This disclosure relates generally to pallets and, more particularly, to modular pallets and boards for modular pallets.
Pallets typically include three modular stringers and three to five top and bottom modular boards spanning the modular stringers. Current modular pallets do not accept more than three modular stringers.
In accordance with one illustrative embodiment, there is provided a board for a modular pallet. In accordance with another illustrative embodiment, there is provided a modular pallet.
Features and advantages of one or more of the disclosed embodiments of this disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and the claims, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The content of U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,170 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In general, an article and apparatus will be described using one or more examples of exemplary embodiments of a modular board having first and second mating sections at first and second ends thereof, and third and fourth spaced apart mating sections disposed inboard of the first and second mating sections, and a modular pallet that includes a plurality of the aforementioned board.
Referring specifically to the drawings,
The boards 12u, 12l include upper boards 12u and lower boards 12l. The pallet 100 preferably includes more than three of each of the boards 12u, 12l. For example, the pallet 100 may include five of the upper boards 12u, and three of the lower boards 12l, although any suitable quantities of the boards 12u, 12l may be used. In any event, the boards 12u, 12l are constructed for use with pallets having more than three stringers as will be discussed in greater detail below.
The pallet 200 includes the upper and lower boards 12u, 12l, and the first and second stringers 10a, 10b. Additionally, the pallet 200 includes fourth and fifth stringers 10d, 10e but omits the third stringer 10c of
The pallet 300 includes the upper and lower boards 12u, 12l, the first, second, and third stringers 10a, 10b, 10c, and the fourth and fifth stringers 10d, 10e for a total of five stringers.
The pallet 400 includes the upper and lower boards 12u, 12l, the first, and second stringers 10a, 10b, the fourth and fifth stringers 10d, 10e, adds sixth and seventh stringers 10f, 10g, but omits the third stringer 10c for a total of six stringers. The sixth and seventh stringers 10f, 10g constitute a second pair of outboard stringers that are disposed between the first pair of outboard stringers 10a, 10b. The first and second outboard pairs of spaced apart stringers may be in adjacent contact.
Also, the first and second outboard pairs of spaced apart stringers may be coupled together. More specifically, the first and second outboard pairs of spaced apart stringers may be coupled together by screws 14, clips 16, or any other suitable fasteners, couplers, and/or the like. The screws 14 may extend through the first and second stringers 10a, 10b and may be threaded into corresponding portions of the sixth and seventh stringers 10f, 10g. The clips 16 may be located at stringer ends so as to clip together the opposed ends of the first and sixth stringers 10a, 10f, and the opposed ends of the second and seventh stringers 10b, 10g.
The boards 12u, 12l may be coupled to the sixth and seventh stringers 10f, 10g. For example, the boards 12u, 12l may be fastened thereto. More specifically, the boards 12u, 12l may be fastened to the stringers 10f, 10g by screws 18, rivets, or any other suitable fasteners.
The boards 12u, 12l may include opposed ends 20 and outboard facing shoulders 22 spaced from the opposed ends 20, wherein inboard portions of the second outboard pair of spaced apart stringers 10f, 10g may abut the shoulders 22 so that the stringers 10f, 10g may be trapped between the outboard facing shoulders 22 and the first outboard pair of spaced apart stringers 10a, 10b. Accordingly, the second outboard pair of spaced apart stringers 10f, 10g may be integrally coupled to the pallet 400. Such abutment, entrapment, and/or integral coupling may increase rigidity and/or load carrying capacity of the pallet 400.
Likewise, the boards 12u, 12l may have inboard facing shoulders 24 spaced from the ends 20 of the boards 12u, 12l, wherein outboard portions of the inboard pair of spaced apart stringers 10d, 10e abut the inboard facing shoulders 24. Such abutment may increase the rigidity of the pallet 400.
The pallet 500 includes the upper and lower boards 12u, 12l, the first, and second stringers 10a, 10b, the fourth and fifth stringers 10d, 10e, the sixth and seventh stringers 10f, 10g, as well as the third stringer 10c for a total of seven stringers.
Referring now to
Referring to
The mating sections 32 may include a plurality of locking sockets 34 (34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, 34e) that are disposed between the inner and outer surfaces 28, 30 and open to the inner surface 30. Each locking socket 34 may include sidewalls 36, at least one rail 38 disposed between the sidewalls and having an inner portion spaced from the inner surface 30, and at least one ramp 40 that may terminate the at least one rail 38. The at least one rail 38 may include a pair of transversely spaced apart rails 38 and the at least one ramp 40 likewise may include a pair of transversely spaced apart ramps 40. Each ramp 40 may have an apex 42 extending in a direction away from the rail 38 and spaced from the inner surface 30 to leave a space therebetween. Each locking socket 34 also may include one or more end walls 44. For the third mating section 34c, the end walls may be the opposed ends of the opposing ramps 40. Each ramp 40 may be disposed between the at least one rail and the at least one end wall.
Each board mating section 32a through 32e also may include a tab section 46a through 46e corresponding to the locking sockets 34a through 34e. The tab sections 46a through 46e may include portions of the first and second edges 26a, 26b (
Referring to
In general, the components of the modular pallet may be manufactured according to techniques known to those skilled in the art, including molding, machining, stamping, and the like. Also, the modular pallet may be assembled according to known techniques. Likewise, any suitable materials can be used in making the components, such as metals, composites, polymeric materials, and/or the like.
As used in the sections above and claims below, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” and “such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components, elements, or items. Similarly, when introducing elements of the invention or the example embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Moreover, directional words such as front, rear, top, bottom, upper, lower, radial, circumferential, axial, lateral, longitudinal, vertical, horizontal, transverse, and/or the like are employed by way of description and not limitation. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
Finally, the foregoing description is not a definition of the invention, but is a description of one or more examples of exemplary embodiments of the invention. The statements contained in the foregoing description relate to the particular examples and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention as claimed below or on the definition of terminology used in the claims, except where terminology is expressly defined above. And although the present invention has been disclosed using a limited number of examples, many other examples are possible and it is not intended herein to mention all of the possible manifestations of the invention. In fact, other modifications, variations, forms, ramifications, substitutions, and/or equivalents will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. The present invention is intended to embrace such forms, ramifications, modifications, variations, substitutions, and/or equivalents as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the following claims. In other words, the present invention encompasses many substitutions or equivalents of limitations recited in the following claims. For example, the materials, sizes, and shapes, described above could be readily modified or substituted with other similar materials, sizes, shapes, and/or the like. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular examples of exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, but instead is defined solely by the claims below.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/394,745, filed Oct. 19, 2010, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61394745 | Oct 2010 | US |