Supports – Supporting base – Pallet type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-11
2001-11-27
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Supporting base
Pallet type
C248S068100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322034
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to stacking supports for roll stock, and more particularly to a compactly nestable, high strength, improved stacking support for roll stock.
BACKGROUND
“Roll stock” is a term that is commonly used to describe cylindrical rolls or tubular rolls of a selected width of thin materials. Such items include paper products, plastic film products, thin gauge metals, roofing sheets, and various other thin materials. Importantly, these various cylindrical or tubular shaped rolls are typically shipped and stored on pallets. Most often, such storage is provided in tiers of rolls, and, most commonly, the rolls are horizontally oriented above the pallets. In order to stabilize and support the cylindrical or tubular rolls, stacking supports have typically been employed.
Various U.S. patents show stacking supports for receiving stacked rolls of materials. One such disclosure is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,732 to Bell, which teaches a support and spacing member for roll stock formed from expanded polystyrene foam. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,196 to Butler shows a roll support member that, like Bell the '732 patent, is formed utilizing expanded polystyrene foam. However, certain characteristics of the polystyrene foam make it less than ideal for use in roll stock supports. This is because expanded polystyrene is rather rigid, relatively brittle, and thus has a minimum of structural flexibility. Additionally, polystyrene foam rolls supports do not compactly nest together and thus storage of roll supports manufactured of polystyrene or similar plastic materials takes up considerable space.
One alternative to polystyrene foam roll supports has been the development and use of roll supports made from papier-mâché. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,314 issued Jan. 14, 1992 to Moyer et al for a ROLL STACKER teaches a roll support formed of papier-mâché. Unfortunately, in many circumstances, papier-mâché is inadequate for roll stock supports. For example, the strength of papier-mâché roll stock supports rapidly degrades which they get wet. Consequently, papier-mâché roll sock supports must be protected from the weather, and even cannot be used in many humid environments. Such weather protection is especially difficult during transport, and requires that such supports be shipped within a fully enclosed container or trailer.
Further, even though roll supports manufactured from papier-mâché have improved stackability over foam type roll supports, because papier-mâché roll stackers must be of substantial thickness to support the weight of many materials, it would nevertheless be desirable to develop a material that would further reduce the storage space requirements of roll supports, to free up warehouse space. Thus, there remains a need for a strong, weather-proof, preferably recyclable material which can be utilized in the production of compactly stackable roll supports which can be stored with minimal warehouse volume requirements.
SUMMARY
I have now developed a roll stacking support that can be fabricated in a high strength material suitable for high density storage of the roll stacking support, especially when compared to storage density of conventional stacking supports manufactured from foam or from molded pulp utilizing prior art roll support designs. Importantly, certain improved structural components of my roll stacking support design may be utilized to advantage in improving the performance of prior art roll supports made of materials such as papier-mâché.
My novel roll support design provides a support for receiving and supporting stacked tiers of roll stock. My roll support is designed for use in roll support pairs, so that the pair of roll supports can be folded out and utilized side-to-side and located below a base tier of roll stock, or so that the pair of roll supports can be used in a back-to-back fashion and located between tiers or roll stock, or folded out in a side-by-side orientation and placed above a top tier of roll stock, all in order to provide a secure, stacked arrangement of the roll stock that is suited for storage or transport. Alternately, as single one of a pair can be used where appropriate at the base or at the top of a stack of roll stock. Importantly, successive pair sets of my roll supports in pile of such roll supports will nest tightly within a prior or lower pair set, thereby substantially reducing the storage space required for new or for used roll supports. It is preferable (but not mandatory) that roll supports provided utilizing my design configurations be thermoformed utilizing a recyclable plastic. To date, the most preferable structural material that I have found is the use of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) type plastic.
My roll support is preferably formed and provided in a side-by-side pair of support portions which are attached to each other along a flexible joint or hinge. Each roll support portion includes an elongated upper surface having a plurality of roll support cradle portions. Each of the roll support cradle portions has an outward surface shaped in an arcuate segment of pre-selected dimensions adapted for securely receiving a piece of roll stock of substantially complementary shape. A pair of longitudinally running opposing sidewall portions is provided in each roll support portion, and each of the opposing sidewall portions slope inwardly and upwardly toward the elongated upper surface. A base is provided in each of the roll support portions. The base provides upward structural support to each of the opposing sidewall portions, which, in turn, each provide upward structural support for the upper surface that has therein a plurality of roll support cradle portions.
For enhanced structural strength, I provide one or more support platforms, and preferably two support platforms, in each of the roll support cradle portions. The support platforms each have first and second inwardly and downwardly sloping sidewall portions, and each of the sloping sidewall portions have a lower end portion. A transversely extending bottom support foot is provided at the lower reaches of the support platforms. The bottom support foot located adjacent to the lower end portion of the first and second inwardly and downwardly sloping sidewall portions, and the bottom support foot extends laterally across at least a portion of the roll support cradle portion. To assure structural strength, the bottom support foot extends downwardly to a location substantially even with said the base of the roll support portion. Also, the roll support cradle portions each have a bottom portion that is preferably elevated above the base of the respective roll support portion.
To enhance compact nestability, I have found it advantageous to provide the opposing sidewall portions angled inward about 20 degrees from the vertical line perpendicular to the base of the roll support. Likewise, to enhance compact nestability, I have found it advantageous to provide inwardly and downwardly sloping sidewalls of the support platforms at angles of about 20 degrees from the vertical line perpendicular to the bottom support foot.
My roll support is configured to receive and support horizontally stacked tiers of roll stock. The cradle surface is sized for receiving a preselected diameter of roll stock. The roll support functions to stabilize the tiered array of roll stock, usually located on a shipping pallet. A multiple of the roll supports are utilized to support a plurality of rolls of roll stock. Firstly, selected rolls of roll stock are supported by a lower tier of roll supports, to form a bottom tier of supported roll stock. The bottom tier of the supported roll stock then supports a plurality of roll supports oriented in a back-to-back configuration, which then supports yet an additional tier of roll stock. Each of the additional tiers of the roll stock is supported by additional roll supports.
Each roll support is structurally able to support distributed portion of the weight of the roll stock that is received within its roll support cradle portions
Goodloe, Jr. R. Reams
Ramirez Ramon O.
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