Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Industrial platform
Patent
1986-10-20
1987-12-29
Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Industrial platform
108 571, B65D 1918
Patent
active
047152940
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to industrial pallets of the type embodying spaced-apart decks and, more particularly, to such pallets incorporating novel protective components for conducing to the longevity of usage of the same.
Through the years the cost of maintaining industrial or loading pallets has been of a continuing concern to commercial users due to the ever-increasing price of materials of construction such as, especially, wood or other like rigid, impact-resistant materials, such as, suitable plastics, as well as the persistent rise in labor costs. This is singularly pertinent to pallets of the type comprising upper and lower decks of a plurality of spaced deckboards, with such decks being maintained spacedly by means of stringers which coordinate with the deckboards to present longitudinally extending openings for reception of the tines of forks of a fork-lift truck.
It has been common experience that pallet damage is occasioned for a multiplicity of reasons, including careless handling by personnel and inexpert operation of fork-lift trucks, such as, for instance, by the slamming of the fork heels or adjacent portions of such forks into the end deckboards in the initial addressing of the truck to the pallet which impact results in fracturing or rupturing of the end deckboards, and the ends of the adjacent stringers. Another source of damage is the presentation of the tines at an improper angle to the pallet so that in one position the heel will be elevated with relation to the toe of the tines whereby an undue lifting force is applied against the proximate end deckboards with the upward prying of the same or loosening of the related fasteners; and in the opposite position wherein the heel will be depressed with respect to the tine toes which latter will then effect an upward, driving force upon the truck-remote end deckboards with similar results namely, the fracturing and/or upward prying of such deckboards together with dislogdment of the fastening elements. In addition, improper handling of the fork lift trucks in bringing about appropriate disposition of the tines will quite frequently occasion inadvertent, but strong contact of the forks upon the end portions of the stringers causing the same to crack or be undesirably distorted from initial disposition. Such undesired forcing of the stringers from the appropriate, original position may also be effected by the toe portions of the tines striking the side face portions of the stringers when the forks are used for swinging a pallet into requisite position for accepting the tines. Thus, as suggested by the foregoing, loading pallets of the type hereunder consideration are subjected to destructive forces from numerous sources during customary usage in plants today which, understandably, materially reduce the effective life of the same, at substantial expense.
In view of this situation, pallet users must, with undesired regularity, replace damaged pallets or cause the same to be repaired which is a time consuming and costly procedure. Therefore, The maintenance of pallets in fully reliable, useful condition is an aim which has long beset industry, but which currently is becoming more and more a factor of considerable financial concern in view of rising material and labor costs.
Heretofore, various efforts have been undertaken to protect pallets in order to increase the useful life thereof and, hence, to reduce the necessity of costly repair and/or replacement. Such expedients have essentially consisted of applying directly to portions of the pallet reinforcing members, such as, or angle iron, bar stock, or the like, or substituting the usual material of construction, wood, for deckboards and/or stringers, such as, by utilization of metal. Reinforcing members of the type attempted for shielding usage were immediately secured to the peripheral edge portions of the pallet, such as along the transverse, as well as longitudinal, edges of the deckboards and on the end surfaces of the stringers. In essence,
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