Patent Application
20120291678
This invention relates generally to goods-supporting pallets like the kind transported, raised and lowered by forklift trucks. More specifically, the invention relates to goods-supporting pallets that are made of environmental-friendly plastics and nest one into the other to reduce or minimize storage space.
Goods-supporting pallets made of wood and plastic are well-known in the art. One of the advantages of plastic pallets over wooden pallets is that plastic pallets can be designed to nest one within the other. However, prior art plastic nesting pallets do not provide a runner design which accommodates 4-way entry of the forklift, nor do they provide full window-frame and same-dimensioned runners. Additionally, those plastic nesting pallets are usually one-piece designs which do not incorporate runners of any kind. Plastic pallets that do have runners are usually assembled from different molded parts and cannot nest.
The pallet disclosed and claimed herein incorporates the best safety, economic and manufacturing features of two distinct types of pallets. Pallets with runners (either wood or plastic) offer fork truck safety, pallet conveyablity, and pallet double-stacking. Pallets without runners (usually only plastic) offer economic outbound and return shipping and make efficient use of warehouse space. However, there are times when the qualities of both types of pallets are desirable in the same pallet. The claimed invention incorporates two critical features of each type of pallet, full window frame runners for safety and full nesting capacity for economic shipment, in the same pallet. No other pallet is available with these combined critical features.
Because of significant technical challenges, no prior art pallet design incorporates all of the features of the pallet made according to this invention. Prior art pallet designs have either compromised on the full window frame runner system, thereby reducing the safety factor, or have limited the nesting ratio, thereby reducing the economic return of the nesting pallet. To the inventors' knowledge, there is no prior art pallet design that marries both the full window frame and full nesting in the same pallet. A pallet design that accomplishes both is difficult to achieve given that the design has to maintain industry standards to survive the rigors and abuse of the fork-truck world yet still accommodate an industry load requirement.
A pallet made according to this invention has a deck that provides a goods-supporting surface along with a plurality of recessed portions that form angled leg portions below the lower surface of the deck. In a preferred embodiment, the angle or draft of sidewalls of the recess is about 4° from vertical. The pallet also includes a first and second plurality of full window-framed runners, the first plurality of window-framed runners being arranged perpendicular to the second plurality of window-framed runners in order to accommodate 4-way entry for a forklift truck. Each window-framed runner shares an angled sidewall of each of the two adjacent recessed portions that it is located between. The runners are also offset from the peripheral edge of the pallet.
The plurality of recessed portions includes a centrally located recessed portion, recessed portions located toward a peripheral edge of the pallet, and recessed portions located at the corners of the pallet. Each edge or side recessed shares a common centerline with the central recessed portion. The goods supporting surface may be a solid surface having a plurality of ribs on its lower surface. The runners may also include ribs.
To accommodate the floor runner portion of a second pallet and help provide an interlocking design, the deck includes a plurality of channels. Each channel is located above a floor runner portion of an opposing window-framed runner and sized to receive a window-framed runner of the second pallet. Each recessed portion also includes a stop to arrest the downward travel of the foot portion of the second pallet so that about half the height of the second pallet nests within the first pallet.
Objects of the invention are to provide a plastic nesting pallet that has (1) a one-piece design; (2) full window-frame runners (stringers) to improve safety during transport and stacking; (3) a runner design that improves pallet storage at least about 50%; (4) runners which are off-set and chamfered to protect the feet; (5) runners with a common dimension; (6) a top deck that incorporates the runners but still allows the pallet to nest; (7) a foot design that provides an inter-locking footprint but allows for de-stacking; and (8) more static and dynamic load carrying capacity than a similarly sized wooden pallet yet is at least one-third the weight of that pallet.
