EP0169090A1 - Pallet for handling and stocking loads - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A pallet for handling loads of the type comprising an upper loading face and a lower support face, the upper and lower faces being parallel and cross-braced by means of a plurality of blocks (12, 45) made of any mouldable material of rectangular or cylindrical section which are each adapted to have a tubular crimping element passing therethrough, the blocks being positioned in such a way as to form a palet comprising on each of its sides an opening for the introduction of the forks of a handling machine, characterized in that the vicinity of each of its corners the palet comprises a block (12) having two parallel guide passages (23), the other blocks (12, 45) if provided comprise either two parallel passages (23) or a central guide passage (47), each of said guide passages, which is perpendicular to said faces, receiving an element for connecting said faces and one at least of the blocks of said plurality being capable of receiving at least one means for identification of the palet.

Description

The present invention relates to pallets used for handling and storing loads.

For the handling and storage of loads, a wide variety of pallets have already been proposed, most of which meet a certain number of criteria which have appeared as forklift handling devices have developed, for the storage of palletized loads on rails. etc ...

Currently the most common pallets include a loading face, and a bearing face parallel to the loading face, these faces being braced by dice with which they are assembled. Commonly, the dice which may be generally parallelepipedic, or cylindrical, provide between the loading face and the bearing face, on each side of the pallet, an entry for the forks which a handling machine comprises.

As is well known, the aforementioned faces, as well as the dice, are made of wood, and the various above elements constituting the pallet are assembled by nailing or even using bolts.

Some pallet users at all stages of handling have their own fleet of pallets; we understand that each user who has managed his fleet of pallets, wants to see his own pallets come back, and not deteriorated, or less solid, from another user.

It has therefore been proposed to identify the pallets by marking them, each user having of course their personalized marking.

However, it has been observed that the markings become practically invisible after a certain period of use of the pallet, so that the sorting is particularly difficult, if not impossible, in particular for uninitiated persons.

Pallets are therefore difficult to recognize, it is common for users to receive in return pallets not belonging to them, which can be either damaged or still outside the standards and, therefore, practically unusable for the user in question.

As it appears from the foregoing, the structure of wooden pallets has shortcomings, whether in terms of the identification of these, or the resistance which leaves them delirious.

Pallets have already been proposed having a structure reinforced by the use of spacer pieces or dice made of synthetic material.

This is so in Belgian patent No BE-A-895 808 (VAN NES) which teaches a pallet with a sole and a floor braced by spacers in reinforced synthetic material, which each have a tubular housing for a tube crimping, and housing for reinforcing parts.

However, it can be seen that such an implementation requires, in addition to various manipulations to produce the elements, undoubtedly long and delicate mounting operations. As a result, a pallet produced under such conditions represents a high cost, without however giving it a foolproof solidity, leading to maintenance costs for users.

The present invention relates, in general, to a particularly robust and easily identifiable pallet structure, which makes it possible to reduce the operating costs relating to the pallet fleets.

A pallet according to the invention for handling loads of the kind comprising an upper loading face, and a lower support face which are parallel, braced by means of a plurality of dice made of any moldable material with rectangular section or cylindrical which are adapted to be traversed each by a tubular crimping element, the dice being placed so as to constitute a pallet comprising, on each of its sides, an entry for the forks of a handling machine, is characterized by the fact that the plurality of dices of said pallet comprises at least four dices having two parallel guide chimneys which are arranged in the vicinity of the vertices of the pallet, while the other dices of said plurality include a central guide chimney, each of said chimneys of guide receiving a connecting element of said faces and at least one of the dices of said plurality being capable of receiving at least one means of identifying the pallet.

According to another characteristic of the invention each die comprises two half-shells having an identical structure; these half-shells are superimposable and they each comprise means of mutual interlocking suitable for ensuring their positioning relative to each other.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the half-shells have a generally rectangular shape with rectangular section and honeycomb structure, comprising a certain number of cells formed by a bottom veil, and sails extending perpendicular to this bottom sail to form two longitudinal sides and two transverse sides, as well as a median wall joining the two longitudinal sides, a said guide chimney being formed in a central zone of each of the transverse sides, so that the die comprises two chimneys guide, and is therefore called "double chimney".

