but otherwise functions similarly to the other notches 130. Thus, any general reference to the notch(es) 130 is intended to include the edge notch 130' unless otherwise specified.

[0032] Each notch 130 is positioned to locate at a corner edge of a sidewall 118 when the insert is formed into a folded configuration. The notches 130 are wider (laterally) than the folding slots 120. Each notch 130 provides room to allow adjacent sections of the insert 100 to fold along a corresponding longitudinal fold line 122 with enough room to form a corner edge where the adjacent sections of the sidewall 118 meet.

[0033] The notches 130 in the illustrated embodiment are located between the primary transverse fold line 124 and the top edge 104 of the insert 100. As illustrated, the notches 130 (except for the edge notches 130') do not extend all the way to the top edge 104. However, in other embodiments, one or more of the notches 130 extend all the way to the top edge 104 to form an open end. The notches 130 are typically the same size, although in other embodiments, an insert may have notches 130 of different sizes.

[0034] The illustrated notches 130 are aligned with one another along the lateral direction, i.e., the bottom edges of each notch 130 are aligned with one another and the top edges of each notch 130 are aligned with one another. Other embodiments may include misaligned notches 130. However, aligned notches 130 are preferred in order to properly position the notches 130 to aid in the formation of corner edges when the insert 100 is converted to the folded configuration.

[0035] For each notch 130, the distance between the top edge of the notch 130 and the top edge 104 of the insert 100 is less than or equal to the length of the notch 130. Similarly, for each notch 130, the distance between the bottom edge of the notch 130 and the corresponding primary transverse fold line 124 is less than or equal to the length of the notch 130. This positioning of the notches 130 relative to the primary transverse fold lines 124 and the top edge 104 ensures that the notches 130 will be located at corner edges of the side walls 118 when the insert 100 is folded.

[0036] An exemplary process for converting the unfolded insert 100 (shown in FIG. 2A ) to a folded configuration (shown in FIG. 2G ) will now be described. One or more of the various fold lines, such as the longitudinal fold line 122, the primary transverse fold line 124, the upper secondary fold line 126, and the lower secondary fold line 128, may be, but need not be, pre-scored to facilitate subsequent folding during the manufacturing process and / or by the user. Some fold lines may be shown as two adjacent parallel lines, but this is intended to illustrate the curvature along the fold line once folded, and for simplicity herein such lines will be referred to as a single fold line. Such curvature will vary depending on the thickness of the cellulose raw material used.

[0037] 2A, the insert 100 includes an upper secondary fold line 126 that is substantially aligned with the upper edge of the notch 130. The upper secondary fold line 126 extends laterally from the left edge 108 to the right edge 110 of the insert 100. The cellulosic raw material of the insert 100 is folded along the upper secondary fold line 126 to the configuration shown in FIG. 2B. As shown, folding along the upper secondary fold line 126 essentially serves to add another layer to the sidewall section 114 of the insert.

[0038] 2B, the insert 100 includes a lower secondary fold line 128 that is substantially aligned with the lower edge of the notch 130. The lower secondary fold line 128 extends laterally from the left edge 108 to the right edge 110 of the insert 100. The cellulosic raw material of the insert 100 is folded along the lower secondary fold line 128 to the configuration shown in FIG. 2C. Folding along the lower secondary fold line 128 essentially serves to add another layer to the sidewall section 114 of the insert 100.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2C, sidewall section 114 will have three layers, except in the area corresponding to notch 130. Folding slots 120 define and separate bottom sections 112. Folding approximately 90 degrees along each of primary transverse fold lines 124 will orient each bottom section 112 upwardly toward its corresponding sidewall section 114, essentially forming a right angle, resulting in the configuration of Figures 2D and 2E.

[0040] Figure 2D shows a front perspective view of insert 100 at this stage of the folding process, while Figure 2E shows a rear perspective view. These views show that each bottom section 112 is offset in height from the others as a result of the vertical offset between each primary transverse fold line 124. These views further show that sidewall section 114 has three layers, except in the area corresponding to notch 130.

[0041] 2D and 2E, insert 100 may be folded inwardly along longitudinal fold lines 122 (as shown in FIG. 2F) to overlap bottom sections 112 together and bring sidewall sections 114 together to form the periphery of the completed insert. Gaps corresponding to notches 130 provide space for the multi-layered portions of sidewall sections 114 to contact one another during folding and form a complete, essentially continuous, multi-layered sidewall periphery. In other words, once folded, substantially the entire inner surface of sidewall 118 is multi-layered, with the single-layered portions disposed along the outer surfaces of the corner edges.

