Reusable portable shipping containers

Abstract

To provide reusable, portable shipping containers. [Solution] The reusable transport container comprises a container body having a payload chamber for holding articles, and a lid that is movable for access to the payload chamber. The reusable transport container also has one or more sensors in the payload chamber to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles. The reusable transport container also has a tablet display screen detachably coupled to the container body that communicates with the sensors in the payload chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Incorporation by reference of priority applications All applications in which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the application data sheet filed with this application are incorporated herein by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to portable transport containers, and more particularly to reusable portable transport containers.

Background Art

[0003] Portable coolers are used to store products (e.g., liquids, beverages, pharmaceuticals, organs, foods, etc.) in a cooled state. Some portable coolers are Styrofoam® containers that are often filled with ice to keep the product in a cooled state. However, since ice eventually melts, it drenches the product and requires the liquid to be drained. Such coolers also have a risk of leakage during transportation, which is undesirable. Furthermore, such coolers are not suitable for transporting articles over long distances because they cannot maintain the product in a cooled state and there is a risk that the ice will melt and / or liquid will leak from the cooler. Therefore, such coolers are not desirable for use with temperature-sensitive products (e.g., vaccines, pharmaceuticals, body fluid samples, tissue samples, organ transplants, etc.). This may render the product in the cooler unusable. For example, if the efficacy of a pharmaceutical (e.g., a vaccine) is lost, the efficacy cannot be restored and the pharmaceutical becomes ineffective and / or unusable. Another drawback of existing containers is that they are single-use containers (e.g., made of cardboard, Styrofoam), and since they are ultimately discarded in landfill after being used once, a significant amount of waste is generated. Yet another drawback of existing containers is that even if they are reusable, it is difficult to achieve the return of reusable containers due to the user doing nothing or due to inappropriately labeled labels.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for improved portable transport container designs (for transporting, for example, pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, insulin, and epinephrine, vials, cartridges, syringe pens, organ transplants, blood, urine, stool samples, tissues, etc.) that can maintain the contents of the cooler at a desired temperature or temperature range. Furthermore, there is a need for reusable portable transport containers equipped with modular electronics that can monitor the payload temperature and allow the use of the same electronics (e.g., electronic display screens) with various different sized containers to accommodate payloads of different sizes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container. The reusable portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store sensor data transmitted by one or more sensors in the payload chamber. The container body includes a lock that is biased for engagement with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body and that maintains the attached state of the tablet to the container body. The lock is embedded in the container body so that it is not visible when the tablet is attached to the container body and the lid is in the open position. The lock is movable to a retracted position when the lid is in the open position, facilitating at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body, thereby releasing the connection between the container body and the tablet and facilitating the removal of the tablet.

[0006] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container. The reusable portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit configured to communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber. The container body includes a lock that is biased for engagement with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body and that maintains the attachment state of the tablet to the container body. The lock is embedded in the container body so as not to be visible when the tablet is attached to the container body and the lid is in the open position. The lock is movable to a retracted position to facilitate at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body when the lid is in the open position, thereby releasing the coupling state between the container body and the tablet and facilitating the removal of the tablet.

[0007] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container. The reusable portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber. The container body includes a lock that engages with the tablet to maintain the attachment state of the tablet to the container body when the tablet is attached to the container body. The lock is configured to be movable to a retracted position to facilitate at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body, thereby releasing the coupling state between the container body and the tablet and facilitating the removal of the tablet.

[0008] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container. The reusable portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid pivotably, slidably or detachably coupled to the container body and operable to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store sensor data transmitted from one or more sensors in the payload chamber.

[0009] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container system. The portable transport container system comprises a plurality of portable transport containers. Each portable transport container includes a container body of a different size, each having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense the temperature and / or humidity of the payload chamber or the articles, an insulated lid pivotably, slidably or detachably coupled to the container body and operable to allow access to the payload chamber, and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body of a different size in each of the plurality of reusable portable transport containers. The tablet includes an electronic display screen, one or more buttons operable to operate the functions of the tablet's display screen, one or more energy storage devices, one or more sensors, and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store sensed temperature and humidity data transmitted from one or more sensors in the payload chamber.

[0010] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable, portable transport container. The portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid pivotably, slidably or detachably coupled to the container body and operable to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet includes a first side having a first printed label thereon; a second side opposite the first side and having a second printed label thereon; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store environmental data transmitted from one or more sensors in the payload chamber. The tablet is coupled to the container body in a first orientation so as to display the first printed label with the second side facing the container body, and is coupled to the container body in a second orientation so as to display the second printed label with the first side facing the container body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable shipping container. The reusable portable shipping container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit for wirelessly communicating with one or more sensors in the payload chamber. The electronic display screen is configured to display an electronic shipping label.

[0012] In some embodiments, the technology described herein relates to a reusable portable transport container. The reusable portable transport container comprises a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body. The tablet comprises an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and circuitry for wirelessly communicating with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and wirelessly communicating with a remote computer server, and data from one or more sensors is accessible via a dashboard display through the remote computer server. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of a portable shipping container. [Figure 2] This is a schematic partial view of the portable transport container shown in Figure 1 with the lid closed. [Figure 3] This is a schematic partial view of the portable transport container shown in Figure 1 with the lid open. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the contents inside the payload chamber of a portable transport container. [Figure 5A] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portable transport container with a tablet attached to the container body. [Figure 5B] This is a schematic side view of a portable transport container with a tablet attached to the container body. [Figure 5C] This is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a portable transport container, showing the tablet separated from the container body. [Figure 5D] This is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a portable transport container showing a lid detection circuit. [Figure 5E] It is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a portable transport container schematically showing a payload chamber and the contents therein. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a charging unit for a tablet. [Figure 7A] It is a diagram showing a tablet with diagrams of different screens. [Figure 7B] It is a diagram showing a tablet with diagrams of different screens. [Figure 7C] It is a diagram showing a tablet with diagrams of different screens. [Figure 7D] It is a diagram showing a tablet with diagrams of different screens. [Figure 8] It is a schematic exploded view of a tablet. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a plurality of portable transport containers stacked on a pallet. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing the pairing of a tablet and a container body for a portable transport container. [Figure 11] It is a block diagram of a sensor tag. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing a process for using a portable transport container. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing a process for using a portable transport container.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0014] Figures 1 to 5E show a portable transport container 100 (or transport container). The transport container 100 has a container body 10 having a payload chamber 18, a lid 20, and a tablet 200 (e.g., a tablet display screen). The transport container 100 is advantageously reusable for delivering articles. In one example, the article is a temperature-sensitive article. In one example, the temperature-sensitive article is a temperature-sensitive medical article (e.g., pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, insulin, epinephrine, vials, cartridges, syringe pens, organ transplants, blood, urine, stool samples, laboratory samples such as tissues, etc.). The reusability of the transport container 100 is advantageous because it reduces waste (compared to conventional cardboard and styrofoam containers that ultimately end up in landfill after one use, for example).

