DE29617184U1 - Pallet and towing device therefor - Google Patents

Description

Pallet and towing equipment for this

The invention relates to a pallet with a rectangular load-bearing plate and supporting feet arranged underneath, for transporting loads, in particular stackable goods, as well as a towing device for such a pallet.

It is common practice in the logistics of goods distribution to use pallets on which the goods are stacked and which can be gripped and moved using lifting equipment. Such lifting equipment is either transport vehicles, particularly forklifts, or manual lifting equipment, which can also grip and lift the pallet with a long fork and which is pulled by hand.

One problem is that the pallet lifting devices have considerable dimensions and a high weight due to the long forks. Carrying such lifting devices when transporting loaded pallets requires a lot of effort. More serious, however, is that the lifting

Telephone: (0221) 916520 · Fax: (0221) 134297 · Fax: (G TSL) (0221) 912030 · Telegram: Dompatent Köln

devices with pallets have a large length and require a lot of maneuvering space. Therefore, pallet warehouses must have relatively wide aisles that allow stacked pallets to be driven under with the tines of the lifting device and then the lifting device with the pallet to be moved out of the warehouse. In sales rooms in which loaded pallets have to be moved, there is often not enough space available for maneuvering the lifting device.

The invention is based on the object of creating a pallet that can be maneuvered in the tightest of spaces when loaded.

This object is achieved according to the invention with the features specified in claim 1.

The pallet according to the invention has rollers on one edge of the plate. On the opposite edge of the plate there are downwardly projecting engagement parts, which can be engaged by a towing device that can be tilted in order to slightly lift the pallet on the edge in question. When the pallet has lifted off the ground on this edge, it rests on the one hand on the rollers on the opposite edge and on the other hand on the towing device. The pallet can be moved by pulling on the towing device. Although the pallet cannot be moved or rolled on its own, it can be made rollable by lifting the edge of the pallet on which the engagement parts are located. For this purpose, it is not necessary to lift the pallet completely off the ground, so that the usual lifting devices, which take up a lot of space, can be dispensed with.

The pallet can be moved using a simple towing device that has very short tines, requires little maneuvering space and is lightweight. This makes it possible to drive under and maneuver the pallet in the smallest of spaces with little effort, without having to lift it completely off the ground. The pallet according to the invention can be driven under and driven as a floor pallet in narrow aisles of warehouses and business premises and it can also be moved very precisely into gaps. The pallet can also be turned in the tightest of spaces. Independently of this towing option, the pallet can be lifted and transported using a conventional lifting device, for example to set it down above ground level.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rolling elements are arranged in such a way that they are at a distance from the ground when the support feet are resting on the ground and only touch the ground when the pallet is tilted. This ensures that the pallet is very stable. The rolling elements are also not loaded when the pallet is standing.

The rolling elements can be rollers or balls. Balls that are mounted in ball sockets have the advantage that they can rotate around several axes, so that the pallet can also be moved transversely when tilted. Balls as rolling elements are particularly advantageous if the pallet is to be able to roll in one of two directions that are at right angles to each other.

The invention further relates to a towing device for the pallet described. This towing device has a crossbar that rests on at least one roller and can be tilted, and from which hook-shaped prongs protrude. A rod that protrudes at an angle engages the crossbar. Such a towing device is an easy-to-handle, lightweight and easy-to-transport tool for moving pallets.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Show it:

Fig. 1 a perspective view of a pallet with a towing device before the towing device is attached to the pallet,

Fig. 2 a section along the line II-II of Fig. 1 when attaching the towing device to the pallet,

Fig. 3 the lifting of one edge of the plate by the towing device,

Fig. 4 the driving condition of the towing device and pallet,

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of a pallet having rollers on two opposite plate edges, and

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of a pallet with balls as Ro 11 bodies.

The pallet 10 shown in Fig. 1 has a load-bearing plate 11, the dimensions of which correspond to the usual pallet dimensions. The plate 11 is shown here as a continuous plate. It can also have interruptions or be designed as a grid. The plate 11 preferably consists of a plastic part, the surface of which is flat and is supported by numerous horizontal webs.

Support feet 12, 13, 14 extend downwards from the plate 11. In the embodiment shown, the support feet extend over the entire pallet width and are arranged at equal distances in the direction of the pallet length, with the outer support feet 12, 14 being arranged under the transverse edges of the plate 11, while the middle support foot 13 is arranged under the middle of the plate. Between the support feet 12, 13, 14 there are free spaces 15, 16 into which the tines of the fork of a lifting device (not shown) can engage in order to lift the pallet 10 as a whole parallel from the ground.

The support foot 14 has a vertical first foot part 14a, which is arranged under one of the corners of the plate 11, a second foot part 14b, which is arranged under the longitudinal center line of the plate 11 and a third foot part 14c, which is arranged under the other corner of the plate 11. The lower ends of the foot parts 14a, 14b, 14c are connected by a base strip 14d, which rests on the floor. Between the foot parts 14a, 14b, 14c, the plate 11 and the base strip 14d there are openings 17, 18, between which the tines of the lifting device can grip.