[0042] Thus, the folded configuration shown in FIG. 2G includes side walls 118 having three layers of cellulose raw material and bottom 116 having four layers of cellulose raw material. The multi-layer structure beneficially increases the insulating capacity of the insert 100 while still allowing the initial unfolded piece of cellulose raw material to be of a relatively small thickness suitable for folding. In other words, other insulating inserts having similar wall thicknesses can be made by first forming the walls to the desired thickness and then assembling the walls, but such inserts cannot be made from a uniform piece of cellulose raw material. That is, the disclosed insert 100 can be formed from an initial thinner piece of raw material suitable for folding and easy manufacturing, but nevertheless forms an insert of appropriate thickness when folded.

[0043] 3A-3F show another embodiment of an insert 200 formed from a cellulosic material and configured to insulate an interior volume of a container. Insert 200 (and its subpart insert portion 201) shares many features with insert 100 described above. Thus, the above description of insert 100 is applicable to insert 200 and insert portion 201 unless otherwise noted.

[0044] FIG. 3A shows insert portion 201 as an unfolded piece of cellulosic feedstock, FIGS. 3B-3D show insert 200 at various stages of an exemplary folding process for converting the cellulosic feedstock into folded insert portion 201, FIG. 3E shows the completed folded insert portion 201, and FIG. 3F shows the joining of two insert portions 201 to form the completed folded insert 200 suitable for insertion into a container.

[0045] Similar to the insert 100, the insert portion 201 includes a top edge 204, a bottom edge 206, a left edge 208, and a right edge 210. The longitudinal (V) and transverse (L) directions are defined as above. The illustrated insert portion 201 includes a single fold slot 220. The fold slot 220 begins at the bottom edge 206 and extends longitudinally toward the top edge 204 until it reaches a fold slot termination 221. The fold slot 220 defines a longitudinal fold line 222 that extends longitudinally from the fold slot termination 221 toward the top edge 204.

[0046] The folding slot 220 also defines two primary transverse fold lines 224 (best seen in FIG. 3B ). Each primary transverse fold line 224 extends laterally from the folding slot terminus 221 toward the left edge 208 and the right edge 210, respectively. The section of the insert portion 201 disposed below the primary transverse fold lines 224 is defined as the bottom section 212, and the section above each primary transverse fold line 224 is defined as the sidewall section 214. In the illustrated embodiment, each primary transverse fold line 224 is longitudinally offset from the other. In other words, the distance from the bottom edge 206 is different for each primary transverse fold line 224, and the distance from the top edge 204 is different for each primary transverse fold line 224.

[0047] The vertical offset distance from one primary transverse fold line 224 to the other may be approximately the same as the thickness of the cellulosic feedstock material used to form the insert portion 201. This beneficially allows the bottom sections 212 to overlap one another when the insert portion 201 is converted to the folded configuration.

[0048] The illustrated insert portion 201 also includes a pair of notches 230. As shown, the notches 230 may be vertically aligned with the folding slots 220 (and thus the corresponding vertical fold lines 222). One of the notches 230 is an edge notch 230' that partially coincides with one of the side edges of the insert portion 201 (the left edge 208 in this example). Thus, the edge notch 230' is open to one side, but otherwise functions similarly to the other notches 230. Thus, any general reference to the notch(es) 230 is intended to include the edge notch 230' unless otherwise specified.

[0049] The notch 230 is positioned to be located at a corner edge of the sidewall 218 when the insert portion 201 is formed into the folded configuration. The notch 230 is wider (laterally) than the folding slot 220. The notch 230 provides room to allow adjacent sections of the insert portion 201 to fold along the longitudinal fold line 222 with enough room to form a corner edge where the adjacent sections of the sidewall 218 meet.

[0050] The notches 230 in the illustrated embodiment are located between the primary transverse fold line 224 and the top edge 204. As shown, the non-edge notches 230 do not extend to the top edge 204, while the edge notches 230' extend to the top edge 204. One or both of the notches 230 may extend all the way to the top edge 204 to form an open end, or neither may extend. The notches 230 are typically the same size, although other embodiments may include notches 130 of different sizes.