According to a preferred embodiment of the half-shells, the transverse sides which these comprise, comprise two cylindrical sections of revolution joined by an intermediate cylindrical section determining in each transverse side, a guide chimney; such a structure makes it possible to obtain dice with rounded corners.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the loading and support faces, advantageously made of wood, by means of a known manner, of riveted points, are connected using tubular elements engaged in the or the guide chimneys of each die; the end of said tubular elements, in line with the loading face, comprises a prefaced head offering a large contact surface, and the assembly is obtained with the interposition of a large washer, by riveting, in line with the face of support from the other end of said tubular element.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the respective loading and supporting faces of the pallet are subjected to a suitable thrust, direction and power. during the riveting of the tubular elements carrying out the assembly of said faces, through the spacers, so as to give a counter-jib to the pallet once assembled.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une forme de réalisation d'une palette conformément à l'invention ;
• la figure 1A illustre en perspective éclatée les différents éléments constituant la palette montrée à la figure 1;
• la figure 2 est une vue à plus grande échelle de la partie entourée indiquée par II à la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'une forme de réalisation d'un dé comprenant deux demi-coquilles de configuration identique, le dé ayant deux cheminées de guidage ;
• la figure 4 montre en perspective chaque demi-coquille ;
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe du dé représenté à la figure 3 suivant la ligne V,V;
• la figure 6 est une vue analogue à la précédente selon la ligne VI-VI de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe verticale suivant la ligne VII-VII de la figure 2, montrant l'assemblage de la face de chargement avec la face d'appui, à l'aide d'éléments tubulaires rivés traversant une cheminée de guidage d'un dé entretoise ;
• la figure 8 montre à plus grande échelle une extrémité de l'élément tubulaire, une telle extrémité étant entourée par l'encart VIII à la figure 7 ;
• la figure 9 est une variante de l'élément tubulaire précité ;
• la figure 10 montre en perspective une variante de réalisation d'une palette, suivant laquelle la face d'appui de celle-ci est réduite à des lames ;
• la figure 11 est une vue en perspective de la partie entourée indiquée par XI à la figure 10 ;
• la figure 12 montre, en plan, une autre forme de réalisation d'un dé, le dé ne comportant qu'une cheminée de guidage;
• la figure 13 illustre de façon schématique, en élévation latérale, la contre-flèche donnée à une palette selon l'invention lors de l'assemblage des faces de chargement et d'appui ;
• la figure 14 montre en élévation le stockage d'une palette selon l'invention sur des lisses, la palette portant un chargement ;
• la figure 15 est une vue analogue à la figure 14, la palette étant réalisée selon la technique antérieure.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will also emerge from the description which follows, given by way of example with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pallet according to the invention;
• FIG. 1A illustrates in exploded perspective the different elements constituting the pallet shown in FIG. 1;
• Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the surrounded part indicated by II in Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a die comprising two half-shells of identical configuration, the die having two guide chimneys;
• Figure 4 shows in perspective each half-shell;
• Figure 5 is a sectional view of the die shown in Figure 3 along line V, V;
• Figure 6 is a view similar to the previous along the line VI-VI of Figure 3;
• Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view along line VII-VII of Figure 2, showing the assembly of the loading face with the support face, using tubular elements riveted through a guide chimney a spacer thimble;
• FIG. 8 shows on an enlarged scale one end of the tubular element, such an end being surrounded by the insert VIII in FIG. 7;
• Figure 9 is a variant of the aforementioned tubular element;
• Figure 10 shows in perspective an alternative embodiment of a pallet, according to which the bearing face thereof is reduced to blades;
• Figure 11 is a perspective view of the surrounded part indicated by XI in Figure 10;
• figure 12 shows, in plan, another form of realization tion of a die, the die comprising only a guide chimney;
• FIG. 13 schematically illustrates, in side elevation, the counter-jib given to a pallet according to the invention during the assembly of the loading and support faces;
• Figure 14 shows in elevation the storage of a pallet according to the invention on beams, the pallet carrying a load;
• Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14, the pallet being produced according to the prior art.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, a pallet according to the invention comprises an upper loading face indicated generally at 10, a lower bearing face indicated generally at 11, and a plurality of spacers each indicated as a whole by 12 .

It should be noted that a dice is understood to mean an element which can be generally of rectangular section with two ends with flat surfaces, or of any other section, for example cylindrical, with also ends with flat surfaces, suitable for cooperating respectively with the upper face of loading and the support face.

The upper loading face 10 forms a plate constituted by an assembly of five parallel blades 10A, with five crosspieces themselves comprising two so-called crosspieces of edge lOB, a middle crosspiece 10C, and two intermediate crosspieces 10D. The aforementioned crosspieces cross at right angles to the blades 10A, and are assembled to these by means of elements such as riveted points, staples or the like (not shown).

