Pallet

• US 4,428,306 A
• Filed: 10/09/1981
• Issued: 01/31/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wilbert Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Penda Corporation (Kruger Family Industries, LLC)
• Inventors: Dresen, William L., Breezer, Harlan W., Price, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): LYDDANE, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US06/310,052
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 108/53.3, 108/53.1, 108/51.1, 108/901, 108/57.1, 108/55.1-55.3, 108/56.1, 108/56.3, 206/386, 206/599
• US Class Current: 108/53.3
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/004 and each contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/44 Elements or devices for locating articles on platforms
• 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 2519/00338 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 2519/00562 chemical connection, e.g. glued, welded, sealed
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0094 nestable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet

Abstract

A pallet (10) is disclosed which is particularly adapted for being constructed of moldable thermoplastic materials. The pallet includes a load-bearing surface (12) supported by a plurality of feet (32) with the load-bearing surface (12) being constructed of a pair of sheets of the thermoplastic material (13, 15) located in spaced parallel relationship to each other. Respective top (22, 24) and bottom (26) channels are formed in the upper and lower sheets of material (13, 15) with the bottoms of each of the channels (22, 24, 26) being joined to the bottom of the channels from the other sheet of material to securely and rigidly fix the two sheets of material (13, 15) together. The feet (32) include alternating solid (40) and hollow (38) portions which serve to make the feet (32) extremely strong. An alternative embodiment of the present invention includes a self-draining feature so that the channels (122) on the top surface of the pallet drain into the feet (132) with the fluid entering the feet (132), draining from a hole (143) provided in the bottoms thereof.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising:

a substantially planar load-bearing member (12) formed from an upper sheet of material (13) and a lower sheet of material (15) located generally in spaced parallel relationship to each other;

feet (32) for elevating the load-bearing member (12) a selected distance above the surface on which the pallet (10) is resting, the feet (32) depending downwardly from the load-bearing member (12), each of the feet (32) formed of walls including integral solid portions (40) formed of portions of the two sheets of material (13,

     15) pressed together;

the upper sheet of material (13) having defined in its upper surface a plurality of linearly extending upwardly opening top channels (22) having a pre-selected depth, the top channels (22) having floor portions (23) at their bottom; and

the lower sheet of material (15) having defined therein a plurality of linearly extending, downwardly opening bottom channels (26) having a depth selected so that the combined depths of the lower channels (26) and the upper channels (22) is equal to the distance between the upper and lower sheets of material (13,

     15), the lower channels (26) having ceiling portions (30) formed at the tops thereof, the top channels (22) and the bottom channels (26) being so oriented relative to each other that at no point are any of the top channels (22) parallel to an adjacent one of the bottom channels (26), the floor portions (23) of the top channels (22) being integrally attached to the ceiling portions (30) of the adjacent bottom channel (26) at each location where a one of the top channels (22) intersects a one of the bottom channels (26) to firmly fix the top and bottom sheets of material (13,

     15) to each other in a spaced relationship to provide strength and rigidity.

2. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pallet is made of a thermoplastic resin material.

3. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 2 wherein the thermoplastic material is high-density polyethylene.

4. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein in each of the feet (32), the solid portions (40) are separated by hollow portions (34).

5. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein there are also border top channels (24) provided about the periphery of one of said sheets of material (13, 15) parallel to the border of the load-vbearing member (12) and also having floor portions (25) integrally joined to the ceiling portions of the adjacent channels of the other said sheet (26) to stiffen the edges of the pallet (10).

6. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is also a peripheral lip (18) provided about the exterior of the load-bearing member (12), the peripheral lip (18) being formed of a portion of the upper and lower sheets of material (13, 15) joined together.

7. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top channels (22) formed in the upper sheet of material (15) are arranged so that at all points where they are adjacent to a one of the bottom channels (26) formed in the lower sheet of material (15) they are perpendicular to the linear direction of said bottom channels (26).

8. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper and lower sheets of material (13, 15) are made by extrusion of a selected plastic prior to the subsequent manufacture of the pallet (10) by thermoforming, and wherein a selected coating material having an effectively high coefficient of friction is co-extruded with the plastic to form a non-skid coating substantially covering and integrally co-formed with at least one of the upper surface (14) of the upper sheet of material (13) and the lower surface (16) of the lower sheet of material (15) of the load-bearing member (12) of the pallet (10) to provide a non-skid, non-adhesive coating thereon, the non-skid coating being in the form of a sheet of elastomer so adhered to the respective sheet of material (13, 15).

9. A pallet (10) comprising:

a substantially planar load-bearing member (12) formed from an upper sheet of material (13) and a lower sheet of material (15) located generally in fixed parallel relationship to each other; and

a plurality of feet (32) depending from the load-bearing member (12), the feet (32) being formed as a downwardly depending portion of each of the two sheets of material (13,

     15) forming an upwardly opening pocket (36) on the interior thereof, each of the feet (32) including integral solid wall portions (40) formed of deformed portions of both of the sheets of material (13,

     15) fused together.

10. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 9 wherein there are also hollow wall portions (34) separating the solid wall portions (40) in each of the feet (32).

11. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 9 wherein the solid wall portions (40) of each of the feet (32) are formed from portions of both of the two sheets of material (13, 15) joined together and wherein each of the feet (32) terminates in a foot floor (42) which is an integral, planar horizontal sheet of solid material also formed of portions of both of the two sheets of material (13, 15) fused together.

12. A pallet (110) as claimed in claim 11 wherein there are channels (122, 124) formed in the top surface of the load-bearing member (112) all interconnected together and further interconnected to the solid portions (140) of the feet (132), and wherein there is a drain hole (143) provided in the foot floor (142) of each of the feet (132) so that fluid deposited on the top of the pallet (110) drains freely therefrom.

13. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of the hollow portions (34) of each of the feet (32) has a shelf (44) formed thereon so that a bottom of one of the feet (32) can be received inside of the hollow formed on the interior of another of the feet (32) to be received on the shelf (44) so that the pallets (10) can be nested one upon another for convenience and economy in storing and transporting the pallets (10).

14. A pallet (10) as claimed in claim 9 wherein the upper and lower sheets of material (13, 15) are made by extrusion by a selected plastic prior to the subsequent manufacture of the pallet by thermoforming, and wherein a selected coating material having an effectively high coefficient of friction is co-extruded with the plastic to form a non-skid coating substantially covering and integrally co-formed with at least one of the upper surface (14) of the upper sheet of material (13) and the lower surface (16) of the lower sheet of material (15) to provide a non-skid, non-adhesive coating thereon, the non-skid coating being in the form of a sheet of elastomer so adhered to the respective sheet of material (13), (15).

15. A pallet (110) comprising:

a substantially planar load-bearing member (112) formed from upper and lower sheets of material (113,

     115) located and spaced parallel in relation to each other and having a plurality of linearly extending, upwardly opening channels (122,

     124) formed in the upper sheet of material (113), the channels (122,

     124) all being interconnected; and

a plurality of downwardly depending feet (132) depending from the load-bearing member (112), each of the feet (132) formed of walls including integral solid portions (140) formed of portions of the two sheets of material (113,

     115) fused together and having an upwardly opening pocket formed on the interior thereof and terminating in a horizontal, integral foot floor (142), the channels (122,

     124) on the top surface of the load-bearing member (112) being interconnected with the interior of the feet (132) so that fluid drains from the top surface of the load-bearing member (112) into the feet (132), each foot (132) also having formed in the center of its foot floor (142) a drain hole (143) so that fluid received inside the foot (132) can drain therethrough.

16. A pallet (110) as claimed in claim 15 wherein there are linearly extending, downwardly opening channels formed in the lower sheet of material (115) in the load-bearing member.

17. A pallet (110) as claimed in claim 15 wherein the upper and lower sheets of material (113, 115) are made by extrusion of a selected plastic prior to the subsequent manufacture of the pallet (110) by thermoforming, and wherein a selected coating material having an effectively high coefficient of friction is co-extruded with the plastic to form a non-skid coating substantially covering and integrally co-formed with at least one of the upper surface (114) of the upper sheet of material (113) and the lower surface (116) of the lower sheet of material (115) to provide a non-skid, non-adhesive coating thereon, the non-skid coating being in the form of a sheet of elastomer so adhered to the respective sheet of material (113, 115).