[0015] In one example, the lid 20 is pivotally coupled to the container body 10 (e.g., via a living hinge or one or more hinges). In another example, the lid 20 is completely separable from the container body 10 for access to the payload chamber 18 of the container body 10. In another example, the lid 20 is slidable relative to the container body 10 and pivotable to open and close relative to the container body 10 for access to the payload chamber 18. In one example, when the lid 20 is in the closed position, the lid 20 is flush with the side of the container body 10. The lid 20 is formed of a heat-insulating and elastic material such as a foam material or includes a heat-insulating and elastic material. In one example, the lid 20 is made of or includes expanded polypropylene foam. The lid 20 includes a heat-insulating panel 22 (e.g., a vacuum heat-insulating panel as shown in FIG. 5B) for enhancing (e.g., improving, increasing, maintaining) the heat insulation of the contents within the container body 10, as further described below.

[0016] The lid 20 includes a latch assembly 30 embedded in the lid 20. The latch assembly 30 includes a latch handle 32 that is operable to unlock the lid 20 relative to the container body 10. In one example, the latch handle 32 is coplanar or flush with the top surface of the lid 20, allowing the stacking of the transport containers 100 (as shown in Figure 9) without the latch handle 32 interfering with the stacking or unstacking process. The latch assembly 30 also includes an opening for the latch handle 32, i.e., a slot 34, and a bar 36 spaced apart from the latch handle 32. Advantageously, the latch handle 32 is locked by providing a cable tie or strip through the slot 34 and attaching it to the bar 36. This prevents (e.g., unintentional) operation of the latch handle 32 that would unlock the lid 20 and move the lid 20 to the open position relative to the container body 10 until the cable tie or strip is removed (e.g., cut). In an alternative configuration, the bar 36 is replaced by a flange portion of the latch assembly 30 spaced apart from the latch handle 32. The flange portion of the latch assembly 30 has a slot through which a cable tie or strip extends to lock the latch handle 32 and prevent (for example, prevent) the lid 20 from opening relative to the container body 10. In another example, additionally or alternatively, the lid 20 locks when it is in the closed position relative to the container body 10. For example, the lid 20 has a magnet, and the container body 10 has an electromagnet that operates to apply an attractive magnetic force to the magnet of the lid 20 in order to prevent (e.g., prevent) the lid 20 from opening relative to the container body 10. For example, by stopping the electromagnet of the container body 10 and removing the attractive magnetic force between the container body 10 and the lid 20, the lid 20 is selectively unlocked relative to the container body 10, allowing the lid 20 to be opened. In one example, the lid 20 is automatically unlocked (e.g., by removing the attractive magnetic force between the container body 10 and the lid 20) when the shipping container 100 arrives at the recipient address (e.g., as confirmed by one or more GPS sensors on a tablet 200).

[0017] In one example, the container body 10 and lid 20 (when in the closed position) define a transport container 100 having a substantially cubic shape. In one example, the transport container 100 has a length, width, and height of approximately 1 foot each. The container body 10 is formed of or includes an insulating and elastic material such as foam. In one example, the container body 10 is formed of or includes expanded polypropylene foam. The container body 10 has concave surfaces 12 and notches 14 that advantageously reduce the overall weight of the transport container 100 and reduce its manufacturing cost. In one example, two sides (e.g., the front and the opposite rear side in Figure 1) have concave surfaces 12, and the other three sides (e.g., the left, right, and base) have notches 14. In another example, one side (e.g., the front side in Figure 1) has a concave surface 12, and the other four sides (e.g., the left, right, rear, and base) have notches 14. The container body 10 includes a recessed surface 16 which may be formed of rigid plastic or other impact-resistant material within a cutout. In one example, the recessed surface 16 is part of or defines the container V. This container is formed of or includes rigid plastic or other impact-resistant material. These materials are at least partially embedded in or surrounded by an insulating and elastic material (e.g., foam material). This container defines the payload chamber 18 (see Figure 3).

[0018] The container body 10 has an opening 11. Through this opening 11, the payload chamber 18 (e.g., an open or hollow cavity) in the container body 10 can be accessed. The lid 20 has a projection 24 (e.g., a stepped portion) that extends into the opening 11 to seal the payload chamber 18 when the lid 20 is in the closed position relative to the container body 10. In one example, an insulating panel 22 is disposed on (e.g., embedded in) the projection 24. A latch handle 32 is connected to one or more hooks 32A, 32B. One or more hooks 32A, 32B are operable to engage (e.g., hook, connect) with one or more slots or openings 13A, 13B of the container body 10 (e.g., in the wall of the container body 10) in order to connect the lid 20 to the container body 10. When the latch handle 32 is activated (for example, pulled), one or more hooks 32A, 32B become disengaged from the slots or openings 13A, 13B, allowing the lid 20 to be opened relative to the container body 10 (for example, to access the payload chamber 18).

[0019] In one example, the payload chamber 18 has a length, width, and height of approximately 6 inches x 8 inches x 7 1 / 2 inches. However, the payload chamber 18 may have other suitable dimensions that are smaller or larger than these dimensions. The payload chamber 18 is sized to receive one or more articles G, such as a thermosensitive medical article, one or more packs P (e.g., gel packs) of a thermal mass or phase change material (PCM), and one or more buffer pads B (e.g., cardboard pieces) that may (optionally) be interposed between the article G (e.g., a thermosensitive medical article) and one or more packs P. In one example shown in Figure 4, the packs P are positioned below and above the article G (e.g., a thermosensitive medical article), with the buffer pads B positioned between them. However, in other examples, only the pack P above the article G (e.g., a thermosensitive medical article) is used (with or without the buffer pads B in between). For example, as shown in Figure 5B, the payload chamber 18 is defined or surrounded by insulation panels 19 (e.g., vacuum insulation panels) on all sides (e.g., five sides) of the payload chamber 18 in order to enhance (e.g., improve, increase, maintain) the insulation of the articles (e.g., temperature-sensitive medical articles) G inside the payload chamber 18 within the container body 10. In one example, the insulation panels 19 are separate planar panels assembled into a single unit (e.g., taped together, glued together). In another example, the insulation panels 19 are part of a monolithic, seamless insulated container defining or surrounding the payload chamber 18.

