JP7566321B2 - Cool container for transport - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport cooler container made of foamed resin that can hold items that require refrigeration, such as COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global epidemic known as a pandemic in just a few months since the first case was reported in China in early December 2019. To combat this threat, pharmaceutical manufacturers and research institutes around the world have been working on vaccine development, and by the end of 2020, vaccinations had begun in parts of the UK and the US.

In Japan, vaccines from Pfizer Inc. of the US, Moderna Inc. of the US, and AstraZeneca Inc. of the UK have been selected for supply. For example, the storage temperature for the Pfizer vaccine is -75°C (±15°C), and the storage temperature for the Moderna vaccine is -20°C (±5°C). These vaccines are called mRNA type vaccines, and are made with genes whose structure is easily broken. If they are not stored at low temperatures and without vibration or impact, there is a risk that the vaccine will lose its effectiveness. As a cooler container for storing transported items that require temperature control, such as vaccines and medicines, a transport container that is configured to allow ice packs to be placed around the storage section is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-993 A

The Pfizer vaccine, which is being administered in Japan, is airlifted from an overseas factory and then stored in deep freezers in domestic warehouses. It is then transported to regional medical institutions and vaccination sites in units of approximately 1,000 doses using refrigerated boxes and dry ice. However, the number of vaccinations varies from site to site, and smaller sites are unable to administer approximately 1,000 doses. Therefore, in reality, vials containing the vaccine are divided into smaller portions and transported to each vaccination site. However, conventional transport containers are not specialized for the above purpose, and there is a risk that they will not be able to stably store vials containing the vaccine.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a transport cooler container that has a simple structure yet can ensure the required cooling performance and can stably store transported items such as vials containing vaccines or medicines.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a transport cold storage container made of foamed resin, comprising a box-shaped container body having an opening on its top surface, and a lid body that covers the opening of the container body, and further comprising a flat holder member having a plurality of holding holes into which cylindrically shaped transported objects are fitted, the holder member including a first holder member and a second holder member, the first holder member and the second holder member each having a plurality of holding pieces protruding horizontally from two opposing sides, the container body having a plurality of holding grooves formed in the vertical direction on two opposing inner sides and into which the holding pieces are inserted, the plurality of holding grooves including a first holding groove that holds the first holder member at a first position where a predetermined storage space is provided between the first holder member and the upper bottom surface of the container body, and a second holding groove that holds the second holder member at a second position where a predetermined storage space is provided between the second holder member and the first holder member .

In the above-mentioned transport cold storage container, it is preferable that the first retaining groove and the second retaining groove have different heights from the upper bottom surface of the container body at their respective lower ends, and that the first holder member and the second holder member have the same shape as each other.

In the above-mentioned transport cooler container, it is preferable that the holder member is formed with a width dimension that provides a predetermined storage space between the two sides without the holding pieces and the inner surface of the container body.

In the above-mentioned transport cold storage container, it is preferable that the upper bottom surface of the container body has a plurality of protrusions protruding upward.

In the above-mentioned transport cooler container, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the lid has multiple protrusions that protrude downward.

The transport cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the retaining hole has a retaining protrusion protruding inward on its inner circumferential surface.

The transport cooler container according to the present invention is made of a highly insulating and elastic foamed resin, so that, despite its simple structure, it is possible to maintain a constant temperature inside the container and protect the transported object from vibration and impact. In particular, since a cooling agent can be placed on the bottom surface of the cooler container, it is possible to block heat from the bottom surface of the cooler container and effectively suppress the temperature rise of the transported object. In addition, the holder member that holds the transported object is configured separately from the container body and is bridged within the container body, so that the transported object is not in direct contact with the cooler container. Therefore, even if an impact is applied to the cooler container, the impact is unlikely to be transmitted to the transported object, and the transported object can be stably held.

1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid of a transport cold storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention is open, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid is closed. (a) is a front view of the transport cooler container, (b) is a side view, (c) is a plan view, (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of (c), (e) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of (c), and (f) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of (c). 4A is a perspective view mainly showing a top surface of a holder member used in the above-mentioned transport cold storage container, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view mainly showing a bottom surface. (a) is a plan view of the holder member, (b) is a side view, (c) is a bottom view, (d) is an enlarged view of the X area of (a), (e) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of (a), (f) is a front view, (g) is a rear view, and (h) is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of (a). FIG. 2A is a perspective view mainly showing the front of a container body used in the above-mentioned cold storage container, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view mainly showing the back of the container body. (a) is a front view of the container body, (b) is a side view, (c) is a plan view, (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F of (c), and (e) is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G of (c). FIG. 2A is a perspective view mainly showing the top surface of a lid body used in the above-mentioned cold storage container, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view mainly showing the bottom surface. 1A is a front view of the lid, FIG. 1B is a side view, FIG. 1C is a bottom view, FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-H in FIG. 1C, and FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG.

