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System for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shippingRelated Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Portable, Commodity-containingSystem for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shipping description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070180847, System for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shipping. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0002] This is a United States non-provisional patent application and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/583,177, filed Jun. 25, 2004, hereby incorporated herein by reference.7 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Materials such as soil samples for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis are usually shipped to a testing lab in coolers with ice packs such that they are kept at refrigerator temperatures near 4 C (+/-2 C). However, both the EPA and ASTM recognize the benefit of shipping samples at cooler temperatures--freezer (also known as freezing) temperatures (-7 to -17 C)--for preservation. Known systems for achieving such temperature control are often impractical or simply not feasible: shipping samples from the field in freezer compartments with electronic cooling devices powered by batteries is not feasible in most cases; shipping in coolers with dry ice is also not a viable option because air shipment of packages containing dry ice is regulated (dry ice sublimes to gaseous carbon dioxide, which can displace air in sealed aircraft). Also, dry ice has a temperature of -78 C, which is so cold that it will cause the seals of the sample containers to be compromised, and VOC's will be lost. Aspects of this inventive technology may resolve one or more of these problems through the use of a system that includes cooled packs of an aqueous solution of salt in combination with a cooler that may be adapted to enhance thermal insulation of enclosed contents. Some aspects may be directed to a novel water/salt solution alone. BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0004] At least one embodiment of the inventive technology relates to a frozen environmental sample temperature control system that comprises a frozen formulation (e.g., a solution) having water in an amount from substantially 87% to 78% by weight of the formulation, and salt in an amount from substantially 13% to 22% by weight of the formulation, the system further including at least one container containing the frozen formulation; and a cooler having insulating material disposed between an outer wall and an inner surface that defines an inner chamber into which the at least one container and the at least one frozen environmental sample may be placed for storage and/or transport. In various embodiments, the insulating material may comprise a silica based insulating material, the inner surface may be configured to reduce conductive heat transfer to frozen contents of the cooler that are adjacent the inner surface, the insulating material may comprise a closed cell polymeric foam with a foam void volume to total foam volume ratio of greater than substantially 94%, and/or the insulating material may comprise an polymeric network with evacuated cells. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0005] FIG. 1a shows a container containing therein an aqueous solution as in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0006] FIG. 1b shows a frozen environmental sample (in a first type of sample container) whose temperature is to be controlled in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0007] FIG. 1c shows a frozen environmental sample (in a second type of sample container) whose temperature is to be controlled in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0008] FIG. 2 shows a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0009] FIG. 3a shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0010] FIG. 3b shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0011] FIG. 4a shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0012] FIG. 4b shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0013] FIG. 4c shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0014] FIG. 4d shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0015] FIG. 5a shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0016] FIG. 5b shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0017] FIG. 5c shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0018] FIG. 5d shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cooler that may be used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0019] FIG. 6a shows a magnified view of a section of closed-cell foam used for the insulating material of a cooler used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0020] FIG. 6b shows a magnified view of a section of open-cell foam used for the insulating material of a cooler used in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0021] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of containers containing frozen formulation, a sample, and a cooler as found in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. [0022] FIGS. 8a and 8b show plan views of two horizontal cross-sections of a lower part of a cooler and an upper part of the cooler, respectively, in at least one embodiment of the inventive technology. Continue reading about System for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shipping... Full patent description for System for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shipping Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this System for maintaining materials at freezer temperatures for shipping patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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