AU2013200766A1 - Improved pallet - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A pallet has an upper deck and a lower deck. The upper deck and the lower deck are connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns. Fork insertion apertures are formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower deck to all four sides of the pallet. The pallet includes at least an upper deck member and a lower deck member, at least the lower deck member includes a low density core and a surrounding shell of reinforced plastic, The pallet may be made using reaction injection moulding, with said plastic being predominantly polyurethane.

Description

- 1 "IMPROVED PALLET" FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to pallets used for transporting and storing goods. 5 SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART It has become commonplace to use a pallet when moving or storing small goods. In general a pallet consists of a rectangular platform that supports goods above a support surface such as a floor, or in a rack. The pallet includes openings on at least one side for receiving 3 forks of a material handling vehicle such as a forklift or crane attachment. For improved working flexibility modem pallets are designed to have fork access from all four vertical sides. Typically pallets have been constructed from wooden materials. For example a simple pallet construction that is commonly used includes three spaced apart stringers with a set of cross planks forming an upper deck and a reduced number of cross planks forming a lower 5 deck. The upper and lower cross planks are fastened to the stringers. The fork openings are provided by the space between the stringers. Alternative wooden constructions include a plywood upper deck and a plywood lower deck, with the decks separated by a set of nine blocks. Four of the blocks are located at the corners of the pallet, four of the blocks are located at the centre of each side of the pallet, and one block is located in the centre. This provides a ) wooden pallet construction allowing access from four sides. Wooden pallets have been known to be a potential fire hazard, are subject to regular damage during normal handling and use large quantities of timber which is an increasingly scarce resource. Alternative pallets have been proposed formed from plastic materials. For example US Patent 6,006,677 proposes a four-way plastic pallet in which the upper 5 deck and lower deck are moulded separately from high density polyethylene or polypropylene. The lower deck includes integral posts at the corners, at the centre of each side and at the centre of the rectangle. The top end of each of the posts are welded to the under surface of the upper deck to form a complete pallet. US 6,138,582 describes a similar pallet construction, except that a main portion of each 0 column is formed with the upper deck and a further portion of each post is formed with the lower deck. In each case the pallet structure includes a downwardly open cellular arrangement of walls or ribs on both the upper and lower deck and within the posts. This is provided for strength and stiffness without the weight of solid plastic to the same thickness. This -2 arrangement provides a multitude of pockets or cavities on the pallet surface which may provide a repository for dirt or insects and be difficult to adequately clean. This presents a potential bio-security hazard. US Patent 5,687,652 describes a monolithic pallet formed from self-skinning plastic 5 foam injected into a mould cavity. Due to the limitations of this process the pallet does not include a complete lower deck, having cross members spanning in only one direction. Furthermore the process results in sharp edges and bluff faces at each fork entry port which increase the risk of damage to the pallet during normal handling. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pallet which goes some way towards 0 overcoming the above disadvantages or which will at least provide the industry with a useful choice. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the present invention may consists in a pallet having an upper deck and 5 a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns, with fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower deck to all four sides of the pallet, wherein said pallet includes at least an upper deck member and a lower deck member each including a low density core and a surrounding shell of reinforced plastic, with the exterior D faces of at least said upper deck, being substantially free of deep cavities. According to a further aspect said lower deck and said columns are also substantially free of deep cavities. According to a further aspect said lower deck also comprises a low density core and a surrounding shell of reinforced plastic. 5 According to a further aspect said plastic is a polyurethane. According to a further aspect said upper deck low density core is a single contiguous core. According to a further aspect said lower deck low density core is a single contiguous core. 0 Alternatively said lower deck low density core is formed in several nested pieces within the lower deck part. The low density core may extend into said columns of said pallet. According to a further aspect each said column of said pallet includes a column portion integrally formed with either said upper deck or said lower deck. According to a further aspect each said colunm is formed as part of the lower deck part.

