Enhanced shipping container apparatus having integrated fire suppression and systems using the same for detecting and responding to an environmental anomaly within the container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11729271-B2
Application number	US-201916546438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Sep 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An enhanced shipping container apparatus that maintains packages is described having integrated fire suppression. The apparatus has a container base supporting the packages, multiple container walls coupled to the container base, and a container top coupled to each of the container walls. A fire suppression panel is integrated as part of one or more of the walls and top portion, and has a support sheet of fire resistant material; an interior exposed sheet of temperature sensitive material; a sealed boundary connecting the support sheet and interior exposed sheet on peripheral edges (where the sealed boundary, support sheet and interior exposed sheet define a holding cavity), and integrated fire suppression material in the holding cavity. The temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material from within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet is exposed to a threshold temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enhanced shipping container apparatus having integrated fire suppression and for maintaining a plurality of packages, the enhanced shipping container apparatus comprising:
a container base portion that supports the packages;
a plurality of container walls having one edge on each of the container walls coupled to the container base portion; and
a container top portion coupled to another edge on each of the container walls;
wherein the container base portion, the container walls and the container top portion collectively define an interior storage space for maintaining the packages;
wherein at least one of the container walls providing a resealable access closure that provides selective access to the interior storage space; and
a fire suppression panel integrated as part of one from the group consisting of the container walls and the container top portion, the fire suppression panel comprising:
a support sheet made from a fire resistant material,
an interior exposed sheet made from a temperature sensitive material,
a sealed boundary connecting the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet on peripheral edges of each of the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet, wherein a combination of the sealed boundary and the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet defining a holding cavity, and
integrated fire suppression material that occupies the entire holding cavity from the support sheet to the interior exposed sheet within the fire suppression panel; and

wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material from within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet is exposed to a threshold temperature.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat from a fire.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat from an explosion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat caused by a chemical condition.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the container top portion implements a first fire suppression panel and wherein a plurality of the other of the container walls implement a plurality of other fire suppression panels.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material from within the holding cavity by failing to contain the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material melts when exposed to the threshold temperature.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material from within the holding cavity by failing to contain the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material releases the integrated fire suppressant material in response to a breakdown of the temperature sensitive material due to a heat environment that exceeds the threshold temperature.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the integrated fire suppression material is released from the holding cavity into the interior storage space and onto at least a portion of the packages.

9. An enhanced shipping container apparatus having integrated fire suppression and for maintaining a plurality of packages, the enhanced shipping container apparatus comprising:
a container base portion that supports the packages;
a plurality of container walls having one edge on each of the container walls coupled to the container base portion; and
a container top portion coupled to another edge on each of the container walls;
wherein the container base portion, the container walls and the container top portion collectively define an interior storage space for maintaining the packages;
wherein at least one of the container walls providing a resealable access closure that provides selective access to the interior storage space; and
at least one fire suppression panel attached to an interior surface of one from the group consisting of the container walls and the container top portion, the at least one fire suppression panel comprising:
a support sheet made from a fire resistant material, the support sheet being attached to the interior surface of the one from the group consisting of the container walls and the container top portion,
an interior exposed sheet made from a temperature sensitive material,
a sealed boundary connecting the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet on peripheral edges of each of the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet, wherein a combination of the sealed boundary and the support sheet and the interior exposed sheet defining a holding cavity, and
integrated fire suppression material that occupies the entire holding cavity from the support sheet to the interior exposed sheet within the fire suppression panel, and
wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material from within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet is exposed to a threshold temperature.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity as part of the fire suppression panel when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat from a fire.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity as part of the fire suppression panel when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat from an explosion.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet releases the integrated fire suppressant material within the holding cavity as part of the fire suppression panel when the temperature sensitive material is exposed to heat caused by a chemical condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one fire suppression panel comprises at least:
a first fire suppression panel attached to the interior surface of the container top portion;
a second fire suppression panel attached to the interior surface of the at least one of the other container walls.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one fire suppression panel comprises at least:
a first fire suppression panel attached to the interior surface of the container top portion;
a plurality of side wall fire suppression panels, where each of the wall fire suppression panels is attached to the interior surface of the other container walls.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensitive material of the interior exposed sheet of the fire suppression panel fails to keep the integrated fire suppressant material held within the holding cavity when the temperature sensitive material melts when exposed to the threshold temperature.

Assignees

• Fedex Corp Services Inc

Inventors

• Skaaksrud Ole-Petter

Classifications

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/44

  between battery management systems and power sources · CPC title

• H04L41/04

  Network management architectures or arrangements · CPC title

• H04Q2209/823

  where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title