The present disclosure relates generally to packaging for perishable items.
Year-over-year, e-commerce sales growth has outpaced that of traditional brick-and-mortar industries. Consumers demand convenience, speed, and value provided by e-commerce, and are expanding the type of products that they purchase online instead of in a brick-and-mortar store. Some products that are delivered to consumers, such as food products, are perishable and must be stored below a particular temperature to avoid spoilage. Perishable items are typically shipped in insulated packaging with a cooling pack to keep the temperature of the product sufficiently low during transit to prevent spoilage.
Various embodiments relate to a method of optimizing packaging for shipping a perishable item. An example method includes determining a cooling capacity of an insulated package assembly sufficient to maintain a temperature of a perishable item below a threshold temperature over an estimated transit time along a delivery route from a source address to a destination address. A first volume of a consumable food product is determined based on thermal characteristics of the consumable food product, such that the insulated package assembly including the perishable item and the first volume of the consumable food product has the determined cooling capacity. The insulated package assembly is assembled by providing an outer container. An insulator is positioned within the outer container. The insulator defines an insulated cavity. A cooling pack is positioned within the insulated cavity. The cooling pack includes the first volume of the consumable food product. A perishable item package is positioned within the insulated cavity proximate the cooling pack. The perishable item package includes the ordered perishable item. The insulated package assembly is shipped to the destination address.
Various other embodiments relate to a system for shipping a perishable item. An example system includes an insulated package assembly. The insulated package assembly includes an outer container that defines an outer cavity. An insulating layer is positioned within the outer cavity and defines an insulated cavity. A cooling pack is positioned within the insulated cavity. The cooling pack includes a first volume of a consumable food product. The first volume of the consumable food product is structured to maintain the insulated cavity below a threshold temperature for a predetermined time period. A perishable item is positioned within the insulated cavity proximate the cooling pack. The first volume is determined based on thermal characteristics of the consumable food product.
These and other features, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings described below.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
It will be recognized that some or all of the figures are schematic representations for purposes of illustration. The figures are provided for the purpose of illustrating one or more implementations with the explicit understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
One problem associated with product packaging—especially insulated packaging for perishable items—is the excessive waste and harmful environmental impact associated with the discarded packaging. For example, cooling packs (also referred to as ice packs or gel packs) used to keep a perishable item cool during transit are typically thrown away after the packaging is opened. Cooling packs are sealed plastic bags that typically include a water-based gel. Even though some coolant pack gels are purportedly non-toxic and water-soluble, some consumers simply throw the cooling packs in the trash instead of thawing and draining the gel, thereby adding significant volume and weight to landfills and causing harm to the environment.
Various embodiments relate to systems and methods for optimizing packaging for perishable items. Some embodiments relate to packaging for a perishable item including a cooling pack filled with a consumable food product. The cooling pack including the consumable food product is cooled or frozen so as to maintain the temperature of the perishable item below a threshold temperature during shipment. In addition to providing cooling for the perishable item, the consumable food product can be consumed and enjoyed by the recipient instead of simply being thrown away as trash. According to various embodiments, the consumable food product may include, for example, a liquid, such as wine, water, juice, cold brew coffee, etc., or a semi-liquid, such as baby food or applesauce. In some embodiments, the cooling pack includes an outer shell formed of food grade material (e.g., food grade plastic). In some embodiments, the outer shell of the cooling pack includes a dispenser or is otherwise structured for easy opening (e.g., via tearing or puncturing). Some embodiments further include a dispensing rack to support at least one cooling pack for easily accessible gravity-fed dispensing.
The insulated package assembly 106 is shown in
The outer container 118 can be formed of corrugated cardboard, plastic, or other suitable packaging materials. The insulator 120 is positioned within the outer container 118 and defines an insulated cavity 122. The insulator 120 can include a foam (e.g., polystyrene), air, or other insulators. The cooling pack 114 is positioned within the insulated cavity 122. The cooling pack 114 includes a consumable food product 124. The perishable item package 116 is positioned within the insulated cavity 122 proximate the cooling pack 114. At least one perishable item 126 is positioned within the perishable item package 116.
In general, the insulated package assembly 106 is structured to maintain a temperature of the perishable item 126 below a threshold temperature over an estimated transit time along a delivery route between the source location 108 and the destination location 110.
The insulated package 112 has various thermal properties, as shown below in Table 1. For example, insulated package 112 and its components have respective “R-values,” which are measures of how well an object resists conductive flow of heat. The R-value of the outer container 118 is at least ROC 202. The R-value of the insulator 120 is at least RINS 204. The insulated package 112, including the outer container 118 and the insulator 120, has an effective R-value, RPACKAGE 206. According to various embodiments, Any of ROC 202, RINS 204, and RPACKAGE 206 can be determined theoretically or experimentally.