- 3 According to a further aspect the upper end of each column is fitted toregistration points in the upper deck. According to a further aspect said resin is predominantly polyurethane. According to a further aspect said urethane is reinforced with fibres. According to a further aspect said fibre reinforcement is glass fibre. Alternaivetly, 5 different requirements of design could call for aramid, Kevlar or other fibre reinforcements. According to a further aspect said quantity of fibre reinforcement is at least 40% by weight of the plastic shell. According to a further aspect said low density core comprises a foam core preform insert. J According to a further aspect said foam core insert is a polyurethane foam. In a further aspect the invention consists in a pallet having an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns, with fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower deck to all four sides of the pallet, 5 wherein the upper surface of said upper deck includes a plurality of raised cleats. According to a further aspect said upper deck includes a plurality of apertures therethrough, associated with said cleats. According to a further aspect said cleats each include an annular raised ridge surrounding a said aperture, and one or more channels or valleys through said ridge. 3 According to a further aspect said lower deck includes at least one substantial opening, and According to a further aspect four substantial openings, and said cleats are arranged only above said lower deck opening or openings. According to a further aspect at least a portion of said cleats placed directly above said openings are placed substantially adjacent the vertical projection of the perimeter of the said 5 openings. According to a further aspect said upper deck includes on its upper surface additional texture or relief in the portions thereof that are not above said lower deck openings. In a further aspect the invention consists in a pallet having an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart 0 columns, with fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower deck to all four sides of the pallet, wherein the upper surface of said top deck includes an inlay panel, said inlay panel including printed indicia.

-4- According to a further aspect said lower deck comprises a perimeter of four side beams meeting at corners of said lower deck and at least one crossbeam extending between opposed perimeter columns and under said central column. According to a further aspect said side beams and said crossbeam have an upwardly 5 facing chamfer along each edge. According to a further aspect all lower columns are permanently bonded to the top deck part. According to a further aspect all lower columns have a mutual socket engagement with their corresponding top deck positions. D According to a further aspect said pallet is rectangular, approximately 1m x 1.2m in plan. Alternatively said pallet may be square. According to a further aspect said pallet is between 140mm and 200mm in height. According to a further aspect the top surface of said upper deck includes texture or relief. 5 According to a further aspect said texture or relief includes a plurality of tapered channels raidiating from the centre of the pallet. According to a further aspect the composition of said urethane resin shell includes at least one flame retardant. According to a further aspect the composition of said urethane resin shell includes at ) least one UV stabiliser. According to a further aspect said top deck member is formed by Reaction Injection Moulding polyurethane resin to surround a fibre and nested foam prepositioned preform in a closed mould. Alternatively said top deck member is formed by moulding sheets of reinforcement 5 loaded plastic around a preformed foam core. According to a further aspect said lower deck member is formed by Reaction Injection Moulding polyurethane resin to surround a fibre and nested foam prepositioned preform in a closed mould. Alternatively said lower deck member is formed by moulding sheets of reinforcement 0 loaded plastic around a preformed foam core. In a further aspect the invention consists in a pallet having an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns, with fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower - 5 deck to all four sides of the pallet, the parts of said pallet being formed by reaction injection moulding using a polyurethane resin into a closed mould. According to a further aspect said parts include an upper part including a top deck, and at least said top deck includes a low density core. 5 According to a further aspect said polyurethane resin is injected to infiltrate a fibre reinforcement perform in said closed mould. In a further aspect the invention consists in a pallet having an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns, with fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower 0 deck to all four sides of the pallet, the parts of said pallet being formed from fibre reinforced plastic, wherein said fibre reinforcement has sufficient energy absorbancy to act as a projectile shield against bullets and/or shrapnel. This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and 5 any or all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth. D BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pallet according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view from below of the pallet of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a top view of the pallet of Figure 1. 5 Figure 4 is a perspective view sectioned along line AA in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view sectioned along line BB in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a perspective view sectioned as in Figure 5 of a pallet according to a variation including advertising inlay. Figure 7 is a perspective view of a pallet according to a second embodiment of the 0 present invention. Figure 8 is a perspective view from below of the pallet of Figure 7. Figure 9 is a top view of the pallet of Figure 7. Figure 10 is a view of the underside of the upper deck part of the pallet of Figure 7. Figure 11 is a perspective view sectioned along line CC in Figure 9.