A transport cooler container according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1(a)(b) and 2(a) to (f), the transport cooler container of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as cooler container 1) comprises a box-shaped container body 2 having an opening 20 on the top surface, and a lid body 3 that covers the opening 20 of the container body 2. In the following description, the lower left side of the cooler container 1 shown in Fig. 1(b) (as viewed from the direction of the arrow in the figure) will be referred to as the front, and the lower right side will be referred to as the right side.

The container body 2 is a bottomed box-shaped container with an opening 20 on the top surface, and contains a cylindrical transported object 4 (presumably a vial containing a vaccine) and ice packs 5 inside. The ice pack container 1 also includes a holder member 6 having a plurality of holding holes 60 into which the transported object 4 is fitted. In the illustrated example, two holder members 6 are used, with two ice packs 5 arranged horizontally under the lower holder member 6 (first holder member 6A), one ice pack 5 arranged vertically on each side of the holder member 6, and two ice packs 5 arranged horizontally on the upper holder member 6 (second holder member 6B).

The container body 2, the lid 3, and the holder member 6 are all made of foamed resin, for example, foamed synthetic resin such as polyolefin resins such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene, and in this embodiment, they are molded from expanded polystyrene (EPS (expanded polystyrene)). The container body 2, the lid 3, and the holder member 6 may each be made of the same resin material, but materials with different foaming ratios (densities) and hardness may also be used. It is more preferable that the container body 2 and the lid 3 are molded from special expanded polystyrene, which is a resin to which a light-shielding material has been added.

As shown in Figs. 3(a) and 3(b) and Figs. 4(a) to 4(h), the holder member 6 has a flat plate-shaped holder body 61 and a number of holding pieces 62 that protrude horizontally from two opposing sides of the holder body 61, and a number of holding holes 60 are formed in the holder body 61. Note that here, based on the arrangement of the lower holder member 6 (first holder member 6A) shown in Fig. 1(a), the lower left side surface of the holder member 6 is regarded as the front.

The holder body 61 is a generally rectangular rectangle with one side longer than the other in a plan view, and its size is, for example, 188 mm x 136 mm. The length of the short side of the holder body 61 is slightly smaller than the length of the short side of the opening 20 (140 mm). On the other hand, the length of the long side of the holder body 61 is smaller than the length of the long side of the opening 20 (250 mm). In other words, the holder member 6 is formed with a width dimension that provides a predetermined storage space between the two sides without the retaining pieces 62 and the inner surface of the container body 2. Therefore, a vertically arranged ice pack 5 can be stored in this storage space.

The thickness of the holder body 61 is set to a thickness that allows the transported object 4 to be held on the inner circumferential surface of the holding hole 60, and is set to, for example, 10 to 20 mm (15 mm in the illustrated example). It is preferable that the size of the upper surface of the holder body 61 is slightly larger than the size of the lower surface, and that the shape is slightly tapered in side view (see Figures 4(f) and (g)). In this embodiment, the holding holes 60 are arranged in a 5 x 5 grid, making a total of 25 holes. In this case, the spacing between adjacent holding holes 60 is set to 25 mm from the center of each holding hole 60.

The holding hole 60 penetrates from the top to the bottom of the holder body 61, and a step 60a is provided so that the opening on the top side is larger (see Figures 4(a) and (d)) and the opening on the bottom side is smaller (Figure 4(c)). This step 60a supports the bottom of the transported object 4 (a vial containing a vaccine). The depth of the holding hole 60 above the step 60a is, for example, 10 mm, and the depth of the holding hole 60 below the step 60a is, for example, 5 mm. The diameter of the holding hole 60 below the step 60a is, for example, 10 mm. The holding hole 60 also opens to the bottom of the holder body 61, so that the cold air from the ice pack 5 placed below the holder member 6 can be transmitted to the transported object 4.

