AU706251B3 - A pallet - Google Patents

Description

P/00/0011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION

FOR A PETTY PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service in Australia: Invention Title: THE BROKEN HILL PROPRIETARY CO LIMITED ADRIAN WRIGHT CARTER SMITH BEADLE 2 Railway Parade Camberwell Victoria 3124 Australia A PALLET The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us -2- TITLE: A PALLET The invention relates to pallets and particularly to pallets which are easily positioned and unloaded in a continuous production line.

In many mass production industries, pallets are often used to convey materials particularly sheet materials to a loading point of a continuous production line. In the past, the loaded pallet would be positioned next to the loading point and the material on the pallet separately transferred to the production line.

In more modem production facilities, it is desirable for the pallet to be located in position on the production line while allowing the various transfer and manipulating equipment of the production line access to material on the pallet. In this way a separate loading step can be eliminated thereby increasing the efficiencies of the production line.

However, with previous pallet construction, to provide the necessary strength to support material particularly sheet material during transfer on fork lifts or the like equipment, a large number of support members and cross members have been required. With such a pallet construction, it has not been possible to provide the necessary access to the material on the pallet, particularly from below the pallet by the transfer equipment on the production line.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present to provide a pallet which able to be used on a production line.

Accordingly, the invention provides a pallet including a plurality of spaced support members, a plurality of spaced cross members extending across said support members, at least two of said support members being lateral support members having a support housing and a base spaced apart from said housing by a web to define a tine receiving space below said housing, said tine receiving space being open along one side to enable a tine to be received therein, and support spacers being provided beneath at least two of said spaced cross members and between said lateral support members abutting against the webs of the lateral support members.

The structural and mechanical integrity provided by the support spacers between the lateral support members provides sufficient rigidity to the support 26 April 1999 -3members of the pallet thereby reducing the number of support members. To maximise the access to articles or equipment on the pallet from beneath and through the pallet, the support spacers are preferably provided beneath the spaced cross members. This minimises the amount of pallet area taken up with members crossing between the lateral support members.

The pallet may also include an intermediate support member and may further include outer strengthening members extending across said cross members substantially parallel with said at least two lateral spaced support members. It is preferable that the support spacers extend beneath said spaced cross members between the lateral support members and the intermediate support member. The support spacers are preferably a box section and provide structural integrity to the lateral cross members.

The tine receiving space in said at least two lateral support members may be formed from a C-shaped channel member with the support housing being positioned on top of said C-shaped channel member.

It is preferable that all or a combination of the upper surface of said cross members, said support members and said strengthening members are substantially coplanar to allow sheet material to evenly rest thereon.

Further features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment and accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pallet in accordance with the invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower level elements in accordance with the embodiment of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper level elements in accordance with the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the pallet 1 in accordance with the invention is shown including a plurality of support members 2 and a plurality of cross members 3.

At least two of the lateral support members include a support housing 4 and a BGC:JH:#29394.RSI 26 Apil 1999 -4base 5 connected to the housing 4 by a connecting web 6. The position of the web 6 relative to the base 5 and housing 4 may vary but it is preferred that the web 6 is positioned along a lateral edge of the base 5 and aligned with a side of support housing 4.

Support housing 4, base 5 and web 6 define a tine receiving space below the housing 4. The tine receiving space is preferably open along one side to enable a tine particularly a tine whose width dimension is greater than the width dimension of the support housing to be received therein. The support member preferably includes a support beam 7 with a C-shaped channel cross section having support housing 4 secured to the upper arm of the support beam. The cross members 3 are secured across the top of the support beam 7 of the lateral support members 2 with the upper surface of the support housings 4 being coplanar with the upper surface of cross members 3. For these cross members 3 to extend across support beams 7, the support housing 4 is provided in three section (4a, 4b and 4c in Fig. 3) when two cross members are provided. It is preferred that the cross members 3 and the support housing 4 of the support members 2 are formed from box section beam with the height of the support housing being substantially equal to the height of the cross members 3.

For additional support, the pallet may also be provided with an intermediate support member 8 which may include a box section support beam 9 and an intermediate support housing 10. By providing the intermediate support member the weight of the loaded pallet to be spread over a greater number of support members, ie the at least two lateral support members 2 and the intermediate support member 8.

As with the lateral support members 2, the lateral extension of the cross members 3 divides the intermediate support housing 10 into three sections (10a, O10b, The pallet also includes support spacers 11 beneath at least two of the cross members 3 either between two lateral support members 2 or between the lateral support members 2 and the intermediate support members 8. These support spacers preferably abut against the web of the lateral support members. The support spacers 0 11 also carry and support the weight on the loaded pallet while adding rigidity around LUJ BGC.JH:#29394.RSI 26 April 1999

C)

the central region of the pallet 1.

The central region of the pallet which is bordered by the support spacers 11 beneath two cross members and the support beams 7 of the lateral support members 2, provides the structural strength and rigidity to the pallet. As there can only be the intermediate support member 8 extending across this region, when the loaded pallet is located on a production line, transfer equipment can easily access the load on the pallet from beneath the pallet through this central region.

To further maintain the structural rigidity of the pallet, brace elements 12 are provided towards the ends of the cross members 3. The brace elements 12 include a main bracing beam 13 preferably of C-shaped channel construction which extends beneath the cross beams 3 and struts 14a, 14b, 14c. The struts maintain the spacing between the cross members 3 and maintain the level of the upper surface of the bracing element 12 co-planar with the upper surface of the cross members 3.

As can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the elements of the pallet are arranged in an upper level and a lower level. The upper level which includes brace elements 12, cross members 3 and support housings 4a, 4b,4c, 10a, 10b, 10c, also provide rigidity and strength to the pallet while providing a planar surface upon which material can be loaded on to the pallet.

The lower level elements includes the lateral support beams 7 intermediate support beam 9 and spacers 11 for the pallet provides much of the structural strength and support as well as providing a means by which the tines of a fork lift can engage and transfer a loaded pallet.

The combination of the upper and lower level elements provides a pallet which has sufficient rigidity, strength and support to enable heavy sheet materials to be easily transferred while retaining sufficient spacing between the various elements of the pallet to enable loaded materials to be accessed from beneath the pallet by transfer and manipulating the equipment such as those found on a production line.

These design and constructional features of the invention provide a pallet which can be used for heavy sheet materials to transfer and position those materials on a production line.

BGC.JH:#29394.RSI 26 April 1999

Claims (3)

1. A pallet including a plurality of spaced support members, a plurality of spaced cross members extending across said support members, at least two of said support members being lateral support members having a support housing and a base spaced apart from said housing by a web to define a tine receiving space below said housing, said tine receiving space being open along one side to enable a tine to be received therein, and support spacers being provided beneath at least two of said spaced cross members and between said lateral support members abutting against the webs of the lateral support members.

2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the tine receiving space extends along the lateral support member and the upper surface of the support housing is substantially co-planar with the upper surface of the spaced cross members.

3. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2 further including an intermediate support member between the lateral support members, said support spacers extending-between the lateral support members and the intermediate support member. DATED: 26 April 1999 CARTER SMITH BEADLE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: THE BROKEN HILL PROPRIETARY CO LTD BGC:IH:#29394.RS I1 26 April 1999