Insulated shipping container with rabbet-joint side panels
View Patent ↗Insulated shipping container with rabbet-joint side panels and the procedure for making the same. The insulated shipping container consists of an outer box and six insulated panels. The outer box is made of corrugated fiberboard. The insulated panels are made of expanded polystyrene foam with a thickness of at least 2 inches. The panels are cut with a hotwire machine and the rabbet-joint design locks the side panels in place, which gives the insulated container superb structural and thermal integrity. The box is assembled with a specific H-shape taping and the six panels are inserted to form the insulated container. The invention is the first to meet the packaging requirements of postal carriers and their insurance underwriters. The cost-effective manufacturing process allows for multiple container sizes without additional setup expense, which lowers the cost of shipping affected by dimensional weight versus actual rate shipping rates by the carriers.
1. A process for making an insulated shipping container comprising the steps of:
providing an outer container having an interior and six sides, each of said six sides having an interior surface, said six sides including a front, a back, a right, a left, a top, and a bottom, the top and bottom sides having open portions and two sets of foldable flaps for closing off said open portions of the outer container;
cutting a top panel to substantially cover the interior surface of the top side of the outer container wherein said insulated top panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a bottom panel to substantially cover the interior surface of the bottom side of the outer container wherein said insulated bottom panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a first side panel to substantially cover the interior surface of the front side of the outer container wherein said first side panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a second side panel to substantially cover the interior surface of the back side of the outer container wherein said second side panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a first end panel to fit snugly within and substantially cover the interior surface of the right side of the outer container, wherein said end panel has a left side and a right side and wherein said first end panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a rabbet joint in the left and right sides of the first end panel;
cutting a second end panel to fit snugly within and substantially cover the interior surface of the left side of the outer container, wherein said end panel has a left side and a right side and wherein said second end panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
cutting a rabbet joint in the left and right sides of the second end panel;
folding one set of foldable flaps on the outer container to provide a closed bottom side;
sealing the closed bottom side;
placing the bottom panel into the outer container so that it substantially covers the interior surface of the closed bottom side;
placing the first end panel into the outer container so that it substantially covers the interior surface of the right side of the outer container and so that the rabbet joints of said first end panel are oriented toward the interior of the outer box;
placing the second end panel into the outer container so that it substantially covers the interior surface of the left side of the outer container and so that the rabbet joints of said second end panel are oriented toward the interior of the outer box;
placing the first side panel into the outer container so that it substantially covers the interior surface of the front side of the outer container and engages with the rabbet joints of the first and second end panels;
placing the second side panel into the outer container so that it substantially covers the interior surface of the back side of the outer container and engages with the rabbet joints of the first and second end panels, forming an insulated chamber having an open face;
placing the top panel to substantially cover the open face of the insulated chamber;
folding the second set of foldable flaps to provide a closed top wall of the outer container;
compressing the outer container such that the rabbet joints of the first and second end panels come in full and direct contact with the adjacent side panels creating tightly fitting, impact-resistant joints; and
sealing the closed top wall in a manner that maintains this compression.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said outer container is formed of a corrugated material.
3. The process of claim 2 wherein the corrugated material is fiberboard or cardboard.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of sealing the closed bottom wall comprises the steps of:
applying a first strip of adhesive tape from a point that is midway along an end wall of the outer container, along a bottom seam between the bottom flaps, and then midway along the opposing end wall of the outer container; and then
applying a second strip of the adhesive tape from the point that is midway along the end wall of the outer container, along the bottom seam between the bottom flaps, and then midway along the opposing end wall of the outer container.
5. The process of claim 4 comprising the steps of:
applying a third strip of adhesive tape along the full length of an edge of the bottom wall that is perpendicular to the seam between the bottom flaps, and
applying a fourth strip of adhesive tape along the full length of an opposite parallel edge of the bottom wall that is perpendicular to the seam between the bottom flaps, wherein the third and fourth strips of adhesive tape are applied such that they contact the bottom wall and respective sides wall of the outer container.
6. An insulated shipping container for perishable foods comprising:
an outer collapsible container, the container being folded into a box having an exterior, an interior base, four interior side walls and an interior top;
an inner insulating chamber comprising:
i) a bottom insulating panel disposed in and substantially covering the interior base of said foldable box wherein said bottom insulating panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
ii) a pair of side insulating panels disposed in and substantially covering two opposing interior side walls wherein said side insulating panels are expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
iii) a pair of end insulating panels, each end insulating panel having a left and right side and the pair of end insulating panels snugly fitting within and substantially covering the remaining two opposing interior side walls and abutting the side insulation panels, wherein each of said end insulating panels is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches and wherein each left and right side comprises a rabbet to accommodate and engage with the thickness of the abutting side insulating panels; and
iv) a top insulating panel disposed in and substantially covering the interior top of said foldable box wherein said top insulating panel is expanded polystyrene having a nominal density of 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of at least two inches;
wherein said exterior of said outer box is compressed, closed and sealed such that the rabbet joints of the first and second end panels come in full and direct contact with the adjacent side panels creating tightly fitting, impact-resistant joints.