Plastic pallet structure

• US 8,210,107 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Original Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Inventors: Muirhead, Scott A. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V
• Application Number:
  US12/802,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20110017106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 108/57.25, 108/57.26, 108/57.27, 108/90, 108/902, 108/51.11, 108/56.1, 108/56.11, 425/135, 425/137, 425/169, 206/386, 206/597, 206/599, 206/600, 248/346.02
• 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

An industrial platform for material handling, such as a plastic pallet, is constructed of three scuffed thermoplastic sheets, including exterior intumescent polymeric surfaces for resisting the spread of combustion flames and insulating the interior surfaces from the high temperature of fire. The pallet is reinforced with optional rigidifying structures without article modification. Pallet members are joined with snap together features providing an assembled article. The pallet includes handles for ergonomic manipulation by worker, and is readily adapted to receive a number of unitization accessories for enhancing material handling operations.

Claims

1. A thermoformed pallet comprising:

a pallet assembly including,

a deck having a thermoformed pallet shell with a first shell half formed from a first three dimensionally shaped sheet and a second shell half formed from a second three dimensionally shaped sheet,

a support layer formed from a third three dimensionally shaped sheet positioned between said first shell half and said second shell half,

said support layer including upwardly extending reinforcing structures in communication with said first shell half and downwardly extending reinforcing structures in communication with said second shell half,

said reinforcing structures positioned side-by-side and terminating in alternating upwardly facing closed ends and downwardly facing closed ends, and said closed ends being fused under heat and pressure to said thermoformed pallet shell to maintain said first shell half and said second shell half a fixed distance apart.

2. A thermoformed pallet as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said support layer extends from an intermediate position within a space defined between the shell halves to the first shell half and the second shell half, such that the reinforcing structures decrease in width toward their respective closed ends.

3. A thermoformed pallet as set forth in claim 1 in which,

walls to the closed ends of the upward and downward extending reinforcing structures are continuous and decrease in area in cross section as they project toward their respective closed ends.

4. A composite pallet deck member comprising:

a first surface for holding a load thereon and a second surface spaced apart from said first surface for supporting said first surface for storage and transportation purposes,

said first and second surfaces being joined by two opposed side walls defining a closed open space between said surfaces,

said first surface between said side walls including integral depressions forming open spaces extending from a support plane defined by said first surface toward said second surface,

said second surface between the side walls being substantially continuous for storage and transportation purposes and including integral recesses forming open spaces extending from a structural plane defined by said second surface toward said first surface,

said first and second surfaces do not materially communicate with each other between the side walls,

a strengthening layer positioned between said first and second surfaces,

said strengthening layer joining said first surface to said second surface at said two opposed side walls with the strengthening layer being substantially continuous between said side walls and segmenting said closed open space between said surfaces into upper and lower closed open spaces,

said strengthening layer including upwardly facing and downwardly facing rigidifying projections alternately communicating with said first surface and said second surface,

said rigidifying projections terminating in a pattern of alternating side-by-side closed ends communicating with said first and second surfaces, and

said alternating side-by-side closed ends maintaining said first and second surfaces in a fixed spaced apart relationship.

5. A composite pallet deck member as set forth in claim 4 wherein,

the material of said first and second surfaces and said strengthening layer are formed from a similar polyolefin plastic material so that where said surfaces and layer communicate the materials fuse together under high temperature and pressure to form a structural material bond.

6. A composite plastic pallet comprising:

a pallet deck three dimensionally molded from a first sheet of molded plastic, a second sheet of molded plastic and a third sheet of molded plastic,

said pallet deck including a pallet shell formed from said first sheet and said third sheet to form a first shell half and a second shell half respectively,

said pallet shell including two opposed side walls defining a closed open space between said first and second shell halves,

said pallet deck including a support structure formed from said second sheet,

said second sheet being positioned between said first shell half and said second shell half,

said support structure including upwardly facing reinforcements terminating in upper closed ends fused to said first shell half and downwardly facing reinforcements terminating in lower closed ends fused to said second shell half wherein said upper closed ends are joined to said lower closed ends by support walls, and

said support structure providing support to said pallet shell and maintaining said shell halves a fixed distance apart.

