BR112012001670B1 - pallet that can be mounted with sliding boards and locking spine element - Google Patents

Abstract

pallet that can be mounted with sliding boards and locking spine element a pallet comprises: a plurality of side rails, each side rail including upper and lower skates; a multiplicity of boards, each board being adapted to extend between a skate of two of the rails; a spine member extending parallel to the tracks, the spine member including an upper and lower spine skate; each board including a spine engagement portion adapted for sliding engagement with a spine skate; and locking means adapted when locked to prevent sliding disengagement of the slide skate boards.

Description

PALLET THAT CAN BE ASSEMBLED WITH SLIDING BOARDS AND LOCKING SPINE ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a pallet assembled with modular components. Pallets according to the present invention are especially, but not exclusively, of the type used for the transport and storage of bulky objects, transported, for example, using a forklift, trains, cranes and jacks. Pallets according to the present invention can also be used to provide support surfaces for displays, such as, for example, signs or posters.

Conventional pallets comprise lower deck boards that engage with the floor or floor and that can extend in a first direction, laterally, for example, from the pallet; stringers or blocks mounted on the lower deck boards and extending in a second direction, in the pallet longitudinal direction, for example, to connect the deck boards; and upper deck boards mounted on side members or blocks and adapted to carry a load in use. The upper deck boards generally extend parallel to the base deck boards. Perforations between the upper and base deck boards are adapted to receive the forks of a forklift or other lifting device or ropes that can be tied to a crane or crane.

Conventional pallets are manufactured from raw wood, joints and planks. Pallets are difficult and expensive to repair and are usually destroyed if they have been damaged in use. Such pallets are also

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 11/59 bulky and difficult to transport. The nails used to secure the boards may pose a risk to the person handling the pallet or may damage the packaging of the products being transported.

WO9420377 discloses a plastic pallet on which the side members and platform boards are engaged by interlocking trapezoidal sections and burrs.

An objective of the present invention is to propose a detachable pallet that can be assembled from modular or replaceable components and that can be disassembled for transportation, storage or replacement of a damaged component, without using nails.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pallet comprises;

a multiplicity of side rails, each side rail including upper and lower skids;

including, each skate, channels defined by parallel projections extending inwards from the top and bottom surfaces of the rails, fittings being located between projections;

a multiplicity of boards, each board being adapted to extend between a skate of two of the tracks;

one or more spine elements extending parallel to the tracks, each spine element including upper and lower spine skates;

each board including a spine engagement portion adapted for sliding engagement with a spine skate; and an adapted locking element, when

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 12/59 locked, to prevent sliding disengagement of the spine skate boards;

each rail having a plurality of fittings, each fitting including a detent and being adapted to receive and engage one end of a respective board;

where the board can be moved parallel to the rail between an unlocked position where a board is disengaged from the rail and can be inserted into the socket and removed from it, and a locked position where the board is engaged with the rail preventing its removal from the rail. fitting;

wherein each board has two ends and a tongue at each end, the tongues extending across the pallet in the direction of the grooves on the respective rails; each tongue having a slit extending parallel to the rail adapted to engage with a complementary formed part of the rail, the complementary formed part of the rail comprising a rib which forms an integral part of the rail and which extends towards the grooves, said rib being defined between the projections, the slot being sized to receive said rib, and the channel being sized to receive a portion of the tongue, as the board slides from the unlocked position to the locked position.

The present invention proposes a pallet that can be assembled by inserting the ends of each board into the respective grooves and making each board slide in a direction parallel to the rails for engagement with the side rails. Then the spine element can slide in with the planks to form a rigid pallet capable of supporting a load in use. The pallet is still capable

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 13/59 to be disassembled for transport, storage or repair. The volumes required for transporting disassembled pallet components are reduced. Maintenance inspection of disassembled products and their repair, if necessary, are facilitated. Different components of the pallet can be produced from different materials to more efficiently satisfy your different structural and load-bearing requirements. This allows for flexibility in supply chain management and product life cycle management. One or more of the components, preferably the final locking element, can include an identification device, a radio frequency identification device (RFID), disc or label, so that the pallet has a registered identity from the date of production. The physical location can also be recorded and tracked along with the maintenance record using GPRS logistics.