[0020] Referring to Figures 5A to 5E, the tablet 200 is detachable from the container body 10 (e.g., detachably coupled to the container body 10), as shown in Figure 5A. This provides various advantages to the transport container 100, as will be further described below. When coupled to the container body 10, the tablet 200 is flush with the concave surface 12 (as shown in Figures 1 to 2), and the body of the tablet 200 extends into the recess 15 (see Figure 5A). One or more supports S in the recess 15 are detachably or releaseably coupled to the tablet 200 (e.g., releasely engaged), and one or more locks L supporting the tablet 200 and extending into the recess 15 lock (e.g., coupled) the tablet 200 when it is inside the recess 15. Therefore, one or more supports S and one or more locks L hold the tablet 200 in the recess 15 when the tablet 200 is attached to the container body 10, preventing (e.g., preventing) unintended detachment or removal of the tablet 200 from the container body 10.

[0021] Referring to Figures 5B to 5C, in one example, the tablet 200 has one or more slots 210 at its lower end for receiving one or more support members S. In one example, one or more slots 210 are female slots, and one or more support members S are male members. In one example, one or more support members S provide electrical and mechanical connections between the container body 10 and the tablet 200 (for example, both one or more support members S and one or more slots 210 are formed of or contain a conductive material such as metal). In another example, one or more support members S provide only mechanical connections between the container body 10 and the tablet 200, and the tablet 200 has electrical contacts (not shown) that contact electrical contacts of the container body 10 (for example, in recesses 15). The tablet 200 also has one or more slots 220 at its upper end (for example, the end opposite to the one or more slots 210). One or more slots 220 are female slots that receive one or more locks L internally. One or more locks L are spring-driven (or biased) toward a locked position (shown in Figure 5B) in which one or more locks L extend within one or more slots 220. One or more locks L are magnetically actuated or movable using a tool T (see Figure 5C) to move to a retracted position (for example, to move one or more locks L out of one or more slots 220), thereby allowing the tablet 200 to be at least partially disengaged from the container body 10 and separated from the recess 15. In one example, one or more locks L are magnets or are formed of a magnetic material. The tools are, respectively, magnetic material or contain a magnetic material or are magnets. Therefore, when the tool T is positioned in close proximity to one or more locks L, the magnetic attraction between the two causes one or more locks L to move to a retracted position, exiting one or more slots 220, and releasing the tablet 200 from the container body 10.Therefore, advantageously, one or more locks L are hidden from view (e.g., not visible) to prevent the tablet 200 from being unintentionally released from its attachment to the container body 10 (e.g., by a user, by a third party) and to prevent the tablet 200 from being separated from the container body 10 and stolen. In another example, the lock L is or includes an electronic solenoid (e.g., a solenoid actuator, a solenoid motor). This electronic solenoid is actuated to move a locking member (e.g., a plunger, a piston, or a rod) to engage with the tablet 200 in order to maintain the attachment state of the tablet 200 to the container body 10 when the tablet 200 is attached to the container body 10. When the lid 20 is in the open position, the lock L (e.g., a plunger, piston, or rod of the lock L) is operable or movable to move to a retracted position via an electronic solenoid in order to at least partially separate the tablet 200 from the container body 10, thereby releasing the tablet 200 from its engagement with the container body 10 and facilitating its removal. When the lid 20 is in the closed position and the tablet 200 is positioned in a recess 15 adjacent to the container body 10, the lock L (e.g., a plunger, piston, or rod of the lock L) is operable to move to an extended position via an electronic solenoid in order to hold or maintain the tablet 200 in a coupled or attached position relative to the container body 10.

[0022] In one example, one or more springs SP are optionally disposed within the recess 15 and are compressed when the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10 and disposed within the recess 15. When one or more locks L retract (to move out of one or more slots 220), one or more springs SP facilitate (e.g., assist, help) the release of the tablet 200 from the container body 10 by pushing the tablet 200 out of the recess 15. In another example, one or more springs SP are omitted. Advantageously, one or more supports S remain engaged with one or more slots 210 (as shown in Figure 5C) and prevent (e.g., prevent) the tablet 200 from completely falling out of the recess 15. This prevents damage to the tablet 200 that could occur if the tablet were to fall out of the recess 15 without being obstructed. This allows the user to very easily pick up the tablet 200 (after it has been unlocked from the recess 15 by retracting one or more locks L from one or more slots 220) and remove it from one or more supports S.

[0023] Referring to Figure 5D, the transport container 100 has a lid detection system for detecting when the lid 20 is open. For ease of explanation, the insulating panel 22 inside the lid 20 is omitted from Figure 5D. The lid 20 includes a magnet M (e.g., embedded in the lid) located near the surface of the lid 20 that contacts the container body 10 when the lid 20 is in the closed position. A metal rod MP (e.g., made of steel) is embedded inside the container body 10 (e.g., inside the container V) and extends, for example, from a proximal end near or at the opening 11 of the container body 10 to a distal end inside the container body 10. In the illustrated example, the metal rod MP extends from a proximal end in a position facing (e.g., aligned with) the magnet M when the lid 20 is closed to the distal end of the metal rod MP inside the container body 10. The tablet 200 optionally has a sensor (e.g., a Hall effect sensor) H. The sensor H senses a magnetic signal from the metal rod MP. The metal rod transmits a magnetic signal when the lid 20 is closed so that the magnet M is close to the end of the metal rod MP. The tablet 200 uses the signal generated via the Hall effect sensor to determine when the lid 20 has been opened (for example, when a user accesses an item G, such as a temperature-sensitive medical item, delivered to the user using the shipping container 100). The container body 10 optionally has a magnet M2. The magnet M2 is provided in or embedded in the container body 10 at or near the recess 15 so as to face the tablet 200 when the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10 (for example, when the tablet 200 is inserted into the recess 15). The tablet 200 has a sensor S. In one example, the sensor S is a Hall effect sensor that senses the magnet M2 when the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10 and transmits a signal to the tablet 200's circuit 240 indicating that the tablet 200 is connected to the container body 10. In another example, the magnet M2 is excluded, and the sensor S detects when the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10 (for example, when the tablet 200 is inserted into the recess 15) and sends a signal to the circuit 240 indicating that the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10. In one example, the sensor S is a proximity sensor.In another example, sensor S is an infrared sensor. In yet another example, sensor S is an ultraviolet sensor. In yet another example, sensor S is an ambient light sensor. In yet another example, sensor S is an accelerometer that detects specific movements associated with the coupling (e.g., latching) of the tablet 200 to the container body 10.