As for the lower support face 11, it consists of three parallel blades, two of the edge, and an intermediate 11A linked to two crosspieces 11C, 11D; according to a particular embodiment the blades 11A, and the crosspieces 11C, 11D, are located at the same level, and they are joined together with 1 ¹ wedging elements 11E overlapping the respective end portions of the crosspieces and the blades. The edge and intermediate blades 11A also include, in a central area, a wedging element 11E.

It should be noted some particular features of the above loading and support faces aimed at facilitating certain subsequent operations.

Indeed, it is observed that the angles of the loading and bearing faces all have cut sides 15, in particular intended to promote the covering, without damaging the plastic film which can be anchored thanks to the overhangs of the loading and bearing faces compared with the recessed dice, moreover, these cut sides also aim to avoid deterioration of the wooden elements in the corners, during impacts.

It is also noted that the blades 11A, as well as the crosspieces 11C, 11D, have, between the wedging elements 11E, chamfered edges 16, in particular intended to favor the engagement of the forks in the inlets. The fastening of the crosspieces 11C, 11D, and of the edge and intermediate blades 11A is ensured in any suitable manner for example by means of rivets, or riveted points, or even by stapling 17 (not shown).

The loading 10 and support 11 faces are connected using a plurality of spacers; in the example illustrated, nine spacers 12 are provided, made in any moldable manner, one of these being now described in more detail with particular reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

According to a first embodiment, each die 12 consists of two identical half-shells 12A, 12B; the half-shells being of identical configuration, only one of them will be described below.

Each half-shell, which, in the case under consideration, has a parallelepiped configuration, has a honeycomb structure closed on one side by a bottom web 20.

The honeycomb structure comprises tubular sections 22 forming the tops of the half-shell; these vertices are connected on the one hand, by longitudinal webs forming the long sides 21 of the half-shell, and, on the other hand, by tubular sections 23 forming, in association with the vertices, the short sides of the half -shell.

In its center, the half-shell comprises a tubular section 24 connected to the long sides by webs 25.

Each half-shell thus formed must be associated with another half-shell, the two half-shells having to be superimposed and immobilized relative to one another.

For this purpose, two diagonal peaks of the half-shells carry elements projecting relative to the bottom panel 20; in the example shown there are three lamellae in a sector of a circle 26 coming from molding which are adapted to fit practically, without transverse play, in tubular vertices of another half-shell.

The honeycomb structure of each half-shell gives it remarkable resistance, with minimal weight and use of raw material.

As can be seen in particular in Figure 4, a die 12 is therefore constituted by the assembly of two identical half-shells 12A, 12B, assembly which is carried out at the four vertices by fitting the lamellae 26 into the tubular sections 22 in correspondence, while the joint plane of the half-shells 12A, 12B, is formed between the two facing side panels.

A die is thus formed by assembling two half-shells, the tubular sections 23 formed in these being in the extension of each other form two chimneys C, Cl, emerging on each of the faces of the die 12.

It will be observed -figure 5 in particular - that each tubular section 23 has a double taper, with a small section halfway up the sections, and a large open section on the faces of each half-shell.

The small section is indicated in S, and, when the two half-shells are assembled one obtains in each chimney C, Cl, thus formed two zones of small sections Sy Sl, spaced from one another on the height of the chimney, which each constitute a means for guiding a tubular connecting element 30 visible in FIG. 7.

The loading 10 and support 11 faces are advantageously joined by means of nine dice 12, as above. AT For this purpose, the loading and support faces are prepared with holes 17 in correspondence with the chimneys C, Cl formed in each die, which can be easily obtained, in a precise manner, using a appropriate drilling.

These are connected using advantageously tubular elements 30 engaged in the guide chimneys of each die; the end of said tubular elements 30 which is in line with the loading face 10, comprises a pre-shaped head offering a large contact surface as is clearly visible in FIGS. 8 and 9. It will be appreciated that the pre-shaping of the said head can be produced in various ways annular lip 30A in association with a washer 31 (FIG. 8) or else lip 30A provided with a cap 32 (FIG. 9).

The assembly is obtained with the interposition of a large washer by riveting the tubular element to the right of the bearing face of the other end of the tubular element.

