Patent Application
20090050631
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with improved tank and pallet assemblies preferably having an all-metal hazardous material tank positioned atop and secured to an underlying, flat-bottomed synthetic pallet. More particularly, it is concerned with such assemblies wherein the pallet permits four-way tongue lifting, is capable of being carried by a variety of conveyors, and gives substantial vibration-dampening and tank load-spreading.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Metal tanks are the preferred and most common method of storing and transporting hazardous and flammable material. The current form of metal tanks consists of an all-metal tank vessel supported by four or more legs typically mounted at the corners of the tank bottom. Tanks of this type commonly have a valve located on one of the tank sides with a protective barrier directly behind the valve. This limits the user to only three-way forklift entry. Although the tank legs allow for stacking and forklift/pallet jack access to the tank, the leg structures and methods of attachment to the tank have many limitations. For example, current tanks having corner legs cannot pass over roller or ball conveyors. Further, the current leg designs and locations concentrate load forces on a small section of the tank body, limiting the load-bearing capacity of the legs and rendering them more prone to failure. Finally, all-metal tanks with corner legs cannot be fitted with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags which are critical for effective tracking of containers carrying hazardous or toxic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,174 describes a pallet container designed for supporting a tank having an inner synthetic resin container with an outer metallic wall. The tank is designed to rest atop the pallet, with no mechanical interconnection between the tank and pallet. The pallet of the '174 patent is also not designed for four-way lift tongue usage.
The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides a tank and pallet assembly comprising a tank presenting a base, upright, circumferentially extending sidewall structure, a top wall, and a plurality of depending connectors extending from the base. A pallet is also provided having a top wall-with an upper surface matingly receiving and engaging the tank base, with the pallet having at least one opening through the top surface and receiving corresponding connectors; the pallet also presents a substantially flat bottom surface. Fasteners are used to operably couple the tank-mounted connectors to the pallet to present an integrated tank/pallet assembly.
In preferred forms, the tank is formed of metal such as stainless steel, while the pallet is formed of synthetic resin material. The tank is preferably quadrate in plan configuration, having a substantially flat base equipped with a drain valve, and a top wall having a fill port. The fasteners are downwardly extending, apertured connector plates.
The preferred pallet is also preferably quadrate in plan configuration and has a slotted upper surface receiving the tank-mounted connectors. Pin assemblies are used to interconnect the tank and pallet. In one preferred embodiment, the connectors are in the form of aligned, generally U-shaped elements, and at least one elongated connector rod extends through the confines of each of the elements, in order to secure the tank to the pallet. Advantageously, the pallet is designed to permit four-way entrance of lifting tongues.
Turning now to the drawings, a tank and pallet assembly 10 is depicted in
In more detail, the tank 12 includes a generally flat base 16 as well as upstanding, circumferential sidewall structure 18 and a top wall 20. As best seen in
The pallet 14 broadly includes a top wall presenting an upper surface 40, depending, circumferential sidewall structure 42 and a substantially flat bottom surface 44. The sidewall structure 42 presents a rear wall 44a, lateral walls 44b, and front wall 44c. As best illustrated in
The top surface 40 is equipped with an upstanding short lip 41 sized to engage base 16 of tank 12. Additionally, a series of openings are provided which extend through the top wall and upper surface and which are not interrupted by cell walls 46. Specifically, the pallet 14 has a pair of rearmost, laterally spaced apart, aligned slots 50 adjacent rear wall 44a, together with four side slots 52 adjacent the lateral walls 44b and arranged in fore and aft, aligned relationship. Additionally, a pair of laterally spaced apart and aligned slots 54 are provided in the central region of surface 40. The front wall 44c has a recess 56 formed therein, which is sized to receive drain valve 22.
Each of the walls 44a, 44b, and 44c has a pair of spaced apart slots 58 formed therein, which are below the bottom surfaces of the walls 46 and thus afford openings for insertion of lift tongues (not shown). It will be observed that these slots 58 allow lift tongues to be inserted from all of the walls 44a-44c.
The bottom 44 of the pallet 14 presents a series of enlarged, cellular foot structures 60 located at each corner of the pallet, centrally along the walls 44a, 44b, and 44c between the corners, and at the geometrical center of the pallet. The bottom surfaces of the foot structure 60 are substantially coplanar so that the overall surface is flat. Additionally, ribbed bottom rails 62 extend between the corner and intermediate foot structures 60 and between the central foot structure and the intermediate foot structures, to provide additional support. It will be seen that the previously described tongue slots 58 are provided between the rails 62 and the top surface 40.
In use, the tank 12 is placed atop pallet 14, with the connectors 26 received within corresponding pallet slots and in bridging relationship to adjacent foot structures. Specifically, the central pair 24a of connectors 26 is received within the central slots 54 and bridge the central foot structure 60; the rearmost pair 24d is received within the slots 50 and bridges the intermediate foot structure 60 along wall 44a; and the side pairs 24b and 24c are received within the slots 52 and bridge the intermediate foot structures 60 along walls 44b. The connectors 26 are of a length to extend downwardly through the associated slots in closely fitting relationship with the associated foot structure. In order to complete the connection between tank 12 and pallet 14, fastening assemblies 64 are used. Each assembly 64 includes a pin 66, washer 68, and clip 70. Specifically, each pin 66 is passed through the openings 28 provided in the connectors 26, and through aligned, pre-drilled openings 72 extending through the foot structures 60. The washers 68 and clip 70 are then used to complete the connection.
Thus, the tank 12a has flat base 16, upstanding, circumferential sidewall structure 18, and a top (not shown). The base 16 is equipped with a drain valve 22 as best seen in
The pallet 14a has a top wall presenting an upper surface 40, depending, circumferential sidewall structure 42, and a substantially flat bottom surface 44. Top surface 40 is equipped with lip 41 sized to engage base 16 of tank 12a and also has a series of openings including side slots 52. Intersecting, substantially orthogonal strengthening walls 46 are provided beneath surface 40 and define individual, vertically-extending open-bottom cells 48. The top wall 40 also has three aligned connector-receiving slots 76 each defined by a pair of lateral sidewalls 78, end walls 80, and a bottom wall 82. The slots 76 are configured to receive the connectors 74 as described below. Referring to
The sidewall structure 42 includes rear wall 44a, lateral walls 44b, and front wall 44c. Each of the walls 44a, 44b, and 44c has a pair of spaced apart slots 58 formed therein, which are below the bottom surfaces of the walls 46, affording openings for insertion of lift tongues (not shown). The underside of pallet 14a is configured identically with that of pallet 14, and thus needs no further description.
In use, the tank 12a is placed atop pallet 14a, with the connectors 74 received within corresponding slots 76. Next, the rods 86 are passed through the openings 84 and the fasteners 90 are used to secure the rods in place as best depicted in
The assemblies 10 and 10a provide a number of advantages over existing tank and pallet designs. The pallets 14, 14a being of synethetic resin construction, provide vibration dampening for the tanks 12, 12a, which prolongs tank life and reduces the risk of failure. The pallets 14, 14a also increase the load rating of the associated tanks by distributing the loaded weight over a greater surface area. The assemblies of the invention can all be used on all types of conveyors including roller and ball conveyors. The assemblies can also accommodate RFID tag mounting, something heretofore not possible with all-metal designs. The pallets 14, 14a also afford four-way forklift or pallet jack entry, and may be field-replaced without the need for welding.