[0024] Referring to Figure 5E, the transport container 100 has one or more sensor tags 300 (e.g., temporary tags) attached (e.g., detachably attached) to the surface of the payload chamber 18. As will be further described below, one or more sensor tags 300 sense one or more environmental conditions or parameters within the payload chamber 18 in real time, such as temperature and / or humidity, and wirelessly communicate the sensed payload environmental conditions or parameters (e.g., temperature and / or humidity) with the electronic device in the tablet 200. In one example, a sensor tag 300 is detached from the surface of the payload chamber 18 and optionally replaced by another sensor tag 300 (e.g., when it malfunctions, its battery runs out, etc.). Optionally, one or more sensor tags 300' (e.g., temporary tags) are included in the payload chamber 18 and, for example, in a package or bag P that holds an article such as a temperature-sensitive medical article G (e.g., a pharmaceutical, laboratory sample, biological sample, bodily fluid sample, human or animal tissue, human or animal organ) within the payload chamber 18. One or more sensor tags 300' can sense one or more environmental conditions or parameters within the package or bag P, such as sensing the temperature and / or humidity within the package or bag P (e.g., as a measure of the temperature and / or humidity of an article such as a temperature-sensitive medical article G), and can wirelessly transmit the sensed environmental conditions or parameters (e.g., temperature and / or humidity) within the package or bag P to the electronic device of the tablet 200. In one example, the transport container 100 includes both one or more sensor tags 300 and one or more sensor tags 300'. In another example, the transport container 100 includes one or more sensor tags 300 but excludes sensor tags 300'. In another example, a shipping container 100 contains one or more sensor tags 300', but excludes the sensor tags 300.The sensor tags 300 and 300' can wirelessly communicate with electronic devices in the tablet 200 via one or more of the following technologies: WiFi, short-range wireless technology (e.g., Bluetooth®), wireless antenna, LTE antenna, cellular antenna, radio frequency (RF) transmitter, infrared (IR) transmitter, and long-range wireless technology.

[0025] Referring to Figures 6 to 8, the tablet 200 includes a case 202, one or more energy storage devices 230 (e.g., batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, capacitors such as supercapacitors), a circuit 240 (e.g., one or more computer processors, one or more memories, one or more antennas such as short-range wireless antennas, wireless antennas, LTE antennas, RF receivers or transceivers, and IR receivers or transceivers, one or more electrical inputs and one or more electrical outputs, sensors such as Hall effect sensors, GPS sensors, motion sensors), a display screen 250 (e.g., electronic ink or electronic paper or electrophoretic display), a cover 260, and an operable (e.g., pressable) button 270. One or more memories may be computer-readable storage media such as non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., solid-state drives, flash storage, magnetic storage). In other examples, one or more computer processors, one or more memories, one or more antennas, one or more electrical inputs, and one or more electrical outputs are located in separate electronic components (e.g., not on the same circuit). Button 270 operates to provide input to circuit 240 (e.g., via one or more electrical inputs of circuit 240) (e.g., by being touched, pressed, or pressed down). For example, button 270 operates to switch (e.g., toggle) between different display screens (see examples in Figures 7A to 7D). In one example, the operation of button 270 automatically switches the sender and recipient address information on the tablet 200's display and automatically notifies the shipping carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL) that the portable shipping container 100 is ready to be picked up for the carrier to pick up the portable shipping container 100. In another example, the tablet 200 may exclude button 270.Instead, the shipping carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL) is notified (e.g., automatically and wirelessly by the circuitry on the tablet 200) to pick up the portable shipping container 100 based on, for example, an instruction that the lid 20 has been opened and / or another instruction (e.g., the GPS location or geofence of the portable shipping container 100 indicating that the portable shipping container 100 is at the recipient's address).

[0026] In another example, the tablet 200 has a first side that receives a first printed label (e.g., a shipping label with sender and recipient address information) and a second side that receives a second printed label (e.g., a shipping label with sender and / or recipient address information different from that of the first printed label), and is located opposite the first side. The tablet 200 is detachably attached to the container body 10 in a first orientation such that the second side faces the container body 10 and displays the first printed label, and the portable shipping container 100 is picked up by a shipping carrier and shipped to the address on the first printed label. When the portable shipping container 100 arrives at the delivery location, the tablet 200 is detached and the second printed label is rotated so that it faces away from the container body 10, and the tablet 200 is reattached to the container body 10 in a second orientation so that the first side faces the container body 10 and displays the second printed label, and the shipping carrier is notified to pick up the portable shipping container 100 (for example, based on instructions that the lid 20 has been opened and GPS / geofence information, etc., and notifies the carrier that the portable shipping container 100 is ready for pickup as described above).

[0027] In one example, as shown in Figure 7A, the display screen 250 can display an electronic shipping label (having, for example, the sender's mailing address information such as street address information, the recipient's mailing address information such as street address information, and / or one or more machine-readable codes such as a barcode and a QR code (registered trademark)). The display screen 250 can also display temperature and / or humidity information (for example, sensed temperature and / or humidity information received wirelessly by the circuit 240 from one or more sensor tags 300 and / or 300'). The shipping label information (for example, the sender's and recipient's mailing address information, machine-readable codes) is stored in one or more memories of the tablet 200 and displayed on the display screen 250. In one example, the shipping label information is transmitted wirelessly to the tablet 200 (for example, to the circuit 240) (for example, from a user, from a remote electronic device such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, or remote server).

[0028] Circuit 240 can optionally automatically switch the sender and recipient address information on the electronic shipping label when it is ready to return the shipping container 100 to the sender (for example, after the recipient receives the shipping container 100 and opens the lid 20, this is transmitted to circuit 240 via the Hall effect sensor described above, indicating that the goods (e.g., temperature-sensitive medical goods) G have been received by the recipient), and automatically and simultaneously wirelessly contact the shipping carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL) (by switching the sender and recipient address information) to notify the shipping carrier that the shipping container 100 is ready for pickup (e.g., that a new shipping label has been "printed"). In one example, the automatic switching of the sender and recipient address information and the automatic contact with the shipping carrier occur automatically when the lid 20 is opened (e.g., triggered by a signal to circuit 240 via the metal rod MP). In another example, the automatic switching of the sender and recipient address information occurs automatically when the lid 20 is opened (e.g., triggered by a signal to the circuit 240 via the metal rod MP), but the automatic contact with the shipping carrier does not occur until the user activates the button 270 (e.g., touches, presses, or pushes it down). In yet another example, the automatic switching of the sender and recipient address information occurs until the user activates the button 270 (e.g., touches, presses, or pushes it down), and immediately after the activation of the button 270 (if the lid 20 is open), the circuit 240 automatically contacts the shipping carrier to inform them that they are ready to pick up the shipping container 100.

