EP3880570A1

EP3880570A1 - Plastic pallet with protected runners

Info

Publication number: EP3880570A1
Application number: EP19804865.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rüdiger SOSTMANN
Original assignee: Georg Utz Holding AG
Current assignee: Georg Utz Holding AG
Priority date: 2018-11-15
Filing date: 2019-11-07
Publication date: 2021-09-22
Also published as: WO2020099994A1; US20220315280A9; CN113039126A; MX2021005782A; US20220002027A1; CH715550A1; US11584563B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastic pallet (1) comprising an upper part (2), which is provided with outer (4) and central (41) female foot parts, and runners (3, 3'), which are provided with outer (5) and central male foot parts (51). When plugged together with the female foot parts (4, 4'), the male foot parts (5, 5') form foot elements (8), and the female foot parts (4, 4') of the upper part and the male foot parts (5, 5') of the runners (3, 3') can be secured by means of a snap-fit connection (6). The female foot parts (4, 4') have an outer wall (7) which surrounds their respective male foot parts (5, 5'). The outer wall (7) of the outer female foot part (4) extends over the entire height of the outer male foot part (5) such that the outer male foot parts (5) of the runners (3, 3') can be completely slid into the outer female foot parts (4) of the upper part (2) in such a manner that the outer wall (7) of the outer female foot part (4) together with the runner (3, 3') forms a support surface (9).

Description

Plastic pallet with protected runners

Technical field

The invention relates to a plastic pallet with an upper part and three or more runners.

State of the art

Pallets are used to store and transport goods. The pallets keep the goods off the ground so that they can be lifted and transported by a forklift. They usually consist of a flat upper part and, for pallets in the size of 1200x800mm, of three runners, which can be manufactured in one piece by injection molding or in several parts. Multi-part plastic pallets are easier and cheaper to manufacture and consist, for example, of an upper part and a lower part, which are joined together and joined together. The lower part usually has three runners and nine feet.

The upper part and the lower part, or the runners, can be connected to each other by welding as described in CH702628 or CH685549. When the upper part is welded to the lower part, a bead is formed, which must be removed with a milling process so that the pallet has a smooth surface. This is time consuming and expensive.

Furthermore, the several parts can be connected to one another via snap locks. GB2421939 discloses a plastic pallet with a flat upper part and a flat lower part and nine separate feet, by means of which the upper and lower parts are connected to one another, both ends of the feet being fastened to the upper part and lower part of the pallet by means of snap locks. US 5,483,899 discloses a pallet with a lower part and an upper part which can be pushed into one another, the lower part of the pallet having ribs with a snap element which is arranged in each case at the upper end of a rib. This snap element at the upper end of the ribs of the lower part of the pallet brings about the snap connection to the upper part.

From EP2733084 a plastic pallet is known with an upper part and a lower part, wherein the foot elements of the upper part and the lower part can be completely pushed into one another and locked by means of snap connections. The outer area of the foot elements is formed by the runners.

The known multi-part plastic pallets have the disadvantage that the connection between the different parts can be released under permanent load and the upper part separates from the feet or the runners.

Object of the invention

The present invention has for its object to provide a multi-part plastic pallet, which allows a connection between the upper part and the runners, this connection withstands the load of the impact of the pallets during transport and the pallet thus has an increased impact resistance and a longer service life .

Description of the invention

This task is solved by a plastic pallet with an upper part and runners, the upper part being provided with outer and middle female foot parts and the runners with outer and middle male foot parts. The plastic pallet preferably has three runners, each with two outer male foot parts and a middle male foot part. The male foot parts plugged together with the female foot parts form foot elements, and the female foot parts of the upper part and the male ones Foot parts of the runners can be attached to one another by means of a snap connection. The female foot parts have an outer wall, which encloses the male foot part. The outer wall of the outer female foot part extends essentially over the entire fleas of the outer male foot part, so that the outer male foot parts of the runners can be pushed completely into the outer female foot parts of the upper part, such that the outer wall of the outer female foot part is together forms a wing with the underside of the runner.

The outer wall of the female foot parts encloses the male foot parts in such a way that the male outer foot parts are completely protected in the event of an impact. The outer wall extends over the entire fleas of the outer female foot part, preferably essentially around the entire foot element. The total fleas is understood to mean that the outer wall of the outer female foot parts extends from the top of the pallet to the underside of the runner, which can be placed on a support surface. The outer wall preferably extends around the entire foot element, with the exception of a cutout for a connecting piece of the runners which connects the outer male foot parts to the middle male foot part. Thus, when the pallet is assembled, the outer wall extends on at least three sides of the outer female foot parts from the top of the pallet to the bottom of the runner.

