PALLETS

• US 3,868,915 A
• Filed: 12/27/1972
• Issued: 03/04/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Erich Hafner
• Original Assignee: Erich Hafner
• Inventors: Hafner, Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lyddane, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/319,082
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51,52,53,56,57,58,54,55 248/346.1
• US Class Current: 108/57.26
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• 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 2519/00308 grid type, e.g. perforated plate
• 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 2519/00363 grid type, e.g. perforated plate
• 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 2519/00567 mechanical connection, e.g. snap-fitted
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00572 with separate auxiliary element, e.g. screws, nails, bayonets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0096 when empty
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallets and particularly to pallets having an upper part and a lower part made from a synthetic plastics material and adjacently disposed spacer pieces on the upper part and lower part, the upper part and lower part being rigidly connected to each other and the spacer pieces having mutually corresponding and inter-engaging projections and recesses or depressions.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising an essentially flat upper part and an essentially flat lower part, said upper and lower parts having a common axis normal to the load bearing surface of the upper part and to the upper surface of the lower part, at least one of the parts incLuding spacing pieces for maintaining the upper and lower parts in spaced relation, the upper part having a plurality of protrusions or depressions in a lower surface thereof each of which interengages with one of a corresponding plurality of depressions or protrusions on an upper surface of the lower part, each of a first group of said pluralities of said interengaging protrusions or depressions having an elongated longitudinal axis extending in a direction essentially along one of a plurality of radial lines projected from said common axis, and each of further groups of said pluralities of said interengaging protrusions or depressions having longitudinal axes extending in directions essentially along others of said plurality of projected radial lines, whereby relative movement of the two parts in a direction transverse to said surfaces is restrained, and means joining said upper and lower parts for connecting the two parts together while allowing limited relative movement therebetween.

2. A pallet according to claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axes of said protrusions are spaced one on each side of the said radial lines and parallel to the said radial lines, and the longitudinal axes of said depressions are spaced one on each side of the radial lines and parallel to the radial lines, said protrusions engaging with and locating in the respective depressions.

3. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions and depressions each comprise racks of spaced, elongated teeth, the teeth in one rack engaging with and locating in the spaces in the other rack.

4. A pallet according to claim 3 wherein the protrusions and depressions each comprise two racks of elongate teeth and wherein the longitudinal axis of the two racks of teeth are spaced one to each side of the said radial lines and parallel to the radial lines.

5. A pallet according to claim 1 wherein each of the two parts includes spacing pieces and wherein the inter-engaging protrusions and depressions comprise surfaces of the spacing pieces.

6. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein the said normal axis is a central axis common to both the upper and the lower part.

7. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein the means for connecting the upper part and lower part together comprise bolts which pass through apertures in the spacing pieces and wherein the apertures in the spacing piece on at least one of the parts are elongated and have a longitudinal axis which coincides with one of said radial lines.

8. A pallet according to claim 1 wherein a peripheral edge portion of the upper part is formed to receive positively a peripheral edge portion of the lower part to facilitate stacking of pallets.

9. A pallet according to claim 8, wherein the peripheral edge portion of the upper part is formed with ribs and wherein the peripheral edge portion of the lower part is formed with corresponding grooves in which the ribs locate.

10. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein said upper part includes an essentially rectangular outer edge and inwardly directed ribs which extend at an oblique angle to the outer edge.