AU690187B2

AU690187B2 - Pallet strapping system

Info

Publication number: AU690187B2
Application number: AU13653/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Wilhelmus Bruno Willemsen
Original assignee: Sixty Fifth Calejero Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Sixty Fifth Calejero Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1994-03-10
Filing date: 1995-03-07
Publication date: 1998-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 2015-03-07
Also published as: AU1365395A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STAN~DARD PATENT Applicant(s): SIXTY FIFTH CALEJERO PTY. LTD.

A.C.N. 007 352 016 Invention Title: PALLET STRAPPING SYSTEM Filing Date: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 Title *Pallet Strapping System Background of the Invention This invention relates to an improved pallet strapping system and in particular relates to a bracket for use with a pallet strapping system.

Strapping systems are often used to secure loads onto pallets constructed of wood, plastics or steel. The strapping system generally incorporates metal or plastics strapping that is wrapped around the load and underneath the pallet to form a closed loop. A suitable clamping and tensioning means is then provided to tension the strapping to hold it in close engagement against the load which is in turn held on the pallet. There are a variety of known means for tensioning and securing the overlapping ends of the strapping.

Although the system has proved satisfactory, it does suffer from drawbacks caused with the difficulty in positioning the strapping underneath the pallet. In _d I Cll~r~__~ 3 certain designs of pallets, there is no ready clearance for strapping underneath the pallet. The closed loop strapping system also uses a great deal of comparatively expensive strapping.

It is these problems that have brought about the present invention.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a strapping system to secure a load onto a pallet, the system comprising at least two lengths of strapping, a pair of brackets adapted to be fastened to the underside of opposite sides of the pallet, each bracket including means to locate one end of the strapping against the bracket, and means to secure and tension overlapping other ends of the strap so that the strapping is tensioned around a load on the pallet but does not extend across the underside of the pallet.

20 Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a pallet 25 showing part of a pallet strapping system in accordance •with the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the part e: of the pallet shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a bracket for H:\ann\Keep\Temp\136 5 3 95 1ST.doc 30/01/98 7 1 -4use in the pallet strapping system illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of another type of bracket for use in the pallet strapping system; Figures 5a to 5d illustrate assembly stages for the strapping system, Figures 6A and 6B illustrate a typical strap connection and tensioner, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of another bracket for use in the pallet strapping system.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment The pallet strapping system as shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a length of plastics or steel strapping 10, each end of which is secured to a 15 portion of the underside of a pallet 20 via a mounting S"bracket 11. As shown in Figure 6A, the overlapping ends 52, 53 of the strapping 10 are then tensioned and secured together using a clamp 42 and a ratchet style tensioning and clamping device 50 shown in Figure 6B. It is understood that the clamping and tensioning device 50 is well known to those skilled in the art and is thus not described herein in detail. The important modification that has been made to the strapping system of this application concerns the fact that the ends of the strapping that are attached to the brackets 11 do not pass underneath the pallet 20 but merely locate against a post formed on the bracket 11 in a self-locking arrangement.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the brackets 11 are nailed, screwed, welded or otherwise secured to the pallet against the inside of the bearer of the pallet 20. One form of the bracket 11 is shown in Figure 3 and comprises an inverted steel channel section 13 having a downwardly extending sides 14 and 15 joined by a planar joining portion 16. A vertically extending flange 17 is positioned at one end of the planar bearing portion and a fixed post of cylindrical configuration extends between the sides r 5 14, 15 of the channel section 13 in a manner that there is clearance between the top of the post 25 and the underside of the bearing portion 16.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, a similar bracket 31 is shown except that the downwardly projecting sides 14, 15 are turned upwardly in a V-shaped configuration to define a pair of laterally extending winged flanges 32, 33 that extend in the same plane and on either side of the bearing portion 16. In both cases, the brackets 11, 31 are formed into the configuration so that the main body of the bracket is a single piece of steel with the post 25 welded in position across the side portions 14, 15. The bracket 11 or 31 is attached to the underside of the pallet 20 either on a bearer or on a 15 section that does not come in direct contact with the Sfloor. It is understood that the bracket 11 or 31 can be S"attached by screwing, bolting, welding, nailing or even adhesively securing the bracket to the pallet construction.