-6 Figure 12 is a perspective view sectioned along line DD in Figure 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 5 Referring to Figures 1 to 3 and to Figures 7 to 9, the pallet according to the present invention includes an upper deck 10 and a lower deck 12. The upper deck 10 and the lower deck 12 are connected by a number of spaced apart columns 14. The columns 14 preferably include a column at each corner of the pallet, a column at the centre of each side of the pallet, and at least one column at the centre of the pallet. 0 The upper deck 10, the lower deck 12 and the columns 14 form fork insertion channels that extend through the pallet from each side of the pallet to the opposite side of the pallet. Each fork insertion channel is framed by a combination of the upper deck, lower deck and columns at three spaced locations. For example as shown in figure 2 fork insertion aperture 16 is framed by the upper deck 10, near side centre column 18, lower deck 12 and near side corner 5 column 20 at one location, by the upper deck 10, central column 22, lower deck 12 and left side centre column 24 at a middle position and by upper deck 10, far side centre column 26, lower deck 12 and far side corner column 28 at its far end. A pair of such fork insertion channels extend through the pallet from each side. The channels of each side intersect with the perpendicular extending channels from each adjacent side. This provides a true four-way pallet D which may be addressed by a fork lifting apparatus from any of the four sides. The pallet is constructed from an upper deck portion and a lower deck portion. Each of the spaced apart columns preferably comprises column portions formed integrally with the upper deck portion, the upper deck portion or both. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 the upper deck portion is shown as member 41, 5 and the lower deck portion as member 42. Referring to Figure 4, each column of this embodiment includes an upper portion 43 integral with the upper deck member 41 and a lower portion 44 integral with the lower deck member 42. The upper deck member 41 and the lower deck member 42 are joined by connection of the respective column portions. Preferably the respective column portions are bonded together. The connection may include a mechanical 0 interengagement, such as a socket joint including engaged male and female parts, which are preferably bonded in the engaged relationship. In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 9 the upper deck portion is shown as member 71, and the lower deck portion as member 72. Referring to Figure 11, each column 73 of this embodiment is integral with the lower deck member 72. The upper deck member 71 and the -7 lower deck member 72 are joined by connection of the top of each column 73 to the lower face of the upper deck. Preferably the under face of the upper deck member 71 includes locating depressions76. Preferably the respective column ends 74 are bonded into the locating depressions 76. The connection may include a mechanical interengagement, such as a socket 5 joint including engaged male and female parts, which are preferably bonded in the engaged relationship. In the preferred embodiment the pallet is formed from a urethane resin. Preferably the predominant urethane in the construction is a two part polyurethane. The urethane may include 0 additives to achieve desirable properties, such as a flame retardant, a colouriser, or other fillers or property enhancing adducts. Examples of a preferred plastic resin include: Bayer Baydur SRIM polyurethane resins, or B.A.S.F. SRIM Polyurethane Resins.. An example of a preferred flame retardant additive includes Alumina Trihydrate. These materials can allow the pallet to be recycled at the end of 5 its lifespan. A UV stabiliser additive may be included in the material if required. A typical overall material composition for the pallet (by weight) would be: Material % by weight Urethane Resin 35 Surfactants 0.3 Pigment 1.3 Filler Release agent 1.5 Glass 40 Urethane core 20 Foaming agent 1.0 Other additives 0.9 The pallet embodiment of Figures 7 to 9 is particularly suited to this SRIM construction.

