Apparatuses and devices for preventing heat transfer through fluids contained in a fluid container, a device of which includes an insulation system including a fluid container section for containing a liquid, a detachable insulation sleeve section for preventing heat transfer therethrough thereby maintaining temperature of the fluid contained within the fluid container, a lid section for preventing spillage of contents from the fluid container section, and optionally a straw for accessing those contents.

Methods of forming an article from a molten plastic composition comprising a polymer and a blowing agent. The methods include injecting the molten plastic composition into a mould, allowing the plastic composition to form a first solid skin adjacent to an in contact with a first cavity-forming surface of the mould and a second solid skin adjacent to and in contact with a second cavity-forming surface of the mould, and then opening the mould before the molten plastic composition between the first and second solid skins in at least one portion of the circumference of a region of the mould cavity defining an annular cross-section of the cavity has solidified.

A formulation includes a polymeric material and can be used to form an insulated container.

A hollow article for use as a beverage cup, or as a container, the hollow article having an annular sidewall and a base wall defining a central hollow cavity, a top rim of the sidewall and a bottom end of the sidewall, wherein the annular sidewall has a plastics material composed of a sandwich structure of inner and outer skins and an integral expanded cellular foam layer therebetween, wherein at least a portion of the annular sidewall has an inner surface of the sandwich structure inclined at a first acute angle to a longitudinal axis of the hollow article and an opposite outer surface of the sandwich structure inclined at a second acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the hollow article, wherein the second acute angle is greater than the first acute angle.

The present invention is directed to a deep draw microcellularly foamed polymeric container comprising a polymeric sidewall integrally connected to a polymeric base along a bottom edge. The polymeric sidewall and base are contiguous with each other and define a shape of an open top container. The polymeric sidewall and base have a contiguous inner microcellular foam structure (having average cell diameters ranging from about 5 to about 100 microns) surrounded by a smooth outer skin layer integrally connected therewith. The polymeric sidewall defines a container height and a top opening, wherein the top opening defines a top opening width, and wherein the polymeric base defines a container base width, and wherein the area defined by the top opening is greater than the area defined by the polymeric base, and wherein the ratio of the container height (h) to the top opening width (w) is greater than about 1:1 (h:w).

An insulated sleeve is provided to be coupled to an outer surface of a cup. The sleeve is formed from an insulative cellular non-aromatic polymeric material having an area of plastic deformation. There are no fractures in the insulative cellular non-aromatic polymeric material so that a predetermined insulative characteristic is maintained in the material.

An insulating container can be configured to retain a volume of liquid, and include a first inner wall having a first end having an opening extending into an internal reservoir, and a second outer wall forming an outer shell. The opening can be sealed by a closure, the closure having an upper portion with a handle that has a circular curvature equal to the cylindrical portion of the closure. The closure may also have a lower portion that is joined to the upper portion by an injection molded polymer element.

A heat exchanging thermal liquid container system that comprises a main body at least partially defining a liquid reservoir structured and operable to retain a liquid, and a phase change material (PCM) liner comprising a PCM liner PCM having a selected melting temperature, and/or at least one PCM pod. Each of the at least one PCM pod(s) comprising a respective PCM pod PCM having a respective selected melting temperature. Wherein the PCM liner and/or the at least one PCM pod are disposable within the liquid reservoir such that when a liquid is disposed within the liquid reservoir the liquid will contact at least one of the PCM liner and the at least one PCM pod such that thermal energy can be exchanged between the liquid and the respective at least one of the PCM liner PCM and the at least one PCM pod PCM.

A multi-layer sheet includes an insulative cellular non-aromatic polymeric material, a film, and a polymeric-lamination layer. The insulative cellular non-aromatic polymeric material may be formed from a polymeric formulation comprising a base resin blend and a physical nucleating agent.

Method of forming an article from a molten plastic composition including a polymer and a blowing agent. The method provides that during an injecting step (c) and a packing step (d), the injection pressure and the packing pressure, respectively, are maintained above a minimum pressure threshold in at least one second region of the cavity to maintain the physical blowing agent as a gas dissolved in the polymer so that substantially no gas bubbles are formed in the at least one second region, during a mould opening step (e), at least some of the molten plastic composition is exposed to an external pressure lower than a minimum pressure threshold to form in the article at least one first portion having expanded cellular foam formed from the plastic composition, and prior to the opening step (e), the plastic composition in the at least one second region of the cavity has been cooled so as to be fully solidified to form in the article at least one second portion having a substantially homogeneous, solid phase, unexpanded plastic composition