[0029] In one example, as shown in Figure 7B, the display screen 250 optionally displays pack-out instructions (e.g., one or more steps for packing the shipping container 100, a barcode, or a machine-readable code such as a QR code). The user can read the steps on the display screen 250 and / or scan the machine-readable code (e.g., using a code scanner or the camera on the user's tablet computer or smartphone) to perform the steps for packing the shipping container 100 before shipping it to the recipient. The display screen 250 can display pack-out instructions by, for example, pressing the button 270 multiple times to switch between different display screen types (e.g., shown in Figures 7A to 7D).

[0030] In one example, as shown in Figure 7C, the display screen 250 can optionally display a return command to the recipient (e.g., a patient), for example, when the recipient receives the shipping container 100 and opens the lid 20 (triggering a signal to the circuit 240 via the metal rod MP), listing one or more steps the recipient must perform to return the shipping container 100. In one example, after the circuit 240 indicates (via the GPS sensor) that the shipping container 100 has arrived at the recipient's address, and the opening of the lid 20 is detected (e.g., via the metal rod MP as described above), the display screen 250 automatically displays the return command. In another example, after pressing the button 270 multiple times to switch between different display screen types (e.g., shown in Figures 7A to 7D), the return command will be displayed on the display screen 250.

[0031] In one example, as shown in Figure 7D, the display screen 250 optionally displays maintenance status in the event of a malfunction of the tablet 200 (for example, detected by one or more sensors communicating with circuit 240). The maintenance status display is automatically shown on the display screen 250 (for example, with an error message and / or error code) when abnormal operation is detected with respect to the tablet 200. Optionally, the maintenance status screen is optionally removed from the display screen 250 by activating button 270 (for example, by the user touching, pressing, or pressing down button 270). In another example, the maintenance status screen is not removed from the display screen 250 until the error with the tablet 200 is resolved.

[0032] Referring to Figure 6, the charging unit 600 has a body 610 having one or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, etc.) slots 620, each slot being sized to receive one tablet 200. In one example, each of the one or more slots 620 has electrical contacts that electrically contact the electrical contacts of the tablet 200 inserted into the slot 620, thereby electrically connecting the tablet 200 to the charging unit 600, which in turn charges one or more energy storage devices 230 within the tablet 200 via the electrical contacts. The charging unit 600 can receive power from a wall outlet, for example, via a power cord 630 attached to a plug (not shown). In another example, the charging unit 600 has one or more (e.g., multiple) wireless power transmitters, such as inductive power transmitters (e.g., one inductive power transmitter associated with each of the slots 620), enabling the charging unit 600 to charge one or more energy storage devices 230 of the tablet 200 via inductive coupling or wireless power transmission.

[0033] Making the tablet 200 detachable from the container body 10 of the shipping container 100 offers several advantages. One advantage is that multiple tablets 200 can be charged simultaneously via the charging unit 600 shown in Figure 6. This allows for easy replacement of tablets 200 on a shipping container 100 that have been used multiple times to ship goods (e.g., temperature-sensitive medical goods) G and whose power has depleted, with tablets 200 having one or more fully charged energy storage devices 230, eliminating the need to take the shipping container 100 out of cycle to charge the tablets 200 (which can take several hours), and allowing the shipping container 100 to be put back into cycle virtually immediately upon return to the shipping location (e.g., shipper address, warehouse). Another advantage is that the same tablet 200 can be used in different sized container bodies 10 within different sized shipping containers 100, reducing the need to have a dedicated tablet 200 for each shipping container 100 (including larger shipping containers 100 that may not be used as frequently as smaller ones). Therefore, a shipping company may have a certain number of shipping containers 100 of different sizes, but only need to have a smaller number of tablets 200 (e.g., half the number, three-quarters the number), thus reducing the overall cost of owning shipping containers 100.

[0034] Figure 10 shows an example of how the tablet 200 is paired with the container body 10 of the shipping container 100. In one example, optionally, a magnet M2 is attached to or embedded in the container body 10 (e.g., the wall of the container body 10, such as the wall of the recess 15). The container body 10 also has a passive near-field communication (NFC) tag NT that has identification information about the container body 10. The tablet 200 (e.g., electronics inside the tablet) can detect or read the NFC tag NT when the tablet is coupled to the container body 10, and the tablet 200 (e.g., electronics inside the tablet 200, the circuitry 240 of the tablet 200) can be operated to read the NFC tag NT and pair the tablet 200 with the container body 10. In one example, when the tablet 200 is coupled to the container body 10 (e.g., as described above with reference to Figures 5A to 5E), the magnet M2 can trigger a Hall effect sensor inside or on the tablet 200. The Hall effect sensor can transmit such a trigger signal to circuit 240, which then causes the electronics in tablet 200 to read the NFC tag to obtain identification information about the container body 10. In another example, the magnet M2 is omitted, and the electronics in tablet 200 read the NFC tag and send a signal to circuit 240 indicating that tablet 200 is coupled to container body 10. In yet another example, tablet 200 has one or more sensors S (see Figure 5D) that detect when tablet 200 is coupled to container body 10 and send a signal to circuit 240, and tablet 200 (e.g., electronics in tablet 200, circuit of tablet 200) is operable to read the NFC tag NT and pair tablet 200 with container body 10 when circuit 240 receives the signal. One or more sensors S are or include an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, infrared sensor, ultraviolet sensor, or accelerometer that detects specific motion associated with the coupling (e.g., latching) of tablet 200 to container body 10.In another example, in order to pair the container body 10 with the tablet 200, a machine-readable code (e.g., a barcode, a QR code) on the container body 10 is read (e.g., using a scanner, using the camera of a tablet computer or smartphone), and a machine-readable code (e.g., a barcode, a QR code) (e.g., a machine-readable code to be displayed on the display screen 250) on the tablet 200 is read (e.g., using a scanner, using the camera of a tablet computer or smartphone). Once the tablet 200 is paired with the container body 10, the tablet 200 (e.g., circuit 240) communicates wirelessly with one or more sensor tags 300 in the payload chamber 18. In another example, one or more sensor tags 300' have a machine-readable code (e.g., a barcode, a QR code) that is scanned (e.g., using a scanner, using the camera of a tablet computer or smartphone), as shown in Figure 11, in order to pair them with the tablet 200 and enable the sensor tags 300' to communicate (wirelessly) with the tablet 200 (e.g., circuit 240).