-8 Alternatively the pallet may be formed from other plastics, for a thermoset plastic such as polyester. The plastic may include additives to achieve desirable properties, such as a flame retardant, a catalyst, and a colouriser. Examples of a possible plastic resin include: NCS989 Isophthalic polyester resin. An 5 example of a preferred flame retardant additive includes SB-432 Alumina Trihydrate. An example of a preferred catalyst additive includes BPiC 75 Trignox 149. An example of a preferred colouriser additive includes Polychrome Pigment Pastes. These materials also allow the pallet to be recycled at the end of its lifespan. Thermoset plastics such as polyester contain a naturally occurring UV stabiliser. 0 Typically no further UV stabiliser additives are necessary. Alternatively a UV stabiliser additive may be included in the material if required. A typical resin composition may comprise the following ratio of materials for Dough Moulding Compounding (DMC) and Sheet Moulding Compounding (SMC): DMC SMC Polyester Resin 18 17 Low shrink Additives 6 11 Surfactants 0.3 0.3 Catalyst 0.4 0.4 Pigment 1.3 1.3 Filler 57.5 43 Release agent 1.5 1.5 Glass 15 25 Thickening agent - 0.5 5 The polyester thermoset process is considered less preferable than the SRIM polyurethane process due to longer cycle times required in manufacturing each pallet. The plastic is reinforced with a suitable fibre to improve tensile strength, and ultimately 0 to improve the strength and stiffness of each component of the pallet. The reinforcement is preferably a substantial proportion by weight of fibrestrands, such as glass fibre, aramid fibre or other reinforcing fibre. Alternatively, but less preferably, the reinforcement may consist of a framework of steel rods inserted in the upper deck, lower deck or both.

-9 Each of the major components, the upper deck member 41 (or 71) and the lower deck member 42 (or 72), includes a low density core 51 (81) as shown in Figure 5 (or Figure 8 respectively). Preferably the low density core is a single preformed foam insert. Alternatively the low density core may comprise a plurality of rigid foam inserts either contacting or non 5 contacting within the resin matrix. In the SRIM manufacturing process the foam inserts are held in a closed injection mould, surrounded by a fibre preform. The polyurethane resin is injected into the residual mould cavity to surround the inserts and fully penetrate the fibre perform. The preferred perform would have 50% of the fibre running longitudinally and 40% of the fibre running D diagonally in the lengthwise directions of the beam and about 10% transversely to the beam length. These are considered ideal numbers, in practice the fibre arrangements are not accurately achievable to such tolerances. Preferably the foam insert occupies a substantial proportion of the volume of each of the members 41(or 51), 42(or 52), and conforms to the general shape of each member. 5 Preferably the low density core is entirely surrounded by a thickness of reinforced plastic. Preferably the thickness of the plastic does not vary substantially over each component. For example the material thickness may be between 1.5 mm and 5 mm across the full area of each component and vary as is required for the manufacture. Each foam core insert may be formed by any suitable process. For example a suitable ) material such as polyurethane may be injected into a closed mould in combination with a suitable foaming agent. To provide additional tensile strength to the pallet, steel rods may be inserted into the resin matrix alongside the foam inserts. Alternatively the steel rods may be used instead of the foam inserts. The steel rods preferably extend substantially along the length of each side and 5 cross beam. Alternatively the steel rods form a frame and the urethane material is formed around the outside of the frame. The addition of steel inserts is determined by the particular strength and cost requirements of each pallet. For example, a pallet required to be low cost and require a low load rating may not require any reinforcing. Long-fibre injection moulding (LFI) and other lower 0 strength manufacturing alternatives can be used in lower cost or less strength applications. A pallet required to bear heavy loads may require the addition of steel rods for extra tensile strength, or other high strength reinforcing rods. The upper deck member 71 or lower deck member 72 may be manufactured by, for example, reaction forming a fibre surrounded core material preformed and placed in a two- - 10 piece mould. Alternatively each member may be formed by inserting the foam core into a two piece mould to provide a residual cavity around the two-piece core, with suitable support for the foam or steel core within the mould, and injecting a fibre loaded resin into the residual cavity provided the mechanical properties of the resin meet the performance requirements of the 5 design.Alternatively the upper deck member 41 or lower deck member 42 may be manufactured by, for example, pressure forming a sheet of fibre reinforced plastic material over the outside of the preformed core in a two-piece mould. The nature and quantity of fibre reinforcement for each of the upper deck and lower deck may be selected according to the load requirement and manufacturing cost. Some 0 manufacturing processes, such as LFI and SRIMcovering over the foam or steel core, may allow for variation of the fibre density and composition throughout the area of the product and through the thickness of the resin layers. Typical fibre loading will be in excess of 40% of the urethane layer by weight. Design simulations and test data have shown that a ratios in this range of fibre loading can provide a 5 pallet capable of withstanding a two-tonne load. In accordance with generally followed standards for material handling pallets the preferred overall form of the pallet is a square or rectangle. For example the pallet may be a 1165 x 1165 square. Alternatively the pallet may be a rectangle approximately 1200mm x 1000mm in plan. D Preferably the pallet is 150mm deep to meet standards set by Australian pallet protocols. Alternatively the pallet is between 140mm and 200mm deep. The imperial standard prevailing in the USA varies slightly from the metric standard prevailing in Europe and a pallet may be made that is a compromise between the dimensions provided in each standard that may meet the requirements of both standards. 5 In the preferred forms of the invention, the lower deck 12 includes a number of substantial openings in the regions that do not form part of the frames defining the fork insertion channels. In practice this allows for four large square or rectangular openings 29 in the base of the pallet. To reduce the potential for any stress raising features in the construction the corners of 0 the openings are preferably formed with a substantial radius. The large openings in the lower deck of the pallet allow for drainage and airflow, and reduce the weight of a part of the product that does not contribute as much to the strength and utility of the pallet as the upper deck.

