Transport Container

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport container which provides mechanical and thermal stability for a load and which container is fabricated as the container is loaded. In particular, the present invention relates to a container which can be readily transported on aircraft, such as an aircraft container. In the field of logistics, that is the field of movement and supply of produce and materials, in particular in the transport of intermediate and finished products, containers have been developed which safely protect from physical damage a wide variety of product. Food and pharmaceutical products not only need protection from physical shock and pressures but also require temperature stability during transportation; otherwise goods can be damaged and be unusable, whether such damage is apparent or not. However, air transport poses a particular problem: Goods can be transported in tropical heat, packaged and placed upon pallets and the like containers whereby they are presented in aircraft style containers. Such goods may be left on runways at extreme temperatures (+40° C.) and then placed within a hold where low pressures and low temperatures exist during flight. At a destination airport the temperatures may well be sub-zero. To simplify transport with respect to airports, planes and handling equipment, there have been developed aircraft Unit Load Devices (ULDs) which comprise any type of pallet or container that can easily be loaded to the aircraft by a ground handler. The present invention seeks to provide a transport container which can maintain goods within a narrow temperature range, can displace a considerably reduced volume before erection, is economical to manufacture, can readily and easily be constructed. The present invention further seeks to provide a transport container which is compatible with standard Unit Load Device specifications.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.