[0035] The sensor tags 300, 300' wirelessly transmit information about the temperature and / or humidity they sense to the tablet 200 (e.g., to the circuit 240, to one or more memories). In one example, the sensed temperature and / or humidity data sensed by the sensor tags 300 and / or 300' is stored in one or more memories of the tablet 200 throughout the transport of the shipping container 100 from the shipper to the recipient. In one example, the data is also wirelessly transmitted by the tablet 200 to a cloud-based data storage server (remote computer server) and accessed from there (via a dashboard display) using an app via a tablet computer, smartphone, laptop computer, or desktop computer. The dashboard is accessed by one or more users (e.g., shippers, recipients, and / or shippers of the item, G, such as a temperature-sensitive medical item) to track the temperature and / or humidity history of the payload chamber 18 and / or the item (e.g., a temperature-sensitive medical item) G, as well as the ambient temperature, during the transport of the shipping container 100 from the shipper to the recipient. In another example, the data remains stored in the tablet 200 until the tablet 200 is separated from the container body 10 and coupled to the charging unit 600, the charging unit also having a data transfer connection for downloading the stored data from the coupled tablet 200 and sending it to a local or remote data storage server.

[0036] Figure 11 shows a system block diagram of the sensor tags 300, 300'. The sensor tags 300, 300' have a power management module 310 (e.g., electronic equipment or circuit) that communicates with one or more energy storage devices 320 (e.g., batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, capacitors such as supercapacitors) of the sensor tags 300, 300'. The sensor tags 300, 300' also have one or more processors 330 having one or more wireless antennas or modems that communicate with the power management module 310. In one example, the sensor tags 300, 300' have a short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth®) antenna. The sensor tags 300, 300' also have one or more temperature and / or humidity sensors 340 that communicate with one or more computer processors 330 and one or more wireless antennas or modems. One or more energy storage devices 320 power a power management module 310, one or more computer processors, one or more wireless antennas or modems, and / or one or more temperature and / or humidity sensors 340. In one example, sensor tags 300, 300' can also store and transfer data in a manner that reduces power consumption, for example, through the use of electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other storage media. This data is collected over a certain period of time (e.g., a configurable period) and transmitted in batches to a tablet 200 at one or more (configurable) intervals to favorably optimize power consumption.

[0037] Figure 12 shows a process 400 for using a shipping container 100 (for example, to ship items such as temperature-sensitive medical articles from a sender to a recipient). Process 400 includes step 410 of scanning a code (e.g., a machine-readable code such as a barcode or QR code) on the display screen 250 of a tablet 200. Process 400 also includes an optional step 420 of scanning a code (e.g., a machine-readable code such as a barcode or QR code) on the container body 10 of the shipping container 100. Process 400 also includes step 430 of placing the items (e.g., temperature-sensitive medical articles G) into the payload chamber 18 of the container body 10 of the shipping container 100. Process 400 also includes step 440 of closing the lid 20 of the shipping container 100.

[0038] Figure 13 shows a process 500 for using a shipping container 100 (for example, to ship items such as temperature-sensitive medical articles from a sender to a recipient). Process 500 includes step 510 of attaching a tablet 200 to the container body 10 of the shipping container 100. Process 500 includes step 520 of scanning a code (e.g., a machine-readable code such as a barcode or QR code) on a sensor tag 300, 300'. Process 500 also includes step 530 of scanning a code (e.g., a machine-readable code such as a barcode or QR code) on the display screen 250 of the container body 10 and / or the tablet 200 (for example, to pair the tablet 200 with the container body 10). Process 500 also includes step 540 of placing the items (e.g., temperature-sensitive medical articles G) in a package or bag P and placing the package or bag P in the payload chamber 18 of the container body 10 of the shipping container 100. Process 500 also includes step 550 of closing the lid 20 of the transport container 100.

[0039] Additional examples In the examples of this disclosure, the portable shipping container, the portable shipping container system, and the operating method are based on any of the following provisions.

[0040] Clause 1. A reusable, portable transport container comprising: a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or parameters of the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body, the tablet comprising an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber.

[0041] Clause 2. A reusable portable transport container system comprising a plurality of reusable portable transport containers, each of which has an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, comprising container bodies of different sizes, one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense one or more parameters of the payload chamber or articles, an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or allow access to the payload chamber, and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body of each of the plurality of reusable portable transport containers of different sizes, the tablet comprising an electronic display screen, one or more energy storage devices, and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber, the reusable portable transport container system comprising a tablet.

[0042] Clause 3. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any preceding clause, in which the payload chamber is vacuum-insulated via multiple vacuum panels defining or surrounding the payload chamber.

[0043] Clause 4. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, including one or more sensors, including one or more GPS sensors configured to track the position of the container body when the tablet is attached to the container body.

[0044] Clause 5. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, comprising a non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing sensing data transmitted by one or more sensors in the payload chamber, wherein the sensing data includes temperature data or humidity data.

[0045] Clause 6. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, comprising a container body equipped with a lock that engages with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body and maintains the attached state of the tablet to the container body, wherein the lock is movable to a retracted position to facilitate at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body and to release the attached state of the tablet from engagement with the container body, thereby facilitating the removal of the tablet.

[0046] Clause 7. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 6, which is forcefully engaged with the tablet.

[0047] Clause 8. The lock is a magnetic lock, for the reusable portable transport container as described in Clause 6.

[0048] Clause 9. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 6, in which the lock is embedded in the container body so that the tablet is not visible when the container body is attached and the lid is in the open position.

[0049] Clause 10. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 6, wherein the container body has one or more supports that releasably engage with the tablet when the tablet is coupled to the container body, the one or more supports being located on the opposite side of the lock of the container body, and the one or more supports being configured to prevent the tablet from falling out of a recess of the container body when the lock is retracted.

[0050] Clause 11. Any reusable, portable transport container as described in the preceding Clause, wherein the tablet is flush with the surface of the container body when the tablet is attached to the container body.

[0051] Clause 12. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any preceding clause, comprising one or more sensors in the payload chamber, detachably mounted on the surface of the payload chamber, and including one or more sensor tags capable of sensing humidity or temperature within the payload chamber and transmitting one or more sensed payload states to a tablet.

[0052] Clause 13. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 12, comprising one or more sensor tags in a payload chamber, disposed in a package or bag containing articles, and capable of sensing the environmental conditions of the package or bag as a measure of humidity or temperature of the articles, respectively, and configured to transmit the sensed humidity or temperature to a tablet.

[0053] Clause 14. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, further comprising a recessed latch assembly on the lid, the recessed latch assembly having a latch handle that is operable to open the lid relative to the container body.

[0054] Clause 15. A reusable portable transport container as described in Clause 14, wherein the recessed latch assembly includes a bar spaced apart from the latch handle, the latch handle having a slot, and the slot and the bar are connected together by a strip member or cable tie extending through the slot and around the bar to prevent unintended opening of the lid.