The outer wall of the outer female foot part forms a supporting surface together with the skid. The underside of the outer wall of the outer female foot part is flush with the underside of the runner.

The plastic pallet according to the invention preferably has three runners, preferably three longitudinal runners. This is the case, for example, with plastic pallets of the standard size of 1200x800mm. The outer male foot parts are inserted into the outer female foot parts and form outer foot elements, which are on the short transverse side of the plastic pallet are provided. The middle female and male foot parts, which form the middle foot elements, are preferably provided in the middle of the pallet transversely to the long side. In a further embodiment, the plastic pallet has more than three runners, for example five or six runners. For example, five or six runners are preferred for pallets of size 1200x1000mm. For example, a pallet of this type is possible with five runners, three of which run in one direction and two in the transverse direction along the sides of the pallet. In a further embodiment, the pallet comprises six runners, three longitudinal runners and three transverse runners. In this embodiment, all of the outer eight foot elements preferably have outer walls which extend over the entire height of the outer female foot parts at least on the outside of the foot elements, ie on the side which is arranged on the edge of the plastic pallet.

The upper part of the plastic pallet preferably has a flat top. In a preferred embodiment, the top has a continuous closed surface. In a further embodiment, the upper part comprises reinforcing tubes which additionally reinforce the upper side of the plastic pallet.

In one embodiment, the female foot parts and the male foot parts have a plurality of ribs which extend over the entire height of each foot part. The ribs can have different cross sections and can have, for example, a T-shaped, angled or rectangular cross section. The ribs of the female foot parts and the ribs of the male foot parts can be completely pushed into one another. The male foot parts of the runners preferably have an inner wall with ribs, which serve as spacers between the inner wall and the outer wall. These ribs also serve as guides when putting the runners together with the upper part of the pallet, and on the other hand, you create a distance between the inner wall and the outer wall, which serves as additional impact protection. When the plastic pallet collides with an object, the ribs can bend slightly and the distance between the inner and outer walls can decrease briefly, which dampens the impact.

Depending on the desired strength of the connection of the two parts of the pallet, the foot elements can have several snap connections. In one embodiment of the invention, each foot element has one or more pairs of

Snap connection elements, preferably one or two pairs. In one embodiment, the foot elements can also have four pairs of snap connection elements and thus four snap connections, preferably in the case of the outer foot elements of the middle runner. The strength of the foot elements is further increased and secured by the one or more snap connections. A snap connection is a positive connection and is formed by a female and a male snap connection element, which are designed as counterparts. The counterparts are preferably provided by a male snap connection element provided with one or two flakes and a female connector to be connected to it

Snap connector formed with recess which snap into each other when they are assembled. Such a snap connection has the advantage that the connection is pressed into one another under load, which additionally reinforces the connection. In addition, this snap connection has a resilient property when loaded.

In a preferred embodiment, the male foot parts of a single runner can be pushed into the foot parts of the upper part separately from the male foot parts of the other runners. Thus, the three runners can be inserted individually into the upper part and the plastic pallet can be made from four pieces. However, it is also possible for the three runners to be connected to one another and in one piece consist so that the plastic pallets can be put together from two pieces, the upper part and a lower part provided with runners.

The foot parts of the upper part and the foot parts of the runners are preferably integrated in one piece with the upper part or with the runners. This design together with the snap connection enables the assembly of a pallet from only two or four parts and without the aid of tools.

When the upper part is brought together with the runners, the male foot parts with the ribs are pushed completely into the female foot parts with the outer wall and the ribs, so that their ribs are completely pushed into one another and are arranged parallel to one another over their entire length, the foot elements of the Pallet are formed and the inner walls of the male foot part and the outer walls of the female foot part form double walls of the foot elements. The double walls increase the strength of the foot elements so that they are more robust, withstand impacts from a forklift truck or other objects and can therefore be used over a longer period of time.

The rib construction of the foot elements allows the two parts of the pallet to be assembled easily and quickly, and the snap connection elements enable efficient locking without the need for a tool.

