Package making – Methods – Plural covers
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-26
2002-10-29
Smith, Scott A. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Plural covers
C053S416000, C206S386000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06470649
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pallet on which a load is loaded and then transported or stored and a load packaging method for loading and packaging a load loaded on the pallet.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional pallet used for the transport and storage etc. of goods is normally a general purpose item made from wood or metal and formed without consideration given to the shape of the load to be loaded on the pallet.
The transport and storage of photosensitive printing plates will be described as an example. When a large quantity of photosensitive printing plates are packaged (for example, 250~1500 plates per one package) and transported, the photosensitive printing plates which are manufactured in a factory are placed in stacks of a predetermined number and intermediately packaged. The intermediately packaged photosensitive printing plates are then stacked on general use pallets made of wood or metal and externally packaged, and are then transported or stored. In some cases, the photosensitive printing plates are also stacked directly on the pallets and then externally packaged before being transported or stored.
However, general use pallets made of wood or metal are expensive due to the material costs and the labor required for their manufacture. Moreover, these pallets are heavy and difficult to handle during transport or storage. Furthermore, disposal of the wood or metal forming the pallet is difficult and pallets are sometimes left to accumulate at their destination after being transported.
In addition, because general use pallets are used which are made without consideration given to the shape of the load, positioning and fastening of the load when loading the pallets have been difficult.
On the other hand, when a small quantity of photosensitive printing plates are packaged (for example, 10~100 plates per package) and transported, units of stacked and intermediately packaged photosensitive printing plates are further placed in corrugated fiberboard boxes, which are then packaged and transported etc.
However, if corrugated fiberboard boxes are used, it is necessary to perform the time-consuming task of opening each corrugated fiberboard box one by one when the photosensitive printing plates are to be used. Moreover, because the empty corrugated fiberboard boxes end up as waste material at their destination, a great deal of waste materials are generated particularly after a large quantity of photosensitive printing plates have been transported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above, the aim of the present invention is to provide a pallet which is inexpensive and easy to handle during transport or storage and a load packaging method in which a load can be easily loaded on this pallet and packaged.
The first aspect of the present invention is a pallet comprising: a loading member made from paper onto which a load is loaded; a leg member made from paper which is fastened to the loading member and, as well as supporting the loading member when a load is loaded on the loading member, forms an insert body receiving member into which is inserted an insert body used during transportation; and a base member made from paper which is fixed to the opposite side of the leg member to the loading member.
Accordingly, when a load has been loaded onto the loading member, the insert body is inserted into the insert body receiving member which is formed by the leg member, and the pallet and load are able to be transported. The insert body named here may be any member provided that the pallet becomes transportable by inserting the insert body into the insert body receiving member. An example of the insert body is the forks of a fork lift, however, the insert body is not limited to this and other examples include an elongated bar which may be inserted as an insert body into the insert body receiving member and the portion of the bar which protrudes from the pallet lifted and pushed sideways, thus allowing the pallet and load to be transported.
Because the loading member, the leg member, and the base member which form the pallet are all made from paper, the pallet is lighter than comparable pallets made from metal or resin, and handling the pallets during transport or storage is easier. Furthermore, used pallets are easily disposed of at their destination. Naturally, when the pallets are still capable of being reused (i.e. when their strength and shape as pallets are preserved), they may be reused. Moreover, even when they are not capable of being reused, because the pallets are made from paper, they can be easily recycled. In addition, by manufacturing the pallets out of paper, the manufacturing costs can be kept down.
The paper which is used as the material for the loading member, the leg member, and the base member, is not particularly limited, and any material which has a certain strength and can maintain the shape of the pallet and support the weight of the load is acceptable. For example, general corrugated fiberboard, honeycomb structure materials made from paper, cardboard, Kraft paper and the like may be used. Moreover, the general corrugated fiberboard, honeycomb structure materials made from paper, cardboard, Kraft paper and the like may be laminated to produce an even stronger material which can also be used. Each of the loading member, the leg member, and the base member may also be made out of different types of paper.
Because the leg member is fastened to the loading member, manufacturing of the pallet is simplified. There is no particular limit as to the number of leg members. For example, a plurality of leg members may be provided with predetermined gaps formed therebetween which gaps act as insert body receiving members. Thus insert body receiving members can be provided by a simple structure.
When a plurality of leg members are provided, the plurality of leg members are fixed from two sides by the loading member and the base member and are thus able to more securely support the loading member. Moreover, when a plurality of pallets each with a load loaded thereon are stacked on top of each other, the base plate portion directly above the top surface of a load makes surface contact with the top surface of the load so that the weight on the load is distributed and the load is not damaged or deformed. This enables handling to be simplified.
In the present invention, the loading member is preferably constructed by superposing more sheets of paper than are used to construct the base.
This causes the strength of the loading member to be greater than that of the base member. Accordingly, when a pallet with a load loaded thereon is lifted or moved, deformation of the loading member and deformation or shifting of the load can be prevented.
In the present invention, the loading member is preferably constructed by superposing a plurality of sheets of paper in such a manner that the grain of at least one sheet of the paper forming the loading member intersects the direction of the grain of the other sheets of paper forming the loading member.
By making the direction of the grain of the sheets of paper forming the loading member intersect in this way, unevenness in the strength of the loading member depending on the direction can be reduced. Accordingly, when, for example, the insert body is inserted for transporting, a fixed level of strength can be maintained no matter which direction the insert body is inserted from. Thus, deformation of the loading member and deformation or shifting of the load can be prevented.
In the present invention, the leg member is preferably hollow.
Accordingly, the leg member is light in weight which simplifies handling during transporting and storage. Moreover, because the actual amount of paper needed to construct the leg member is reduced, the leg member can be formed at a lower cost allowing the pallet as a whole to be manufactured cheaply.
Note that the leg member is not particularly limited to a hollow leg member. For example, a hollow leg portion may be formed by
Sone Takehiro
Usui Takayuki
Chukwurah Nathaniel
Smith Scott A.
Sughrue Mion,. PLLC
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