- 11 The square or rectangular openings 29 are also designed to accommodate a hand pallet trolley jack. The rear wheels on the hand pallet trolley jack locate above the openings in the lower deck. The rear wheels on the pallet jack extend through the openings in the lower deck to hoist the pallet for transportation. 5 The upper surface 61 and lower surface 62 of the lower deck 12 are substantially smooth, although the lower surface 62 of the lower deck may have shallow ridges formed on it for stability. In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 9 the upper surface 63 and lower surface 64 of the upper deck 10 are also substantially smooth and do not have any significant cavities. The upper 0 surface of the deck is textured to provide grip on the upper deck for product stacked on the pallet. In one preferred form there are six tapering indentations 90 on the upper surface of the upper deck radiating out from the centre of the top surface 92. These tapered indentations allow moisture and air flow to take place above the pallet surface. In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5, the upper surface 63 and lower surface 64 of the 5 upper deck 10 are also substantially smooth and do not have any significant cavities. The surface of the upper deck preferably includes a plurality of cleat formations 45. The cleat formations are distributed over the surface of the upper deck to provide grip on the upper deck for product stacked on the pallet. The cleats 45 preferably comprise a local pattern of ridges protruding from the surface. D The cleats may, for example, rise to a height of 3-8mm from the general surface of the deck. In the preferred form the upper deck includes a corresponding plurality of apertures 55 passing through the deck, with a cleat associated with each aperture. In the preferred form, each cleat comprises an annular ridge 56 rising from the plane of the upper deck 10, surrounding an aperture. For each cleat a series of valleys or channels run across the cleat to 5 the aperture so that liquids spilled on the top surface of the upper deck may reach the apertures. Preferably the cleats are aligned with the large openings 29 in the lower deck to provide a stable nesting arrangement between adjacent pallets in a stack. The cleats are present only on portions of the top surface of the upper deck that are directly above the large openings 29. For example as shown in Figure 4, two groups of cleats 0 are shown. One group of cleats is provided above each large opening in the lower deck. In each group, peripheral cleats in the group are arranged closely adjacent the vertical projection of the perimeter of the large opening of the lower deck 12. When multiple similar pallets are stacked, the upwardly protruding cleats of one pallet protrude into the large openings in the lower deck -12 of the immediately adjacent pallet. With the cleats positioned to be closely adjacent the perimeter of the large openings the adjacent pallets are held against relative lateral movement. In either embodiment, the upper deck 10 may have an additional relief pattern, perhaps including branding or advertising, on its upper surface 63 in the region that is not directly above 5 the large openings of the lower deck 2. This relief pattern may provide useful grip in those regions. The relief pattern preferably extends no more than 2mm, and preferably no more than 0.35mm, from the general plane of said upper surface 63. Preferably the lower deck comprises a perimeter square or rectangle of four side beams, together with one or more crossbeams passing through the centre of the pallet. Preferably a pair D of crossbeams 71 pass through the centre 70 of the pallet meeting and crossing at the centre. Most preferably the crossbeams 71 are positioned and aligned to create (together with the columns 14 and upper deck 10) the aforementioned frames defining the fork receiving channels, and extend from the centre column location of one side to the centre column location of the opposite side. Each side beam and each crossbeam has an upwardly facing chamfer 72 along 5 each edge in the region of the fork receiving channels. These chamfers serve to guide the tips of inserted forks through the channel and