Panel structure

• US 5,470,641 A
• Filed: 12/14/1993
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lyle H. Shuert
• Original Assignee: Lyle H. Shuert
• Inventors: Shuert, Lyle H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lorin, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US08/166,730
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 428/178, 428/179, 428/180, 108/51.1, 108/901
• US Class Current: 428/178
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/10 Forming by pressure difference, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/267 Two sheets being thermoformed in separate mould parts and joined together while still in the mould B29C49/0691 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 24/002 formed with structures, e.g. cores placed between two plates or sheets, e.g. partially filled totally filled B29D99/0021
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0002 Platforms, i.e. load supporting devices without provision for handling by a forklift
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0018 and each contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00104 Plastic
• 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 2519/00293 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00318 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00323 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00338 contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00343 contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00378 whereby at least one spacer is made of two or more pieces
• 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: B65D 2519/0094 nestable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 : Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24661 : Forming, or cooperating to form cells

Abstract

A panel structure including four plastic sheets arranged in layered relationship and including an upper sheet, a lower sheet, an upper intermediate sheet positioned beneath the upper sheet, and a lower intermediate sheet positioned between the upper intermediate sheet and the lower sheet. The upper intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending bosses opening in the upper face of the upper intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end. The lower intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending bosses opening in the lower face of the lower intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end. The lower ends of the downwardly extending bosses are fused to the upper face of the lower intermediate sheet between adjacent upwardly extending bosses; the upper ends of the upwardly extending bosses are fused to the lower face of the upper intermediate sheet between adjacent downwardly extending bosses; and the adjacent annular side walls of the upwardly and downwardly extending bosses are fused together. The upper sheet is fused to the upper face of the upper intermediate sheet in overlying relation to the boss openings in the upper intermediate sheet and the lower sheet is fused to the lower face of the lower intermediate sheet in underlying relation to the boss openings in the lower intermediate sheet.

Claims

1. A panel structure comprising:

a first plastic sheet having a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending hollow bosses opening in the upper face of the first sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end;

a second plastic sheet having a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending hollow bosses opening in the lower face of the second sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end;

the lower end of each downwardly extending boss being fused to the upper face of the main body portion of the second sheet between adjacent upwardly extending bosses and the upper end of each upwardly extending boss being fused to the lower face of the main body portion of the first sheet between adjacent downwardly extending bosses; and

the annular side walls of at least some of said downwardly extending bosses being fused to the annular side walls of upwardly extending bosses of the second sheet.

2. A panel structure according to claim 1 wherein:

the downwardly extending bosses on the first sheet and the upwardly extending bosses on the second sheet are arranged in complementary patterns with spaces between the bosses in each pattern and the bosses on the first sheet are interdigitated with the bosses on the second sheet.

3. A panel structure according to claim 1 wherein the structure further includes:

a third plastic sheet positioned over and fused to the upper face of the first sheet in overlying relation to the boss openings in the upper face of the first sheet; and

a fourth plastic sheet positioned under and fused to the lower face of the second sheet in underlying relation to the boss openings in the lower face of the second sheet.

4. A panel structure according to claim 2 wherein:

the downwardly extending bosses of the first sheet are arranged in parallel rows and the upwardly extending bosses of the second sheet are arranged in parallel rows that are vertically aligned with, but longitudinally staggered, with respect to the respective boss rows of the first sheet so that each boss in a given first sheet row fits between two bosses in the corresponding second sheet row.

5. A panel structure according to claim 2 wherein:

the downwardly extending bosses are arranged in hexagonal patterns and the upwardly extending bosses are arranged in hexagonal patterns that are complementary to the hexagonal patterns of the downwardly extending bosses so that the bosses of a given upwardly extending hexagonal boss pattern fit interdigitally with respect to the bosses of a corresponding downwardly extending hexagonal boss pattern.

6. A panel structure according to claim 2 wherein:

the upwardly and downwardly extending bosses are arranged in parallel rows and the upwardly extending boss rows are offset laterally and longitudinally with respect to the downwardly extending boss rows so that each boss extending in a given direction may be positioned between four bosses extending in the opposite direction.

16. A panel structure according to claim 3 wherein:

the panel structure further includes a fourth plastic sheet comprising a flat sheet fused to the lower face of the second sheet in underlying relation to the boss openings in the second sheet.

7. A panel structure including plastic sheets arranged in layered relationship and including an upper sheet and a lower sheet, characterized in that:

the upper sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending bosses opening in the upper face of the upper sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end;

the lower sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending bosses opening in the lower face of the lower sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end;

the annular side walls of at least some of the downwardly extending bosses of the upper sheet being fused to the annular side walls of upwardly extending bosses of the lower sheet to form fused interfaces between the side walls of the upwardly and downwardly extending bosses;

each of the fused interfaces being formed of deformed portions of the annular wall of an upwardly extending boss and the annular wall of a respective downwardly extending boss;

each of the fused interfaces thus formed extending along a relatively wide area of contact so as to define a relatively wide area of fused together contact between the respective upwardly and downwardly extending side walls.

