Slip pallet with a cushioning effect

• US 5,226,372 A
• Filed: 04/10/1990
• Issued: 07/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coors Brewing Company Incorporated (Molson Coors Brewing Company)
• Inventors: Frenkel, Robert L., Mitchell, G. Robert, Weits, Ferdinand, Todor, John S. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ASCHENBRENNER, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/507,673
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 108/901, 108/51.1, 108/53.3, 108/55.3, 108/57.1, 248/346, 248/633, 206/593, 206/594, 206/585, 206/591
• US Class Current: 108/57.12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/36 Pallets comprising a flexible load carrier extending between guide elements, e.g. guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet

Abstract

A slip pallet formed as a square or rectangular sheet of a plastic material having a central body portion on which a load, such as an array of loaded cardboard boxes, is supported and a plurality of lip portions extending outwardly and upwardly from the central body portion wherein at least the central body portion is provided with a plurality of spaced apart dimples formed in the top surface of the central body portions so that a plurality of spaced apart projections extend downwardly from the bottom surface of the central body portion to provide a cushioning support for the load and wherein at least a portion of each projection is a segment of a sphere. In other embodiments, the dimples are integral solid projections, each of which may be provided with a cavity having an opening in the outer surface thereof.

Claims

1. A shock absorbing pallet for comprising:

a sheet of single ply plastic material having a thickness of between about 0.040 and 0.125 of an inch and a stiffness measurement in the range of between about 120,000 and 180,000 psi as determined by ASTM specification D 790, Method 1--Procedure B;

said sheet having opposite pairs of parallel edges defining a central body portion for supporting a load;

an integral lip portion extending outwardly and upwardly from at least one of said edges;

said central body portion having a top surface and a bottom surface with said load being in contact with said top surface;

a plurality of spaced apart dimples in said top surface forming a plurality of spaced apart openings in said top surface and a plurality of spaced apart projections on said bottom surface thereof, said dimples and said projections being resilient so that said dimples and said projections will provide a cushioning effect whenever an additional force is placed on said load and resile when said additional force is removed; and

said top and bottom surfaces being generally planar except for said dimples and projections.

2. A pallet as in claim 1 wherein:

said at least one lip portion has a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of spaced apart dimples in said top surface of said at least one lip portion forming a plurality of spaced apart projections on said bottom surface thereof.

3. A pallet as in claim 1 wherein:

said plurality of spaced apart dimples extend in spaced apart parallel rows having the same number of dimples and which rows are parallel to one pair of said opposite pairs of parallel edges and perpendicular to the other pair of said opposite pairs of parallel edges.

4. A pallet as in claim 3 wherein:

said at least one lip portion has a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of spaced apart dimples in said top surface of said at least one lip portion forming a plurality of spaced apart projections on said bottom surface thereof.

5. A pallet as in claim 4 wherein:

each of said dimples in said at least one lip portion is in alignment with one of said spaced apart parallel rows of dimples.

6. A pallet as in claim 1 wherein:

each of said projections having a shape corresponding to a frustum of a sphere wherein the planes forming said frustum are parallel to said bottom surface.

7. A shock absorbing pallet for supporting a load comprising:

a sheet of single ply plastic material having a thickness of between about 0.040 and 0.125 of an inch and a stiffness measurement in the range of between about 120,000 and 180,000 psi as determined by ASTM specification D 790, Method 1--Procedure B;

said sheet having opposite pairs of parallel edges defining a central body portion for supporting a load;

an integral lip portion extending outwardly and upwardly from at least one of said edges;

said central body portion having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a plurality of spaced apart dimples in said top surface forming a plurality of spaced apart projections on said bottom surface thereof, said dimples and said projections being resilient so that said dimples and said projections will provide a cushioning effect whenever an additional force is placed on said load and resile when said additional force is removed;

each of said projections having an outer surface which is a frustum of a sphere; and

said top and bottom surfaces being generally planar except for said dimples and projections.

8. A pallet as in claim 7 wherein:

said plurality of dimples are located on spaced apart centers of between about 0.750 and 1.50 inches with each circular segment thereof having a radius of between about 0.1875 and 0.563 inch;

each projection has a depth of between about 0.094 and 0.281 inch from said bottom surface to the crest of said projection; and

said dimples have a density of between about 0.75 and 2.00 per square inch.

9. A shock absorbing pallet for supporting a load comprising:

a sheet of single ply plastic material having a thickness of between about 0.040 and 0.125 of an inch and a stiffness measurement in the range of between about 120,000 and 180,000 psi as determined by ASTM specification D 790, Method 1--Procedure B;

said sheet having opposite pairs of parallel edges defining a central body portion for supporting a load;

an integral lip portion extending outwardly and upwardly from at least one of said edges;

said central body portion having a generally planar top surface and a generally planar bottom surface; and

a plurality of spaced apart integral solid projections extending downwardly from said bottom surface and cooperating with said central body portion to provide a cushioning effect whenever an additional force is placed on said load and resile when said additional force is removed.

10. A pallet as in claim 9 wherein:

each of said integral solid projections having an outer surface having the shape of a segment of a sphere.

11. A pallet as in claim 9 and further comprising:

a cavity formed in each of said integral solid projections and having an opening in the bottom portion of said outer surface.

12. A pallet as in claim 11 wherein:

said cavity having a conical sidewall and a generally planar top wall lying in the same plane as said bottom surface.