Patent Application
20050172867
The present invention relates to the pallet which is a portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and transporting goods.
Pallets are constructed from a number of materials, primarily wood, metal, plastic and corrugated fiberboard
The majority of the world's usage of pallets is constructed from wood. This is due to the properties of wood that make the pallet reusable and repairable. Due to heavy deforestation, wood continues to become a scarcer and more valuable commodity. The cost effectiveness of using wood for pallet making is fast being eroded. New regulations regarding waste disposal have increased disposal fees of wooden pallets. Changing attitudes towards environmental issues and corporate responsibilities are leading companies to re-examine their pallet usage and management strategies. The issue of global warming due to deforestation and efforts from both government and non-government organizations (NGOs) to control the use of tropical timber are exerting much pressure against the continual usage of wooden pallets.
For the purpose of transoceanic shipment and long distance transportation of products where the pallet is intended for a single trip handling from shipper to receiver, the wood pallet is becoming an expensive and eco-unfriendly piece of equipment.
The introduction of the returnable, reusable pallet system where metal pallets are used for transoceanic shipments has provided a partial alternative. The returnable metal pallets upon reaching the receiver, is unloaded, collected, packed and shipped back to the shipper. The returnable metal pallet concept is cheaper on a pallet cost per unit load basis due to the multiple reuse of the pallet, but the cost of collection, packing and return shipment of the empty pallets is still high. The logistics and costs of returning the empty pallets thus become the major factors in determining the viability of the returnable metal pallet concept for each and every receiver's destination. Issues of custom laws pertaining to the import and export of the metal pallets are other factors of concern.
Existing prior art metal pallets are too expensive to be used for single trip transoceanic shipment These metal pallets are designed to be reusable and are built to last, the characteristics required for economic justification for their high materials and construction costs. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,112,854, 4,485,744, 4,697,529, 5,367,960, 6,095,292 and 6,510,801 are cited for references.
There is therefore a need of a pallet that is low cost and expendable to serve as an alternative to the disposable wooden pallet and returnable metal pallet for transoceanic shipment and long distance transportation of cargo.
The object of this invention is to provide a metal pallet that is low in cost both in terms of materials and manufacturing expenses and is economically justifiable to be expended with after its intended single trip use for transoceanic shipment and long distance transportation of cargo.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight yet structurally strong metal pallet that is able to handle any load that a wooden pallet or returnable metal pallet could handle.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a metal pallet to serve as an economical and environmental friendly alternative to the wooden pallet and returnable metal pallet for transoceanic shipment and long distance transportation.
Independent Claim 1 defines the invention. The dependent Claims 2 to 11 recite preferred features. In accordance with the invention the metal pallet as shown in
A collar 4 is fixed to the top four edges of the deck face sheet or deck-plate 2 to strengthen the shearing and bending loads carrying capacities of the pallet. The deck face sheet or deck-plate 2 is the load-bearing plane of the pallet.
In a preferred embodiment, the cellular core structures 1 are with cross-sections of polygon profiles as shown in
In another preferred embodiment, the cellular structures 1 shall have vertical walls 5 that are perpendicular to the deck-plate 2 and bottom-plate 3.
According to yet another preferred embodiment, the deck-plate 2 and bottom-plate 3 of the pallet are of full-faced plate coverage 10 and are bonded together by the core structures 1 to form a uniform composite panel.
According to another feature of the light weight pallet, the optimum utilization of the load bearing capability of composite structure, permits the use of thin sheet metal for its construction and according to the present invention is economically advantageous. The thin metal sheet deck-plate 2 and bottom-plate 3 of the pallet are constructed of steel sheets with thicknesses from about 0.30 mm to 1.5 mm, and the cellular core structures are constructed of steel sheets with thicknesses from about 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm.
In yet another feature, the cellular core structures 1 are spaced to allow access openings 9 for pallet lifting from the two or four side positions of the pallet.
The lightweight expendable metal pallet according to the present invention is illustrated by the perspective view of
The cellular core structures 1 are sandwiched and bonded between two thin metal plates, namely the deck-plate 2 and the bottom-plate 3 to form a composite load-bearing unit.
A collar 4 in the form of an angle-frame is joined to the top four sides of the deck-plate 2 to provide added shearing and bending load capacities to the pallet. The angle-frame collar 4 together with the deck-plate 2 form a tray base that serve to help cargo stacking and arrangement.
The core structure unit as illustrated by
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PI20040418 | Jan 2004 | MY | national |
