PALLET OF MOLDABLE OR THERMO-FORMABLE MATERIAL

• US 3,695,188 A
• Filed: 05/28/1971
• Issued: 10/03/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David Lloyd Granatstein
• Original Assignee: David Lloyd Granatstein
• Inventors: Granatstein, David Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Bobby R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Finch, Glenn O.
• Application Number:
  US05/147,863
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51-58 280/21
• US Class Current: 108/57.28
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/004 and each contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00268 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00288 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00318 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00333 contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00338 contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00343 contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet

Abstract

A pallet which may be fabricated from a mouldable or thermoformable material, and which possesses rigidity over the entire load bearing surface, is light in weight and easy to manufacture. The pallet is preferably formed of a single sheet of mouldable or thermo-formable material incorporating a plurality of legs depending from its lower surface so as to space the same above the floor to permit entry of any suitable lifting mechanism thereunder, and is provided with a network of interconnecting ribs projecting downwardly from the lower surface of the pallet and forming a network of corresponding channels in the load supporting upper surface of the pallet, the ribs and channels being arranged in a particular pattern, characterized by an absence of channels crossing one another, and at least one of said channels meeting each leg.

Claims

1. A pallet formed from a mouldable or thermo-formable material and having edgewise, transverse and diagonal rigidity, and which includes:

a panel having a load-supporting top surface and an undersurface;

a plurality of legs depending from said undersurface of said panel, said legs being mutually spaced apart so as to allow entry of the arms of a fork lift between said legs from at least one side of said pallet;

a continuous perimeter rib projecting from said undersurface of said panel substantially completely about the perimeter thereof and forming a corresponding perimeter channel in said top surface; and

a network of interconnected ribs projecting from said undersurface of said panel and forming a network of corresponding channels in said load-supporting top surface of said panel, said network of corresponding channels being formed so that no said channels cross each other, so that each and every said channel meets at least one other said channel but so that no more than three said channels intersect at any one point, so that at least some of said channels meet said perimeter channel, and so that at lEast one said channel meets each and every said leg.

2. A pallet as claimed in claim 1, which pallet is formed from a single sheet of mouldable or thermo-formable material, and in which said legs are formed as integral hollow downward projections of said sheet from said undersurface thereof.

3. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 in which said legs are spaced so as to allow entry of the arms of a fork-lift therebetween from each of four sides of said pallet.

4. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 and which additionally comprises a bottom stage fastened to lower ends of said legs.

5. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 in which said network of intersecting ribs is provided essentially as a plurality of interconnected hexagons.

6. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 in which said pallet is formed from at least one mouldable or thermo-formable material selected from the group consisting of ABS, high density polyethylene, glass fiber-reinforced high density polyethylene and polystyrene.

7. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 in which said ribs and the corresponding said channels as well as said legs are formed integrally with said panel from a single sheet of said mouldable or thermo-formable material, said ribs, channels and legs so being constituted by downwardly indented portions of said sheet and each said downwardly indented portion of said sheet having a tapered cross-sectional configuration whereby said pallet may be nested with other like pallets one above the other with said ribs and legs of said pallet nesting at least partially within corresponding indented portions of the nest subjacent pallet.