ES2227080T3 - MULTIPLE USE PALLET. - Google Patents

Abstract

The pallet consists of lower (1) and upper (5) decks joined by blocks (8). The upper deck has a raised rim (6) round at least part of its periphery, and the lower one has a series of bosses (3) at its corners and along some of its cross-members (2). The bosses are positioned to prevent side slip between two pallets stacked with facing lower decks.

Description

Multi-use pallet

The present invention aims at a pallet of multiple uses.

It is known that, in general, it is designated under the term "pallet" supports made in various materials, such as wood, metal or plastic material, which are intended to support loads so that they can be lifted and easily move with the help of a fork carriage.

These pallets are frequently constituted by an upper floor and a lower floor, joined by blocks to allow the carriage forks to pass between them elevators or transpallets. It is also known to perform the lower floor in the form of sleepers that join the lower parts of different blocks.

It is also known to place on the periphery of the upper floor a vertical flange that delimits a surface liable to receive a polarity of conditioning or of containers of smaller dimensions, such as those they know with the name of "vats Gaul".

The object of the present invention is to carry out a pallet that can be indifferently or placed on the ground to receive the forks of an elevator car, serving as support for a plurality of containers, such as known by the name of Galia vats, eventually overlapping in several layers, or be placed on top of a plurality of said containers to keep the latter in position, being in the same position as in the lower pallet or in position turned.

Also, the pallet according to the invention is such that if the bottom floor of a pallet is applied against the bottom floor of another pallet, these two pallets cannot move laterally one relative to the
other.

A pallet that presents the characteristics of preamble of claim 1 is known from the document US-A-4,000 704.

This pallet that has no lower floor it also has the characteristic of having to be placed rotated on a stack of containers arranged on a pallet bottom to hold them.

The characteristics of the pallet according to the invention which constitute the object of claim 1.

The first embodiment of the invention, the projections are arranged in the four corners of the floor lower as well as for example along at least some of the sleepers that join the blocks to constitute the ground lower.

According to the invention, the spaces left between the projections are located in the vertical of the walls of the containers of different sizes that can be stacked on the pallet so that they keep them laterally.

The pallet object of the patent allows the easy use of pallets while avoiding any risk of tipping of containers between sleepers that they constitute the bottom floor of a pallet arranged on top of a container stacking.

It is known, in effect, that the forks of pallets are introduced between the two floors, thanks to some small diameter rollers that should easily cross the lower floor sleepers, owing the total height of the transpalet forks be less than relatively tall small space that exists between the two floors.

The currently used pallets that do not they comprise projections, they have lower sleepers of a thickness which is sufficiently reduced to be franked by pallet rollers, while being sufficiently resistant to withstand the mechanical stresses that are imposed to the pallet.

Now, the fact of placing according to the invention protrusions that form protrusion below the lower floor has as a consequence rise above the I ground the upper face of the bottom floor sleepers, which it makes them difficult to reach through the rollers of the transpallets, and constitutes an inconvenience that hinders the displacement of pallets of this type with the help of pallet trucks

According to the invention, it is advantageous make the pallet of injection molded plastic material, by example high density polyethylene or other material that presents Similar mechanical characteristics.

According to a first variant of the invention, the sleepers that deform to allow the rollers to pass transpalettes do not understand, at this point, bumps on their part bottom and have beveled edges, so as to allow coupling of the transpalet rollers and that can deform and flex when the passage of said rollers takes place.

According to this variant, the middle part of the naughty flexes as a whole, enough to allow the passage of the roller of the pallet truck, but without it being mandatory that The central part of the sleeper rests on the ground.

In another variant of this embodiment, it is possible to perform, according to the edges of the sleepers that must be crossed by the rollers of the transpalet, parts in the form of ailerons that are attached to the body of the sleeper by an area of smaller thickness, so that they pivot to be able to constitute a ramp for the passage of the rollers.

For this, it is also possible to make a short groove perpendicular to the edge of the sleepers, on both sides of the Roller pitch for easy flexion.

According to another variant of the invention, under the sleepers, protuberances of lesser height than allow a deformation of the sleepers down that, although of minor importance, however, allows the rollers to pass the pallets, because of the bevels that are made in the upper edges of the sleepers.

It is noted that the pallet according to the invention can be used in a very varied way ensuring sustainability side of a stack of pallets and receptacles such as Galia vats, while also allowing the use of pallets whose rollers can, despite the bumps, enter on the bottom floor sleepers.

