Pallet made from plastic flute board

• US 5,816,173 A
• Filed: 01/23/1997
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Craig Shackell, Ross Mcfadyen, Ross Malouf
• Original Assignee: Craig Shackell, Ross Mcfadyen, Ross Malouf
• Inventors: Warneford, Peter John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, HANH VAN
• Application Number:
  US08/750,235
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51.1, 108/901, 108/902, 108/51.3, 108/56.3, 108/56.1
• US Class Current: 108/56.3
• 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 19/0026 and each contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0028 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 2519/00273 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 2519/00318 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00333 contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• 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 2519/00373 whereby at least one spacer is made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00557 without separate auxiliary elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00562 chemical connection, e.g. glued, welded, sealed
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00567 mechanical connection, e.g. snap-fitted
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00572 with separate auxiliary element, e.g. screws, nails, bayonets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0094 nestable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 108/901 : Synthetic plastic industrial platform, e.g. pallet

Abstract

A pallet (1) which has its primary structural members (6, 7, 8, 9) manufactured of a plastics material (10) comprising a top sheet (11), a bottom sheet (12) and a plurality of interconnecting supporting ribs (13). Generally, the members (6, 7, 8, 9) are folded to interconnect to provide compressive strength to the pallet (1). In alternative embodiments (FIGS. 11, 13, 15), a planar member (32, 51, 52) formed of the material (10) and interconnected supports (33, 41, 53) are provided to create a pallet structure.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising:

a plurality of structural members each formed of an extruded substrate of plastics material, said substrate comprising an upper sheet, a lower sheet and a plurality of rib supports interconnecting said upper and lower sheets;

a first structural member forming a unitary upper planar surface of said pallet and having opposite ends folded to form corresponding substantially rectangular section channels beneath the upper surface;

at least one second structural member forming a lower planar surface substantially parallel to said upper planar surface, opposite ends of the second member each being folded to be substantially perpendicular to said planar surfaces and at least contactable with a parallel side of an adjacent one of said channels;

a third structural member having a substantially central U-shaped channel and two further planar surfaces each extending perpendicularly from a corresponding side of said channel beneath said upper planar surface and each having a peripheral end folded to contact and be parallel with at least one of said opposite ends; and

joining means for fastening said at least one second structural member to the first structural member.

2. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein said second and third structural members slideably inter-engage with each other and said first structural member to form said pallet.

3. A pallet as claimed in claim 2, wherein at one or more locations at which surfaces of two or more of said structural surfaces inter-engage, a fastener is used to maintain inter-engagement of said surfaces.

4. A pallet as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one abutting portion of said structural members are welded together.

5. A pallet as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one structural member is formed from polypropylene which is extruded to form the upper and lower sheets and the rib supports.

6. A pallet according to claim 2, wherein said joining means fastens at said U-shaped channel, said third member separately to each of said second members.

7. A pallet according to claim 2, wherein at least one of an exposed edge of said substrate is heat sealed.

8. A pallet according to claim 1, wherein each of said channels of said first structural member define a space between an edge of each said opposite folded ends and said upper surface, and said first and third structural members are inter-engaged by overlapping of each of their respective folded ends so that each of said spaces is occupied by a respective one of said further planar surfaces.

9. A pallet according to claim 1, comprising two second structural members, each having one folded end contactable with an adjacent channel of first member and the remaining folded end contactable with said U-shaped channel of said third structural member.

10. A pallet according to claim 9 wherein said joining means fastens at said channels of said first member, and each of said first, second and third members.

11. A method of forming a pallet comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of sheets of extruded plastics material, each said sheet having an upper surface, a lower surface and a plurality of rib supports interconnecting said upper and lower surfaces;

bending opposite ends of a first sheet to form a first structural member with an upper planar surface, and a pair of substantially rectangular shaped channels beneath said upper planar surface;

bending opposite ends of a second sheet of said substrate to form at least one second structural member with perpendicular opposite ends;

associating said first structural member with said second structural member so that said perpendicular opposite ends are at least contactable with an adjacent one of said rectangular shaped channels;

associating a third structural member having a substantially central U-shaped channel with the first and second structural members, the third structural member having two further planar surfaces each extending perpendicularly from a corresponding side of said channel beneath said upper planar surface and each having a peripheral end folded to contact and be parallel with at least one of said opposite ends; and

joining said contacting surfaces.

12. A pallet comprising:

a first member having a first substantially square planar surface and a pair of integrally formed elongate first and second channels beneath said square planar surface, each of said channels being substantially square in cross-section, and there being an opening into each of the channels at between an underside of said square planar surface and inner facing sides of said channels;

a second member disposed beneath said first member having an integrally formed substantially square section third channel centrally and having first and second rectangular planar surfaces extending form corresponding sides of said channel through a corresponding one of said openings, to a perpendicularly arranged periphery locatable against the corresponding one of said facing sides within the corresponding one of said first and second channel; and

at least two third members each having a third rectangular planar surface having perpendicularly arranged ends integrally formed therewith and arranged to contact an adjacent one of said facing sides and said third channel, wherein said first, second and third channels, together with said third planar surfaces define a second square planar surface corresponding with and parallel to said first square planar surface, wherein

each of said members is formed from a corresponding single piece of extruded polypropylene substrate having an upper sheet, a lower sheet and a plurality of parallel ribs arranged there between, and said members are joined at said channels.

13. A pallet as claimed in claim 12, wherein said substrate is at least 9 mm thick.

14. A pallet as claimed in claim 13, wherein said members are welded together by heating a wire being placed through selected channels defined by said upper and lower sheet and said ribs of said substrate.

15. A pallet as claimed in claim 13, wherein said members are fastened through a common penetration between structural member using a polypropylene fastener.