Container employing inner liner and vents for thermal insulation and methods of making same

A container comprising:

• a) a sidewall comprising a paperboard material, wherein the sidewall has an inner and an outer surface;
• b) an activatable shrink film adhered to the inner surface of the sidewall in a pattern that defines an activatable insulation band, wherein the insulation band is located between upper and lower circumferential bands where the shrink film is secured to the sidewall;
• and
• c) one or more vents cut into the paperboard material, wherein the vents are selected from flap-type vents, elongate slits and holes defining an opening in the sidewall of 0.05 inches or more across and wherein the vents are located within an inner perimeter of the insulation band, and wherein the vents are of a size and shape suitable to allow ambient air to freely flow through the sidewall during activation of the shrink film, so as to allow substantially simultaneous activation of the shrink film upon contact of the shrink film with a hot material,
• thereby providing a container suitable for providing insulation when the container is filled with a material having a temperature of from about 130° F. to up to about 212° F., wherein the container is further characterized in that it exhibits a volume before activation of the shrink film of from about 10 to about 40% greater than a maximum fill volume after activation of the shrink film.

A container comprising:

• a) a sidewall comprising a paperboard material, wherein the sidewall has an inner and an outer surface;
• b) an activatable shrink film adhered to the inner surface of the sidewall in a pattern that defines an activatable insulation band, such that the activated shrink film defines a single centrally disposed air pocket extending substantially around the entire circumference of the container, wherein the insulation band is located between upper and lower circumferential bands where the shrink film is secured to the sidewall;
• and
• c) a plurality of circumferentially spaced vents cut into the paperboard material, wherein the vents are selected from flap-type vents, elongate slits and holes defining an opening in the sidewall of 0.05 inches or more across and are located within an inner perimeter of the insulation band, and wherein the vents are of a size and shape suitable to allow ambient air to freely flow through the sidewall during activation of the shrink film, so as to allow substantially simultaneous activation of the shrink film upon contact of the shrink film with a hot material,
• thereby providing a container suitable for providing insulation when the container is filled with a material having a temperature of from about to up to about 212° F., wherein the container is further characterized in that it exhibits a volume before activation of the shrink film of from about 10 to about 40% greater than a maximum fill volume after activation of the shrink film.