Locking or unlocking by moving the boards parallel to the tracks in a longitudinal direction in relation to the tracks and the spine element has the advantage that the components on the pallet cannot be disengaged by lateral movements perpendicular to the track during use. In addition, the prevention of sliding movement of the boards along the spine element by the locking means provides a simple and reliable procedure for assembling and disassembling the pallet by arranging the rails in position and subsequently adding and removing the other components. Therefore, the use of both longitudinal and transverse movements during assembly is avoided.

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 14/59

The formed part comprises a slot that extends parallel to the rail and is dimensioned to receive a rib that forms an integral part of the rail and that extends in the direction of the fitting. The rib is preferably a part of parallel sides of the housing section of the rail.

Each plank has a protruding tongue or rib adapted to slide in the channel and engage with it. Each side rail can include a multiplicity of projections and inserts extending inwardly located between adjacent projections, each socket being adapted to accommodate a board inserted between the rails and further adapted in such a way that the board when placed in the socket can be moved from sliding in a direction parallel to the rail into the channels to engage with the rails at each end of the board.

The board may have a longitudinal slit that extends in the longitudinal direction of the pallet, parallel to the rail and adapted to engage with an edge of the respective skate. The arrangement conveniently locks the board and rails together and is resistant to lateral or transverse movement of the rails and boards.

The slits or formed parts of the boards extend in parallel with the rails in an outward direction from the center of the rail and towards the front or rear ends of the rail. The boards can be inserted into the grooves and moved in a sliding way outwards and to their locked positions.

Each tongue is preferably welcomed by the

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 15/59 sliding movement within a rail channel. This serves to facilitate board and rail engagement and prevents twisting when in use

A pallet according to the present invention has an advantage that the rails and the spine element can be formed from a hollow box or tubular sections, so that the rails and the spine elements have openings that extend in the longitudinal direction the pallet. Adjacent pallets can be connected end to end, using rope or chains to form an elongated structure. Such a structure can be used as a bridge in the event of flooding and to allow passage over muddy or unstable terrain. In preferred embodiments, the pallets are composed of reinforced composite material, a polymeric composite reinforced with wood, for example. Such pallets are floating and can serve as safety floats that can be connected together to form a floating bridge in case of flood or heavy rain.

The pallets according to the present invention find application as support surfaces for displays, such as, for example, signs or posters, display of luminous panels, floors, partitions, bed frames, table tops and benches.

A pallet according to the present invention has the additional advantage of being able to be assembled without the use of nails, screws, clamps or other fixings, avoiding the need to maintain and transport a supply of the necessary number of such fixings.

The pallet can be manufactured from materials

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 16/59 extruded polymeric materials, such as polypropylene or other technological thermoplastics, or from aluminum or other extrusable metals. The use of wood-plastic composite materials is especially preferred. Such materials may incorporate leftover raw wood and wood products. The use of recycled waste wood products is especially preferred to immunize damage to the environment.

In a preferred embodiment, each spine skate includes a pair of ribs that extend longitudinally

defining a channel in between at ribbed, send the the channel and at adapted ribs for engage with an part formed complementary portion in a board what hitch with The spine and retain it. In a modality alternative , a spine has one longitudinal axis and rollerblading spine what extend at axial direction of spine and one or more element in

locking that rotate axially around the axis.

including the locking elements portions of spine skate;

the locking elements being movable from an unlocked position in which the spine skate portion is aligned with a spine skate to form a continuous skate and a locked position in which the locking element obstructs the spine skate in such a way that a board cannot be disengaged from the skid by sliding.

Each rotary locking element may comprise a single longitudinal rib, the rib being adapted to be aligned, in the unlocked position, with one of the pair of ribs on a spine skate. In a

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 17/59 preferred embodiment, the locking element comprises two unique ribs located in a diametric opposing relationship on opposite sides of the element. Such an arrangement allows the locking element to disengage from the board 5 by a single rotational movement, even allowing the insertion or removal of the coupling board with the spine.