Advantageously, the blades of the loading and support faces are provided on the outside with a countersink L suitable for housing the ends of the tubular elements, so that the latter are in no way projecting with respect to the loading faces and support. By way of example, for riveting each tubular element 30 is, at one end, cut to form fins 30B which can be folded outwards on a large support washer 33 previously placed in the counterbores L.

The crimping tool, or riveting, is advantageously provided so as to perform, in a single pass, all riveting or crimping.

In this regard, the invention provides for placing the pallet under a certain pressure, of suitable direction and power, at the time of crimping or riveting the tubular elements, in order to give the pallet a counter-jib CF shown diagrammatically in FIG. 13 .

Indeed, experience has shown that the pallets currently stored on rails, deform more or less under the effect of the load, and that the deformations recorded affect the stability of the pallets.

In FIG. 15 is shown a usual pallet P stored on healds 35, the load C printing on the pallet an arrow Fl.

Given on the one hand, the particularly rigid structure of the pallet according to the invention due to the use of deformable dice, and the number of connection points of the loading and support faces, and, on the other hand , the CF counter-jib given to the pallet during riveting of the tubular elements, the Fl jib, hitherto noted, is avoided, thanks to the fact that the CF counter-jib allows the forces due to the load C to be absorbed 'illustrated in Figure 14.

A pallet made according to the invention, with the dice 12, and the faces of load 10, and support 11, as described above, offers undeniable advantages com ^p a-rativement to prior pallets.

First of all, the injected plastic dice make it possible to fulfill various functions. They constitute non-deformable spacers; their rounded sonnets do not offer resistance to the forks of the handling equipment so that the latter "slide" without frontal impact, which results in the dice not being damaged.

To the aforementioned advantages, rigid structure, resistance, and obtaining a counter-jib, it is advisable to add facilities for identifying pallets by dyeing in the mass of the plastic material used for the manufacture of the dice. The flat and smooth sides 21 of the dice 12, being slightly set back, not only in relation to the outline of the pallet faces, but also in relation to the tops of the dice, constitute an ideal location for identifying the pallets with the bar codes "well known, which is practically impossible with current palettes.

In FIG. 10, the illustrated pallet includes, as in the example of embodiment described in FIGS. 1 to 9, an upper loading face 10 comprising a plurality of parallel blades 10A, joined by crossbars of banks lOB, central 10C, and intermediate lOD; according to this embodiment the bearing face 11 is constituted by three blades pa aligners 40, 41, 42, provided with wedging elements 11E respectively disposed at the ends and in a central part of said blades; each of the blades 40, 41, 42 is fixed to the upper loading face 10 by means of three spacers 12 similar in all respects to those previously described so that the upper loading face is connected to the three support blades travers neuf neuf 12. Note that the angles of the support blades 40, 41, 42, and the angles of the blades 10A, lOB, of the upper loading face have cut sides 15; similarly, the blades 40, 41, 42 are provided with chamfered edges 16 between each die 12, in order to facilitate the introduction of the forks of a handling machine. The structure of the dice 12 being analogous to that previously described will not be repeated here. The means of assembling the lower support blades 40, 41, 42, with the upper loading face 10, being constituted by tubular elements 30 similar to those previously described, will not be repeated either, we will confine ourselves to recalling that the elements in question are riveted as indicated above.

According to an alternative embodiment of a spacer and assembly die illustrated in FIG. 12, the die 45 is also made of any moldable material and, as in the previous embodiment, it comprises two half-shells 45A, 45B, of configuration identical, intended to be assembled, a single half-shell will therefore, in the following, be described below.

According to this exemplary embodiment, each half-shell has a substantially square section, and is constituted by four tubular sections 46 forming a block with a central guide chimney 47, perpendicular and opening out on the faces. The half-shells having to be immobilized one relative to the other, two tubular sections 46 diagonally comprise lamellae 48, in this case three, regularly distributed, adapted to fit into corresponding tubular sections formed in the other half-shell. Any angular displacement between the half-shells is thus prohibited when the latter are assembled. The ends of the half-shells must be in contact with the tank faces gement 10 and support 11 are, according to this f.orme embodiment, arranged with a series of pins 50 adapted to penetrate into the wood and thus forming a dice anti-rotation means which is simple and effective. Note that the pins are advantageously provided for four in number, on each edge of tubular section 46.

The dice described above, called for convenience, single-chimney, have the advantage, compared to the other dice, called double-chimney, that of being of a slightly lower cost price, and of requiring only '' a single means for assembling the loading and support faces.