reduce the incidence of fork tips butting against, and damaging, bluff surfaces of the pallet. A hand pallet trolley jack has insufficient ground clearance to avoid butting against the side of each side and crossbeam. The upwardly facing chamfers 72 also act as a ramp to such pallet jacks. When the hand pallet trolley jack engages the pallet it is guided over each side beam and crossbeam by the chamfers. Similarly, downwardly facing chamfers 73 are preferably provided on the outer edges of the upper and lower deck in the region of the fork receiving apertures, and all corners and edges of the columns in the region of said fork receiving apertures have a substantial radius. 5 To protect the upper deck from the forks, a shallow rim may be providing around the perimeter of the underside of the upper deck. For example the upper deck of the embodiment of Figures 7 to 12 includes a shallow perimeter rim 102. As described earlier, the upper deck member 41 and lower deck member 42 are joined by mechanical engagement, or bonding, or both. In the preferred embodiment, to promote a ) secure engagement between the upper deck member and the lower deck member, the engagement is preferably a combination of a socket connection and bonding. In the embodiment of Figures 1 to5 one of the column portions includes a socket form and the other of the column portions includes a plug form complementary to the socket form. In the - 13 embodiment of Figures 7 to 12 the end of each column includes a plug form and the underside of the upper deck includes a set of shallow sockets (depressions 76 in Figure 10). A suitable plug form may comprise, for example, a cylindrical extension from the upper or lower column portion for insertion into a cylindrical cavity in the other column portion. 5 Preferably all contacting surfaces are bonded using a suitable adhesive for bonding the two components. For example for the preferred urethane outer materials a suitable syntactic adhesive may be a methacrylate or epoxy based adhesive . For the alternative polyester materials a suitable adhesive may be Plexus MA300. The columns may include an enclosed low density core, for example as in the 0 embodiment of Figures 1 to 5,. Alternatively the columns may be substantially hollow. For example the columns may open to below the pallet as in the embodiment of Figures 7 to 12, or may be open at the upper end and be closed by the upper deck part. Accordingly to a further aspect in the invention, and referring to Figure 6 an advertising inlay 80 may be provided in the upper surface of the upper deck. The advertising inlay may for 5 example comprise a preprinted sheet material. The sheet material may be any suitable sheet material that will bond acceptably with the base urethane material of the pallet. In a pallet having cleats or apertures, such as the pallet of Figures 1 to 5, the advertising inlay 80 may be provided in those regions having the cleats 45 and apertures 55 and may include suitable openings 81 in alignment with the cleats and apertures. The inlay may be included as a layer in o a sheet forming process or as an insert in an injection moulding process. The pallet according to the present invention has a form and construction that has the potential to achieve the required performance standards for rigidity, strength and durability while at the same time having full utility from all four directions and presenting smooth surfaces without any significant small cavities. 5 Pallet identification tags may be integrated into the pallet structure. The identification tags allow the pallet load to be easily and quickly identified. The identification tags may be active or passive Radio-Frequency (RF) identification tags. Alternatively the identification tags may be barcodes. Each identification tag is unique to each individual pallet. The identification tag is read remotely by a barcode scanning device or RFID reading device or similar. The 0 identification tag allows the contents of the pallet to be electronically associated with the barcode or RFID signature. A database is stored on a computer or similar storage device. The database associates the individual pallet identification tag with a list of the items loaded upon the pallet.

