METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FILLABLE GEL PACK

Abstract

A fillable gel pack includes a first side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a first boundary and a second side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a second boundary. The fillable gel pack also includes a sealed periphery joining a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel shorter than the first boundary with a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel shorter than the second boundary. The sealed periphery includes one or more outwardly disposed convex portions. The fillable gel pack further includes an unsealed periphery disposed at an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel. The unsealed periphery provides a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack to a region internal to the fillable gel pack.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Thermal gel packs that include a gelatinous material are used for maintaining a cool or hot state for extended periods of time. Cool packs in particular have been used for preserving perishable items being shipped (e.g., in boxes, crates or Styrofoam containers) in a cold state. The gel pack is refrigerated to a frozen state prior to putting the gel pack in the shipping container. Some gel packs come pre-filled with the gelatinous material prior to being used by the customer that is shipping the products. Some gel packs are hydratable gel packs that are made of a porous material with a hydratable material within the porous material. The porous gel pack is soaked in a liquid prior to shipping in order to form the gelatinous gel pack. These porous type hydratable gel packs typically take several hours for the gelatinous material to form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, methods and systems related to packaging structures are provided. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide fillable gel packs useful for maintaining a chilled environment during shipping. The methods and systems described herein can be applied to other applications as well.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a fillable gel pack is provided. The fillable gel pack of this embodiment includes a first side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a first boundary and a second side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a second boundary. The fillable gel pack further includes a sealed periphery joining a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel shorter than the first boundary with a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel shorter than the second boundary, and the sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions. The fillable gel pack further includes an unsealed periphery disposed at an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel. The unsealed periphery provides a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack to a region internal to the fillable gel pack.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a fillable gel pack is provided. The fillable gel pack of this embodiment includes a first side panel having an interior portion and a peripheral region, a second side panel having an interior portion and a peripheral region, and a sealed periphery joining at least a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel with at least a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel. The sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions. A hydratable gel material is disposed between the first side panel and the second side panel. The fillable gel pack further includes a fill port disposed in the interior portion of at least one of the first side panel or the second side panel, wherein the fill port is in fluid communication with the hydratable gel material.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of fabricating a fillable gel pack is provided. The method of this embodiment includes providing a first side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a first boundary, providing a second side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a second boundary, and joining the first side panel and the second side panel by forming a sealed periphery joining a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel shorter than the first boundary with a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel shorter than the second boundary. The sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions, and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel define an unsealed periphery that provides a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack to a region internal to the fillable gel pack.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a gel pack characterized by a plastic bag or bladder containing a given amount of dehydrated gel material in the form of a powder having capabilities of forming gel when a liquid is introduced through a valve or opening in the bag or bladder is provided. The bag or bladder is sealed by adhesive, a zipper or could be self sealing, after the liquid is added to the dehydrated gel material. The bag or bladder is formed with outwardly disposed convex edges (e.g., rounded corners).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D are simplified illustrations of embodiments of fillable gel packs.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified illustrations of yet other embodiments of fillable gel packs.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified illustration of yet another embodiment of a fillable gel pack.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a fillable gel pack.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side view of the fillable gel pack of FIG. 4A in an unsealed state.

FIG. 4C illustrates a side view of the fillable gel pack of FIG. 4A in a sealed state.

FIG. 5 is a simplified flowchart illustrating a method of fabricating a fillable gel pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The features, objects, and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings, like elements bear like reference labels. Various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of a fillable gel pack in accordance with the disclosure include a plastic bag or bladder. A liquid-hydratable gel is contained within an interior region of the bladder. When desired by a user, a given amount of a liquid (e.g., water) is introduced into the interior region via a fill port, a valve, a channel, or some other type of fluid conduit. The introduction of the liquid causes the hydratable gel to be hydrated to form a gel. The bladder is then sealed, e.g., using an adhesive, tape, a plastic zip device, or in some other sealing manner. Upon being sealed, the bladder is placed into a low temperature environment until frozen. The sealed frozen bladder is suitable for use in a shipping container to maintain contents of the shipping container at a desired cool temperature.

The bladder is provided with rounded corners, or as generally referred to from herein, outwardly disposed convex portions. The outwardly disposed convex portions are less likely to cause perforations in packaging materials that comprise inflated bladders. Such inflated packaging materials include bubble wrap, packing balloons and inflatable cooling devices such as described in U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/328,101, filed on Apr. 26, 2010, entitled “Inflatable Thermal Packaging Structure with Multiple Liners,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Perforations in such inflated packaging materials can cause the packaging material to lose its cushioning and/or thermal insulating properties.