8. A panel structure according to claim 7 wherein:

the downwardly extending bosses on the upper intermediate sheet and the upwardly extending bosses on the lower intermediate sheet are arranged in complementary patterns with spaces between the bosses in each pattern and the bosses on the upper intermediate sheet are interdigitated with the bosses on the lower intermediate sheet.

9. A panel structure according to claim 7 wherein the bosses of said upper sheet are arranged in hexagonal patterns, the bosses of said lower sheet are arranged in hexagonal patterns that are complementary to the hexagonal patterns of the bosses of the upper sheet, and the bosses of a given hexagonal boss pattern of the upper sheet fit interdigitally with respect to the bosses of a corresponding hexagonal boss pattern of the lower sheet.

10. A panel structure according to claim 7 wherein the bosses on said upper and lower sheets are arranged in parallel rows, and the boss rows of the upper sheet are offset laterally and longitudinally with respect to the boss rows of the lower sheet so that each boss of the upper sheet may be positioned between four bosses of the lower sheet.

11. A panel structure comprising:

a first plastic sheet having a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending hollow bosses opening in the upper face of the first sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end;

a second plastic sheet having a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending hollow bosses opening in the lower face of the second sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end;

the lower end of each downwardly extending boss being fused to the upper face of the main body portion of the second sheet between adjacent upwardly extending bosses, the upper end of each upwardly extending boss being fused to the lower face of the main body portion of the first sheet between adjacent downwardly extending bosses, and the annular side walls of at least some of said downwardly extending bosses of said first sheet being fused to the annular side walls of upwardly extending bosses of the second sheet;

a third plastic sheet positioned over and fused to the upper face of the first sheet in overlying relation to the boss openings in the upper face of the first sheet; and

a fourth plastic sheet positioned under and fused to the lower face of the second sheet in underlying relation to the boss openings in the lower face of the second sheet.

12. A panel structure including four plastic sheets arranged in layered relationship and including an upper sheet, a lower sheet, an upper intermediate sheet positioned beneath the upper sheet, and a lower intermediate sheet positioned between the upper intermediate sheet and the lower sheet, characterized in that:

the upper intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending bosses opening in the upper face of the upper intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end;

the lower intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending bosses opening in the lower face of the lower intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end;

the lower ends of the downwardly extending bosses are fused to the upper face of the lower intermediate sheet between adjacent upwardly extending bosses;

the upper ends of the upwardly extending bosses are fused to the lower face of the upper intermediate sheet between adjacent downwardly extending bosses;

the annular side walls of at least some of the downwardly extending bosses of the upper intermediate sheet are fused to the annular side walls of upwardly extending bosses of the lower intermediate sheet;

the upper sheet is fused to the upper face of the upper intermediate sheet in overlying relation to the boss openings in the upper intermediate sheet; and

the lower sheet is fused to the lower face of the lower intermediate sheet in underlying relation to the boss openings in the lower intermediate sheet.

13. A laminated plastic panel structure including first, second and third plastic sheets, characterized in that:

the first sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending bosses opening in the upper face of the first sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end;

the second sheet is positioned beneath the first sheet and includes a main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending bosses opening in the lower face of the second sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end;

the lower ends of the downwardly extending bosses are fused to the upper face of the second sheet between adjacent upwardly extending bosses;

the upper ends of the upwardly extending bosses are fused to the lower face of the first sheet between adjacent downwardly extending bosses;

the annular side walls of at least some of the downwardly extending bosses of the first sheet are fused to the annular side walls of upwardly extending bosses of the second sheet; and

the third sheet comprises a flat sheet fused to the upper face of the first sheet in overlying relation to the boss openings in the first sheet.

14. A panel structure according to claim 13 wherein:

the downwardly extending bosses of the first sheet and the upwardly extending bosses of the second sheet are arranged in complementary patterns with spaces between the bosses in each pattern and the bosses on the first sheet are interdigitated with the bosses on the second sheet.

15. A panel structure according to claim 13 wherein:

the third sheet has a greater thickness than the first and second sheets.

17. A twin sheet panel structure comprising a first plastic sheet including a planar main body portion having inner and outer surfaces and a second plastic sheet positioned in parallel spaced relation to said first plastic sheet and including a main body portion having inner and outer surfaces the first sheet further including a plurality of spaced hollow bosses opening in the outer surface of the first sheet main body portion and including annular side wall portions extending inwardly from said first sheet main body portion, the second plastic sheet further including a plurality of spaced hollow bosses opening in the outer surface of the second sheet main body portion and including annular wall portions extending inwardly from said second sheet main body portion characterized in that the annular side wall portions of some of said first sheet bosses are fused to the annular side wall portions of some of said second sheet bosses.