The arrangement of the pallet according to the invention means that the male foot parts of the runners are protected by the female foot parts of the upper part. When transporting, for example on conveyor belts or when transporting with a forklift truck, the short transverse sides of the pallet with longitudinal runners often hit objects and have to be robust against impacts. The outer foot elements are particularly exposed to strong forces. Due to the outer wall of the outer female foot parts, which extends over the entire height of the outer male foot parts, the male foot parts are the runners protected. When the outer foot elements collide with objects, shear forces arise which are increased by the weight of the goods being transported on the top of the pallet. In the pallet according to the invention, these forces are directed into the ground via the top of the pallet and the female foot parts. The foot elements of the upper part and not the foot elements of the runners are loaded. As a result, the snap connection withstands even strong impacts and does not come loose even under permanent load.

In contrast, in conventional multi-part plastic pallets, the foot elements of the runners are loaded upon impact, as described, for example, in EP 2733084A1. The weight of the transported goods on the upper part creates shear forces on impact, which act on the connection between the upper part and the foot elements of the runners and which push the upper part away from the foot elements of the runners. With repeated loads, the connection between the upper part and the runners is released.

Further advantages of the invention follow from the description below, in which the invention is explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

Brief description of the figures

1A shows a plastic pallet with an upper part and three runners in a perspective view obliquely from above with a separate view of the upper part and the three runners,

1 B the plastic pallet of Figure 1 A with only one runner,

2 is a perspective view of the upper part obliquely from below onto the underside of the upper part, 3 is a perspective view of the plastic pallet according to the invention in the assembled state obliquely from above onto the top of the pallet, FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the plastic pallet according to the invention in the assembled state obliquely from below onto the bottom of the pallet,

5A shows the plastic pallet of FIG. 4 in a view from below of the underside, FIG. 5B shows a cross section through the axis along the line A-A of FIG. 5A,

5C shows a detailed view of the cross section of the foot element Vc of FIG. 5B,

5D shows a detailed view of the cross section of the foot element Vd of FIG. 5B,

5E shows a detailed view of the perspective view obliquely from below onto the underside of a foot element and the supporting surface of the runner of FIG. 4,

5F shows a detailed view from below of the underside of a foot element and the supporting surface of the runner of FIG. 5A.

In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements and explanations apply to a specific reference number for all figures, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Embodiments of the invention

Figure 1A shows the upper part 2, the two outer runners 3 and the middle runners 3 'of the plastic pallet according to the invention. The upper part 2 and the runners 3, 3 'are shown in the separated and not assembled state. The upper part 2 has outer female foot parts 4, here shown four, and middle female foot parts 4 ′, here one visible. The outer female foot parts 4 have one Cutout for runners 14. The runners are each provided with two outer male foot parts 5 and a middle male foot part 5 '. The male foot parts 5, 5 'have male snap connection elements with flakes 6b. The outer male foot parts 5 of the outer skids 3 have two pairs of snap connection elements with flakes 6b, the outer male foot parts 5 of the middle skid 3 'have four pairs of snap connection elements with flakes 6b, and the middle male foot parts 5' of the outer skids 3 have Pair of snap fasteners with flakes 6b. The male foot parts 5, 5 'have an inner wall 11 with ribs 12, which act as a spacer between the inner wall 11 and the outer wall 7 of the female foot parts 4, 4' and as a guide when the runners are plugged together with the upper part of the pallet serve. The male foot parts 5, 5 'are connected to one another via connecting pieces 13 and form the skids 3, 3'. FIG. 1B shows the parts of the plastic pallet described in FIG. 1A, only one skid 3 being shown next to the upper part 2.

In Figure 2, the upper part 2 of the plastic pallet is shown with a view of the underside of the upper part 2. The upper part 2 has nine female foot parts 4, 4 '. The six outer female foot parts 4 are arranged along the transverse side of the plastic pallet, and three middle female foot parts 4 'are arranged along the center line transversely to the long side of the pallet. The six outer female foot elements 4 have an outer wall 7, which extends in the outer region of the foot parts 4 over the entire fleas of the foot elements in the assembled state. The outer area of the foot parts 4 is understood to mean the entire area which surrounds the foot parts 4, with the exception of a recess 14 which serves to accommodate the connecting pieces of the runners in the assembled state. The outer wall 7 of the middle female foot parts 4 'does not extend over the entire fleas of the foot elements and does not touch the floor when the pallet is used in the assembled state. The female foot parts 4, 4 'have female snap connection elements 6a, each with two recesses for receiving Hook on. In this exemplary embodiment, the outer female foot parts 4 in the four corners of the pallet and the middle female foot part 4 'in the middle of the pallet have two snap connection elements with a recess 6a, the outer female foot parts 4, which are arranged in the middle of the transverse side of the pallet , have four snap connection elements with recess 6a, and the middle female foot parts 4 ', which are arranged in the middle of the long side of the pallet, have a snap connection element with recess 6a. The upper part 2 has rib struts 12 'on the underside to reinforce the pallet. The female foot parts 4, 4 'have one or more ribs which extend over the entire height of each foot part. The ribs can have different cross sections and can have, for example, a T-shaped, angular or rectangular cross section. The ribs of the female foot parts and the ribs of the male foot parts can be completely pushed into one another.