In order to show more clearly the invention will now be described by way of illustration and without no limiting character, several embodiments given to title of examples and represented in the attached plans, in the which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a overlapping pallets according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a overlapping pallets according to another embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 3 is an elevation view that It represents the superposition of two sets of Galia cuvettes each held by a pallet according to the invention provided in its lower part and a pallet according to the invention arranged in its part high;

- Figure 4 is a schematic view that shows how according to the invention the rollers of a transpallet can cross the floor sleepers thanks to its deformation,

- Figure 5 is a schematic view of the right corresponding to figure 4;

- Figure 6 is a sectional view that it represents another embodiment of the crossbar of the floor;

- Figure 7 is a sectional view of another embodiment in which the floor sleepers have some bumps of height less than the bumps that are arranged under the blocks so as to allow flexion of the naughty enough however so that it can be franked by the rollers of a transpalet; Y

- Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of a sleeper on the floor that has ailerons to allow by its deformation the postage of the rollers of the transpalet.

Four pallets have been shown in figure 1 according to the invention, stacked on each other, whose bottom floor 1 It consists of two sleepers that present in their part lower protuberances 3.

The ground is also seen in figure 1 upper 5 of the pallet that is constituted by a flat surface provided with flanges 6 that when stacking takes place they house in the peripheral recesses 7 of the contour of the lower floor of the upper pallet that is thus held.

The lower floors 1 and upper 5 are joined for a series of blocks 8.

Another mode of embodiment of the pallet according to the invention.

At the bottom of the pallet stacking represented in figure 2, are the elements of the Figure 1 with, in addition, on the bottom floor two sleepers 4 arranged on the smaller sides of the pallet and joining the sleepers 5 that are parallel to the major sides of the pallet.

It has been schematically represented in the figure 3 how four pallets A, B, C, D such as those described with reference to figures 1 and 2 can be used to hold and transport a stack of containers of minors dimensions, such as for example a Galia cuvettes.

To do this, a first one is placed on the ground pallet A on which a stack of Galia 9 pails is arranged, whose shapes are determined to allow assembly essentially corresponding to the horizontal surface of the pallet TO.

As indicated above, flange 6 located at the top of pallet A laterally supports the layer bottom of the Galia 9 cuvettes that hold each other to the top layer on which a second pallet B is placed in rotated position, that is with the flange 6 directed downwards of so that it frames the upper end of the Galia cuvettes that They constitute the last layer.

In this way a stack of Galia cuvettes that are held laterally and that can be easily displaced with a forklift or a pallet truck whose Forks are introduced in the spaces between the blocks 8 of pallet A.

According to the invention, the bumps arranged at the bottom of a pallet have shapes and positions such that it is possible to apply one over the other two pallets B, C so that the protuberances of a pallet are located between the protuberances of the other pallet which ensures a lateral support of the two pallets B, C one with respect to the other.

A second has been represented in Figure 3 stacking of cuvettes Galia 9 which as in the first stacking are held at the top by the head flange of a pallet D, which has been rotated as pallet B.

It is noted that thanks to this provision is possible to stack at will a plurality of Galia buckets that are arranged between two pallets of which one is turned and superimposed said assemblies so that they are transported at once with a forklift or a pallet truck.

It can also be seen in figure 3 that for to obtain this result it is necessary to have 3 bumps in the bottom of the bottom floor 1 of each pallet in the absence of what which pallets B and C would not be in solidarity with respect to lateral efforts of one with respect to the other.

The bumps in question also work, when a pallet is arranged on top of a stack of buckets Gaul in the same orientation as pallets A and C, to hold laterally the Gaul cells in the stack. The bumps 3 They are arranged inside the upper ends from the walls of the Galia cuvettes.

The shape and arrangement of the bumps arranged below the bottom floor may be different from those represented whenever they allow on the one hand, the support side of the different types of containers that should be stacked and on the other hand, can laterally support two pallets applied against each other in an inverted position.

The existence of the arranged bumps according to the invention under the bottom sleepers has as consequence of raising the bottom floor sleepers which It makes difficult its postage by the rollers of the transpalet.

It has been schematically represented in the figure 4 how this problem has been solved according to one embodiment Particular of the invention.

It is found again in figure 4 the crossbar 4 schematically represented in cross section.

