Plastic pallet
First Claim
1. A pallet of the type having at least two elongate stringers, a plurality of elongate deck boards extending generally transversely between said stringers, and means for connecting said deck boards to said stringers, the improvement comprising each of said stringers and each of said deck boards being of thin walled hollow construction closed at the top, bottom, sides, and ends, and each of said stringers having spaced apart top and bottom surfaces and a web portion extending therebetween, and said web portion of said stringers comprises spaced longitudinal side walls extending between said top and bottom surfaces, said side walls meeting to form discrete areas of double wall thickness to strengthen said stringers.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A shipping pallet of the type usually manufactured from wood is made of hollow plastic stringers and deck boards. The stringers and deck boards are made of plastic materials which may be either virgin plastic, recycled plastics or mixes. The stringers and deck boards are hollow but have closed ends to prevent entry of dirt, fluids, insects and vermin. The stringers and deck boards may be made in a blow molding process or using continuous extrusion and molding processes similar to that used in the manufacture of corrugated pipe.
Various connection configurations for affixing the deck boards to the stringers are described including fixation by screws as well as interlocking connections between the plastic parts themselves and the use of separate interlocking components which engage the deck board and stringers.
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Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A pallet of the type having at least two elongate stringers, a plurality of elongate deck boards extending generally transversely between said stringers, and means for connecting said deck boards to said stringers, the improvement comprising each of said stringers and each of said deck boards being of thin walled hollow construction closed at the top, bottom, sides, and ends, and each of said stringers having spaced apart top and bottom surfaces and a web portion extending therebetween, and said web portion of said stringers comprises spaced longitudinal side walls extending between said top and bottom surfaces, said side walls meeting to form discrete areas of double wall thickness to strengthen said stringers.
Specification