[0055] Clause 16. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, further comprising a metal rod embedded in the container body and extending to the proximal end of the container body opposite the lid when the lid is in the closed position, the lid having a magnet that aligns with the end of the metal rod when the lid is in the closed position, the opposite end of the metal rod extending to a position in the container body adjacent to the display screen of the tablet when the tablet's display screen is coupled to the container body, and when the lid is in the closed position, the metal rod transmits a magnetic signal from the magnet in the lid to the display screen of the tablet, and a Hall effect sensor in or on the tablet is configured to sense the magnetic signal and send a signal to a circuit as an indication that the lid is in the closed position, and the circuit is configured to determine that the lid has moved to the open position when the magnetic signal is not detected by the Hall effect sensor.

[0056] Clause 17. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein the container body is a plurality of container bodies of different sizes, and the tablet is configured to be detachably attached to each of the plurality of container bodies of different sizes.

[0057] Clause 18. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, wherein the container body has a near-field communication (NFC) tag, and the tablet is configured to detect or read the NFC tag when the tablet is coupled to the container body, and the tablet is configured to read the NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body.

[0058] Clause 19. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 18, wherein the container body has a magnet embedded in the container body, and a Hall effect sensor in or on the tablet is configured to sense the magnet in the container body and transmit a signal to a circuit to indicate that the tablet is coupled to the container body, and when the circuit receives the signal, the tablet is configured to read an NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body.

[0059] Clause 20. NFC tag detection transmits a signal to the circuit to indicate that the tablet is attached to the container body of the reusable portable transport container as described in Clause 18.

[0060] Clause 21. A reusable portable transport container as described in Clause 18, comprising a tablet equipped with a sensor configured to detect when the tablet is coupled to the container body and to transmit a signal to a circuit to indicate that the tablet is coupled to the container body, and the tablet configured to read an NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body when the circuit receives the signal.

[0061] Clause 22. The sensor is an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, infrared sensor, or accelerometer, in the reusable portable transport container as described in Clause 21.

[0062] Clause 23. The tablet is a reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, having one or more buttons that are operable to operate the functions of the tablet.

[0063] Clause 24. A reusable, portable transport container as described in any of the preceding clauses, comprising a container body equipped with a lock having an electronic solenoid, the electronic solenoid configured to engage with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body and to actuate a locking member to maintain the attachment of the tablet to the container body, and the lock being movable by the electronic solenoid to a retracted position when the lid is in the open position, thereby releasing the tablet from engagement with the container body and facilitating the removal of the tablet.

[0064] Clause 25. A reusable, portable transport container comprising: a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid pivotably, slidably or detachably coupled to the container body and operable to access the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed within the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body, the tablet comprising: a first side having a first printed label thereon; a second side located opposite the first side and having a second printed label thereon; and a circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store environmental data transmitted from one or more sensors in the payload chamber, the tablet configured to be coupled to the container body in a first orientation so as to display the first printed label with the second side facing the container body; and configured to be coupled to the container body in a second orientation so as to display the second printed label with the first side facing the container body.

[0065] Clause 26. An electronic display screen configured to display an electronic shipping label is provided for any reusable, portable shipping container as described in the preceding clause.

[0066] Clause 28. Any reusable, portable transport container as described in the preceding Clause, configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote computer server, and via the remote computer server, access to data from one or more sensors through a dashboard display.

[0067] Clause 29. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 28, having one or more sensors that sense one or more parameters, including position, ambient temperature, and payload temperature.

[0068] Clause 30. A reusable, portable transport container comprising: a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or parameters of the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body, the tablet comprising an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit for wirelessly communicating with one or more sensors in the payload chamber, the electronic display screen configured to display an electronic shipping label.

[0069] Clause 31. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 30, the container body comprising a lock that engages with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body and maintains the attached state of the tablet to the container body, the lock being movable to a retracted position to facilitate at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body and to release the attached state of the tablet from engagement with the container body, thereby facilitating removal of the tablet.

[0070] Clause 32. A reusable, portable transport container comprising: a container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles; an insulated lid operable to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber; one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense parameters of the payload chamber or the articles; and a tablet detachably coupled to the container body, the tablet comprising an electronic display screen; one or more energy storage devices; and a circuit for wirelessly communicating with one or more sensors and wirelessly communicating with a remote computer server, the remote computer server allowing access to data from one or more sensors via a dashboard display.

[0071] Clause 33. A reusable, portable transport container as described in Clause 32, having one or more sensors that sense one or more parameters, including position, ambient temperature, and payload temperature.

[0072] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented only as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, the novel methods and systems described herein can be embodied in various other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications of the systems and methods described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to encompass forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined solely by reference to the appended claims.

[0073] Any features, materials, properties, or groups described in relation to a particular aspect, embodiment, or example should be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment, or example described in this section or elsewhere in this specification, insofar as they do not conflict with the description. All features disclosed herein (including the appended claims, abstract, and drawings) and / or all steps of any method or process so as to be disclosed may be combined in any combination, except for any combination in which at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is not limited to the details of any of the aforementioned embodiments. The protection extends to any novel features or any novel combination of features disclosed herein (including the appended claims, abstract, and drawings) and any novel steps or any novel combination of any method or process so as to be disclosed.

[0074] Furthermore, certain features described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations may be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may be implemented separately or in any suitable subcombination in multiple implementations. Furthermore, features may be described above as acting in a particular combination, but one or more features from a claimed combination may, in some cases, be excluded from the combination, and the combination may be claimed as a subcombination or a variation of a subcombination.

[0075] Furthermore, while operations may be shown in the drawings or described herein in a specific order, such operations do not need to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order to achieve the desired result, nor do all operations need to be performed. Other operations not shown or described may be incorporated into exemplary methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or in between any of the described operations. Furthermore, operations may be rearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in the art will understand that in some embodiments, the actual steps performed in the illustrated and / or disclosed processes may differ from those shown in the drawings. Depending on the embodiment, certain steps among those described above may be omitted, and other steps may be added. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of this disclosure. It should also be understood that the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and the described components and systems may generally be integrated into a single product or packaged into multiple products.

[0076] For the purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. Not all such advantages can necessarily be achieved according to any particular embodiment. Therefore, for example, a person skilled in the art will recognize that this disclosure may be embodied or implemented to achieve one advantage or group of advantages taught herein, without necessarily achieving other advantages that can be taught or suggested herein.