With reference to FIG. 1A, a fillable gel pack 100-1 is shown. The fillable gel pack 100-1 includes two plastic side panels joined to form a peripheral seal 105. Peripheral regions of the side panels are characterized by external boundaries. The peripheral seal 105 is formed around a portion of the peripheral region that is shorter than the external boundaries of the side panels. An unsealed periphery disposed at an unsealed region of the peripheral regions defines a fill port 110. The fill port 110 acts as a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack 110 to a region internal to the fillable gel pack 110, namely, interior region 115.

The peripheral seal 105 includes four rounded corners 108 that include outwardly disposed convex portions. The fill port 110 is large enough to permit liquid to be dispensed into the interior region 115 that contains a dehydrated gel material between the plastic side panels. In some embodiments, the fill port 110 is equipped with a sealing means, not shown, for sealing the fillable gel pack 100-1 to prevent the hydrated gel from exiting the interior region 115. The sealing means can include an adhesive tape attached to one side panel, where a removable cover can be removed to expose the adhesive such that the two side panels can be pressed together and sealed. In other embodiments, a piece of tape can be applied externally to seal the fill port 110. In yet other embodiments, a plastic zip device can be applied to the fill port 110.

The plastic side panels of the fillable gel pack 100-1 can be a combination of nylon and LDP (low density polyethylene). The peripheral seal 105 can be formed by heat treatment or by lamination with a glue or adhesive. The dehydrated gel material can be sodium polyacrylate or some other polymer or copolymer containing acrylic acid or acrylamide monomers, as well as polymers of acrylamide. In some embodiments, a liquid, e.g., water, is dispensed into the fillable gel pack without a dehydrated gel material. The liquid is then frozen and serves as a refrigerant.

With reference to FIG. 1B, another fillable gel pack 100-2 is shown. The fillable gel pack 100-2 is similar to the fillable gel pack 100-1 of FIG. 1A, except that the side panels that form the bladder include an integrated neck portion 120. The neck portion 120 is sealed on two peripheral edges to define a channel 125. The sealed edges of the neck portion 120 form part of the peripheral seal 105. The channel 125 provides a fluid conduit to permit the liquid to be dispensed from a region external to the fillable gel pack 110-2 to the interior region 115. The neck portion 120 can be equipped with similar sealing means as described above in reference to the fillable gel pack 100-1.

With reference to FIGS. 1C and 1D, fillable gel packs 100-3 and 100-4 are shown. The fillable gel packs 100-3 and 100-4 each include a valve portion 130-1 and 130-2, respectively. The valve portions 130 are made up of two plastic pieces in an embodiment. The two plastic pieces are sealed to each other in an upper region of the valve portion 130 above the interior region 115. The two plastic pieces of the valve portions 130 are sealed to the side panels in areas that border the interior region 115. The channels 135 act as a fluid conduit to allow liquid to be dispensed into the interior regions 115 of the fillable gel packs 100-3 and 100-4. The valve portions 130 can be equipped with similar sealing means as described above in reference to the fillable gel pack 100-1.

The fillable gel packs 100 are exemplary only. Some embodiments of fillable gel packs can include a fluid conduit formed in one of the corners or in any other unsealed portion of the peripheral region.

With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a circular gel pack 200-1 and an elliptical gel pack 200-2 are shown. The fillable gel packs 200 each are illustrated with a fill port 210 defined by an unsealed portion of the peripheral regions of the side panels. The side panels are joined with peripheral seals 105-1 and 105-2 to define interior regions 215-1 and 215-2, respectively. Instead of the fill ports 210, the gel packs 200 could include neck portions such as the neck portion 120 of FIG. 1B, or valve portions such as the valve portions 130 of FIGS. 1C and 1D. The circular and elliptical peripheral edges of the gel packs 200 also provide smooth outwardly disposed convex portions that are less likely to perforate inflated packaging materials.

With reference to FIG. 3, another embodiment of a fillable gel pack 300 is shown. The fillable gel pack 300 includes two side panels joined by a seal 305 formed around the entire periphery of the side panels to form an interior region 315 between interior portions the side panels. A valve 320 is attached to the interior portion of one of the side panels. The valve 320 includes a channel 325 that is in fluid communication with a fill port (not shown) formed in one of the side panels. The fill port is in fluid communication with hydratable gel material in the interior region 315. The valve 320 is joined to one of the side panels with a seal 330 in an area where the fill port is located. The valve 320 can include one or more of the sealing means described above in reference to FIG. 1A for sealing the hydrated gel inside the interior region 315. The fillable gel pack 300 includes rounded corners 308.

With reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, a fillable gel pack 400 is shown. FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a side view of the fillable gel pack 400 in an unsealed state, and FIG. 4C is a side view of the fillable gel pack 400 in a sealed state. As seen in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the fillable gel pack 400 includes a first side panel 402 joined to a second side panel 404. The first and second side panels 402 and 404 are joined via a peripheral seal 405 that includes rounded corners 408. The seal 405 defines an interior region 415 between the first side panel 402 and the second side panel 404.

The fillable gel pack 400 is similar in configuration to the fillable gel pack 100-2 of FIG. 1B in that it includes a neck portion 430. The neck portion 430 includes a first neck portion 432 joined to a second neck portion 434. The first and second neck portions 432 and 434 are integral extensions of the first side panel 402 and the second side panel 404, respectively. A lower portion of the first and second neck portions 432 and 434 are joined by part of the peripheral seal 405 to define a channel 440. The channel 440 provides a fluid conduit from a region external to the fillable gel pack 400 to the internal region 415.

An upper portion 433 of the first neck portion 432 is not joined to the second neck portion 434. The second neck portion 434 includes an upper portion 435 that is coated with an adhesive (as indicated by the grid pattern). FIG. 4B illustrates the fillable gel pack 400 in the unsealed state where the adhesive portion 435 is not sealing the channel 440. FIG. 4C illustrates the fillable gel pack 400 when the second neck portion 434 is folded over the first neck portion 432 such that the adhesive upper portion 435 is pressed against the upper portion 433 of the first neck portion 432. The adhesive portion 435 is also pressed against a portion of the first side panel 402. In this way, the channel 440 within the neck portion 430 is sealed such that the gel inside the fillable gel pack 400 is inhibited from exiting the interior region 415.

FIG. 5 is a simplified flowchart illustrating a method 500 of fabricating a fillable gel pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 500 includes providing a first side panel 510 and providing a second side panel 512. The side panels can be any shape such as, for example, rectangular, circular, elliptical, triangular, or any other shape. The shape can be chosen to fit into shipping containers. The method 500 also includes joining peripheral regions of the first and second side panels 514. The joining 514 can comprise heat sealing and/or laminating. The side panels are joined in a way such that the peripheral seal includes outwardly disposed convex portions. The peripheral seal can be disposed around a portion of the peripheral boundaries of the side panels, to form fillable gel packs that include a fill port on the periphery as in FIG. 1, 2 or 4. Alternatively, the peripheral seal can occupy the entire peripheral boundaries of the side panels to form a fillable gel pack such as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The method 500 further includes, in some embodiments, forming a fluid conduit 516. Step 516 can be omitted for embodiments that are similar to the fillable gel packs 100-1, 100-2, 200-1, 200-2 and 400 illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 4, respectively. In these embodiments, a fill port serves as the fluid conduit that provides fluid communication from outside the gel pack to the interior region of the gel pack between the side panels. These fill ports are formed as a result of not sealing the entire peripheral boundaries of the side panels when the side panels are joined 514.

In other embodiments, the fluid conduit can include a valve portion such as the valve portions 135-1, 135-2 and 325, in the fillable gel packs 100-3, 100-4 and 300 in FIGS. 1C, 1D and 3, respectively. In embodiments where the valve portion provides fluid communication to a fill port located in the peripheral region, the valve portion is formed 516 by joining a first valve portion to the first side panel in a vicinity of an unsealed periphery, joining a second valve portion to the second side panel in the vicinity of an unsealed periphery and joining the first valve portion and the second valve portion to each other on two edges to define a channel or other fluid conduit extending away from the periphery. In embodiments, where the valve portion is in fluid communication with a fill portal in the interior region of one of the side panels, the valve portions are joined to the one side panel and each other.

The method 500 further includes attaching sealing means 518 to the fill portal or other fluid conduit. The sealing means can be, for example, an adhesive strip, with or without a non-stick cover or a plastic zipper device. A hydratable gel material is disposed 520 between the side panels in the interior region of the fillable gel pack. The step 520 can be performed at any time during fabrication method 500. For example, it can be disposed before or after any one of the steps 514, 516 or 518. In some embodiments, step 520 is performed by the user of the fillable gel pack at the time the user fills the gel pack with liquid. In some embodiments, the step 520 is omitted and only a liquid, e.g., water, is contained in the fillable gel pack without the use of a dehydrated gel material. In these embodiments, the liquid is frozen and serves as a refrigerant.

