Dry Ice Packaging Container With Inflatable Void Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging systems for transporting medicines and sensitive products face challenges such as excessive volume, material waste, labor-intensive preparation, inadequate temperature control, and risk of contamination due to heat and humidity, leading to ineffective or toxic drug products and increased disposal costs.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a polystyrene structure with an inflatable element containing dry ice, which maintains a consistent temperature range for extended periods, is hermetically sealed, and allows for easy operation and reuse, reducing material usage and transport encumbrance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a polystyrene container with a second container and dry ice is used, then temperature control is achieved, but the container becomes very voluminous and requires manual piercing of indentations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function (dry ice) and the packaging structure into a single integrated container design. The dry ice is placed directly in the bottom container which serves as both the cooling chamber and the structural base, eliminating the need for separate cooling containers and manual assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into functional zones: a bottom container for dry ice storage and an upper container for product placement. This segmentation allows the cold air to naturally flow downward from the upper to lower sections, providing efficient temperature control without requiring additional active cooling mechanisms.
2Temperature
If gel ice packs are used to maintain temperature, then temperature control is achieved, but they occupy significant space and require pre-refrigeration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dry ice as a disposable cooling agent that sublimates completely during use, leaving no residue or reusable components. This eliminates the need for pre-refrigeration of reusable gel packs and simplifies the preparation process - the dry ice is simply placed in the container and allows immediate use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) to gas through sublimation. This phase change provides continuous cooling as the dry ice transforms, maintaining stable temperatures without requiring pre-refrigeration or active cooling systems.
3Reliability
If adhesive tape is used to seal the container, then sealing is achieved, but material waste and disposal costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged into the container lid structure itself through integrated sealing elements such as gaskets or interlocking designs. This eliminates the need for separate adhesive tape applications and reduces material waste while maintaining reliable sealing.
4Stability of the object's composition
If air cushions are inflated to fill space, then product stability is achieved, but preparation complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates fixed positioning elements such as recesses, protrusions, or molded compartments at specific locations to secure products. This localized structural design provides stability without requiring inflation of air cushions or additional preparation steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The container effectively maintains a temperature range of 2-8°C for up to 48 hours, ensuring product integrity, reducing waste and labor costs, and providing a secure, tamper-proof transport solution with lower volumetric and weight burdens.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable element (10) containing dry ice
Implementation Method 2
polystyrene structure with an inflatable element containing dry ice, which maintains a consistent temperature range for extended periods
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a container for packaging of the type that comprises a containment structure that is basically composed of a base wall (2) to which a rear wall (3), a pair of lateral walls (4) and a front wall (5) are attached and a closing element (6) where to the front wall (5) a valve (9) is attached that, in turn, is connected to an inflatable element (10) designed to contain dry ice (11). The container is designed to be operated from a rest condition, when it is inactive and no products are accommodated in the container, to a first operative condition in which there are some products in the container and in the front wall (5) there is the valve (9) with the inflatable element (10), and to a second operative condition in which the container is closed by the closing element and the dry ice expands, thereby enlarging the inflatable element that fills the remaining empty space inside the container, thereby blocking the closing element.