FIG. 3 shows the plastic pallet 1 according to the invention in the assembled, assembled state, in which the three runners 3 (here only the connecting pieces 13 of a runners 3 are visible) are inserted into the upper part 2. The runners 3, 3 'shown in FIG. 1A are inserted over the male foot parts 5, 5' into the female foot parts 4, 4 '(shown in FIG. 2), so that the male foot parts plugged into the female foot parts 4, 4' 5, 5 'form foot elements 8, 8', and so that the female foot parts 4, 4 'of the upper part and the male foot parts 5, 5' of the runners can be fastened to one another by means of a snap connection 6 (not visible). The snap connection is formed from the female snap connection elements with recess (6a, not visible, shown in FIG. 5d) and the male snap connection elements with hooks (6b, not visible, shown in FIG. 5d). The plastic pallet 1 has six outer female foot parts 4 and six outer male foot parts 5, which are arranged along the two short transverse sides of the pallet and which together form the six outer foot elements 8. The outer wall 7 of the outer female foot parts 4 extends over the entire height of the outer male foot parts 5, so that the outer male foot parts 5 of the runners 3 can be pushed completely into the outer female foot parts 4 of the upper part. Foot elements 8 plugged together in this way have the great advantage that they remain stable when they collide with an object and the snap connections do not detach from one another.

FIG. 4 shows the plastic pallet 1 according to the invention described in FIG. 3 in the assembled state in a perspective view of the underside of the pallet. The outer wall 7 of the outer female foot part 4 forms together with the skids 3, 3 'a wing 9, which can come into contact with the ground, for example with the floor or a conveyor belt, on which the plastic pallet 1 during transport or during Storage can be put. The connecting pieces 13 of the runner 3 have, for example, a honeycomb-like lattice structure on the underside, which serves to reinforce the runner.

FIG. 5A shows the underside of the assembled plastic pallet 1 with a view of the underside of the outer runners 3 and the middle runners 3 'and of the underside of the upper part 2 with the ribs 12'. The underside of the snap connections 6 and the connecting pieces 13 of the runners 3, 3 'is also shown. The underside of the outer wall 7 of the outer female foot part, together with the underside of the male foot part 5 and the runner 3, 3 ', forms an aerofoil 9, which is described in more detail in FIG. 5F.

FIG. 5B shows a cross section through the axis along the line AA of FIG. 5A through the snap connections of the outer female foot parts 4 and the outer male foot parts 5. In particular, the female snap connection elements 6a and the male snap connection elements 6b are disclosed, which when the top part 2 is plugged together interlock with the runners and lock the upper part 2 with the runners. The upper part 2 has circular cutouts 15 on the upper side of the foot elements, which correspond in shape and size to a reinforcement tube, so that the recesses can accommodate a tube. The reinforcement tubes additionally reinforce the top of the plastic pallet.

FIG. 5C shows a detailed view of the cross section of the outer foot element 8 from FIG. 5B, which is arranged in a corner of the pallet. The male snap connection element with flakes 6B is inserted into the female snap connection element with recess 6a, the flakes engaging in the recess and forming a snap connection 6 and thus locking the upper part 2 with the male foot elements 5. The outer wall 7 of the outer female foot part 4 encloses the outer male foot part 5 with the inner wall 11. Also shown in this cross-section are the ribs 12 of the outer female foot part 4. Due to the outer wall 7 and the inner wall 11, the foot element 8 has a double wall, which reinforces the foot elements. This largely prevents damage to the foot elements caused by a forklift truck being hit or falling down.

FIG. 5D shows a cross section as described in FIG. 5C through an outer foot element from FIG. 5B, an outer foot element being shown which is arranged in the middle of the transverse side of the plastic pallet. This cross section shows two snap connections with four male snap connection elements with flakes 6b and two female snap connection elements, each with two recesses 6a.