It should be appreciated that the specific steps illustrated in FIG. 5 provide a particular method of fabricating a fillable gel pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. Other sequences of steps may also be performed according to alternative embodiments. For example, alternative embodiments of the present invention may perform the steps outlined above in a different order. Moreover, the individual steps illustrated in FIG. 5 may include multiple sub-steps that may be performed in various sequences as appropriate to the individual step. Furthermore, additional steps may be added or removed depending on the particular applications. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, modifications, and alternatives.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. There are, however, many configurations of fillable gel packs not specifically described herein but with which the present invention is applicable. The present invention should therefore not be seen as limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but rather, it should be understood that the present invention has wide applicability with respect to fillable packages generally. All modifications, variations, or equivalent arrangements and implementations that are within the scope of the attached claims should therefore be considered within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A fillable gel pack comprising: a first side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a first boundary;a second side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a second boundary;a sealed periphery joining a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel shorter than the first boundary with a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel shorter than the second boundary, wherein the sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions;an unsealed periphery disposed at an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel, wherein the unsealed periphery provides a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack to a region internal to the fillable gel pack.

2. The fillable gel pack of claim 1 further comprising a hydratable gel material disposed between the first side panel and the second side panel.

3. The fillable gel pack of claim 2 further comprising a liquid mixed with the hydratable gel material to form a hydrated gel disposed between the first side panel and the second side panel.

4. The fillable gel pack of claim 1 wherein the first side panel is substantially rectangular and the second side panel is substantially rectangular.

5. The fillable gel pack of claim 4 wherein the outwardly disposed convex portions comprise four rounded corners.

6. The fillable gel pack of claim 1 wherein the first and second side panels are substantially circular or elliptical in shape.

7. The fillable gel pack of claim 1 wherein the first side panel and the second side panel each comprise a neck portion extending from the unsealed periphery defining a channel.

8. The fillable gel pack of claim 7 further comprising an adhesive attached to one of the neck portions of the first and second side panels, the adhesive configured to adjoin the first and second neck portions to seal the channel.

9. The fillable gel pack of claim 8, further comprising a cover attached to the adhesive, the cover being removable to expose the adhesive.

10. The fillable gel pack of claim 1 further comprising: a first valve portion joined to the first side panel in a vicinity of the unsealed periphery, the first valve portion extending from the unsealed periphery; anda second valve portion joined to the second side panel in the vicinity of the unsealed periphery and extending from the unsealed periphery, wherein the first valve portion and the second valve portion are sealed to each other on two edges to define a channel extending from the unsealed periphery.

11. A fillable gel pack comprising: a first side panel having an interior portion and a peripheral region;a second side panel having an interior portion and a peripheral region;a sealed periphery joining at least a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel with at least a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel, wherein the sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions;a hydratable gel material disposed between the first side panel and the second side panel; anda fill port disposed in the interior portion of at least one of the first side panel or the second side panel, wherein the fill port is in fluid communication with the hydratable gel material.

12. The fillable gel pack of claim 11 further comprising a liquid mixed with the hydratable gel material to form a hydrated gel disposed between the first side panel and the second side panel.

13. The fillable gel pack of claim 11 wherein the first side panel is substantially rectangular and the second side panel is substantially rectangular.

14. The fillable gel pack of claim 13 wherein the outwardly disposed convex portions comprise four rounded corners.

15. The fillable gel pack of claim 11 wherein the first and second side panels are substantially circular or elliptical in shape.

16. A method of fabricating a fillable gel pack, the method comprising: providing a first side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a first boundary;providing a second side panel having a peripheral region characterized by a second boundary;joining the first side panel and the second side panel by forming a sealed periphery joining a portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel shorter than the first boundary with a portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel shorter than the second boundary, wherein the sealed periphery comprises one or more outwardly disposed convex portions, and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the first side panel and an unsealed portion of the peripheral region of the second side panel define an unsealed periphery that provides a fluid conduit passing from a region external to the fillable gel pack to a region internal to the fillable gel pack; and

17. The method of fabricating the fillable gel pack of claim 16, further comprising disposing a hydratable gel material between the first side panel and the second side panel.

18. The method of fabricating the fillable gel pack of claim 16, wherein the joining comprises heat sealing or laminating.

19. The method of fabricating the fillable gel pack of claim 16, further comprising attaching a sealing member to the unsealed periphery, thereby sealing the unsealed periphery.

20. The method of fabricating the fillable gel pack of claim 16, further comprising: joining a first valve portion to the first side panel in a vicinity of the unsealed periphery, the first valve portion extending from the unsealed periphery; andjoining a second valve portion to the second side panel in the vicinity of the unsealed periphery and extending from the unsealed periphery, andjoining the first valve portion and the second valve portion to each other on two edges to define a channel extending from the unsealed periphery.

21. The method of fabricating the fillable gel pack of claim 16, wherein the first side panel and the second side panel each comprise a neck portion extending from the unsealed periphery defining a channel.