[0051] The distance between the top edge of notch 230 and top edge 204 of insert portion 201 is less than or equal to the length of notch 230. Similarly, the distance between the bottom edge of notch 230 and primary transverse fold line 224 is less than or equal to the length of notch 230. This location of notch 230 relative to primary transverse fold line 224 and top edge 204 ensures that notch 230 will be located at a corner edge of side wall 218 when insert portion 201 is folded.

[0052] 3A, the insert portion 201 includes an upper secondary fold line 226 that is substantially aligned with the upper edge of the notch 230. The upper secondary fold line 226 extends laterally from the left edge 208 to the right edge 210 of the insert portion 201. The cellulosic raw material of the insert portion 201 is folded along the upper secondary fold line 226 to result in the configuration shown in FIG. 3B. As shown, folding along the upper secondary fold line 226 essentially serves to add another layer to the sidewall section 214.

[0053] 3B, the insert portion 201 includes a lower secondary fold line 228 that is substantially aligned with the lower edge of the notch 230. The lower secondary fold line 228 extends laterally from the left edge 208 to the right edge 210 of the insert portion 201. The cellulosic raw material is folded along the lower secondary fold line 228 and along the primary transverse fold lines 224 (approximately 90 degrees such that each bottom section 212 is oriented upwardly toward its corresponding sidewall section 214) to result in the configuration shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3C and 3D, the sidewall section 214 will have three layers, except in the area corresponding to the notch 230. Figure 3C shows a front perspective view of the insert portion 201 at this stage in the folding process, while Figure 3D shows a rear perspective view. These views show that the bottom sections 212 are offset in height from one another as a result of the vertical offset between each of the primary transverse fold lines 224.

[0055] The sidewall section 214 in the illustrated embodiment includes a neck section 209 disposed below the multi-layer portion of the sidewall section 214 and extending to the bottom section 212. The neck section 209 may be utilized to provide clearance to receive the bottom section 212 of another insert portion 201, as shown in FIG. 3F. Alternatively, the neck section 209 may be omitted or reduced in height. In some embodiments, the sidewall section 214 may be folded one or more additional times to incorporate the neck section 209 into another layer of the sidewall section 214.

[0056] From the configuration of Figures 3C and 3C, the insert portion 201 may be folded inwardly along the longitudinal fold lines 222 to overlap the bottom sections 212 together and bring the sidewall sections 214 together to form the folded configuration of the sidewall portion 201 as shown in Figure 3E. The gaps corresponding to the notches 230 provide space for the multi-layered portions of the sidewall sections 214 to contact each other during folding and form complete, essentially gap-free corner edges. Thus, the folded configuration shown in Figure 3E includes a sidewall 218 having three layers of cellulosic raw material and a bottom 216 having two layers of cellulosic raw material.

[0057] 3F shows the combination of two insert parts 201a and 201b to form a combined insert 200 suitable for insertion into a container. The bottom sections 212a, 212b of the separate insert parts 201a, 201b may be stacked on top of one another to form a four-layer combined bottom 216. The bottom sections 212a, 212b may, for example, be stacked alternately with each other or simply stacked two by two. In other words, the layer of the combined bottom 216 may include, from top to bottom, a bottom section 212a from the first insert part 201a, a bottom section 212b from the second insert part 201b, another bottom section 212a from the first insert part 201a, and finally another bottom section 212b from the second insert part 201b. Alternatively, the layers of the combined bottom 216 may include, from top to bottom, a bottom section 212a from a first insert part 201a, another bottom section 212a from the first insert part 201a, a bottom section 212b from the second insert part 201b, and finally another bottom section 212b from the second insert part 201b.

[0058] The sidewall sections 214a, 214b of the separate insert parts 201a, 201b may be aligned such that the receiving sidewall edges 231a and 231b (corresponding to the respective edge notches 230') receive the multi-layered sidewall edges 233a and 233b of the opposing insert parts 201a, 201b. In other words, the receiving sidewall edge 231a of the first insert part 201a contacts the multi-layered sidewall edge 233b of the second insert part 201b, and the receiving sidewall edge 231b of the second insert part 201b contacts the multi-layered sidewall edge 233a of the first insert part 201a. The resulting insert 200 is similar to the insert 100 and can be similarly used to insulate a container, as described above with reference to Figures 1A and 1B.