It is preferable that the spine and the locking elements have an axial hole, a rod being received in the hole to support the locking elements during rotation with respect to the spine. In a first preferred embodiment, the rod can be removed from the spine when not in use. In an alternative modality, the spear can be permanently located inside the hole to provide resistance to the spine and the 15 rotating locking elements.

An opening, shoulder, groove or other engagement structure can be provided in the locking elements to accommodate a bar or tool to facilitate the rotation of the element being used.

An opening can be adapted to accommodate the blade of a screwdriver, for example.

In a first preferred embodiment, the side rails have stops at their ends. These serve to prevent the boards from sliding off the 25 ends of the tracks when they are in use.

In a preferred embodiment, two locking elements are given between two spine elements. The locking elements can be located in the center of the spine elements and in the center of the pallet to define a recess or fit within which the boards can be

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 18/59 inserted when the locking elements are in the unlocked position. After insertion, the boards can be slid along the spine longitudinally and in engagement with the side rails.

In preferred embodiments, the side rail may comprise a box section extrusion having upper and lower skids facing the pallet, each skate comprising a set of sections in which a channel extends along each section with a groove between adjacent channels, the groove having a dimension to form a socket to accommodate an end of a respective board and to engage with it.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the boards are adapted to engage slidably with the spine skate of a first end thereof, with locking means adapted to hold at least one board slidably engaged at the first end of the board. spine.

It is preferable that the locking means comprise a pin that can be accommodated in the openings in the last board and the spine. A pin can be secured by means of one or more nuts. This provides a simple and robust means of locking the pallet assembly. Alternatively, a screw or pressure clamp arrangement can be used. In addition, the locking means may include a Radio Frequency Identification device

(RFID ) or label for to allow the identification and tracking the pallet. O spine element can understand two or more sections adapted for be located along of

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 19/59 pallet axis end to end.

The boards can be separated by spacer sections with a relatively small width, each spacer section being located between a pair of adjacent boards to provide an upper and / or slatted platform configuration.

The invention is further described by way of example, but without any limiting sense, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pallet according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation in plan view of cross sections of another pallet;

Figures 3 to 8 are seen in perspective showing the assembly of a pallet as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a cut-away perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 10 is a view taken along the cross section of the modality shown in Figure 9;

Figures 11 to 18 show other views in cross section and in elevation corresponding to Figures 9 and 10;

Figure 19 is a detailed view showing the locking arrangement;

Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the locking and engagement arrangement of the spine with the planking elements; and Figures 21 to 23 illustrate elements of pallet boards;

Figures 24 to 27 illustrate other modalities of

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 20/59 invention;

Figure 28 illustrates the spine element of another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 29 illustrates an alternative locking arrangement. In the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used to indicate equal components in each Figure.

The pallet shown in Figure 1 comprises a pair of side rails or side rails (1, 2) that extend longitudinally with a set of upper deck boards that extend between the side rails. The upper deck boards comprise first (3) and second (4) boards arranged alternately.

Two spine elements (6) extend axially in the longitudinal direction of the pallet, as will be described below. The spine elements (6) have axial holes (7) that create a continuous channel from the front to the back of the pallet.

A set of lower deck boards 20 (10) similar to the upper deck boards is adapted to engage with the floor or floor surface when in use.

Figure 2 comprises a plan view, side and end elevations, cross section in R25 R and detailed cross section views.

Each side rail (1, 2) has an extruded construction generally in the form of a box comprising a lower portion (20) that engages with the floor, an upper load-bearing portion (21), an outer skin 30 (22) and an inner skin (23). The inner surface includes

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 21/59 upper (24) and lower (25) skids that extend in the longitudinal direction of the pallet. The skids are turned inwards towards the pallet when in use. Each skid comprises a channel (26) adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped protruding tongue or a board rib when the pallet is mounted and engaging with this tongue.