As noted above, the insulated package assembly 106 (
The consumable food product 124 has several relevant properties that relate to its ability to provide adequate cooling to the perishable item 126 during transit. For example, the consumable food product 124 has the following properties as set forth below in Table 2 and as shown in
It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the properties outlined above are defined with regard to the overall perishable item package 116, including the consumable food product 124 and the outer shell 128. In some embodiments, the outer shell 128 is negligible with regard to the above-defined properties.
According to various embodiments, the perishable item 126 may include one or more perishable item components. For example, in the example embodiment illustrated in
According to various embodiments, the perishable item 126 may be a consumable food product or a product that is not intended for human consumption (e.g., blood, semen, etc.). For example, in one embodiment, the perishable item 126 is a food product, such as a meal kit, that includes one or more food items. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
Similar to the consumable food product 124 described above, the perishable item 126 has several relevant properties that relate to the ability of the overall insulated package assembly 106 to provide adequate cooling to the perishable item 126 during transit. For example, the perishable item 126 has the following properties as set forth below in Table 3 and as shown in
In particular, the perishable item 126 has a mass mPI 226. The perishable item 126 has two different specific heat values: a specific heat of the perishable item in solid form cPI,sol 228 and a specific heat of the perishable item in liquid form cPI,liq 230. The perishable item 126 also has a latent heat of fusion LPI 232. Finally, the perishable item 126 has various temperatures from the time of packaging to the time of unboxing. Relevant temperatures include an initial temperature of the perishable item 126 at the time of packaging T0,PI 234, the freezing point of the perishable item 126 TFreeze, PI 236 (the temperature at which the perishable item 126 changes from a solid to a liquid), and a maximum allowable temperature of the perishable item 126 TMAX, PI 238.
It should be understood that the properties outlined above can be expressed in terms of the overall perishable item package 116 including the perishable item 126 and the container 130, in terms of the entire perishable item 126, or individually with respect to each of the perishable item components of the perishable item 126, such as the first, second, and third perishable item components 132, 134, 136 of
In some embodiments, a cooling pack filled with a consumable food product is placed within the insulated package assembly to provide sufficient cooling capacity so as to maintain the temperature of the perishable item below the threshold temperature during shipment. According to various embodiments, the consumable food product includes at least one of a liquid food product and a semi-liquid food product. The consumable food product is cooled or frozen within the cooling pack prior to assembling the insulated package assembly.
In some embodiments, the delivery route for delivering the perishable item from a source address (e.g., at a production or distribution facility) to the destination address (e.g., a consumer's residential address) is mapped. In some embodiments, mapping includes estimating the transit time for delivering the perishable item. As will be appreciated, the estimated transit time can be used for determining the cooling capacity of the consumable food product. In some embodiments, mapping further includes estimating ambient temperatures to which the insulated package assembly is to be exposed during transit along the delivery route. For example, in some embodiments, the ambient temperatures to which the insulated package assembly is to be exposed are determined based on weather forecast data for the delivery route.
At 504, a required cooling capacity is determined. The required cooling capacity is a cooling capacity of the insulated package assembly that is sufficient to maintain the temperature of the perishable item below the threshold temperature over the estimated transit time along the delivery route from the source address to a destination address. Put another way, the required cooling capacity relates to a maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to the perishable item 126 during transit such that a final temperature of the perishable item 126 at the time that the perishable item is removed from the insulated package 112 (unboxed) by the consumer 104 at the destination location 110 does not exceed the maximum allowable temperature of the perishable item TMAX, PI 238.
In some embodiments, the cooling capacity of the insulated package assembly comprises a first cooling capacity of the perishable item and a second cooling capacity of the consumable food product. The first cooling capacity of the perishable item is determined based on at least a volume, a heat of fusion, a specific heat, and an initial temperature of the perishable item.
In some embodiments, the perishable item includes multiple components. For example, in one embodiment, the perishable item includes a first perishable item component and a second perishable item component. In this arrangement, the first cooling capacity of the perishable item is a sum of the cooling capacities of the first and second perishable item components. For example, a third cooling capacity of the first perishable item component is determined based on at least a volume, a heat of fusion, a specific heat, and an initial temperature of the first perishable item component. A fourth cooling capacity of the second perishable item component is determined based on at least a volume, a heat of fusion, a specific heat, and an initial temperature of the second perishable item component. The first cooling capacity of the perishable item is a sum of the third cooling capacity of the first perishable item component and the fourth cooling capacity of the second perishable item component.
In some embodiments, the total heat load on the perishable item and the consumable food product during transit from the source address to the destination address along the delivery route is determined and utilized to determine the required cooling capacity of the consumable food product. In some embodiments, the total heat load is determined based on the estimated transit time and ambient temperatures to which the insulated package assembly is to be exposed during transit along the delivery route over the estimated transit time, and thermal properties of the outer container and the insulating layer. In some embodiments, the cooling capacity of the consumable food product is a difference between the total heat load and the first cooling capacity of the perishable item.
