Thermoformed platform

• US 6,718,888 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Original Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Inventors: Muirhead, Scott Arthur William
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US09/803,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 108/57.27, 108/57.26, 108/57.25, 108/57.28, 108/901, 108/907
• US Class Current: 108/57.25
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0012 forming a continuous plane contact surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0014 forming discontinuous or non-planar contact surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0018 and each contact surface having a discrete foot-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00139 Plastic
• 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 2519/00293 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00303 Cell type, e.g. honeycomb
• 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 2519/00333 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 2519/00348 contact surface of other form
• 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 2519/00442 on the base surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00467 : on or in the load supporting surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00472 : on or in the base surface
• 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 2519/0086 : Protection against environmental hazards, e.g. humidity, bacteria, fire
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0094 : nestable

Abstract

Articles constructed of a plurality of scuffed sheets have improved sheet-to-sheet bond strength and surfaces with high coefficients of friction. Articles constructed out of three scuffed sheets include exterior intumescent polymeric surfaces resisting the spread of combustion flames and insulating the interior surfaces from the high temperature of fire. Articles include electronic apparatus sending an emergency 911 call to a remote monitoring station. Articles are advantageously reinforced with optional rigidifying structures without article modification. Members are joined with snap together features providing an assembled article. Articles include handles for ergonomic manipulation by workers. Articles include elements amenably receiving unitization accessories. The article improvements are demonstrated in the form of industrial platforms, particularly material handling pallets.

Claims

1. A pallet for carrying a load comprising:

a thermoformed pallet shell having a first shell half formed from a first sheet and a second shell half formed from a second sheet; and

a support structure formed from a third sheet disposed between and instantly fused to said first shell half and said second shell half to provide support to said thermoformed pallet shell, said support structure extending across a length of at least one of said first shell half and said second shell half, said support structure having an alternating cross-sectional shape such that said support structure is alternately fused to said first shell half and said second shell half.

2. The pallet of claim 1 wherein at least the first or second shell half is configured to reinforce the support structure.

3. The pallet of claim 1 further comprising an outer pallet border consisting of a border portion of the first shell half, the second shell half and the support structure that is compressed and fused into a single pallet seam.

4. An instant triple sheet pallet comprising:

a top molded sheet, an intermediate molded sheet and a bottom molded sheet, the top, intermediate and bottom molded sheets forming a single multi-layered seam defining first and second opposed outside edges, the single multi-layered seam expanding in cross section along and between first and second opposed inside edges to form a single multi-layered structure wherein the intermediate molded sheet is configured in cross section between said opposed inside edges to alternately fuse to the top molded sheet and the bottom molded sheet to limit movement of one from the other of said top and bottom molded sheet.

5. An instant triple sheet pallet as in claim 4 wherein the intermediate sheet is adapted along the first and second opposed inside edges to alternatively fuse to said top and bottom molded sheet to provide a single walled border with spaced apart double-walled reinforcement.

6. An instant triple sheet pallet as in claim 4 wherein depending portions of the intermediate molded sheet fuse to leg portions of the bottom molded sheet to form double-walled legs.

7. An instant triple sheet pallet as in claim 4 where along at least one of said first or second opposed inside edges there exists a recess having a rotating handgrip for manual handling.

8. An instantly thermoformed triple sheet pallet comprising:

a top molded sheet of plastic with an exteriorly visible flat surface developed to carry a load of product;

a bottom molded sheet of plastic with an exteriorly visible structural surface developed to distribute a load weight; and

a middle molded sheet of plastic with a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface including upward facing projections fused to an interior surface of the top molded sheet of plastic and the bottom surface including downward facing depressions fused to an interior surface of the bottom molded sheet of plastic, and between the projections and depressions alternating walls of plastic maintaining the top molded sheet of plastic a fixed distance apart from the bottom molded sheet of plastic.

9. An instantly thermoformed triple sheet pallet as in claim 8 wherein portions of the bottom sheet of plastic and portions of the middle sheet of plastic depend downward to form double-walled leg structures.

10. An instantly thermoformed triple sheet pallet as in claim 8 wherein perimeter structures of the middle molded sheet of plastic are alternately fused to at least one of the top molded sheet of plastic or the bottom molded sheet of plastic to provided a plurality of double-walled spaced apart side wall impact reinforcements.

11. An instantly thermoformed triple sheet pallet as in claim 8 wherein at least portions of the top molded sheet of plastic form pockets to receive at least portions of the bottom molded sheet of plastic for consolidated storage.