-14 Specialty constructions utilising materials, particularly fibre reinforcement material, with enough energry absorption characteristics to provide ballistic protection can also be incorporated into the pallet design to allow the pallet to be used as a shield or barrier to shrappenel and bullets. 5

Claims (20)

1. A pallet comprising an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck and the lower deck being connected by a plurality of spaced apart columns, fork insertion apertures formed by the upper deck, the columns and the lower deck and opening to all four sides of the pallet, the upper deck being a hollow shell of reinforced plastic and comprising an upper deck member forming an upper planar exterior wall and partial column formations forming a lower exterior wall, the lower deck being a hollow shell of reinforced plastic and comprising a lower deck member forming a lower planar exterior wall and partial column formations forming an upper exterior wall the lower deck and the upper deck comprising a low density core completely filling the upper deck and the lower deck between the upper and lower exterior walls of the upper deck and the lower deck, the columns each comprising the partial column formations of the upper deck bonded to the partial column formations of the lower deck, and each column comprising a first partial column formation comprising a male end part and a second partial column formation comprising a female end part, the male and female end parts engaging to join the upper deck and the lower deck, the female end part of the second partial column formation being formed of only the respective hollow shell of the upper deck or the lower deck.

2. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the low density core of the lower deck includes one of more contacting portions extending to the hollow shell of reinforced plastic.

3. A pallet as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the low density core is formed from a foamed plastic.

4. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the lower deck comprises at least one upwardly facing curved surface where an upper surface of the lower deck member meets a perimeter wall of at least one of the columns, the upwardly facing curved surface defining an upper surface of an interface region. - 16

5. A pallet as claimed in claim 4 wherein the interface region comprises reinforced plastic.

6. A pallet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surrounding shell of reinforced plastic extends across an interface region between the columns and the lower deck member and/or the upper deck member to form at least part of a perimeter wall of the columns.

7. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the lower deck comprises eight side members, four centre members, four corner columns, four side columns and a central column, each corner column is located at a corner position of the lower deck, each side column being located at a side of the lower deck between two adjacent corner columns, the central column being located at a centre of the lower deck, each side member extending along a side of the lower deck between a corner column and an adjacent side column, and each centre member extending between a side column and the central column, each side member and each centre member comprising a separate low density core.

8. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said plastic is reinforced with fibres.

9. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 8 wherein the low density core of the upper deck comprises one or more contacting portions extending to the surrounding shell of reinforced plastic.

10. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 9 wherein the pallet has a fibreless outer surface.

11. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein said plastic is predominantly polyurethane.

12. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 11 wherein the external surfaces of said upper deck member and low deck member and columns are substantially free of deep cavities.

13. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 12 wherein said low density core is a polyurethane foam. - 17

14. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said low density core is formed in several nested pieces within the lower deck part.

15. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 14 wherein said low density core comprises at least one foam core preform insert.

16. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein said upper deck member and lower deck member are formed by moulding sheets of reinforcement loaded plastic around a preformed foam core.

17. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 16 wherein said lower deck comprises a perimeter of four side beams meeting at corners of said lower deck and at least one crossbeam extending between opposed perimeter columns and under said central column.

18. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein the top surface of said upper deck includes texture or relief.

19. A pallet as claimed in any one of claims I to 18 wherein the composition of said plastic shell comprises at least one flame retardant and/or at least one UV stabiliser.

20. A pallet substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by any one of more figures of the accompanying drawings.