Modular pallet cap

Details Modular pallet cap Modular pallet cap

2000-01-10

2001-05-08

Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)

Special receptacle or package

With pallet feature

C206S586000, C206S597000, C229S939000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06227366

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pallet cap or cover for covering a top side or a lower side of a load on the pallet, and to method of using the pallet cap.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Often, pallet covers are placed over a top and/or bottom sides of a load on the pallet prior to its being banned by straps or prior to it being shrink wrapped with plastic. The invention will be described in connection with an exemplary use of pallet caps which cover a stack of flat sheets of paper or printed signatures loaded onto a pallet. The pallet caps are used to protect the sheet edges along the top and bottom side edges of the stack from being torn or indented by the straps. The pallet caps also protect the edges and corners of the stacked sheets against damage when being hit or bumped during handling, storage or transporting.
The pallets and stacked material thereon often are in different sizes so that a preformed shape of pallet cover sized for a particular size of pallet stack will not usually work for substantially larger or substantially smaller sizes of stacks. By way of example, pallets carrying loads of signatures are often in multiple sizes such as 42″ by 42″, 43″ by 48″, 44″ by 44″ and 40″ by 48″. A number of proposals have been suggested to cover the top of the stack with several interleaved cap pieces that are adjustable to cover several different sizes of stacks or loads on the pallet. One such proposal is use of four interleaved, pallet caps each having a rigid, preformed, glued corner member which is secured to the top edge of a sheet of paperboard or the like. The four caps are interleaved over the top of the pallet with the rigid, formed, glued corners covering the edges of the top side of the stacked material. One problem with this proposal is that the pallet caps themselves cannot be stored flat as the right angle preformed corner sits upright and takes substantial storage space. That is, these pallet caps cannot be stored flat; and hence, they require considerable storage space. This increases storage costs. Also, the formation of the rigid, glued corners and the gluing attaching to the flat sheet adds to the cost of the pallet caps. Often, pallet caps are discarded after one or several usages; and hence, they should be inexpensive.
Often, it is desired to place the pallet caps on the stack to protect the stack while the stack is being transported by a fork lift truck to a shipping area, where the load is banded and wrapped in plastic. Thus, the pallet caps should remain in position on the load while being transported without the bands thereon to secure the pallet caps to the load.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that there is a need for a new and improved pallet cap that is inexpensive to manufacture, adjustable to various size loads, can be stored flat, and will remain on top of the load prior to being banded to the load by straps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a new and improved pallet cap is formed in one flat piece that can be stored flat; and, when it is desired, the flat piece can be easily erected into a pallet cap having a depending flange to cover a side edge of a stack of material on the pallet. This is achieved by providing a flat sheet of paperboard with an elongated flange having fold line therein along which the flange can be folded to project at an angle to a flat panel which is to lie flat on the top or bottom side of the pallet load. The preferred shape of the pallet cap is generally in shape of a T with the flange being in the crossbar head of the T and the flat panel being the leg of the T.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the flat, horizontal panel of the pallet cap overlying the top of the pallet load is made with sufficient size or are as that the pallet load is made with sufficient size or area so that the pallet cap remains on top of the load when being transported as by a fork lift truck to a shipping area, where the pallet cap is banded to the load and pallet. The large horizontal panel counteracts the gravity pull off the edge pending flange hanging down along the side of the load.
The preferred method of covering a top or bottom side of a stack on a pallet comprises the steps of: storing a plurality of flat pallet cap sheets in a stack; removing a plurality of pallet cap sheets from the stack; folding down a flange portion on the respective pallet sheets to erect the pallet caps; placing each of the folded down flanges of the pallet cap adjacent a side edge of the top or bottom side of the stack; interleaving the flat panels of the pallet caps to cover substantial the top or bottom side of the stack; and banding the stack with straps which indent the folded down flanges of the pallet caps.
By using interleaved caps, the pallet cover may be adjusted to cover various sizes of pallets. Tensioned metal straps or plastic bands are wrapped about the stack to secure it together. The pallet caps cushion the edges of stacked material from being damaged by indentations caused by the straps. The pallet covers may be re-used or discarded after a single or multiple use.
Because the pallet caps are erected from a single, flat sheet of paperboard, such as cardboard with a score line at the fold line, they can be inexpensively manufactured. The score line preferably allows the flange to be easily erected from the flat sheet; and the cut corrugations aid in keeping the flange at a good square corner to resist any memory in the corrugated board sheet tending to pivot the flange back into its planar shape.


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