FIG. 5E shows a detail from FIG. 4 on the underside of a foot element 8, which is arranged in the corner of a plastic pallet. The underside 10 of the outer wall 7 of the outer female foot part 4 forms, together with the underside of the outer female foot part 5 of the runner 3, an aerofoil 9. The outer female foot part 4 has a cutout 14 for runners 3. With the exception of the recess 14, the outer wall 7 of the outer female foot part 4 completely surrounds the outer male foot part 5. On the underside of the foot element 8 has the underside 10 of the outer wall 7 in the shape of a U. Thus, the outer wall 7 protects the foot element 8 on all three sides, which would come into contact with the forklift truck's forklift truck during transport. In particular, the entire foot element 8 is protected by the outer wall 7.

FIG. 5F shows a section from FIG. 5A as described in FIG. 5E on the underside of a corner foot element 8. The underside 10 of the outer wall 7 is shown, which with the underside of the outer male foot part 5 and the connecting piece 13 of the runner 3 has a wing 9 forms. Also shown are the ribs 12 'of the upper part 2 and the view from below of the snap connections 6.

Figures 1 -5 show a possible embodiment of the invention, this embodiment having three longitudinal runners and the outer foot elements are arranged along the short transverse side of the plastic pallet. For the purposes of the invention, further designs are also conceivable with more than three runners in different arrangements. For example, a plastic pallet with five or six runners is possible, with each runners each having two outer male foot parts and a middle male foot part. For example, a pallet of this type is possible with five runners, three of which run in one direction and only two in the transverse direction along the sides of the pallet. Or a pallet with six runners is possible, the runners being arranged as three transverse runners and three longitudinal runners, so that the forklift can transport the pallet both from the long side and from the short side. A plastic pallet with three transverse runners is also conceivable, the outer foot elements then being arranged along the long longitudinal side. In addition, each foot element can have any number of snap connections in different arrangements. Reference symbol list

1 plastic pallet

2 top

3 outer runners

3 ‘middle runner

4 outer female foot part

4 ‘middle female foot part

5 male foot part

5 ‘middle male foot part

6 snap connection

6a female snap connector with recess

6b male snap connector with flakes

7 outer wall

8 outer foot element

8 ‘middle foot element

9 wing

10 underside of the outer wall

1 1 inner wall

12 ribs of the foot parts

12 'ribs of the top

13 Skid connector

14 recess for runners

15 Recess for the reinforcement tube

Claims

1 . Plastic pallet (1) with an upper part (2) provided with outer (4) and middle (4 ') foot parts and with runners (3, 3') provided with outer (5) and middle foot parts (5 '), the foot parts (4 , 4 ') of the upper part and the foot parts (5, 5') of the runners (3, 3 ') can be fastened to one another by means of a snap connection (6), characterized in that the outer (4) and middle (4') foot parts of the Upper part (2) are designed as female foot parts and the outer (5) and middle (5 ') foot parts of the runners (3, 3') are designed as male foot parts, the male foot parts (4, 4 ') being plugged together with the female foot parts (4, 4'). 5, 5 ') form foot elements (8, 8'), the female foot parts (4, 4 ') having an outer wall (7) which in each case surrounds the male foot part (5, 5'), and the outer part Wall (7) of the outer female foot part (4) extends over the entire fleas of the outer male foot part (5), so that the outer male feet Outer parts (5) of the runners (3, 3 ') can be pushed completely into the outer female foot parts (4) of the upper part (2) such that the outer wall (7) of the outer female foot part (4) together with the runners ( 3, 3 ') forms a wing (9).

2. Plastic pallet (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the underside (10) of the outer wall (7) of the outer female foot part (4 ″) is flush with the underside of skids (3, 3 ″).

3. Plastic pallet (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the male foot parts (5, 5 ') of the runners (3, 3') have an inner wall (1 1) with ribs (12), which act as spacers serve between inner wall (1 1) and outer wall (7).

4. Plastic pallet (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each of the foot elements (8, 8 ') has one or two pairs of snap connection elements (6a, b).

5. Plastic pallet (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the female foot parts (4, 4 ') of the upper part (2) in one piece with the upper part (2) and the male foot parts (5, 5')) are integrated in one piece with the runners (3, 3 ').

6. Plastic pallet according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the male foot parts (5, 5 ') of a single runner (3, 3') separately from the male foot parts (5, 5 ') of the other runners in the female Foot parts (4, 4 ') of the upper part (2) can be pushed.

7. Plastic pallet according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the outer male foot parts (5) and the middle male foot part (5 ') of the runner (3, 3') via a connecting piece (13) with a honeycomb-like lattice structure are connected.