The diameter of the holding hole 60 above the step 60a is set, for example, to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical transported object 4 (vial bottle). Note that, in order to make it easier to insert the transported object 4, it is preferable that the diameter on the top side is formed in a tapered shape that is slightly larger than the diameter on the step 60a side (for example, 16 to 17.4 mm). In addition, the edge from the side to the bottom surface of the holder body 61 may be formed in a curved shape with an R of about R1 (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4(d), the inner circumferential surface of the holding hole 60 above the step 60a has holding protrusions 60b that protrude inward into the holding hole 60. In this embodiment, the holding protrusions 60b are provided at four locations on the inner circumferential surface of the holding hole 60. It is desirable that the holding protrusions 60b make the minimum aperture of the holding hole 60 slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the transported object 4. Since the container body 2 is molded from an elastic foamed resin, when the transported object 4 is fitted into the holding hole 60, the holding protrusions 60b are crushed and pressed against the transported object 4, so that the transported object 4 is stably held in the holding hole 60.

The retaining pieces 62 are integrally molded with the holder body 61, and include one retaining piece 62A provided in the center of the front side of the holder body 61, and two retaining pieces 62B provided at a distance on the rear side. The retaining pieces 62 have the same thickness as the holder body 61, and protrude from the side of the holder body 61 by, for example, 6.5 mm. The shape of the holder member 6 in plan view is symmetrical about the line D-D shown in FIG. 4(a). Therefore, if the holder member 6 is rotated 180° while remaining horizontal, there will be one retaining piece 62A on the rear side and two retaining pieces 62B on the front side.

As shown in Figs. 5(a)(b) and 6(a) to (e), the container body 2 is a substantially rectangular rectangle with one side longer than the other side in a plan view, and has a substantially rectangular bottom surface 21 and a front surface 22, a left side surface 23, a right side surface 24, and a back surface 25 erected on the four sides of the bottom surface 21. The size of the cold storage container 1 is, for example, 330 mm x 220 mm. The height when the lid body 3 is stacked on the container body 2 is, for example, 190 mm. The size of the opening 20 of the container body 2 is, for example, 250 mm x 140 mm. In the following description, the descriptions of the bottom surface 21, the front surface 22, the left side surface 23, the right side surface 24, and the back surface 25 are all used to include both the inner and outer surfaces of the container body 2.

The thickness of the bottom surface 21, front surface 22, left side surface 23, right side surface 24, and back surface 25 is preferably, for example, 30 mm or more, and is 40 mm in this example. These five surfaces of the container body 2 form a predetermined storage space. The height from the deepest point of this storage space to the highest point of the opening 20 is, for example, 100 to 150 mm (120 mm in the example shown). A convex frame portion 26 that fits into the concave frame portion 33 of the lid body 3 is provided on the upper edges of the front surface 22, left side surface 23, right side surface 24, and back surface 25 to form the periphery of the opening 20. Although not shown in the figure, the outer surface of the bottom surface 21 is a flat surface, and the product name, product number, etc. may be formed as appropriate.

The container body 2 has a plurality of holding grooves 27 formed vertically on two opposing inner surfaces (in the illustrated example, the inner surfaces of the front surface 22 and the back surface 25) into which the holding pieces 62 of the holder member 6 are inserted. In this embodiment, three holding grooves 27 are provided on each of the inner surfaces of the front surface 22 and the back surface 25.

The holding groove 27 includes a first holding groove 27A that holds the first holder member 6A at a first position H1 where a predetermined storage space is provided between the first holder member 6A arranged on the lower stage and the bottom surface 21 (upper bottom surface) of the container body 2 (see FIG. 6(e)). The holding groove 27 also includes a second holding groove 27B that holds the second holder member 6B at a second position H2 where a predetermined storage space is provided between the second holder member 6B arranged on the upper stage and the first holder member 6A.

In this embodiment, the first retaining groove 27A is provided at the center of the front surface 22 (FIG. 5(b)) and on both sides of the back surface 25 (FIG. 5(a)), and the second retaining groove 27B is provided at both sides of the front surface 22 (FIG. 5(a)) and at the center of the back surface 25 (FIG. 5(b)). That is, the first retaining groove 27A and the second retaining groove 27B have different heights from the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2 at their lower ends. As shown in FIG. 6(e), the lower end of the first retaining groove 27A is, for example, 30 mm high (first position H1) from the bottom surface 21 (upper bottom surface) of the container body 2, and the lower end of the second retaining groove 27B is, for example, 69 mm high (second position H2) from the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2.