At 506, a volume of the consumable food product needed to provide the required cooling capacity is determined. The volume of the consumable food product is determined based on the thermal characteristics of the consumable food product, such that the insulated package assembly including the volume of the consumable food product has the cooling capacity determined to be sufficient. In some embodiments, the volume of the consumable food product is determined so as to provide the required cooling capacity of the consumable food product based on a heat of fusion, a specific heat, and an initial temperature of the consumable food product.
At 508, the insulated package assembly including the cooling pack, which includes the determined volume of the consumable food product, is assembled. Assembling the insulated package assembly includes providing an outer container. An insulator is positioned within the outer container. The insulator defines an insulated cavity. The cooling pack is positioned within the insulated cavity. The cooling pack includes the determined volume of the consumable food product. A perishable item package is positioned within the insulated cavity proximate the cooling pack. The perishable item package includes the ordered perishable item.
In some embodiments, the cooling pack includes multiple cooling pack portions that, combined, provide the determined volume of the consumable food product. For example, in an embodiment, the cooling pack includes a first cooling pack portion and a second cooling pack portion. The volume of the consumable food product is distributed between the first and second cooling pack portions.
At 510, the insulated package assembly is shipped to the destination address. The cooling pack within the insulated package assembly provides the required amount of cooling such that the temperature of the perishable item is maintained below the threshold temperature over the estimated transit time along the delivery route from the source address to the destination address so as to prevent spoilage of the perishable item.
At 602, a maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to the perishable item 126, QPI, is determined. QPI depends on various factors, such as the mass of the perishable item mPI 226, the specific heat of the perishable item 126 in solid form cPI,sol 228, the specific heat of the perishable item 126 in liquid form cPI,liq 230, the latent heat of fusion of the perishable item 126 LPI232, the initial temperature of the perishable item 126 at the time of packaging T0,PI 234, the freezing point of the perishable item 126 TFreeze, PI 236, and the maximum allowable temperature of the perishable item 126 TMAX, PI 238. For example, in one embodiment, QPI is determined using equation 1 set forth below.
Q
PI
=m
PI
c
PI,sol(TFREEZE,PI−T0,PI)+LPImPI+mPIcPI,liq(TMAX,PI−TFREEZE,PI) (1)
It should be understood that equation 1 is set forth in terms of an overall perishable item 126. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the perishable item 126 includes multiple perishable item components. The maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to each of the perishable item components can be determined individually. For example, in one embodiment, the maximum heat that can be transferred to the first perishable item component 132, QPI,X1, is determined using equation 2 set forth below.
Q
PI,X1
=m
PI,X1
c
PI,sol,X1(TFREEZE,PI,X1−T0,PI,X1)+LPI,X1mPI,X1+mPI,X1cPI,liq,X1(TMAX,PI,X1−TFREEZE,PI,X1) (2)
It should be appreciated that the maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to the other perishable item components can be determined in a similar manner. The maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to the entire perishable item 126 is the sum of the maximum amounts of heat that can be transferred to each respective perishable item component.
At 604, a heat load on the insulated cavity 122 during shipping, Qload, is determined. Qload depends on several factors, such as the ambient temperature during shipping, the temperature of the frozen consumable food product 126, and the R-value of the packaging. For example, in one embodiment, Qload is determined using equation 3 set forth below.
At 606, a maximum amount of heat that can be transferred to the consumable food product 126 during shipping, QCFP, is determined. As set forth below in equation 4, the QCFP is the difference between Qload and the QPI for all of the perishable item components.
At 608, the minimum mass of the consumable food product 126 is determined. The minimum mass refers to a mass of the consumable food product 126 that is necessary to maintain a temperature of the perishable item 126 below a maximum allowed temperature during shipping, according to an example embodiment. Equation 2 can be re-written with regard to the consumable food product 124, as set forth below in equation 5.
Q
CFP
=m
CFP
c
CFP,sol(TFREEZE,CFP−T0,CFP)+LCFPmCFP+mCFPcCFP,liq(TMAX,CFP−TFREEZE,CFP) (5)
Given QCFP, as determined above using equation 4, equation 5 can be solved for the minimum mass of the consumable food product, mCFP.
At 610, the minimum volume of the consumable food product 126 is determined. The minimum volume of the consumable food product, Vmin,CFP is simply the mass of the consumable food product divided by its density, or mCFP/ρCFP.
The embodiments described herein have been described with reference to drawings. The drawings illustrate certain details of specific embodiments that implement the systems, methods and programs described herein. However, describing the embodiments with drawings should not be construed as imposing on the disclosure any limitations that may be present in the drawings.
It should be understood that no claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”
It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specific order and composition of method steps, it is understood that the order of these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may be combined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated into discrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus may be varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Such variations will depend on the machine-readable media and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. It is understood that all such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software and web implementations of the present disclosure could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various database searching steps, correlation steps, comparison steps and decision steps.
The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from this disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.