Synthetic resin pallet

• US 5,967,057 A
• Filed: 11/04/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Incorporated, Nippon Plapallet Company
• Original Assignee: Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Incorporated, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.), Nippon Plapallet Company
• Inventors: Nakayama, Tsutomu, Hayakawa, Yuzo, Ishido, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US08/963,864
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 108/57.25, 108/57.26, 108/57.27, 108/57.28, 108/901, 108/902
• US Class Current: 108/57.25
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1704 the fluid being introduced into the interior of the injected material which is still in a molten state, e.g. for producing hollow articles B29C45/1732 and B29C45/1734 take precedence; injection blow-moulding B29C49/06
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7178 Pallets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00273 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00288 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00318 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00343 contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00407 on the load supporting surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00412 on the base surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00562 chemical connection, e.g. glued, welded, sealed

Abstract

A synthetic resin pallet including a top board, a bottom board disposed opposite to the top board, and a plurality of cylindrical blocks for connecting the two boards. A fork entry port is formed between the blocks. The synthetic resin pallet is manufactured by making one pallet constructive member and another pallet constructive member face to each other. The one pallet constructive member includes the board and cylindrical block constructive members integrally formed on the inside of the board. The other pallet constructive member includes the board and block constructive member integrally formed on the inside of the board. Reinforcing ribs are formed lengthwise and crosswise on the inside of the surface of at least one pallet constructive member. The reinforcing ribs include surface reinforcing ribs formed lengthwise and crosswise on the inside of the surface of the synthetic resin pallet. Hollowed portions are formed in inner parts of at least some of the surface reinforcing ribs.

Claims

1. A synthetic resin pallet comprising:

a top board;

a bottom board disposed opposite to said top board;

a plurality of cylindrical blocks for connecting said two boards; and

a fork entry port formed between said blocks,

wherein said synthetic resin pallet is manufactured by making one pallet constructive member and another pallet constructive member face to each other, said one pallet constructive member including said board and cylindrical block constructive members integrally formed on the inside of said board, said another pallet constructive member including said board and block constructive member integrally formed on the inside of said board, and by integrally welding said block constructive members,

reinforcing ribs are formed lengthwise and crosswise on the inside of the surface of at least said one pallet constructive member, and

said reinforcing ribs include surface reinforcing ribs formed lengthwise and crosswise on the inside of the surface of said synthetic resin pallet, and hollowed portions are formed in inner parts of at least some of said surface reinforcing ribs.

2. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said hollowed portions are formed in the inner parts of all of said surface reinforcing ribs.

3. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said surface reinforcing ribs extending in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of said fork entry port are hollowed, and

said surface reinforcing ribs parallel to the longitudinal direction of said fork entry port are solid.

4. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcing rib further includes a solid edge reinforcing rib formed along an edge of the port area of said fork entry port of said synthetic resin pallet.

5. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 4, wherein said solid edge reinforcing rib is connected to said hollowed surface reinforcing rib adjacently provided along said solid edge reinforcing rib trough a plurality of solid connection ribs disposed at a predetermined interval.

6. A synthetic rein pallet according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of blocks are provided at the central portion of said synthetic resin pallet and are constructed of a central block formed with a closed space in its interior and peripheral blocs provided at a predetermined interval along the periphery of said central block,

the interior of said central block is formed with gas flowing ribs formed radially from the central portion, and

said hollowed portion is formed in said reinforcing rib by blowing the gas from inside of said central block constructive member which will become said central block and flowing the gas into said comparatively thick surface reinforcing rib provided in said pallet constructive member through said gas flowing rib when molding said pallet constructive member.

7. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 6, wherein said surface reinforcing rib is provided respectively between said peripheral blocks, and between said central block and said peripheral blocks located in lengthwise and crosswise directions, and

said surface reinforcing rib connected to said central block is connected to said gas flowing rib within said central block through a wall portion of said central block.

8. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 7, wherein said synthetic resin pallet is a four-way pallet and has said one central block and eight pieces of said peripheral blocks arrayed lengthwise and crosswise along the periphery of said central block, and

said surface reinforcing rib is formed in a position substantially inscribed in four pieces of said blocks when looking at a one-fourth area of said synthetic resin pallet that is divided by a lengthwise central line and a crosswise central line which pass though the center of said central block.

12. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein a width of said hollowed surface reinforcing rib is 5-40 mm.

13. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 12, wherein a width of said solid surface reinforcing rib is smaller than a width of said hollowed surface reinforcing rib.

14. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 13, wherein the width of said solid surface reinforcing rib is 3-7 mm.

15. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said block in said synthetic resin pallet is constructed so as to include a comparatively small closed spatial portion for dividing the internal space of said block in an interior of the edge portion adjacent to the port area of said fork entry port.

16. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 15, wherein a partition wall for forming said closed spatial portion within the edge portion of said block is constructed of a first partitioning portion formed between side walls of said block in the longitudinal direction of said fork entry prot, and at least one second partitioning portion parallel to said fork entry port in order to subdivide a spatial portion defined by said first partitioning portion and edge walls of said block.

17. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 15, wherein a partition wall for forming said closed spatial portion within the edge portion of said block is constructed of a first partitioning portion formed between side walls of said block in the longitudinal direction of said fork entry port, and at least one second partitioning portion formed at an angle a to the longitudinal direction of said fork entry port in order to subdivide a spatial portion defined by said first partitioning portion and side walls of said block, and

the angle α

falls within a range of 0°

<

α

<

90°

.

18. A synthetic resin pallet according to any one of claims 15-17, wherein a thickness of said board in said closed spatial portion located at a corner of said synthetic resin pallet is set larger than thicknesses of other portions of said board.

19. A synthetic resin pallet according to any one of claims 15-17, wherein lengthwise and crosswise dimensions of said closed spatial portion located at the corner of said synthetic resin pallet within said block are each 30-80 mm.

20. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of said block is approximately 3 mm-7 mm.

21. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein a crimping process is effected on a part of surface or an entire surface of said board in said pallet constructive member.

22. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said fork entry port of said pallet constructive member is provided with a grommet fitted for preventing a slip between a pallet and fork tines in a position spaced less than 200 mm away from the edge of said board.

23. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said synthetic resin pallet is a two-way pallet.

24. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 1, wherein said synthetic resin pallet is a four-way pallet.

9. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim, wherein said hollowed surface reinforcing rib is formed in such a sectional configuration as to be thicker toward said board and thinner toward a tip portion, and

an interior of a largest-wall-thickness portion of said surface reinforcing rib in the vicinity of a connecting portion to said board is formed with said hollowed portion along said surface reinforcing rib.

10. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 9, wherein said board just above said hollowed surface reinforcing rib is formed with a groove substantially along said surface reinforcing rib, and

a slip preventive material is disposed in said groove.

11. A synthetic resin pallet according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said reinforcing rib is provided with a curved portion at the largest-wall-thickness portion in the vicinity of an intersecting portion with said board, and

a size of said hollowed portion is controlled by a size of said curved portion.