Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Industrial platform – Formed from folded semirigid material
Patent
1998-11-06
2000-03-28
Wilkens, Janet M.
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Industrial platform
Formed from folded semirigid material
108 563, B65D 1900
Patent
active
060417196
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a materials handling pallet that can be made out of board, plastic, molded wood or any other material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Present-day materials handling pallets made out of board usually consist of lengthwise members forming the load-supporting floor and crosswise members connecting the lengthwise members parallel to each other, said lengthwise members resting directly on the ground or any other surface.
One of the problems posed by pallets of this type made from nonrigid materials concerns the strength of their component parts, and in particular the low crushing strength of the lengthwise members. As a solution to this it has been proposed that the lengthwise members be made from sheets of board folded several times to produce lengthwise members of greater strength.
However, pallets made in this way can become warped because of the fact that the different parts of which they are composed are not completely locked in position. Furthermore, the operations of bending the board sheets to form the lengthwise members, and the quantity of material they require, makes for high production costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to solve these drawbacks by proposing a pallet that has a good load strength and a lower production cost.
The pallet according to the invention is characterized essentially in that it comprises on the one hand a tray whose upper face is for receiving the load and whose lower face is provided with longitudinal or transverse reinforcing elements, each bent into a U or V; and on the other, longitudinal or transverse supporting elements for supporting said tray, each also bent into a U or V and fixed longitudinally or transversely to the reinforcing elements by the mutual engagement of notches provided in said reinforcing and supporting elements.
In a first embodiment of the pallet according to the invention, the reinforcing elements are attached by their longitudinal edges to the lower face of the tray and the longitudinal edges of the supporting elements are fixed to these at right angles, by the mutual engagement of notches provided on the one hand in the longitudinal edges of the supporting elements and on the other in the longitudinal fold of each reinforcing element, the pallet resting on the longitudinal folds of the supporting elements.
In this embodiment the tray can be formed from a panel of a certain thickness or from juxtaposed planks.
In a second embodiment of the pallet according to the invention, the tray consists simply of all the reinforcing elements, which are fixed to the supporting elements by mutual engagement with the aid of notches provided in the supporting elements, and of apertures provided in the reinforcing elements.
In this embodiment both the reinforcing elements and the supporting elements consist of the assembly of a first board blank bent into a U or V with a second board blank bent so that the longitudinal edges of the first blank fit into it and are covered to a certain height.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The advantages and features of the present invention will be seen more clearly in the following description, which refers to the accompanying drawings, it being understood that this description implies no limitation on the invention.
In accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a materials handling pallet according to the invention in a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a particular embodiment of the supporting elements of the pallet according to the invention, these elements being adapted to receive the fork of a lifting machine.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the pallet according to the invention in a second embodiment.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the pallet according to the invention in a third embodiment.
FIG. 5 shows a partial perspective view of a supporting element for the pallet shown in FIG. 4.
FIGS. 6a and 6b show partial perspective views of two variants of a reinforcing element for t
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patent: 5370061 (1994-12-01), Kilpatrick et al.
patent: 5483875 (1996-01-01), Turecek et al.
patent: 5490465 (1996-02-01), Hoyt et al.
patent: 5836254 (1998-11-01), Johansson
Meynard Joseph
Vidal Antione
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