Each of the channels (26) is defined by parallel projections (27) extending inwardly from the lower and upper surfaces (20) of the side rail. Rectangular grooves or grooves (28), or any other shape, are located between each two projections (27). The grooves or grooves (28) are dimensioned to receive the end of a board during the assembly of the pallet.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of two spine elements (6) with lower planks (10) attached. A pair of central spine elements (30) carries a pair of parallel ribs (31, 32) that extend upwards defining a channel (33) between the ribs (31, 32). A corresponding pair of lower ribs (34, 38) is arranged on the lower surface of the spine. The channel (33) has a narrow hollow and a wider interior, as shown in Figure 20, so that a projection of corresponding shape and extending from a board can be inserted into the channel by longitudinal sliding. The board is held firmly and supported against any twisting movement. Alternatively, the outer lateral surfaces of the ribs may be wider at the remote ends of the spine to engage with the board in use.

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 22/59

During the assembly of the pallet, the boards (10) and the spacer (4) are slid to engage over the lower ribs (34, 38) of the spine to form two sub-assemblies.

Figure 4 shows the next stage of the set in which the upper boards (3) are slidably inserted over the upper ribs (31, 32) of the spine. Slits (40) are arranged to extend parallel to the spine outward from the center towards the front or the back of the pallet as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 5 shows the next stage of the assembly in which the spacer boards (4) are inserted in the vicinity of the upper boards (3). The upper boards (3) have outwardly extending tongues (41) for engagement within the rail channels.

In Figure 6, other boards (3) are inserted over the spines to complete the subsets of the pallets.

In Figure 7, the side rails are inserted at the ends of the sub-assemblies, so that the planks' tongues are received in the grooves (28). The subassemblies are firmly engaged, making them slide out towards the ends of the rails to produce an assembled structure as shown in Figure

8. The upper and lower boards are locked by engaging with the rails to form a rigid structure. Continuous passages extend in the longitudinal direction of the pallet through the rails and the spine elements, so that ropes, chaos or chains can be used to

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 23/59 connect two or more pallets to each other in the event of a flood or other natural disaster.

The structure and assembly of other embodiments of the invention are described with reference to Figures 9 to 20.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 10, the side rails (50) have a general box-like construction. The inner surface of each side rail has upper and lower skids that extend in the longitudinal direction of the pallet. Each skate includes a channel formed by 10 parallel projections (53, 54) adapted to receive a tongue or other projection from the boards (51) when the pallet is assembled. Each of the channels (52) is defined by projections (55) that extend into the upper and lower surfaces of the side rail. Rectangular grooves (56) are 15 located between every two projections (55). The grooves or grooves (56) are dimensioned to receive a board (51) during the assembly of the pallet. During assembly, the boards (51) are located on the spacers and are then slid in to engage with the spine (57).

A spacer (58) is inserted for sliding engagement with the spine between each two boards (51). In this way, a slatted construction is provided.

The spine (57) comprises two portions (59, 60) which together are less than the length of the pallet. During pallet assembly, each spine portion can be assembled with the upper and lower pairs of two boards (51) to form an H-shaped subunit, as shown in Figures 3 to 6. This subunit can be inserted into the side rails (50), 30 the subunits can then be slid to

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 24/59 out to engage with the boards (51) in the grooves on the side rails as shown in Figures 17 and a18.

This leaves a central opening between the two spine elements. To complete the assembly. One of the 5 spine elements (60) is pushed along the channel formed by the planks, so that they come into contact as a second spine element to form a continuous spine. A spine locking element (61) comprising a short spine portion with fastening means such as a socket for a dowel at one end, is then inserted into the socket at the end of the channel previously occupied by the first spine element to complete the spine unit. Finally, one or more pegs (62) are located in the opening (64) to secure the last board (63) to the spine element (61) as shown in figure 18.

Figure 20 is an enlarged view of the modality shown in Figure 2. This shows that the spine 6 has upper and lower pairs of parallel ribs (31, 34) received in grooves on the upper and lower boards (4, 10) and secured by pegs (62).