[0077] Conditional language such as "can," "could," "might," or "may" is generally intended to convey that a particular embodiment includes certain features, elements, and / or steps, but other embodiments do not, unless otherwise specified or understood in the context in which they are used. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that features, elements, and / or steps are required in some way in one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining whether these features, elements, and / or steps should be included in or performed in any particular embodiment, with or without user input or prompting.

[0078] Conjunctions such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" are generally understood in contexts where they are used to convey that an item, term, etc., could be any of X, Y, or Z, unless otherwise specified. Therefore, such conjunctions are not generally intended to mean that a particular embodiment requires the presence of at least one X, at least one Y, and at least one Z.

[0079] As used herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” refer to values, quantities, or characteristics that are close to the stated values, quantities, or characteristics that still perform the desired function or achieve the desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” may refer to quantities that are less than 10% of the stated quantities. As another example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel” and “substantially parallel” refer to values, quantities, or characteristics that deviate by only 15 degrees or less from exact parallelism.

[0080] The scope of this disclosure is not intended to be limited by any specific disclosure of preferred embodiments in this section or elsewhere in this specification, but may be defined by the claims, as presented in this section or elsewhere in this specification, or as presented in the future. The language of the claims should be interpreted broadly on the basis of the language used in the claims, and not limited to the examples described herein or under examination of the application, and these examples should be interpreted as non-exclusive.

[0081] Of course, the foregoing description is a description of specific features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention, and various changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the devices described herein do not need to feature all of the above-mentioned purposes, advantages, features, and aspects. Accordingly, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be embodied or implemented to achieve or optimize one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein, without necessarily achieving other purposes or advantages as taught or suggested herein. In addition, although several variations of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, other modifications and uses within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based on this disclosure. Various combinations or subcombinations of these specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still intended to remain within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be combined with or substituted for each other to form various modes of the described devices.

Claims

1. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, Circuits and, Equipped with, The container body is provided with a lock that engages with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body, and maintains the state in which the tablet is attached to the container body. A reusable, portable transport container, wherein the lock is movable to a retracted position to allow at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body, and to release the tablet from engagement with the container body, thereby allowing the tablet to be removed.

2. The reusable, portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the payload chamber is vacuum-insulated.

3. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the tablet includes one or more sensors, the one or more sensors including one or more GPS sensors configured to track the position of the container body when the tablet is coupled to the container body.

4. The reusable, portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the lock is biased for engagement with the tablet.

5. The reusable, portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the lock is a magnetic lock.

6. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the lock is embedded in the container body so that the tablet is not visible when the tablet is attached to the container body and the lid is in the open position.

7. The container body has one or more supports that releasably engage with the tablet when the tablet is coupled to the container body. The one or more of the aforementioned supports are disposed on the side of the container body opposite to the lock, The reusable portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the one or more supports are configured to prevent the tablet from falling out of the recess of the container body when the lock is retracted.

8. The reusable, portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the tablet becomes flush with the surface of the container body when attached to the container body.

9. The aforementioned container body includes multiple container bodies of different sizes, The reusable portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the tablet is configured to be detachably attached to each of the plurality of container bodies having different sizes.

10. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 1, wherein the tablet comprises one or more buttons that can be operated to operate the functions of the tablet.

11. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, A metal rod embedded in the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, Circuits and, Equipped with, The metal rod extends to the proximal end of the container body opposite to the lid when the lid is in the closed position. The lid is equipped with a magnet that aligns with the end of the metal rod when the lid is in the closed position. The opposite end of the metal rod extends to a position in the container body close to the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body. When the lid is in the closed position, the metal rod transmits a magnetic signal from the magnet in the lid to the tablet. The Hall effect sensor provided inside or on the tablet is configured to sense the magnetic signal and send the signal to the circuit as an instruction that the lid is in the closed position. A reusable, portable transport container, wherein the circuit is configured to determine that the lid has moved to the open position when the magnetic signal is not detected by the Hall effect sensor.

12. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, Circuits and, Equipped with, The container body has a near-field communication (NFC) tag, The tablet is configured to detect or read the NFC tag when the tablet is connected to the container body. The tablet is configured to read the NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body, and is a reusable, portable transport container.

13. The container body has a magnet embedded in the container body, The Hall effect sensor provided inside or on the tablet is configured to sense the magnet in the container body and send a signal to the circuit to indicate that the tablet is coupled to the container body. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 12, wherein the tablet is configured to read the NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body when the circuit receives the signal.

14. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 12, wherein detection of the NFC tag sends a signal to the circuit to indicate that the tablet is coupled to the container body.

15. The tablet is equipped with a sensor, which is configured to detect when the tablet is coupled to the container body and to send a signal to the circuit to indicate that the tablet is coupled to the container body. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 12, wherein the tablet is configured to read the NFC tag and pair the tablet with the container body when the circuit receives the signal.

16. The reusable portable transport container according to claim 15, wherein the sensor is an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, or an accelerometer.

17. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, Circuits and, Equipped with, The container body is equipped with a lock having an electronic solenoid, and the electronic solenoid is configured to actuate a locking member to engage with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body, and to maintain the state in which the tablet is attached to the container body. A reusable, portable transport container wherein the lock is movable to a retracted position by the electronic solenoid when the lid is in the open position, thereby separating the tablet at least partially from the container body, releasing the tablet from engagement with the container body, and allowing the tablet to be removed.

18. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, Circuits and, Equipped with, The aforementioned electronic display screen is configured to display an electronic shipping label. The container body is equipped with a lock, which engages with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body to maintain the tablet's attachment to the container body. A reusable, portable transport container wherein the lock is movable to a retracted position, allowing at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body, and disengaging the tablet from its engagement with the container body, thereby allowing the tablet to be removed.

19. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having a payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, A lid that can be operated to selectively close the payload chamber or to allow access to the payload chamber, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, A circuit configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote computer server, with data accessed via a dashboard display, Equipped with, The container body is equipped with a lock, which engages with the tablet when the tablet is attached to the container body to maintain the tablet's attachment to the container body. A reusable, portable transport container wherein the lock is movable to a retracted position, allowing at least partial separation of the tablet from the container body, and disengaging the tablet from its engagement with the container body, thereby allowing the tablet to be removed.

20. A reusable, portable shipping container, A container body having an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more articles, An insulating lid that can be operated to selectively close the insulating payload chamber or to allow access to the insulating payload chamber, One or more sensors disposed in the thermally insulated payload chamber and capable of sensing parameters of the thermally insulated payload chamber or parameters of the article, A tablet that is detachably attached to the container body, Equipped with, The aforementioned tablet is Electronic display screen and One or more energy storage devices, A circuit configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more sensors in the thermally insulated payload chamber, A reusable, portable shipping container equipped with [specific features / features].

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