Horizontally supported planar surfaces – Industrial platform – Formed from folded semirigid material
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2004-05-25
Chen, José V. (Department: 3637)
Horizontally supported planar surfaces
Industrial platform
Formed from folded semirigid material
Reexamination Certificate
active
06739270
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, pallets have been made from pieces of wood which have been nailed together. The use of wood pallets has created a multitude of problems in the industry. They are heavy, expensive to transport, not amenable to recycling, and have a limited lifetime. When goods are shipped on pallets, the recipient of those goods is made to bear the expense of returning the pallets to the sender, which may cut severely into the recipient's profit margin. Certainly, pallets may be reused, but their life expectancy is disappointingly short when compared to the costs they engender during their limited time of usefulness. Construction of pallets uses valuable raw materials, with little or no hope of recycling once the pallet's life has run its course. Many dispose of used pallets in landfills, but with so many landfills already filled to capacity, premium charges are levied against such disposers of pallets past their prime.
The patent literature, aware of the problems of using wood, is fairly rich in teachings related to pallets made from materials other than wood, such as cardboard. These teachings, however, have met with modest commercial success, despite the apparent advantages associated with cardboard. The problems common to this category include cost of production, durability and the ability to withstand the loads imposed on the pallet during use which is typically quite severe.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art.
INVENTOR
PAT. NO.
ISSUE DATE
Fallert
2,388,730
Nov. 13, 1945
Cahners
2,444,183
Jun. 29, 1948
Fallert, et al.
2,446,914
Aug. 10, 1948
Farrell
2,576,715
Nov. 27, 1951
Norquist, et al.
2,957,668
Oct. 25, 1960
Sorensen, et al.
2,996,276
Aug. 15, 1961
Doane
3,079,876
Mar. 5, 1963
Roberts
3,302,593
Feb. 7, 1967
Gifford
3,464,371
Sep. 2, 1969
Geschwender
3,587,479
Jun. 28, 1971
Neitzke
3,628,469
Dec. 21, 1971
Quaintance
3,911,834
Oct. 14, 1975
McCulloch
4,399,972
Aug. 23, 1983
Eatherton
4,424,753
Jan. 10, 1984
Beckway
4,487,136
Dec. 11, 1984
Kilpatrick, et al.
5,355,812
Oct. 18, 1994
Hayakawa
5,383,409
Jan. 24, 1995
Crews, et al.
5,388,531
Feb. 14, 1995
Van Erden
5,413,824
May 9, 1995
Boyse, et al.
5,465,672
Nov. 14, 1995
Iseli
5,528,994
Jun. 25, 1996
Taravella, et al.
5,531,165
Jul. 2, 1996
Fiedler
5,551,353
Sep. 3, 1996
Giasi
5,567,263
Oct. 22, 1996
LaFreniere, et al.
5,569,148
Oct. 29, 1996
Crews, et al.
5,590,606
Jan. 7, 1997
Bridges, Jr.
5,595,125
Jan. 21, 1997
Te
5,609,557
Mar. 11, 1997
Phares, et al.
5,672,412
Sep. 30, 1997
Tan
5,909,712
Jun. 8, 1999
Anderson
5,941,177
Aug. 24, 1999
Graham
6,070,726
Jun. 6, 2000
Perazzo
6,095,061
Aug. 1, 2000
OTHER PRIOR ART—NON PATENT LITERATURE DOCUMENTS
Eagle Packaging, Inc., “Pallet Bulk Bin Flyer”, Entire Flyer
Corrcycle, Inc. “Recycled Corrugated Products Brochure”, Entire Brochure
Stone Container Corporation “Stone Cordeck Pallets Brochure “Entire Brochure, February 1986
Pallite Co., Inc., Flyer “Lightweight—Disposable 4 Way—Single or Double Deck Flyer”, Entire Flyer, 1991
Smurfit Pallet Systems, “PayLoad Pallet Brochure”, Entire Brochure
Smurfit Pallet Systems, “PayLoad II Brochure”, Entire Brochure
Smurfit Pallet Systems, “PayLoad Pak Brochure”, Entire Brochure
Stone Container Corporation, “Corrugated Container Brochure”, Entire Brochure
Stone Container Corporation, “Stone-A-Matic Flyer”, Entire Flyer
Stone Container Corporation, “Cross Docker Flyer”, Entire Flyer
Stone Container Corporation, “CorDeck Brochure”, Entire Brochure
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is distinguishable over the prior art in a multiplicity of ways. Initially, the invention provides a method to produce a pallet that is easy to manufacture and may be recycled at the end of its useful lifetime. During its lifetime, the pallet is lightweight yet strong, and may be handled like any conventional pallet.
The pallet is constructed of a laminate, which is formed into stringers and ribs, an inner skin blank, and an outer skin blank. The stringers and ribs are formed from a stringer blank, which is die-cut and sliced into strips. This stringer blank contains body pieces and locking keys, which are used to assemble the stringers and ribs for the pallet. The body pieces are folded along score lines and placed into a rectangular shape, which has one continuous and planar edge and one crenellated edge. The crenellated edge contains grooves which receive the locking keys. The keys are inserted into the grooves until the edges are coplanar with the edges of the body pieces, providing stability and rigidity to the stringers and ribs.
The stringers and ribs are positioned on and attached to the inner skin, parallel to its long axis. The inner skin is rotated 90° and placed on the outer skin, and the inner and outer skins are wrapped about the stringers to provide a pallet that has two plies on the top and the bottom. Each end of the pallet contains apertures adapted to receive forklift tines, and the bottom of the pallet contains portals that may be suitable for wheel clearance on some material-handling devices, commonly know as “pallet jacks”.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method for forming a pallet and the pallet itself.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet that is relatively lightweight and sturdy.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet as characterized above which is simple to fabricate and easily lends itself to mass production.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet that is recyclable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet that utilizes plural layers of cardboard with plies running perpendicular to one another for added strength.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet that is less expensive to manufacture and dispose of than conventional wooden pallets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet that incorporates two plies on the top and bottom of the pallet for added strength.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet as characterized above wherein stringers are assembled from a pre-cut blank that is easy to produce.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pallet as characterized above utilizing stringers having enhanced strength from locking keys.
Viewed from a first vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet comprising, in combination: an inner rectangular blank, and an outer rectangular blank, said inner and outer rectangular blanks orthogonally related, said outer blank overlying said inner blank upon assembly, said inner and outer blanks providing two plies on top and bottom portions of said pallet.
Viewed from a second vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet comprising, in combination: an inner blank, an outer blank, and a stringer blank, said stringer blank including cutouts and scorelines adapted to conform to stringers disposed upon said inner blank and subsequently enveloped by said inner blank, and then said outer blank.
Viewed from a third vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a pallet, the steps including: forming a stringer blank to define stringers, forming an inner and an outer blank to register such that flaps of said inner blank are offset from flaps of said outer blank, and assembling said stringers to lie within said inner blank and then said outer blank.
Viewed from a fourth vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for constructing a pallet, the steps including: forming two rectangular blanks, arranging said rectangular blanks in a cruciform pattern, said pattern including an overlapping portion and flaps, attaching stringers to said overlapping portion of said cruciform pattern formed by sai
Bernhard Kreten
Chen José V.
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