Figure 21 contains a plan view and elevation of an end board according to this embodiment of the invention. The board (117) contains an axial insert (118) 25 that extends over the entire width of the board. The socket has a narrower mouth than the base, in order to receive the skids (112) of the spine element slidably and engage with them in use. Slots (119) in the end portions (120) allow engagement with the projections (108) 30 of the side rails when in use. The axial opening of the

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 25/59 central slot (118) faces away from the axial arrangement openings of the two slots (119). The end of the board (120) has a tongue (121) adapted to be received within the socket of the side rail in use.

Figure 22 contains plan views, elevations and top and bottom cross-sectional views of an alternative end board (122) for insertion into the spine to complete the assembly of the pallet. The board contains an axial slot (123) that defines a slot for receiving the spine skate. The socket extends partially through the board including a stop (127) to prevent the spine from sliding out of the hinge (125) at the ends of the boards. Slots (124) are located adjacent to the ends of the boards to allow engagement with the side rails as already described. An opening (126) is adapted to receive a peg (not shown) for attaching the board to the spine element.

Figure 23 shows a board element (128) having a tongue (131) with a slit (130) extending perpendicularly to the board, parallel to the rail and towards the end of the pallet in use. A channel (129) extends the entire width of the board (128), allowing the board to slide into the skate of a spine element, as shown in Figure 20.

Figures 24 to 28 illustrate other embodiments of the invention.

Figure 24 shows the first stage of assembly of a modality in which the lower boards (200) are

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 26/59 received on the lower spine skates and the lower spine portions (201, 202). A locking spine portion (203) having an opening (204) for receiving a pin is engaged with the end board. As with the embodiment already described, the spine elements (201, 202, 203) provide continuous spine skids (205) that comprise pairs of ribs that extend upwards and downwards (206, 207).

Protective spacers (208, 209) are inserted 10 in the lower spine skids between the boards (200). The protective spacers provide a smooth, load-bearing surface that in times is coplanar with the lower surfaces of the boards (200) that engage with the floor. In this way, damage to the spine skates and an occlusion by dirt is avoided.

In Figure 25 the above boards (210) were inserted in the upper spine skates (206, 207), the upper boards (210) have tongues (214) with slits that open outwards (213) that extend parallel to the 20 elements spine, as described with reference to the previous modalities. The spacer boards (212) that have no slits (213) are located between pairs of boards (210). The end boards (219) can have a blind slot (213) as shown in Figure 2 to receive the end of the spine element and engage with it.

Figure 26 is a bottom view of the assembled pallet. In Figure 26, the rails (215, 216), the lower end boards (218) and the protective spacers (208, 209, 217) form a continuous flat surface for engaging the pallet for the pallet.

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 27/59

Figure 27 illustrates an alternative segmented board in which two half portions (220, 221) have interlocking central portions (222, 223) with hook ends (224) for engaging the spine skates. A locking sleeve 5 (225) is inserted into the spine to keep the half portions in position after assembly.

The use of segmented boards is advantageous since it facilitates the final stage of pallet assembly. The plank half portion can be inserted into the central space 10 over between the two H-shaped upper plank arrangements after the planks have been slid out to their locked positions on the tracks. In alternative modes and alternative modes of assembly, the use of segmented boards is not necessary.

Figure 28 shows an alternative locking element according to the invention. A central portion of the spine (300) includes a rotatable locking portion (301). The locking portion can be mounted on a rod or bearing to facilitate axial rotation of the rod while maintaining a continuous axial cavity (302) through which a rope or other fixation device can be passed during use. The spine element (300) carries a pair of parallel ribs extending upwards (303) and a pair of parallel ribs (304) extending downwards, 25 defining a channel (305, 306) between each pair of ribs , as described with reference to the previous modalities.

The locking element (301) has a single rib or projection (306) that extends upwards and a single projection diametrically opposite and facing downwards (307).

