Some people need to carry their medicines with them wherever they go. However, people can damage their medicines by leaving them outside in hot or cold weather. Specially designed systems can help increase safety by notifying people if their medicine is left behind or is getting too hot or cold.

A pallet cover suitable for use in covering at least a portion of a payload on a pallet and a kit for use in making the pallet cover. In one embodiment, the pallet cover includes a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left side wall, and a right side wall, wherein the walls are detachably joined to one another. Each of the top wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the left side wall, and the right side wall includes a first fabric sheet and a second fabric sheet, the first and second fabric sheets being joined together to form a plurality of pockets. Each pocket may removably receive a temperature-control member containing a phase-change material. At least one of the top wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the left side wall and the right side wall may include a plurality of detachably joined portions.

A thermal storage system includes a thermally insulated storage container and a payload container adapted to retrievably house a temperature sensitive payload. The system includes layers of first and second phase change materials arranged in a stack with the payload container. The first phase change material has a phase change temperature within a target temperature range of the payload, and the second phase change material has a phase change temperature outside the target temperature range. The layers are arranged to isolate the payload from the second phase change material. In the case of biological materials that must not freeze while stored in the container, this arrangement enables a cold pack containing the layers of phase change materials to be placed in direct contact with the contents container even with a cold pack starting temperature well below the freezing point of the contents.

A temperature-controlled product shipper includes a phase change material bladder which can be filled at the point of packaging. The shipper includes an internal product box and an outer box where the product box is received within the outer box. The phase change material bladder is received within a cavity defined between the outer surface of the product box and the inner surface of the outer box. The shipper may also include an insulated liner which is received between the product box and the bladder.

Methods, systems, and device for solidification and/or solid production, such as ice production, are provided in accordance with various embodiments. For example, some embodiments include a method of solid production that may include contacting a first fluid with a second fluid to facilitate solidifying the second fluid; the first fluid and the second fluid may be immiscible with respect to each other. The method may include solidifying the second fluid. Some embodiments include a solid production system that may include a first fluid and a second fluid; the first fluid and the second fluid may be immiscible with respect to each other. The system may include one or more surfaces configured to contact the first fluid and the second fluid with each other and to form one or more solids from the second fluid.

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a first inner case that defines a freezing compartment, a second inner case that defines a refrigerating compartment, a thermal siphon unit that is configured to carry a working fluid for heat transfer and that has a closed loop shape that includes a first part arranged at an outer side of the first inner case and a second part arranged at an outer side of the second inner case, and a cool air storage unit arranged in a space partitioned in the first inner case. The cool air storage unit is configured to accommodate cool air of the freezing compartment and transfer the cool air to the first part of the thermal siphon unit arranged outside of the first inner case.

An apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include a gel pack. The gel pack may contain the gel filling. The gel filling may measure between about 110-250 grams. The apparatus may include a top cover and a bottom cover. The top cover and the bottom cover may be comprised of nylon and PVC. The top cover and the bottom cover may measure between about 22-26 centimeters long and between about 6.5-8.5 centimeters wide, when measured flat. The gel pack may be frozen and/or heated.

Shipping systems for temperature-sensitive materials and methods of making and using same. In one embodiment, the shipping system includes a cooler base and a lid. The base includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion includes a thermal insulation unit including a bottom wall and four side walls. A thermally-conductive member is positioned on the bottom wall. A polymeric bag encapsulates the thermally-conductive member and some of the thermal insulation unit. The outer portion includes thermally-insulating material and defines an opening. The inner portion is permanently bonded to the outer portion, with cavities defined therebetween. A product box is placed in the inner portion directly over the polymeric bag and the underlying thermally-conductive member. First temperature-control members are disposed within the inner portion, with at least one temperature-control member directly over the polymeric bag and the underlying thermally-conductive member. Second temperature-control members are disposed within the cavities.

Provided are a latent heat storage material having a melting point within a prescribed temperature range; a latent heat. The latent heat storage material includes a compound (A) represented by a formula (A), an inorganic salt (B) represented by a formula (B) and composed of a cation of an alkali metal and an anion of the same element as the anion of the quaternary alkyl salt, and water. The compound (A) is a material that forms a clathrate hydrate together with the water, the composition ratio of the compound (A) and water is a composition ratio that gives a congruent melting point of the clathrate hydrate, and the molar ratio of the inorganic salt (B) to the compound (A) is 0.1 or more and 10 or less.

A temperature-regulating apparatus is provided to rapidly cool a beverage to a desired temperature. In some variations, the geometry of the temperature-regulating apparatus is configured to rapidly cool a beverage incorporating one or more inner portions that contain a temperature regulating material, such as a phase change material having a high heat capacity. The geometry of the interior of the container may be configured to aid in rapid heat transfer between the beverage therein and the outer shell of the inner portion and may have a length to width aspect ratio of at least 4:1. The inner portion may be formed between the exterior wall of the container and by a single piece of formed metal that extends along the length, width and base walls to form the interior for receiving a beverage. The cavity formed between the outer shell and the exterior wall may be at least 15 mm deep.