The support feet 12,13 are designed in the same way as the support foot 14, i.e. they also consist of foot parts and base strips 12d,13d. .■;■·■

The plate edge 11a is referred to as the front plate edge and the plate edge 11b as the rear plate edge. Under the rear plate edge 11b, rollers 20 in the form of rollers with a horizontal axis are mounted on holders 19 projecting vertically downwards. When the pallet 10 with the base strips 12d, 13d, 14d rests on the floor 21, the rollers 20 are at a distance from the floor, as can be seen from Fig. 2, i.e. the rollers are not loaded in this state. The support feet 12, 13, 14 each have an inclined surface 22 rising diagonally from the floor strip at the points where the rollers 20 are located {Fig. 2) so that the rolling body 20 comes into contact with the ground 21 when the plate edge 11a is slightly raised and the base strips 12d, 13d, 14d lose contact with the ground (Fig. 4).

On the underside of the plate 11, under the plate edge 10a, a longitudinal strip-shaped engagement part 23 is provided, which projects downwards over the underside of the plate (Fig. 2). This engagement part 23 is used to attach a towing device 24, with which the plate edge 11a can be lifted. The towing device 24 has a crossbar 25 in the form of an elongated plate, from the underside of which parallel hook-shaped prongs 26 protrude, the ends 26a of which are bent upwards. Each prong 26 forms a receiving channel with the crossbar 25 for receiving the engagement part 23. In the present embodiment, a total of four

Prongs 26 are provided, which are arranged in two pairs, the pairs being spaced apart such that they can grip under the plate on both sides of the middle support foot 13.

The crossbar 25 of the towing device 24 rests on a pivot bearing 28, under which a roller 29 is located. The contact point of the roller 29 on the ground 21 also forms the pivot point of the towing device 24. A rod 30 protrudes from the crossbar 25, which rises diagonally upwards opposite the tines 26, and at the end of which there is a handle 31. The towing device 24 forms a two-armed lever, with the tines 26 representing the short lever arm and the rod 30 representing the long lever arm. The pivot point of the lever is the axis of the roller 29 or its contact point.

The towing device 24 is attached to the pallet 10, which is standing on the floor 21 according to Fig. 2, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, by pivoting the crossbeam 25 with the tines 26 diagonally downwards and moving the tines 26 under the engaging part 23 of the pallet. Then, by pressing down the rod 30, the tines 26 are raised in a horizontal orientation {Fig. 3), with their ends 26a engaging behind the engaging part 23. When the rod 30 is pressed down further, the tines 26a lift the relevant plate edge off the floor 21 {Fig. 4), with the supporting function being taken over by the roller bodies 20 on the opposite plate edge 11b. The pallet 10 is now supported on the plate edge 11a by the towing device 24 and on the opposite plate edge 11b by the roller bodies 20.

By pulling the towing device 24, the pallet 10 can be moved across its longitudinal direction on the floor 21 by rolling. The pivot bearing 28 enables the towing device to be steered, making it possible to move the pallet in different directions.

In the described embodiment, the towing device 24 engages under the longitudinal plate edge 11a, with the rolling bodies 20 being arranged under the opposite longitudinal plate edge 11b.

Fig. 5 shows a bottom view of another embodiment of the pallet 10, in which rolling bodies 20 are also arranged under the plate edge 11b, while an engagement part 23 for the towing device is also provided under the opposite plate edge 11a. In addition, rolling bodies 20a are also arranged under the plate edge 11a and an engagement part 23a in the form of a strip is provided under the plate edge 11b. In this pallet according to Fig. 5, the towing device 24 can optionally engage one of the plate edges 41a, 11b.

In Fig. 6, a third embodiment is shown, in which a rolling body 20b is arranged under each of the four plate corners, which here consists of a ball, which is mounted in a ball socket 32 in such a way that it can be rotated as desired around its ball center. This makes it possible to roll the pallet in any direction as soon as it has been lifted at one plate edge. The towing device 24 can engage each of the four plate edges. For this purpose,

For this purpose, an attack part 23,23a,23b,23c is provided under each plate edge.

Spherical rolling elements 20b can of course also be used in the two embodiments described first. ' ■ ' '

Claims (8)

- 10 - CLAIMS 1. Pallet with a rectangular load-bearing plate (11) and supporting feet (12,13,14) arranged underneath, which allow the plate (11) to be gripped with the fork of a lifting device, characterized, that rolling bodies (20) are mounted under the plate (H) near at least one plate edge (lib), and that at least one engagement part (23) is provided on the plate edge (Ha) opposite this plate edge (lib), which can be gripped behind by the tines (16) of a wheel-supported towing device (24). 2. Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the rolling bodies (20) are arranged in such a way that they are at a distance from the ground when the support feet (12, 13, 14) are resting on the ground (21) and only touch the ground when the pallet is tilted*= 3. Pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rolling bodies (20) are rollers. 4. Pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rolling bodies (20b) are balls, which can be rotated about several axes in ball sockets (32). 5. Pallet according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that on two perpendicular to each other - 11 - rolling elements (20) are arranged on the plate edges. 6. Pallet according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in that rolling bodies are arranged on two opposite plate edges (11a,lib). 7. Towing device for a pallet according to one of the preceding claims, with a cross member (25) resting tiltably on at least one roller (29), from which hook-shaped prongs (26) protrude, and a rod (30) projecting from the cross member (25). 8. Towing device according to claim 7, characterized in that the roller (29) is provided with a pivot bearing (28) is mounted on the cross member (25).