The means of securing the bracket would depend on the nature of the pallet. The upwardly extending rear flange 17 and the winged flanges 32, 33 in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 are provided as further means of securing the bracket 11 or 31 to the pallet structure The strapping 10 is a flat elongate structure of either slightly flexible steel or flexible plastics. As shown in Figure 5, each end 9 of the strap 10 is provided with a tail portion of between 100 and 150 mm that is hooked around the post 25 as shown in Figure 5B and then folded back directly against the exterior structure of the pallet 20. The remainder 8 of the strapping rests over the tail portion 9 and then extends up over the load on the pallet to be secured to the end of the other side of the strapping which would be secured to the other side of the pallet in the same manner. The clamping bracket 42 and tensioning device 50 of the kind shown in Figures 6A and 6B can then be used to clamp and tension the overlapping ends of the strapping to tension the strapping onto the load of I I L_ -6the pallet. The location of the tail 9 of the strapping against the post 25 and against the underside of the bracket and external surfaces of the pallet causes the strapping to lock as it is tensioned. The strapping that is usually used to secure loads to pallets is either thin metal or plastics of substantially rectangular crosssection. The width of the strapping is usually 15, 20 or mm. The bracket 11 that supports the post 25 is designed to be slightly wider than the selected strapping.

The strapping 10 has also sufficient rigidity to allow the end 9 to be bent into a tail that can then be clipped around the post (Figures 5a and 5b). The rigidity of the material of the strapping has enough memory to ensure that a slight hook is on the tail. As shown in Figures 5c and 15 5d, the post 25 is also displaced inwardly from the edge of the pallet 20 to ensure that strapping on its tail 9 extends a distance inwardly of the edge under the pallet.

mm is the preferred distance. The tail 9 is sufficiently long to extend up the side of the pallet so S 20 that there is a considerable length of strapping on which the strap overlaps the tail. The friction caused by the Slocation of the strap over the tail coupled with a convoluted path that the strap extends to go underneath the pallet and around the post ensures that as the strapping is tensioned there is no relative movement between the tail and the rest of the strapping. In this manner, the strapping can be secured to the bracket without the use of other fasteners and the tensioning acts as a means of selfsecuring the strapping. The tensioning then places a tensile force on both brackets and the brackets are secured to the pallet in a manner that a considerable load can be placed on the strapping to ensure positive location of the load on the pallet.

In this embodiment shown in Figure 7 a bracket is pressed out of a rectangular piece of steel to have a planar bearing portion 61 and flange 62. A recess 63 is pressed centrally of the bracket to have vertical sides 64 I II 7 and 65 with an inclined base wall 66 that merges into a flat base 67. A post 70 is located across the sides 64 and spaced from the bearing portion 61 and base portions 66 and 67. The bracket 60 has been specifically designed for use with steel pallets of the kind disclosed in PCT/AU93/00431. Cut-outs are positioned in the side walls of the pallet into which are located the brackets 60. The brackets 60 are secured in a sealed manner to the pallet to ensure against the entry of debris or liquid into the interior of the steel pallet.

The system described above has the advantage that there is no need to feed the strapping through the •underside of the pallet. With certain pallet constructions, this can prove difficult and time consuming.

s15 There is a further advantage that since the strapping does S: not extend across the underside of the pallet, a load can be secured on the pallet using less strapping that would otherwise be the case. The bracket with its location post has proven a simple and effective means of securing the strapping to the pallet.

o *o* I II

Claims

1. A strapping system to secure a load onto a pallet, the system comprising at least two lengths of strapping, a pair of brackets adapted to be fastened to the underside of opposite sides of the pallet, each bracket including means to locate cite end of the strapping against the bracket, and means to secure and tension overlapping other ends of the strap so that the strapping is tensioned around a load on the pallet but does not extend across the underside of the pallet.

2. A strapping system according to claim 1 wherein the means to locate one end of the strapping against the bracket comprises a post positioned across the bracket so that the one end of the strapping can be hooked around the post.

3. A strapping system according to either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the bracket has a mounting flange adapted so that the bracket can be fastened to the underside of the pallet.

4. A strapping system according to claim 3 wherein 25 the mounting flange is bordered on each side by side flanges defining a passage through which the strapping extends, the post being secured across the side flanges below the mounting flange.

5. A strapping system according to claim 4 wherein the side flanges have laterally extending wing portions adapted to facilitate detachment of the mounting bracket to the underside of the pallet. H:\ann\Keep\Temp\13653 95 1ST.doc 30/01/98 IM 91 9

6. A strapping system substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 30th day of January 1998. SIXTY FIFTH CALEJERO PTY LTD ACN 007 352 016 By Its Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia e *S oo...i H:\ann\Keep\emp\13653 95 1ST.doc 30/01/98 r ABSTRACT A strapping system to secure a load onto a pallet, the system comprising at least two lengths of strapping 10, a pair of brackets 11 adapted to be fastened to the underside of opposite sides of the pallet 20, each bracket including means to locate one end of the strapping against the bracket, and means to secure and tension overlapping other ends of the strap so that the strapping is tensioned around a load on the pallet. eoe ge II II