MOLDED PALLET

• US 3,702,100 A
• Filed: 04/05/1971
• Issued: 11/07/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Menasha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Thomas P. Wharton
• Inventors: Wharton, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Bobby R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Finch, Glenn O.
• Application Number:
  US05/131,087
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51-58 294/67
• US Class Current: 108/53.3
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0034 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0038 and each contact surface having a stringer-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 2519/00273 made of more than 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 2519/00323 made of more than 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 2519/00407 on the load supporting surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00412 on the base surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00557 without separate auxiliary elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00572 with separate auxiliary element, e.g. screws, nails, bayonets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0094 nestable
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/80 Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging bio-packaging Y02W90/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/902 Made with deformable integral fastening elements

Abstract

The invention relates to lightweight, nestable, reusable, molded plastic pallets used for support and transport of articles stacked thereon. The pallet has a generally corrugated structure, the transverse cross-sectional contour of the corrugations being trapezoidal in shape. The corrugations in the medial portion of the pallet are formed in concentric rectangles so as to reinforce each other and minimize distortion and racking. A series of spaced corrugations are also positioned in parallel relation to each side of the pallet. All corrugations are reinforced in a direction opposite to the longitudinal axis of the corrugations by integral spaced ribs between the corrugations at the top face and lower face of the platform. These reinforcing ribs are aligned so as to provide continuous spaced beams or extending through the pallet body lengthwise and crosswise to provide maximum strength and stiffness in the direction opposite to the axes of the corrugations. The construction results in omnidirectional strength and stiffness of the pallet. The ribs are also of such height as to act as stacking supports when the pallets are nested to provide strength to hold and distribute the weight of the stacked pallets and also to prevent jamming and sticking together of one pallet within another. The pallet is provided with a plurality of spaced integral hollow feet depending from the bottom face of the platform which have a rectangular truncated pyramidal contour. The inner bottom walls of the feet are provided with integral reinforcing cross-ribs. The side walls of the feet are also reinforced by the adjacent ends of the corrugations integrally molded therewith. The pallet is also provided at its outer periphery with a continuous integral L-shaped turned-down channel which is also reinforced with spaced transverse ribs to protect the edges of the pallet against abuse or damage by accidental mechanical impact.

Claims

1. A unitary rectangular pallet for supporting and transporting loads thereon comprising a body formed in a series of spaced parallel corrugations, the transverse cross-sectional contour of the corrugations being in the form of regular trapezoids having inclined opposed legs and horizontally disposed upper and lower base portions interconnecting adjacent pairs of opposed legs, with each of said base portio having an inner face, the successive corrugations being reinforced by a plurality of spaced beams integral with said inner faces of said base portions and at least a portion of each leg and extending transversely between pairs of said opposed legs and substantially perpendicularly from said inner face of the base portions, said beams being positioned in the successive corrugations in longitudinal alignment constituting continuous beams for resisting bending stresses exerted on the pallet, the said horizontally disposed exposed upper trapezoid base portions of said corrugations constituting a top planar load-supporting platform and the oppositely disposed exposed lower portions constituting the bottom face of the platform adapted for engagement by fork-lift tines or tying means for securing loads to the pallet.

2. A pallet as defined in claim 1 wherein the pallet is provided with a plurality of hollow supporting feet extending below the bottom face of the pallet platform and positioned in aligned spaced rows to permit insertion of fork-lift tines therebetween.

3. A pallet as defined in claim 2 wherein the supporting feet and corrugation are molded in a unitary structure, said feet being nestable and tapered downwardly in a shape of a truncated rectangular pyramid having opposed inclined side walls and a bottom wall, the external bottom walls of said feet being flat and co-planar on the exposed exterior surface thereof and provided on the inner surface thereof with integral reinforcing beams extending transversely between the opposed side walls of the feet and extending for a relatively short height above said bottom wall.

4. A pallet as defined in claim 3 wherein the bottom walls of the supporting feet are provided with openings adapted for drainage and for receiving means to retain spaced auxiliary bottom runner strips or an auxiliary bottom platform.

5. A pallet construction as defined in claim 3 wherein spaced auxiliary bottom runner strips or an auxiliary bottom platform are attached to the bottom of the supporting feet.

6. A pallet as defined in claim 2 wherein a supporting foot is positioned in the medial portion of the pallet and is concentrically encompassed by a plurality of spaced corrugations, said corrugations being in the form of concentric rectangles to provide omni-directional strength and stiffness.

7. A pallet as defined in claim 6 wherein the pallet is rectangular in shape and is provided with corner supporting feet near each corner thereof and intermediately positioned feet aligned with said corner feet and the medially positioned foot.

8. A pallet as defined in claim 1 wherein the pallet is provided at its entire periphery with a continuous L-shaped downturned channel, one leg of said channel having the horizontally disposed exposed upper face thereof positioned in planar relation with the upper load-supporting surface of the pallet, the other leg of said channel extending downwardly of the upper face of the pallet, and a plurality of spaced reinforcing beams integral with the inner faces of said channel Legs extending transversely thereof and in alignment with the spaced beams reinforcing the adjacent corrugations.

9. A pallet as defined in claim 6 wherein the pallet is provided with a series of spaced corrugations of a longitudinal length less than the adjacent marginal sides of the pallet, said corrugations terminating at the inclined walls of the supporting feet and being integrally molded therewith.

10. A pallet as defined in claim 1 wherein the pallet comprises a series of spaced corrugations positioned in parallel relation to each of the marginal sides of the pallet, the outermost corrugation at each side being integral with an L-shaped downturned channel at each side of the pallet, the corrugations adjacent each of the sides of the pallet terminating in integrally molded supporting corner feet positioned near each corner of the pallet, additional supporting feet positioned at each of the sides of the pallet intermediately of said corner feet, the side walls of said feet being integrally molded with the adjacent ends of said series of corrugations, the medial area of the pallet being constituted of a plurality of spaced corrugations molded in concentric rectangular pattern, and a supporting foot positioned medially of the pallet within the innermost rectangular shaped corrugation, the L-shaped channel being provided with a series of spaced reinforcing transverse beams aligned with the transverse reinforcing beams of the adjacent corrugation, the innermost medially positioned positioned rectangular corrugation being connected to the sides of the central leg by spaced reinforcing beams aligned with the spaced reinforcing beams of the adjacent corrugations and the outer concentric rectangular corrugations being reinforced at the corners thereof by diagonal reinforcing beams.