Supports – Supporting base – Pallet type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-09-04
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Supporting base
Pallet type
C248S346010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283431
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The designations “load-bearing platforms” and “load-bearing pallets” are interchangeably employed in the art. Traditionally known pallets, currently yet in common usage, are constructed of wooden planks. Because their wooden construction makes them very expensive and inherently plagued with splintering, rotting, weather degradation, and short lifespan, more recent prior art workers have attempted to construct pallets consisting of resinous material throughout. Such attempts when utilizing cavity-molding, injection-molding and/or rotational-casting fabrication techniques require massive (and hence non-economical) amounts of resinous construction material. Accordingly, other recent prior art workers have attempted to economically provide high load-bearing capability resinous pallets through utilization of the “single-sheet thermoforming” fabrication technique which empirically includes pluralities of load-bearing topical-shoulders and substrate-abuttable bottom-shoulders that are structurally-continuously interveningly joined with prescribed upright connections intended to prevent “buckling” of a reasonably topically loaded pallet. However, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,672 (Jul. 14, 1964); U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,110 (Jan. 28, 1969; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,188 (Oct. 3, 1972): such prior art efforts utilizing the “single-sheet thermoforming” molding technique have not succeeded in the economic provision of pallets having buckle-resistant reasonable load-bearing capability. Generally, the prior art pallets have been molded using plastic sheet material thicker than ¼″. The invention of this load-bearing platform allows the use of sheet thinner than ⅛″ to be used to mold a pallet that weighs less than 10 pounds, yet will support a uniform load of over 500 pounds.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
In view of the afore-recited Background of the Invention, it is accordingly the general objective of the present invention to provide improved resinously constructed pallet-like load-bearing platforms that are economically resinously singularly-constructed through-out according to the single-sheet thermoforming fabrication technique and wherein the resulting economically constructed platform has non-buckling capability when reasonably topically loaded and which economical and functional results have not been attainable with prior art single-sheet thermoforming fabrication techniques. An optional objective is to economically and reliably underlyingly provide forklifting capability for a such thermally thermoformed load-bearing platform.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
With the above general objectives in view, and together with other ancillary and related objectives which will become more apparent in the ensuing detailed description of the appended drawings, the structurally-continuously resinously-hermoformed load-bearing platform concept of the present invention in a pallet-like horizontal orientation includes: a horizontal load-bearing topical-plane overlying a substrate abuttable bottom-plane and uprightly axially oriented along mutually equi-angularly intersecting first and second diagonal-planes and a transverse-plane; the load-bearing topical-plane being provided with geometrically similar (e.g. hexagonal, circular) distinctly separated topical-shoulders and from each surroundably depends a collar-like column: the bottom-plane being provided therealong with a plurality of generally triangular bottom-shoulders and each being tri-peripherally connected to a minor portion of columns depending from three adjacent topical-shoulders; and, respective columns being intraventionally provided with dual-walls upright- ribs, each said rib having its root at apeces of two bottom-shoulders and upwardly therefrom terminating substantially between two adjacent topical-shoulders, and said ribs providing numerous lineal arrays of stiffener-ribs for the platform including arrays lying parallel to the first-diagonal-plane, parallel to the second-diagonal-plane, and yet another array parallel to the transverse-plane.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 369743 (1996-05-01), Pintar et al.
patent: 3003599 (1961-10-01), Rubissow
patent: 3008702 (1961-11-01), Breneman
patent: 3680495 (1972-08-01), Pike
patent: 3695188 (1972-10-01), Granatstein
patent: 4339040 (1982-07-01), Peil et al.
patent: 4348442 (1982-09-01), Figge
patent: 5401347 (1995-03-01), Shuert
Nimmer George R.
Ramirez Ramon O.
Sy Holly N.
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