As a result, the final cost of a pallet can be further lowered, without noticeable change in its characteristics, in mechanical strength by equipping it partly with double-stack dice, and partly with single-stack dice.

Advantageously, the tops of the pallet will be equipped with double-chimney dice, while all the other dice will be single-chimney dice. The fixing of the dice with the support loading faces being carried out as previously by tubular elements riveted on the side of the support face.

Such pallets whose loading and support faces are strongly braced by the dice, mono and bi chimneys have a construction much more robust than current pallets. Furthermore, the repair of the pallets requires specialized tools, so that said repairs must be carried out in the workshop, by people with suitable equipment and spare parts, to restore the pallet, after repair, its original configuration.

It is noted that the zones of small sections S, Sl, formed in the chimneys C, C _l , are capable of guiding the tubular connecting elements 30, and of keeping the two half-shells perfectly aligned, while offering a certain amplitude of travel to allow obtaining the counter-jib indicated above, before the riveting of the tubular connecting elements 30.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments chosen and shown given by way of example which could on the contrary be subject to modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (14)

1. Pallet for handling loads of the kind comprising an upper loading face and a parallel supporting lower face, braced by means of a plurality of dice made of any mouldable material of rectangular or cylindrical section which are adapted to be traversed each by a tubular crimping element, the dice being placed so as to constitute a pallet comprising, on each of its sides, an entry for the forks of a handling machine, characterized in that the plurality of dice of said pallet comprises at least four dice (12) having two parallel guide chimneys (23), which are arranged in the vicinity of the tops of the pallet, while the other dice (45) of said plurality, comprise a central chimney of guide (47), each of said guide chimneys receiving a connecting element of said faces and at least one of the dices of said plurality being capable of receiving at least one means of i dentification of the pallet. 2. Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that each die (12) double-chimney or, mono-chimney (45) is formed by the removable assembly of two identical half-shells (12A, 12B); (45A, 45B). 3. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the half-shells (12A, 12B); (45A, 45B), mentioned above, have a cellular structure. 4. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the half-shells (12A, 12B); (45A, 45B) comprise, in the vicinity of two diagonal peaks, at least one stud (26), and, in the vicinity of the other two diagonal peaks, tubular sections (22), so that the studs of a half-shell fit into the tubular sections of another half-shell. 5. Pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that the half-shells (12A, 12B) of the double chimney dice comprise a bottom veil (20), longitudinal sides and transverse sides in which a tubular section (23) is able to provide the guide chimneys (C, Cl) the half-shells comprising mutual interlocking means. 6. Pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that the half-shells (12A, 12B) of the double chimney dice have two large flat longitudinal sides (21) between vertices with rounded profiles, and two small transverse sides in each of which the tubular section (23) forms a half-chimney. 7. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a means of identifying the pallet is constituted by dyeing in the mass of the half-shells (12A, 12B); (45A, 45B). 8. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the long sides of the double chimney dice formed by removable assembly of the half-shells (12A, 12B) form a flat surface capable of receiving an identification means, such as for example, in the form of "bar" code. 9. Pallet according to claim 8, characterized in that the aforementioned flat surfaces are set back relative to the tops of the dice (12). 10. Pallet according to claim 6, characterized in that each half-chimney (23) comprises substantially at mid-height, a bearing and guiding surface (S, Sl) for a means of assembly, said range of support being constituted by the small base of two flared passages arranged head to tail. 11. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chimneys (C, Cl) are capable of receiving tubular elements (30) for assembling the loading face (10) with the bearing face ( 11), said tubular elements (30) being advantageously riveted with the interposition of a support washer. 12. Pallet according to claim 11, characterized in that the tubular assembly elements (30) comprise at one end a head with a large bearing surface (30A, 31, 32) capable of being housed in a counterbore (L) provided on the face loading (10), while at their other end, they are adapted to be riveted - external side bearing face -. 13. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the half-shells of the dice mono-chimney, have on their edges to cooperate respectively with the loading faces (10) and support (11), a series of anchoring elements such as pins (50). 14. A method of manufacturing a pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an upper loading face (10), a lower support face (11), parallel braced and assembled to each other by through a plurality of dice so as to constitute a pallet comprising on each side an entry for the forks of a handling machine, characterized in that the assembly of said faces is carried out by means of tubular elements (30 ) which are riveted at one of their ends at the same time that the faces of the pallet are subjected to a pressure of suitable direction and power to give it a counter-jib (CF) after assembly of said faces.

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