7. A composite plastic pallet as set forth in claim 6 in which,

said first, second and third sheets of plastic are similar materials fused together under heat and pressure.

8. A composite pallet member comprising:

at least one deck member having a first surface, a second surface, and two opposed side walls,

said deck member defining an open space between said first and second surfaces,

a strengthening layer positioned between said first and second surfaces and segmenting said open space between said first and second surfaces into an upper open space and a lower open space,

said strengthening layer includes upward projections having closed ends facing toward said first surface and downward projections having closed ends facing toward said second surface,

said closed ends of said upward and downward projections joined by support walls and creating a plurality of open spaces between said surfaces,

said projections decrease in cross sectional area as said open spaces extend toward their respective closed ends, and

said support walls maintaining said first and second surfaces a fixed distance apart.

9. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8, wherein,

said strengthening layer is attached by a material bond at said closed ends to said first and second surfaces.

10. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8, wherein,

said strengthening layer has a plurality of holes.

11. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 wherein,

said open spaces are filled with a filler.

12. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 11 wherein,

said filler is a fire retardant material.

13. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 which includes,

an open space on said first surface and said second surface supports an electronic pallet tracking device.

14. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 13 wherein,

said open space is a depression formed on said first surface or said second surface and the depression extends between said surfaces and terminates in a closed end.

15. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 wherein,

at least one of said first and second surfaces and the strengthening layer includes a leg structure extending away from the second surface.

16. The composite pallet member as set forth in claim 15 wherein,

said first surface opposite the leg structure extends toward said opposed surface such that a portion of said first surface extends beyond a portion of said second surface.

17. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 wherein,

said deck member attaches to a second pallet member to provide a pallet assembly.

18. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 17 wherein,

said pallet assembly is a four-way entry rackable GMA style pallet.

19. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 17 wherein,

said pallet assembly is snap fit together.

20. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 wherein,

said strengthening layer completely closes an open space in at least one surface.

21. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 8 wherein,

said strengthening layer completely closes said open spaces in both said first and second surfaces.

22. A composite pallet member comprising:

at least one deck member having a first surface and a second surface,

said deck member having a plurality of open spaces,

said open spaces extending between said first and second surfaces,

a strengthening layer positioned against at least one of said first surface and said second surface, and

said deck member being composed of a composite material comprising a polymer material integrated with a substance that releases water vapor when exposed to high heat indicative of a fire in an amount ranging from 0 to 35 parts on the basis of a total of 100 parts by weight.

23. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 22, wherein,

said strengthening layer is disposed against said first and second surface to create at least one upper facing closed open space and one lower facing closed open space in the deck member.

24. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 23 wherein,

at least one of the first and second surfaces includes a surface depression extending to said opposed surface and ending in a closed end to form a surface open space, and

said surface open space including at least one of a leg pocket, a reinforcing member pocket, and an electronics pocket.

25. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 24 wherein,

said strengthening layer includes reinforcement structure extending to closed ends at said first surface and to closed ends at said second surface, and

said closed ends of said reinforcement structures communicate with said closed ends of the surface depressions.

26. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 23 wherein,

said strengthening layer includes reinforcement structures extending to closed ends at said first surface and to closed ends at said second surface so that said strengthening layer forms a plurality of open spaces between said strengthening layer and said respective first and second surfaces.

27. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 22 wherein,

said plurality of open spaces decrease in cross section as said open spaces extend toward their respective closed ends.

28. A composite pallet member asset set forth in claim 22 wherein,

said composite material includes fire retardant resins.

29. A composite pallet member as set forth in claim 28 wherein,

said strengthening layer includes fire retardant resins.