Claims
- 1. A plastic pallet containing:
- (1) a plurality of extruded base runners having a generally rectangular cross-section and including:
- (a) an elongated extruded plastic hollow external shell structure defining an elongated interior cavity;
- (b) insert means of extruded plastic for insertion longitudinally of said elongated interior cavity of said external shell structure for coupling to and cross bracing said shell structure; and
- (c) retaining means formed on the interior walls of said shell structure for slidably receiving mating portions of said insert means and for interlocking said insert means within said shell structure to form a composite cross member structure; and
- (2) a plurality of extruded cross members extending at right angles to said base runners and having a generally rectangular cross section within the upper surfaces of said base runners being affixed directly to the lower surfaces of said cross members to interconnect same.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cross members are affixable to said base runners by vibration welding.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cross members are affixable to said base runners by stake welding.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said external shell and said insert means comprises a plastic extrusion.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
- said external shell and said insert means are generally of the same length;
- said retaining means comprises a multiplicity of channels running longitudinally through the external shell;
- said insert means defining at least one longitudinal cavity therethrough and having lug means; and
- said lug means of said insert means being longitudinal and having generally the same shape as the channels of the exterior shell.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said external shell further includes a pair of spaced apart rail means affixed to one surface thereof running generally parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof for forming feet therefor defining a strapping notch opening therebetween to receive straps for strapping containers to the pallet.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said base runners define spaced apart notches transversely extending of and passing through said base runner from one side to the other side for providing fork-lift access from the side of said base runner.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cross members include a plurality of tab portions of said cross member extrusion and spaced apart one from the other along and upstanding from the upper surface of said cross members to mate with recesses in plastic containers carried from the pallet.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cross member has a honeycomb interior structure.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:
- said cross members are affixed to said base runners in a spaced apart fashion and generally perpendicular to said base runners; and
- said tabs on said cross members are generally located centrally above a base runner and extend up and away from the base runner.
- 11. The plastic pallet of claim 1 wherein said insert means includes:
- a central elongated extruded plate-shaped portion having a pair of mutually opposed major faces;
- a plurality of rib portions extending away from said major faces of said plate portion on opposite sides thereof and extending lengthwise of said elongated plate-shaped portions; and
- lug means are formed on the outer edges of said rib portions and define said mating portions of said insert means and being slidably received within said retaining means for interlocking said insert means within said shell structure.
- 12. The plastic pallet of claim 11 wherein each of said retaining means includes:
- an elongated cavity for receiving and capturing respective ones of said lug means and having an elongated opening in a side wall thereof with the opening facing a respective one of said rib portions of said insert means for passage of said rib portions through said opening.
- 13. A lightweight container system comprising;
- a plurality of stackable plastic containers each including:
- a pair of end wall structures, each of said end wall structures including a pair of generally parallel top and bottom side edges, said side edges including upwardly directed tab portions and corresponding recessed regions at opposite sides thereof, said tab portions being disposed for mating with recessed regions in an adjacent container when the containers are stacked in a vertical relation;
- a plastic pallet including:
- a plurality of extruded base runners having a generally rectangular cross section;
- a plurality of extruded cross members having a generally rectangular cross section being affixable between, and generally perpendicular to, said base runners with the upper surfaces of said base runners being affixed directly to the lower surfaces of said cross members;
- said cross members each including a plurality of extruded tab portions spaced apart one from the other and upstanding from the upper surface of said cross member;
- said base runners are spaced apart from, and generally parallel to, each other; and
- said cross members are spaced apart generally by the width of said containers, and generally parallel to each other, with said tabs thereon being disposed for mating with the recessed regions in an adjacent container when the containers are stacked on the pallet.
- 14. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said base runners defined spaced apart notches therethrough generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base runner for providing fork-lift access from the side of the base runner.
- 15. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein;
- said upward directed tab portions of said wall structures each further defining a strapping notch opening upward from the broad top edge of the end wall structure; and
- said base runners each including a pair of spaced apart rail means affixed to the bottom surface thereof and running generally parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof for forming feet therefor and defining a strapping notch opening therebetween with said strapping notch therein generally aligned below said strapping notch in said end wall structures of the plastic containers when the containers are stacked on the pallet.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising:
- strap means for integrating said stacked containers and pallet for shipment, said strap means including a plurality of straps each dimensioned to fit within the strapping notch beneath each base runner, extend upward across the end of the containers directly above said base runner at one end of the stack, through each of said strapping notches in the containers at the top of the stack directly above the base runner through which the strap passes, and downward across the end of the containers directly above said base runner and at the other end of the stack; and
- means for joining the two ends of said strap means for forming a plurality of strap loops around the containers and the pallet.
- 17. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said pallet includes wheel means affixed to each corner thereof.
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/587,456 filed Sep. 19, 1990, now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 449,500, filed Dec. 1, 1989, now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 336,597 filed Apr. 7, 1989, which is incorporated herein by reference and now abandoned and Ser. No. 07/157,926, filed Feb. 18, 1988 which was abandoned upon the filing hereof which is a continuation-in-part invention of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 389,709 filed Jun. 18, 1982 now abandoned.
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Related Publications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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157926 |
Feb 1988 |
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Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
587456 |
Sep 1990 |
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Parent |
449500 |
Dec 1989 |
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Parent |
336597 |
Apr 1989 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
389703 |
Jun 1982 |
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