Spillage retaining fitment for pallets

• US 6,311,628 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Armagard Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Armagard Ltd.
• Inventors: Smith, Richard Anthony, Husband, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US09/202,468
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 108/51.11, 108/53.3, 108/53.1, 108/57.29, 108/55.1, 108/55.3, 108/57.13, 108/54.1, 108/57.16, 108/57.25, 108/57.28, 108/901, 248/346.02, 206/446, 206/600
• US Class Current: 108/55.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00273 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00293 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00323 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00333 contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00373 whereby at least one spacer is made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/24 Spillage-retaining means, e.g. recovery ponds

Abstract

A fitment for mounting on a pallet to provide a bunded pallet wherein the fitment has a part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a load thereon and a retaining wall disposed at least partly to surround the base pall and adapted to retain any spillage there within.

Claims

1. A fitment for mounting on a pallet to provide a bunded pallet wherein the fitment has a base part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a load thereon and a retaining wall disposed at least partly to surround the base part and adapted to retain any spillage there within, wherein the fitment is provided with a channel disposed at least partly to surround the base part and wherein at least part of the channel is at a level below the said base part.

2. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the fitment is provided with a recess in the underside thereof to receive the pallet and mount the fitment on the pallet.

3. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the channel comprises an outer wall part provided by said retaining wall, a bottom wall part disposed between the base part and a connecting wall part which upstands from the bottom wall part and which depends downwardly from the base part.

4. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the top of the retaining wall is substantially no higher than the base part.

5. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the top of the retaining wall is considerably higher than the base part.

6. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the retaining wall includes hinged together wall parts comprising all sides of the fitment.

7. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the base part of the fitment is provided with a configuration to receive said load in at least one desired orientation.

8. A fitment according to claim 7 wherein the base part is configured to receive said load comprising at least one generally cylindrical container such that said at least one container is supported in a second orientation with its longitudinally extending axis generally horizontal, the base part comprising a plurality of upstanding walls to support said container.

9. A fitment according to claim 8 wherein the base part is configured to receive two parallel containers in said second orientation.

10. A fitment according to claim 8 wherein said plurality of upstanding walls are configured to provide seats to receive the or each container.

11. A fitment according to claim 10 wherein the upstanding walls of the base part comprises two side walls and two transverse walls, a front one of the transverse walls being displaced rearwardly from a front end of the fitment and the other transverse wall being disposed at or adjacent a rear of the fitment, or at an intermediate position, the distance between the transverse walls being such as to support the container in an horizontal position.

12. A fitment according to claim 11 wherein the front transverse wall is displaced inwardly such that contents of container spilled onto the base part in front of the transverse wall fall into the channel at the front of the fitment.

13. A fitment according to claim 11 wherein the channel comprises an outer wall part provided by said retaining wall, a bottom wall part disposed between the base part and a connecting wall part which upstands from the bottom wall part and which depends downwardly from the base part and the side walls comprise a continuation of said connecting walls.

14. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein another part of the channel is disposed at the front of the fitment at or adjacent the level of the base part.

15. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the channel extends around three sides of the fitment at a lower level than the base part and the channel at the front is at the same level as the base part or at a reduced depth compared with the base part.

16. A fitment according to claim 1 wherein the channel extends along two opposed sides of the fitment at a lower level than the base part, and the channel at the front and rear is at the same level as the base part or at a reduced depth compared with the base part.

17. A fitment for mounting on a pallet to provide a bunded pallet wherein the fitment has a base part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a load thereon and a retaining wall disposed at least partly to surround the base part adapted to retain any spillage there within, wherein the top of the retaining wall is considerably higher than the base part, the retaining wall being of variable height to facilitate loading when the retaining wall is a relatively small height and to retain a relatively large amount of fluid when the wall is a relatively large height, wherein only a part of the wall has a height which can be changed and said part comprises all or part of one side of the fitment.

18. A fitment according to claim 17 wherein the retaining wall comprises a plurality of wall parts which are hinged together for movement between a relatively small height position in which the wall parts have a relatively smaller acute included angle mutually therebetween and a relatively large height position in which the wall parts have a relatively large included angle acute mutually therebetween.

19. A fitment according to claim 18 wherein wall parts are hinged together by virtue of being formed integrally with each other.

20. A fitment according to claim 18 wherein the hinged together wall parts comprise all or part of a front wall comprising a front part of the retaining wall.

21. A fitment according to claim 18 wherein the variable height retaining wall may normally adopt a raised position but is deformable to a lower position by virtue of said hinged interconnection.

22. A fitment according to claim 17 wherein the fitment is provided with a channel disposed at least partly to surround the base part and said fitment comprises at least one side wall and a rear transverse wall, and at least one of the at least one side walls and the rear transverse wall is provided with bracing webs connected to a bottom part of the channel.

23. A fitment according to claim 22 wherein the webs are arranged so that liquid can flow past the webs in the channel.

24. A bunded pallet, comprising:

a fitment mounted on a pallet, wherein the fitment has a base part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a second pallet thereon and a retaining wall at least disposed at least partly to surround the base part and adapted to retain any spillage there within, wherein the fitment is provided with a channel disposed at least partly to surround the base part, and wherein at least part of the channel is at a level below the base part.

25. A bunded pallet, comprising:

a fitment mounted on a pallet, wherein the fitment has a base part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a generally cylindrical container disposed in a first orientation with its longitudinally extending axis vertical, such that a lower circular part of the container is horizontal and supported by the base part, wherein the fitment includes a retaining wall disposed at least partly to surround the base part and adapted to retain any spillage there within, wherein the fitment is provided with the channel disposed at least partly to surround the base part, and wherein part of the channel is at a level below the base part.

26. A fitment according to claim 25 wherein the base part is configured to receive a plurality of containers such as four, in said first orientation.

27. A bunded pallet, comprising:

a fitment mounted on a pallet, wherein the fitment has a base part supportable by the pallet and adapted to receive a load thereon and a retaining wall disposed at least partly to surround the base part and adapted to retain any spillage there within, wherein the fitment is provided with a channel disposed at least partly to surround the base part and wherein at least part of the channel is at a level below the said base part.

28. A bunded pallet according to claim 27 wherein the pallet is a conventional timber pallet.

29. A bunded pallet according to claim 28 wherein the pallet comprises an upper part which comprises a plurality of parallel upper members, a lower part which comprises a plurality of lower members parallel to said upper members and an intermediate part which comprises a plurality of intermediate members disposed between and interconnecting said upper and lower parts.

30. A fitment according to claim 29 wherein a socket means is provided in the pallet below the upper part to receive a handling means.