The bottom surface 21 (upper bottom surface) of the container body 2 has multiple protrusions 28 formed to protrude upward (see FIG. 6(c)). In this embodiment, eight protrusions 28 are formed in a 4×2 arrangement. When the ice pack 5 is placed horizontally on the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2 and the first holder member 6A is placed on top of it, some of the multiple protrusions 28 are crushed and fit the shape of the ice pack 5, allowing the ice pack 5 to be stably held (see FIG. 2(e)). Note that in the illustrated example, the ice pack 5 is shown to have a regular shape for drawing purposes, and there is a sufficient gap between the lower ice pack 5 and the first holder member 6A. However, if the ice pack 5 is, for example, a reusable soft gel type ice pack, it may become unevenly distorted when frozen, and the arrangement of the ice pack 5 is more likely to be irregular than in the illustrated example. Therefore, by providing protrusions 28 that fit the shape of the ice pack 5, the ice pack 5 can be held more stably. Furthermore, the protrusions 28 create a gap between the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2 and the ice pack 5, making it easier for cold air to circulate inside the container and keeping the transported goods 4 well-cooled. In addition, the upper edge of the container body 2 has notches 29 at two diagonal corners to make it easier to remove the lid 3 (see Figures 5(a) and 1(b)).

As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b) and Figures 8(a) to (e), the lid 3 is a plate-like member that forms the upper surface of the cooler container 1. The top surface 31 of the lid 3 is a flat surface. The bottom surface 32 of the lid 3 is provided with a recessed frame portion 33 that fits into the protruding frame portion 26 of the container body 2. Further inward of the inner wall of the recessed frame portion 33 is a recessed flat surface 34 that is shallower than the recessed frame portion 33.

The lid 3 also has multiple protrusions 35 formed to protrude downward from the concave surface 34. In this embodiment, eight protrusions 35 are formed in a 4 x 2 arrangement. When the lid 3 is closed, the protrusions 35 are pressed into the ice packs 5 arranged in the upper tier and are crushed, and fit the shape of the ice packs 5, contributing to the stable retention of the ice packs 5.

The procedure for using the cold storage container 1 configured as above will be described with reference to Figs. 1(a) and (b) again. First, two ice packs 5 are placed horizontally on the bottom surface 21 (upper bottom surface) of the container body 2. Then, a holder member 6 (first holder member 6A) with a transported object 4 held in a holding hole 60 is placed on top of the ice packs 5. At this time, the first holder member 6A is inserted into the container body 2 so that the first holding piece 62A of the first holder member 6A fits into the first holding groove 27A of the container body 2. As a result, the first holder member 6A is held at the first position H1 (see Figs. 6(e) and 2(e)).

Next, the second holder member 6B is rotated horizontally 180° from the first holder member 6A and inserted into the container body 2 so that the second holding piece 62B fits into the second holding groove 27B of the container body 2. This holds the second holder member 6B at the second position H2. The second holder member 6B is held at a position slightly higher than the top surface of the transported object 4 and does not directly contact the transported object 4.

Next, one ice pack 5 is placed vertically on each side of both holder members 6. Furthermore, two ice packs 5 are placed horizontally on the second holder member 6B. As a result, cold air is transmitted from the ice packs 4 in the downward direction through the retaining holes 60 opening on the underside of the first holder member 6A to the transported object 4, cold air flows in from the ice packs 5 in both lateral directions through the gap between the first holder member 6A and the second holder member 6B, and cold air is transmitted from the ice packs 4 in the upward direction through the retaining holes 60 in the second holder member 6B. In this way, the ice packs 5 are placed on four sides of the transported object 4, downward, horizontally, and upward, so that low temperature conditions can be stably maintained.

In addition, since the cold storage container 1 is made of a foamed resin that has high thermal insulation and elasticity, it can maintain a constant temperature inside the container and protect the transported object 4 from vibration and impact, even though it has a simple structure. The cold storage container 1 is easily transferred with external heat from the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2 that contacts the placement surface, and if the transported object 4 is in direct contact with the bottom surface 21 of the cold storage container 1, the temperature of the transported object 4 is likely to rise. On the other hand, according to the cold storage container 1 of this embodiment, the ice pack 5 can be placed on the bottom surface 21 of the cold storage container 1, so that the heat from the bottom surface 21 of the container body 2 can be blocked and the temperature rise of the transported object 4 can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, since the holder member 6 that holds the transported object 4 is bridged within the container body 2 and the transported object 4 is not in direct contact with the cold storage container 1, even if an impact is applied to the cold storage container 1, the impact is not easily transmitted to the transported object 4, and the transported object 4 can be stably held. In addition, it is known that the novel coronavirus vaccine is at risk of quality degradation not only due to temperature and impact, but also due to ultraviolet light. Therefore, by using a special expanded polystyrene with added light-blocking material for the container body 2 and the lid 3, quality degradation of the transported goods 4 due to light can be suppressed.