To allow the roller 10 of a transpalet to cross the crossbar 4 of the pallet, bevels 4 are made on both sides of the crossbar 4 which is made of a plastic material such as high density polyethylene having sufficient deformation capacity to allow that the side parts of the crossbeam sink in the direction of the ground when the roller of the transpallet is inserted over the crossbar as shown in 10 a , 10 b , 10 c in Figure 4.

It is found in figure 5, which is a view from the right of figure 4, the upper floor 5 of the pallet, the blocks 8, the protuberances 3 and the crossbar 4 with its bevels 4 a .

It has been schematically represented in strokes interrupted the position adopted by the edge of the sleeper 4 when the passage of the roller 10 of a transpalet takes place.

In the embodiment represented in Figures 4 and 5, the stiffness of the central part of the crossbar is sufficient to deform slightly, while its edges 4 a deform to allow the passage of the roller 10.

In a variant, it is possible to allow the central part of the crossbar 4 to sink at the same time as its edges 4 a to facilitate the passage of the roller 10 of the transpallet.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6, in which the edges of the cross member 4 also have a bevel 4 in addition to a recess 4 c arranged for example in its lower part to confer a greater capacity for flexibility downwards. in order to facilitate the postage of the sleeper 4 by the rollers of the transpallet.

In the embodiment of Figure 7, the crossbar 4 is included, which comprises the beveled edges 4 a but which also has protrusions 3 a in its lower part which, although ensuring to a lesser extent the lateral support of two pallets arranged one on top of the other upside down or some Galia cuvettes on which the pallet rests, allow the crossbar 4 a downward deformation that is sufficient to ensure its postage by the rollers of a transpalet thus avoiding too important bends of the plastic material that builds the pallet .

This embodiment fulfills a compromise between the lateral support made by the protrusions 3 a and the efforts that are imposed on the sleepers when the rollers pass, efforts that are limited by the support of the protuberances 3 a on the ground .

In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, which is a view from above, the blocks 8 and the crossbar 4 which are provided in the vicinity of their ends of two recesses 4 d that facilitate the downward flexion of the side parts of the sleeper when the passage of the transpallet roller takes place.

It is evident that the embodiments that have been described above are only given by way of illustration and that they may receive any desirable modifications without thereby departing from the framework of the invention.

Claims (8)

1. Multi-purpose pallet of the type comprising an upper floor (5) comprising a flange (6) in at least a part of its periphery, the pallet having a plurality of protuberances (3) in its lower face arranged in such so that two pallets arranged above and below a stack of containers (9) such as Galia pails hold this stack laterally and that two pallets (B, C) arranged lower face against lower face are integral with respect to lateral forces, characterized in that the upper floor (5) is connected by blocks (8) to a lower floor (1) constituted by sleepers (2, 4) whose lower face constitutes the lower face provided with the protrusions of the pallet, and because at least some of These sleepers (2, 4) of the lower floor have a deformability in their parts that must be crossed by the rollers (10) of a transpallet, so that this deformation allows the introduction of the ro transpalet dillos in the interval between the two floors (1, 5) of the pallet. 2. Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the protuberances (3) are arranged in the four corners of the lower floor (1) as well as for example along at least some of the sleepers (2) joining the blocks for constitute the bottom floor. 3. Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spaces left between the protuberances (3) are located in the vertical of the walls of the containers (9) of different sizes that can be stacked on the pallet so as to support them sideways. 4. Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of injection molded plastic material, for example high density polyethylene or another material having similar mechanical characteristics. 5. Pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the sleepers (4) that are deformed to allow the passage of the rollers of the transpalet have their beveled edges (4 a ), so that they can flex when the passage of the rollers takes place. of the transpalet. 6. Pallet according to claim 5, characterized in that the edges of the sleepers (4) that must be crossed by the rollers of the transpallet are provided with parts (4 b ) in the form of ailerons that are joined to the central part of the sleeper by a zone of smaller thickness (4 c ), so that they pivot to constitute a ramp for the passage of the rollers. 7. Pallet according to any of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that recesses (4 d ) perpendicular to the edges of the sleepers are made on both sides of the passage of the rollers to facilitate bending of the edges. 8. Pallet according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the lower part of the sleepers comprises protrusions (3 a ) of lower height than the other protuberances (3) to allow deformation of the central part of the sleepers downwards limiting this deformation and because the protuberances (3 a ) rest on the ground.