[0059] Example of cellulosic material composition 4A and 4B show an exemplary paperboard material 300 that may be utilized to form the insulating liner disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, material 300 is utilized as the cellulosic feedstock for any of the inserts shown in FIGS. 2A-3F. For example, the unfolded inserts of FIGS. 2A and 3A may be formed from material 300. Material 300 includes multiple layers. Thus, the various layers of material 300, which will be described in more detail below, are distinct from the layers formed by folding the cellulosic feedstock to transform it into a final folded configuration. In other words, folding of the cellulosic feedstock may form different layers within the insert, but the cellulosic feedstock itself may include multiple layers formed from different sheets.

[0060] The illustrated material 300 includes alternating layers of embossed sheets 340 and flat sheets 342 joined to form an effective insulating cellulose raw material. In the illustrated embodiment, as best shown in FIG. 4B, the embossed sheet 340 includes a first embossed portion 344 that projects upwardly (thus forming a downward opening) and a second embossed portion 346 that projects downwardly (thus forming an upward opening).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 4B, the first and second embossments 344, 346 may be arranged in alternating rows and columns such that along a given row or column, the direction in which the embossments protrude alternates. Other embodiments may include other embossed configurations. For example, some embodiments may include embossments that all (or substantially all) protrude in the same direction. Some embodiments may include embossments that protrude in different directions, but are not arranged in alternating rows and columns in a grid pattern. For example, some embodiments may alternate only in rows, only in columns, in other patterns, or randomly. Although the embossments 344, 346 are depicted as having a hemispherical shape, other suitable shapes are possible.

[0062] The sheets 340, 342 may have a thickness of less than 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.25 mm, or 0.15 mm, or a range between any two of the aforementioned values. Other thicknesses may be used. One common way to measure paper is "pounds bond," which is the weight in pounds per 500 sheets. In some embodiments, the sheets 340, 342 may have a pound bond measurement of about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30, or a range between any two of the aforementioned values. Other measurements may be used.

[0063] The alternating embossed sheets 340 and flat sheets 342 may be secured together by an adhesive. Any number of alternating layers of flat sheets 3421 and embossed sheets 340 may be used. For example, the total number of vertically stacked sheets secured together may be about 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 sheets, or a range between any two of the foregoing values.

[0064] The illustrated cellulosic material 300 beneficially includes small isolated cavities in which air pockets are created, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency of the material 300. The structure of the material 300 also serves to restrict air flow. Additionally, as a result of the sheets 340, 342 being secured together by the adhesive, the material 300 has increased rigidity, thereby reducing the likelihood that the cavities or pockets will be compressed or otherwise destroyed during use of a packaging system incorporating the material 300.

[0065] 5 compares the manufacturing process for forming a sleeve-based heat resistant insert, e.g., liner 14A, disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 245,781, now U.S. Patent No. 11,511,927, herein designated as Insert "A," with the manufacturing process for forming an insulating insert, described in Figures 2A-2G herein, herein designated as Insert "B." As shown, forming Insert A requires an initial folding step (Step 1), inserting an insulating sheet (Step 2), folding an outer sleeve around the sheet and adhering the sleeve in an enclosed configuration (Step 3), folding separate liner portions and joining them to form a completed liner (Step 4), and placing the completed liner insulating material into a container / box (Step 5).

[0066] In contrast, forming Insert B involves an initial folding step (Step 1), which involves folding along the horizontal fold lines, folding along the vertical fold lines and overlapping the bottom sections together, e.g., via a "rolling technique" (Step 2), and placing the completed insulating liner into a container / box (Step 3). Thus, the insulating liners described herein can be manufactured in a simpler and faster manner, which can beneficially reduce manufacturing time and costs. Furthermore, because Insert B, unlike Insert A, does not require adhesives or other adhesives, the overall manufacturing process for Insert B is less complex and more amenable to automation. That is, even if the illustrated manufacturing process is automated, the automation process for Insert B is likely to be simpler and less equipment intensive.

[0067] Further, a comparison of Insert A and Insert B shows that Insert B uses 10% to 30% less material, e.g., less paperboard material, to form an otherwise similar sized liner. Thus, the insulating liners disclosed herein beneficially provide improved insulating performance with less material and less potential waste, in addition to the manufacturing advantages disclosed above.

[0068] Additional Terms and Definitions Although particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to specific configurations, parameters, components, elements, etc., the description is illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention.

[0069] Furthermore, for any given element of a component of a described embodiment, unless stated otherwise implicitly or explicitly, it is to be understood that any of the possible alternatives listed for that element or component may be used generally, individually or in combination with each other.

