Pallet

• US 4,597,338 A
• Filed: 11/14/1984
• Issued: 07/01/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pinckney Molded Plastics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pinckney Molded Plastics, Inc.
• Inventors: Kreeger, Elsmer W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyddane, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Binder, Mark W.
• Application Number:
  US06/671,316
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51.1, 108/56.1, 108/57.1, 108/901, 108/902, 108/56.3, 206/386, 206/600
• 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 2519/00278 the load supporting surface and the base surface being identical
• 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 2519/00343 contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00363 grid type, e.g. perforated plate
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00557 without separate auxiliary elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00567 mechanical connection, e.g. snap-fitted
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/902 Made with deformable integral fastening elements

Abstract

A pallet is assembled from two identical pallet halves of a molded plastic material, such as polypropylene. Each pallet half is formed with a rigid, rectangular, load supporting platform having symmetrically disposed rows of support posts and latching leg assemblies projecting vertically from one surface of the platform. The posts and legs are so located and dimensioned that the legs on one pallet half can be inserted into the posts of the other to snap lock the two halves into assembled relationship. Spaced skirt portions along each edge of the platforms engage those of the other pallet half to define forklift tine receiving openings in each side of the pallet.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising a pair of like half pallet members coupled to each other in opposed, face-to-face relationship, each of said members comprising a rigid, horizontally disposed, rectangular main panel;

a plurality of support posts and a like plurality of latching leg assemblies integral with and projecting vertically from the inner side surface of the main panel with the latching leg assemblies of one of said members being received within the support posts of the other member, the distal ends of the posts of one member being engaged with the inner surface of the main panel of the other member to maintain said main panels of the two members in a predetermined spaced relationship to each other;

each of said posts being of like, square, tubular, horizontal cross section, each post having a generally rectangular opening through two opposed walls thereof adjacent the juncture of the post with its main panel, each latching leg assembly including a pair of flexible opposed legs received between the two opposed walls of the associated post;

latch teeth on the outer side of each of said legs projecting into the rectangular opening of the associated post;

a pair of corner skirts projecting vertically inwardly from said main panel at each end of each side of the panel and a central skirt portion projecting vertically inwardly from said main panel centrally of each side of the panel in spaced relationship to the adjacent corner skirts, said skirts of the respective members being in edge-to-edge engagement with each other with the spacing between said corner skirts and central skirts defining a pair of forklift tine receiving openings in each side of said pallet; and

tabs integral with and projecting vertically from the inner sides of said central skirts on two adjacent sides of each member engaged with the inner sides of the central skirts of the other member.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said posts are located in a first pair of rows extending parallel to one side edge of said main panel and said latching leg assemblies are arranged in a second pair of rows extending parallel to said one side edge, the latch members and openings of one of each of said pairs of rows being on first sides of the respective posts and leg assemblies which are parallel to said one side edge and the remaining latch members and openings being on second sides of the respective posts and tubes which are perpendicular to said one side edge.