Enclosed pallet system
First Claim
1. A reusable shipping container comprising a pallet and a plurality of load bearing walls removeably secured to said pallet, said pallet being formed of first and second thermoplastic skin members, support blocks formed from first portions of said first skin member proximate of pallet corners to space remaining portions of said first skin member from a support plane, pallet floor ribbing formed in said second skin member, second portions of said first skin member being thermoplastically fused to corresponding portions of said second skin member, void space confined between said first and second skin members around the thermoplastically fused portions of said skin members, first open surface channels formed in said second skin member proximate of said pallet corners and substantially parallel with perimeter sides of said pallet connecting said corners, said second skin member having assembly boss elements formed within said first surface channels, each of said load bearing walls being formed of spaced apart, substantially parallel third and fourth thermoplastic skin members joined about a polygon perimeter having parallel top and bottom end edges, said third and fourth skin members separated along the top and bottom end edges by a distance corresponding to a fit within said first surface channels and having a receptacle notch formed therein to fit over a respective assembly boss element when socketed into a surface channel and, a slide bolt element confined between said third and fourth skin members for reciprocative movement guided through aligned apertures respective to said receptacle notch and said assembly boss elements to secure each load bearing wall to a pallet.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An enclosed pallet unit comprises an assembly of two basic components that are twin sheet molded from high density polymer sheet material. Substantially identical pallet platforms serve as both the floor and roof of the assembly. A plurality of substantially identical load bearing wall units are slide bolt locked to both the floor and roof pallet platforms. Each load bearing wall unit is divided into two, twin sheet panels that are joined longitudinally by a strip portion of the opposite side sheets being fused together to form a hinge axis. A wall unit is socketed in receptacle channels adjacent each corner respective to the floor and roof pallets with each panel of a respective wall unit radiating substantially 90° from the panel hinge axis. Additional wall units may be used midway along either or both pairs of pallet edges with one panel of each wall unit aligned parallel with the pallet edge and the other panel of a respective unit turned substantially 90° to the pallet edge.
42 Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A reusable shipping container comprising a pallet and a plurality of load bearing walls removeably secured to said pallet, said pallet being formed of first and second thermoplastic skin members, support blocks formed from first portions of said first skin member proximate of pallet corners to space remaining portions of said first skin member from a support plane, pallet floor ribbing formed in said second skin member, second portions of said first skin member being thermoplastically fused to corresponding portions of said second skin member, void space confined between said first and second skin members around the thermoplastically fused portions of said skin members, first open surface channels formed in said second skin member proximate of said pallet corners and substantially parallel with perimeter sides of said pallet connecting said corners, said second skin member having assembly boss elements formed within said first surface channels, each of said load bearing walls being formed of spaced apart, substantially parallel third and fourth thermoplastic skin members joined about a polygon perimeter having parallel top and bottom end edges, said third and fourth skin members separated along the top and bottom end edges by a distance corresponding to a fit within said first surface channels and having a receptacle notch formed therein to fit over a respective assembly boss element when socketed into a surface channel and, a slide bolt element confined between said third and fourth skin members for reciprocative movement guided through aligned apertures respective to said receptacle notch and said assembly boss elements to secure each load bearing wall to a pallet.
Specification