The following elements are illustrated in the drawings and referenced in the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
A pallet made according to this invention represents a new concept in plastic runner-ed pallets. The pallet (1) blends traditional pallet safety with economic re-use; (2) lowers costs and eliminates assembly because of its one-piece design; (3) incorporates geometry that protects its internal structure; (4) provides integrated full window-frame runners and 4-way entry; (5) lowers handling costs by providing full 2-to-1 nesting; (5) is compatible with all conveyor systems; (6) double stacks with about 8% greater runner surface area (meaning the pallet stacks with greater bottom surface area than prior art pallets); (7) is about 50% lighter than a comparable-sized wood pallet; (8) is 100% recoverable and reusable; (9) has a carbon footprint about 40% smaller than prior art wood pallets; and (10) accommodates industry load requirements. For example, a pallet made according to this invention that is made of recycled resin and measures 48 inches long (121.92 cm); 40 inches wide (101.6 cm), and 5½ inches (13.97 cm) tall weighs 27 pounds (12.25 kg), can be stacked 42 high in a 97-inch (246.38 cm) column, has a dynamic load capacity of 2,400 pounds (1088.62 kg), and has a static load capacity of 7,500 pounds (3401.94 kg) (not edge rack-able). Because of its improved nesting, 1,260 units can fit within a standard 53-foot (16.15 m) truck making return economically more attractive.
Referring to the drawings and first to
Referring now to
The sidewalls 165 of the each leg 160 merge with the sidewalls 65 that form the recess 60 and extend below the lower surface 120 of deck 20 (see
Preferably, one of three different sized rectangular-shaped open channels 30 lies between adjacent recesses 60C & K; 60C & S; and 60K & S (see also
A runner 130 lies substantially directly below each channel 30. Each runner 130 is a full window frame runner and provides a fork entry 19 (making pallet 10 a full four-way entry pallet). Runner 130 is chamfered and includes a floor runner portion 131 and a supporting leg portion 133. The leg portion 133 is off-set relative to the floor runner portion 131 and extends away from an opposing leg 160 at a draft angle β. In a preferred embodiment, draft angle β is about 4°, substantially equal to that of draft angle α.
Similar to channels 30, each floor runner portion 131 is one of three different widths, with floor runner 131W corresponding to, lying beneath, and having a slightly smaller width than channel 30W so that the runner 130W of one pallet 10 may be received by a corresponding channel 30W of a second pallet 10. Floor runner portion 131N corresponds to, lies beneath, and has a slightly smaller width than channel 30N. Floor runner portion 131M corresponds to, lies beneath, and has a slightly smaller width than channel 30M. In a preferred embodiment, floor runner 131N is about 1.4″ wide (3.55 cm), 131M is about 1.9″ (4.83 cm) wide, and 131W is about 2.9″ (7.37 cm) wide. The leg portion 133 at wider at its upper end 135 than at its lower end 145 (which merges into floor runner portion 131).
The bottom end 139 of the floor runner portion 131 lies substantially in the same horizontal plane as the bottom end 169 of the legs 160. Extending between the upper end 135 of the leg portion 133 are ribs 137. Each rib 137 lies substantially directly below a longitudinal edge 31 of a corresponding channel 30. The rib 137 runs the length of the channel 30 and extends downward and beyond the lower surface 120 of deck 20.
Deck surface 20 may include a channel 50 that corresponds to a channel-shaped rib 150 (see
The arrangement of open channels 30, channels 50, and recesses 60 define different goods supporting surface portions of deck 20. Referring to
Referring to
A pallet made according to this invention blends concepts, materials, features without compromise to meet the objectives previously stated. Further, it accomplishes the objectives in a one-piece design. Almost all other prior art runner-ed plastic pallets require two (or more) parts that are post-forming assembled. The inventors' pallet has been designed and engineered for production on a simple straight pull mold (without cams) that lowers production time and dollars. One critical technical issue was pallet runner survival when stacks of pallets (e.g. 40 pallets stacked one on top of the other) are moved at one time. The runner has been reinforced to withstand that function, something most similar pallets have not done.
While preferred embodiments of a stack-and-nest pallet have been described with a certain degree of particularity, modifications can be made in the details of construction without departing from the scope of the patent claims below.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US11/27203 | 3/4/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/4/2011 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61310411 | Mar 2010 | US |
