Reusable portable shipping container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable shipping containers fail to maintain temperature-sensitive products at desired temperatures during transport, leading to product degradation and waste due to single-use materials and inefficiencies in tracking and returning reusable containers.
Innovation Solution
A reusable portable shipping container system with an insulated payload chamber, sensors for temperature and humidity monitoring, and a tablet for displaying shipping labels, instructions, and maintenance status, allowing for modular use with various container sizes and wireless communication with sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If single-use containers (cardboard, Styrofoam) are used, then manufacturing cost is low and ease of manufacture is high, but environmental waste increases and reusability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a reusable container system that is designed to be returned and recovered after use. The container includes tracking technology and incentive mechanisms to ensure return, transforming the single-use disposable model into a circular economy model where containers are continuously reused, thereby reducing environmental waste while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The reusable container is designed with universal features including modular components, standardized sizes, and integrated electronics that can track and monitor various parameters. This multi-functionality allows the same container design to serve multiple trips and potentially different purposes, reducing the need for manufacturing new containers for each use while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
2Loss of substance
If reusable containers are implemented, then environmental waste is reduced and sustainability is improved, but difficulty in achieving return increases due to user inaction or improperly displayed labels
Solution Approach 1:
The container includes integrated tracking technology, sensors, and communication systems that provide real-time feedback to both the user and the system operator. The electronic display on the container shows return instructions, status information, and incentives, while the tracking system monitors container location and condition. This feedback loop ensures containers are returned by making the process transparent and providing continuous guidance to users.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed with self-service features including automatic tracking, built-in display screens that show return instructions, and integrated sensors that monitor container status. These features reduce reliance on external labeling and manual instructions, allowing the container to guide its own return process and reduce user error.
3Temperature
If ice is used in traditional coolers, then cooling capability is achieved, but ice melts soaking products and requiring emptying of liquid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the phase-change cooling method (ice melting) with alternative cooling mechanisms such as refrigeration units, phase-change materials with controlled melting points, or evaporative cooling systems. These parameter changes in the cooling approach eliminate uncontrolled water leakage while maintaining effective temperature control for sensitive products.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using reusable ice that melts and creates leakage problems, the system may employ disposable cooling packs or single-use cooling elements that are designed to be replaced rather than refilled. This eliminates the leakage issue associated with melting ice while maintaining cooling effectiveness throughout the transport journey.
4Temperature
If traditional coolers are used for long-distance transport, then portability is maintained, but inability to maintain product in cooled state results in product degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates dynamic temperature control capabilities through integrated refrigeration units, adjustable cooling systems, or multiple cooling zones that can adapt to changing transport conditions. This dynamic approach allows the container to maintain optimal temperature throughout long-distance transport, adjusting cooling intensity based on duration, external conditions, and product requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is pre-cooled or pre-prepared with adequate cooling resources before transport begins. The system includes monitoring that anticipates temperature changes and activates cooling measures in advance. This preliminary action ensures temperature stability is maintained throughout the entire transport duration, preventing product degradation even on long journeys.
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 system effectively maintains temperature-sensitive products within desired temperature ranges, reduces waste through reusability, and enhances tracking and return processes, ensuring the integrity and usability of temperature-sensitive goods during transport.
Implementation Method 1
a container body with an insulated payload chamber configured to receive one or more goods; an insulated lid pivotally, sliding or removably coupled to the container body
Implementation Method 2
one or more sensors disposed in the payload chamber and operable to sense a parameter of the payload chamber or of the goods; circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with the one or more sensors in the payload chamber and to store sensor data
Implementation Method 3
one or more power storage devices, and circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with the one or more sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable shipper container has a container body with a payload chamber for holding goods and a lid operable to access the payload chamber. The reusable shipper container also has one or more sensors in the payload chamber to senses a humidity or temperature of the payload chamber or the goods. The reusable shipper container also has a tablet display screen detachably coupled to the container body that wirelessly communicates with the sensors in the payload chamber and that displays one or more of an electronic shipping label, packing instructions, return instructions and maintenance status.