In addition, the holder member 6 can hold multiple transported objects 4 and is configured to be separable from the container body 2, so that by removing the holder member 6 from the container body 2, multiple transported objects 4 can be carried at the same time. Therefore, for example, when transferring the transported objects 4 from the cold storage container 1 to a stationary freezer at a vaccination site, the transported objects 4 can be removed all at once by holder unit rather than removing the transported objects 4 individually, allowing for a simple and quick transfer with reduced stress on the transported objects 4.

The first holder member 6A and the second holder member 6B have the same shape and can be molded using the same mold, which reduces the number of parts and reduces manufacturing costs. By providing the second holder member 6A on the upper level, even if the transported object 4 held by the first holder member 6A on the lower level falls out of the holding hole 60, the upward movement of the transported object 4 is restricted, so that the transported object 4 does not scatter inside the container body 2 and the transported object 4 can be transported safely. A cushioning material (not shown) such as urethane may be sandwiched between the transported object 4 and the second holder member 6A.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. In the above embodiment, a total of six ice packs 5 are arranged in four directions, up, down, left, and right, of the holder member 6 holding the transported object 4, but four ice packs 5 may be arranged in two directions, up and down, and the optimal number of ice packs 5 is used depending on the cooling time and the cooling temperature of the transported object 4. In addition, the transported object 4 transported using the ice storage container 1 is assumed to be a vial containing the above-mentioned new coronavirus vaccine, but is not limited to this, and the ice storage container 1 can be used to transport other medicines that need to be transported under low temperature conditions. It goes without saying that the size and number of the holding holes 60 of the holder member 6 can be appropriately changed depending on the transported object 4.

In the above embodiment, two holder members 6 are used, and the transported object 4 is held by the first holder member 6A at the lower level. However, for example, the inner dimensions of the container body 2 may be made higher than the inner dimensions of this example, and three or more holder members 6 may be used to hold the transported object 4 on two or more holder members. In this case, a spacer (not shown) formed to a predetermined height may be fitted into the holding groove 27 so that one holding groove 27 holds the holding pieces 62 of two or more holder members 6. In the above embodiment, it is assumed that a general-purpose reusable ice pack 5 is used, but dry ice can also be used as the ice pack 5. The foamed resin ice pack 1 has a predetermined breathability, so that the carbon dioxide generated by the sublimation of dry ice can be slowly discharged, and it can be used preferably.

1 Cold storage container for transportation 2 Container body 20 Opening 21 Bottom surface (upper bottom surface)
23 Left side (inner surface)
24 Right side (inner side)
27 Retaining groove 27A First retaining groove 27B Second retaining groove 28 Projection 3 Lid 32 Bottom surface 35 Projection 4 Transported object 5 Refrigerant 6 Holder member 6A First holder member 6B Second holder member 60 Retaining hole 62 Retaining piece 62A First 1st holding piece 62B 2nd holding piece H1 1st position H2 2nd position

Claims (6)

A transport cold storage container made of foamed resin, comprising a box-shaped container body having an opening on an upper surface and a lid body for covering the opening of the container body,
The transport device further includes a flat-plate-shaped holder member having a plurality of holding holes into which cylindrical objects to be transported are fitted,
the holder member includes a first holder member and a second holder member,
The first holder member and the second holder member each have a plurality of holding pieces protruding horizontally from two opposing sides,
The container body has a plurality of holding grooves formed in two opposing inner surfaces in a vertical direction and into which the holding pieces are inserted,
A transport cold storage container characterized in that the multiple holding grooves include a first holding groove that holds the first holder member at a first position where a predetermined storage space is provided between the first holder member and an upper bottom surface of the container body, and a second holding groove that holds the second holder member at a second position where a predetermined storage space is provided between the second holder member and the first holder member . The first holding groove and the second holding groove have lower ends each having a different height from an upper bottom surface of the container body,
2. The transport cold storage container according to claim 1, wherein the first holder member and the second holder member have the same shape . The transport cold storage container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holder member is formed with a width dimension that provides a predetermined storage space between the two sides without the holding pieces and the inner surface of the container body . 4. The transport cold storage container according to claim 1, wherein the upper bottom surface of the container body has a plurality of protrusions protruding upward . 5. The transport cold storage container according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the lid has a plurality of protrusions protruding downward . 6. The transport cold storage container according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining hole has a retaining protrusion protruding inward on an inner circumferential surface thereof .