12. A unitary plastic pallet comprising:

a first thermoformed sheet with a flat load supporting surface bordered between first and second opposed sides;

a second thermoformed sheet spaced apart below the first thermoformed sheet with a plurality of depending leg structures; and

a third thermoformed sheet joining the first and second thermoformed sheets along said first and second opposed sides and with alternating upward extending structures fused to the first thermoformed sheet reinforcing the flat load supporting surface and downward extending structures fused to the second thermoformed sheet reinforcing the depending leg structures and maintaining the first thermoformed sheet a fixed distance apart from the second thermoformed sheet.

13. A unitary plastic pallet as in claim 12 wherein the third thermoformed sheet includes a plurality of reinforcement structures fused to the first and second thermoformed sheet forming alternating double-walled and hollow-walled sections along said first and second opposed sides.

14. A triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet comprising a top load bearing deck and a bottom load bearing support:

the top load bearing deck comprising three thermoplastic sheets consisting of a top side sheet with a planar load supporting surface, a lower side sheet with a plurality of depending double-walled legs and an intermediate structural sheet that maintains the top side sheet and the lower side sheet a fixed distance apart; and

the bottom load bearing support comprising three thermoplastic sheets consisting of a lower flat sheet with a surface interrupted by four openings accommodating wheels of a pallet jack, an upper sheet with ramp surfaces and between the ramp surfaces leg receiving sections to which the double-walled legs of said top load bearing deck are joined and an intermediate structural sheet that reinforces the ramp surfaces.

15. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein the top load bearing deck and bottom load bearing support snap together when a plurality of opposed integral projections of the double-walled legs of the lower side sheet are aligned and compressed against a plurality of opposed integral recesses in the leg receiving sections of the upper sheet of the bottom load bearing support.

16. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein the opposed integral projections and recesses are substituted with secondarily molded removable opposed projections and recesses.

17. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein snap-fit projections are positioned on double-walled legs depending from the lower side sheet of the top load bearing deck.

18. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein the four openings of the bottom load bearing support are chamfered to one quarter inch.

19. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein at least one of the lower side sheet of the top lead bearing deck or the lower flat sheet of the bottom load bearing support consists of an exteriorly visible recess receiving a longitudinal stiffening insert.

20. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14, wherein between at least the three thermoplastic sheet of the top load bearing deck or the three thermoplastic sheets of the bottom load bearing support there exists an encapsulated load bar.

21. The triple sheet thermoplastic resin pallet of claim 14 wherein six sheets of thermoplastic are stronger than four sheets of thermoplastic of an equal amount of thermoplastic material.

22. The thermoformed plastic pallet assembly as in claim 14 wherein six sheets of thermoplastic are lighter weight than the amount of thermoplastic that would be required to produce a four sheet pallet of comparable strength.

23. A snap together thermoformed plastic pallet comprising:

a deck member constructed of a first top sheet, a second intermediate sheet and a third bottom sheet, wherein the first top sheet, second intermediate sheet and third bottom sheet overlap as one multi-layer sheet along first and second opposed edges and expand to one multi-layer platform bordered by said first and second opposed edges wherein between said opposed edges there exists an upper flat load support surface and a lower structural surface interrupted with a plurality of double walled legs structures with opposed integral projections, and

a load-distributing member constructed of a forth top sheet, an fifth intermediate sheet and a sixth bottom sheet, wherein the fourth top sheet, fifth intermediate sheet and sixth bottom sheet overlap as one multi-layer sheet along first and second opposed edges and expand to one multi-layer platform bordered by said first and second opposed edges wherein in between said opposed edges there exists a lower flat load distributing surface and an upper structural surface interrupted with a plurality of double walled leg receiving structures with opposed integral recesses.

24. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet of claim 23 wherein the deck and load-distributing members snap together when the plurality of opposed integral projections on the third bottom sheet of the deck member are aligned and compressed against a plurality of opposed integral recesses on the fourth top sheet of the load-distributing member.

25. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet of claim 23 wherein the opposed integral projections and recesses are substituted with secondarily molded removable opposed projections and recesses.

26. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet of claim 23 wherein snap-fit projections are positioned on double-walled legs depending from the third bottom sheet of the deck member.

27. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet in claim 23 wherein the multi-layer platform of the load-distributing member is interrupted between the first and second opposed edges by a pallet jack cut-out bordered by multi-layer sheet.

28. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet in claim 23 wherein the sixth bottom sheet includes exteriorly visible recesses receiving longitudinal stiffening inserts.

29. The snap together thermoformed plastic pallet in claim 23 wherein within the deck member or load-distributing member there exists an encapsulated load bar.

30. The thermoformed plastic pallet assembly as in claim 23 wherein six sheets of thermoformed plastic are stronger than four sheets of thermoformed plastic of an equal amount of thermoplastic material.

31. The thermoformed plastic pallet assembly as in claim 23 wherein six sheets of thermoformed plastic are lighter weight than the amount of plastic that would be required to produce a four sheet pallet of comparable strength.