[0070] In addition, unless otherwise indicated, numbers expressing quantities, components, distances, or other measurements used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being optionally modified by the term "about" or its synonyms. When terms such as "about," "approximately," "substantially," and the like are used in conjunction with a stated quantity, value, or condition, they may be construed to mean an amount, value, or condition that deviates by less than 20%, less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the stated quantity, value, or condition. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0071] The headings and sub-headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims.

[0072] It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" do not exclude plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, an embodiment referring to a singular referent, such as a "widget," may also include two or more such referents.

[0073] It will also be understood that the embodiments described herein may include properties and / or features (e.g., components, components, members, elements, parts, and / or portions) described in one or more separate embodiments, and are not necessarily limited to the exact features explicitly described for that particular embodiment. Thus, various features of a given embodiment can be combined with and / or incorporated into other embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure of a particular feature in relation to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure should not be construed as limiting the application or inclusion of that feature to the particular embodiment. Rather, it will be understood that other embodiments can also include such features. EXAMPLES

[0074] Example 1 The insulating properties of conventional cellulose-based insulating packaging liners were compared to materials corresponding to the cellulose material 300 described herein. The conventional liners included a paperboard "sleeve" binding together multiple layers of an "insulating sheet" formed of a thinner paper material. As previously described in this disclosure, the conventional liner is disclosed as "Liner 14A" in U.S. Pat. No. 11,511,927. These materials were also compared to standard EPS materials used in conventional "Styrofoam Coolers." A wall thickness of 2 inches was used for each material to determine the respective R-values.

[0075] The results are shown in Figure 6. The "A" material represents the conventional liner described in U.S. Patent No. 11,511,927. The "B" material represents material 300 described herein. As shown, material 300 provided a higher R-value compared to the conventional liner and performed closer to the EPS material in a standard Styrofoam cooler.

[0076] Example 2 7 is a graph plotting temperature over time for a packaging configuration incorporating a sleeve-based liner as described in U.S. Patent No. 11,511,927 (A), an otherwise similar packaging system incorporating an insulating insert as described herein (B), and a similarly sized standard Styrofoam cooler. Each packaging configuration contained 4 pounds of dry ice and a volume of 100 cubic inches. The specification limit was set at -15°C. The time until the insulating volume exceeded the specification limit was measured.

[0077] As shown, the packaging system using the insulating insert described herein (B) outperformed the packaging system based on the conventional sleeve-based liner (A). Specifically, the packaging system based on the conventional sleeve-based liner (A) exceeded its specification limit in about 31 days, whereas the packaging system using the insulating insert described herein (B) did not exceed its specification limit until about 35 days.

Claims

1. A packaging insert formed from a cellulose material and configured to insulate a container, Upper and lower edges that define the vertical direction extending between them, The left and right edges that define the horizontal direction extending between them, Each of the following is a folding slot, one or more of which begin at the lower edge and extend toward the upper edge until reaching the end of the folding slot, Equipped with, Each folding slot defines a vertical fold line extending in the vertical direction from the end to the upper edge, Each folding slot defines a primary transverse fold line extending laterally from the end toward the left or right edge, The section below each primary transverse fold is defined as the bottom section, and the section above each primary transverse fold is defined as the side wall section. The insert is configured such that when folded along the primary transverse fold line and along the longitudinal fold line, it forms a folded configuration having side walls formed by the side wall section and a bottom formed by the bottom section, and the insert is insertable into a container when in the folded configuration. A packaging insert formed from cellulose material and configured to insulate the container.

2. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein at least one folding slot has a different length from at least one other folding slot such that at least one primary transverse fold is offset vertically from at least one other primary transverse fold.

3. The packaging insert according to claim 2, wherein each folding slot has a different length such that each primary transverse fold is offset vertically from each other primary transverse fold.

4. The packaging insert according to claim 3, wherein the folding slots are arranged in a continuously shorter or longer length such that the primary transverse fold line becomes continuously lower or higher.

5. The packaging insert according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein when the insert is folded along the primary transverse fold and the vertical fold, the offset primary transverse fold allows the corresponding bottom sections to overlap each other, and when the insert is formed into the folded configuration, the bottom of the insert has at least two layers, or at least three layers, or at least four layers.

6. The packaging insert according to claim 1, further comprising one or more notches, each of which is vertically aligned with a corresponding folding slot along a corresponding vertical fold line.

7. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein each notch provides room to allow adjacent sections to be folded along the corresponding vertical fold line.

8. The packaging insert according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the insert has the same number of notches as the folding slots.

9. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein each of the one or more notches is positioned at the corner edge of the side wall when the insert is formed in the folded configuration.

10. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein the one or more notches are positioned between the primary transverse fold line and the upper edge of the insert, and the one or more notches do not extend to the upper edge of the insert.

11. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein one or more of the notches are substantially the same size.

12. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein one or more of the notches are wider laterally than the folding slots.

13. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein the one or more notches are aligned with each other along the lateral direction.

14. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein the one or more notches have a lower edge, an upper edge, and the length in the vertical direction, and for each notch, the distance between the upper edge of the notch and the upper edge of the insert is less than or equal to the length of the notch.

15. The packaging insert according to claim 6, wherein the one or more notches have a lower edge, an upper edge, and the length in the vertical direction, and for each notch, the distance between the lower edge of the notch and the corresponding primary transverse fold line is less than or equal to the length of the notch.

16. The packaging insert according to claim 1, further comprising one or more secondary transverse fold lines positioned between the primary transverse fold line and the upper edge of the insert, wherein the insert comprises at least two secondary transverse fold lines.

17. The packaging insert according to claim 16, wherein each secondary transverse fold line extends across the entire width of the insert.

18. The packaging insert according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the secondary fold line allows the resulting sidewall section to have multiple layers, and the sidewall section comprises at least three layers when the insert is formed into the folded configuration.

19. The packaging insert according to claim 6, further comprising one or more secondary transverse fold lines, wherein the one or more secondary transverse fold lines are aligned with the one or more notches, and at least one secondary transverse fold line is aligned with the bottom edge or top edge of each notch.

20. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the insert comprises a single folding slot, and the side wall comprises two adjacent sections when formed in the folded configuration.

21. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the insert includes one or more folding slots.

22. The packaging insert according to claim 21, wherein the insert includes three folding slots, and the side wall includes four adjacent sections when formed in the folded configuration.

23. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the cellulose material comprises multiple layers of cardboard.

24. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the cellulose material comprises at least one embossed sheet and at least one flat sheet.

25. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the cellulose material comprises alternating layers of embossed sheets and flat sheets.

26. The packaging insert according to claim 1, wherein the insert omits any outer cover or sleeve formed from cellulose material.

27. The packaging insert according to claim 1, further comprising a coating at least partially disposed on the inner surface of the insert when it is formed in the folded configuration.

28. The packaging insert according to claim 27, wherein the coating comprises a biodegradable polymer such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polylactide (PLA), polysaccharide-based polymers, copolymers thereof, or combinations thereof.

29. An insulated packaging system, Packaging container and An insulating packaging system comprising at least one packaging insert as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one packaging insert is configured to fit into the container when the insert is formed into the folded configuration to form an insulating liner inside the container.

30. The packaging system according to claim 29, wherein multiple inserts are arranged inside the container to form a complete liner.

31. The packaging system according to claim 29, comprising at least two inserts as described in claim 1, wherein the two inserts engage with each other to form a combined insert having a side wall having four sections, and the bottom having four layers.

32. The packaging system according to claim 29, comprising the single insert described in claim 1.

33. The packaging system according to any one of claims 29 to 32, further comprising a top portion sized to substantially coincide with the outer circumference of the upper edge of the insert when the insert is formed in the folded configuration.

34. The packaging system according to claim 29, wherein the insert is sized to contact the inner surface of the container when placed inside the container in the folded configuration.

35. The packaging system according to claim 29, further comprising a cooling source disposed within the liner.

36. A method for packaging goods with insulated packaging, Placing at least one packaging insert according to claim 1 inside a packaging container to form an insulating liner inside the container, Placing articles inside the aforementioned container, The cold source is placed inside the container, A method that includes this.

37. The method according to claim 36, comprising arranging a plurality of inserts in the container to form a complete liner.

38. The method according to claim 37, comprising placing at least two inserts according to claim 1 inside the container, wherein the two inserts engage with each other to form a combined insert having a side wall having four sections and a bottom having four layers.

39. The method according to claim 36, comprising placing a single insert in the container to form the liner.

40. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 39, further comprising aligning the top portion on one or more insert sections to complete the liner.

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