These ribs can be twisted from a first position

Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 28/59 in which they are aligned parallel to the upper and lower ribs (303, 304) to form a continuous surface on which a board can slide during the assembly or disassembly of a pallet or a second locking position in which the ribs ( 305, 307) are perpendicular, so that board movement along the spine is prevented.

Rotation of the locking element can be carried out by inserting a screwdriver or other elongated tool into an opening (308) to allow the locking element to twist between the locked and the unlocked position.

Figure 29 illustrates an alternative locking arrangement in which a pressure clamp is used to secure the end board to the spine element. Any convenient pressure clamp arrangement can be used to secure the board to the spine, but which allows the board to be released if the pallet is to be disassembled. In this embodiment, the clamp has flanges that extend in opposite directions at the ends to cooperate with complementary formed parts at the end of the spine and on the underside of the board.

Claims (5)

1. Pallet, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a multiplicity of side rails (1, 2), each side rail including upper (24) and lower (25) skids; including, each skate, channels (26) defined by parallel projections (27) extending inwardly from the top and bottom surfaces (21, 20) of the rails (1, 2), grooves (28) being located between projections (27); a multiplicity of boards (3, 4), each board being adapted to extend between a skate of two of the tracks; one or more spine element (6) extending parallel to the tracks, each spine element including upper and lower spine skates; each board including a spine engagement portion (29) adapted for sliding engagement with a spine skate; and a locking element (57) adapted, when locked, to prevent sliding disengagement of the spine skate boards; each rail having a plurality of grooves (28), each groove including a holding and being adapted to receive and engage one end of a respective board; where the board can be moved parallel to the rail between an unlocked position where a board is disengaged from the rail and can be inserted into the socket and Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 30/59 removed from it, and a locked position in which the board is engaged with the rail preventing its removal from the socket; wherein each board has two ends and a tongue (131) at each end, the tongues extending transversely to the pallet in the direction of the grooves (28) on the respective tracks; each tongue (131) having a slot (130) extending parallel to the rail adapted to engage with a complementary formed part of the rail (1, 2), the complementary formed part of the rail comprising a rib which forms an integral part of the rail and which extends in the direction of the grooves (28), said rib being defined between the projections (27), the slit (130) being sized to receive said rib, and the channel (26) being sized to receive a portion of the tongue (131 ), as the board slides from the unlocked position to the locked position. 2. Pallet according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the side rail (1, 2) comprises a boxed section with the upper (21) and lower (20) skids facing inside the pallet, comprising each skate a set of sections, a channel (26) extending along each section with a socket (28) between adjacent sections, the socket having a dimension for receiving a board and engaging with it. 3. Pallet, according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that each slot is adapted to receive a board inserted between the rails and further adapted in such a way that the board, when received in the slot, can move in a way slide into the channel and engage with the board and rail. Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 31/59 4. Pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the rib is a component of parallel sides of the box section of the rail. 5. Pallet, claims 1 to 4, according to any of the CHARACTERIZED by the fact that each spine skate (30) includes a pair of ribs (31, 32) that extend longitudinally, a channel being defined between the ribs, the channel and ribs being adapted to engage with a complementary formed part of the portion of the coupling board with the spine and attach this complementary formed part. 6. Pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the boards are adapted to slide together with the spine skid from a first end of it, being locking means adapted to secure a last board slidably engaged at the first end of the spine. 7. Pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the element of spine comprises two or more sections located in the direction axial of pallet far end with far end. 8. Pallet, according with any one of claims 1 to 7, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the boards are separated by spacer sections, each spacer section being located between a pair of adjacent boards to provide an upper and / or lower slatted platform configuration. Petition 870190042314, of 05/06/2019, p. 32/59 9. Pallet according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the spine has a longitudinal axis, spine skates extending in the axial direction of the spine and one or more locking elements (61) 5 being rotatably mounted around the axis; including the one or more locking elements (61) spine skate portions; the one or more locking elements being movable from an unlocked position in which the 10 spine skate portion is aligned with a spine skate to form a continuous skate and a locked position in which the locking element obstructs the spine skate, so that a board cannot be disengaged from the skid.