ES2389394T3 - Friction elements pallet - Google Patents

Abstract

Pallet (1) formed from a plastic material, the pallet (1) comprising a substantially flat upper cover (2) intended to carry articles and support elements (4) to support the upper cover (2), being mounted about friction elements (20) in openings (10) in the upper cover (2) to increase friction between the pallet (1) and any spike of a fork lift, each of the friction elements (20) extending below of the upper cover (2) and comprising an upper part forming an upper collar (21), a lower part and a relatively narrow middle part (23) between said upper part and said lower part, characterized in that the lower part forms a collar bottom (22), because each opening (10) comprises a central part with a narrowing shape arranged to cooperate with a respective middle part of a friction element (20), because each opening (10) comprises a super part ior presenting a widened part (11) with a lower flange (12), and because each upper collar (21) of each friction element (20) is housed in said respective widened part (11) of said openings (10) and it comprises a flange (25) that rests on the flange (12) and the lower collar (22) is supported with a flange (26) against a flange (13) provided on the bottom surface of the cover.

Description

Pallet with friction elements.

Background

The present invention relates to a pallet with friction elements, according to the preamble of claim 1. JP 03289444 A discloses a pallet with friction elements corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1.

A pallet with friction elements is disclosed in EP 1 440 893 in the name of the current applicant. This pallet has friction elements that are arranged in the openings in the cover to increase friction between the pallet and the spikes of a fork lift. The friction elements do not protrude above the upper surface of the pallet cover.

Summary of the invention

The invention has the purpose of improving the current pallets.

Another purpose of the invention is to improve the placement of objects on the pallet. The objectives of the invention are achieved as disclosed in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The friction elements and the friction means provide friction between the pallet and the articles placed on it. In particular, these pallets are used to support piles of bottle boxes. To this end, the friction elements and the friction means are provided on the one hand to fix the bottle boxes on the surface of the pallet, and on the other hand, the friction element provided on the lower cover, for example, is designed especially to also establish a pallet with bottle boxes on top of another pallet with bottle boxes. To this end, the friction element provided on the lower cover is extended in such a way that it is gripped with the circumference of the flange of the bottle boxes stacked on a pallet provided below.

The friction element provided on the lower cover also provides a wear-resistant part, to prevent the lower surface of the pallet from wear.

In one embodiment, the friction elements introduced into the openings of the upper cover comprise an upper collar, a lower collar and a middle part, the opening comprising a central part and the diameters of the collars being larger than the diameter of the central part near said collars.

In one embodiment, the friction surface of the friction elements provided in the upper or lower cover is provided with grooves to divert the water, in one embodiment one or both surfaces have a profiled appearance to divert the water that it is trapped between this surface and a surface resting on it, like a barbed surface.

In one embodiment, the friction means have a pyramidal shape, and in another embodiment they have a regular base plane with lateral portions extending parallel to the ribs, and in another embodiment the friction means are approximately 1.5 to 10 mm high.

In one embodiment, the friction elements provided in the lower cover extend beyond the lower surface of the pallet.

In one embodiment, the pallet is substantially rectangular and is provided with friction elements in the vicinity of or in the corners.

In one embodiment, for example, one of the aspects of the invention, the pallet has a central hole that extends through the upper surface and the entire pallet, and in another embodiment the diameter of the hole is approximately 10 to 20 cm

A combination of the features of the aspects of the invention provides a pallet comprising friction elements and friction means that together fix bottle boxes on the pallet, even in the case of an impact and an inclined position thereof. In addition, it stabilizes a stack of several pallets all loaded with bottle boxes. Also the bottle boxes can be stacked in different arrangements on the pallet.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a pallet and the parts thereof comprising one or more of the characteristics indicated in the description and / or represented in the attached drawings, and / or a method comprising one or more of the characteristics indicated in the description and / or represented in the attached drawings.

The various aspects discussed herein may be combined to provide additional advantages, and / or these aspects may form a basis for a divisional patent application.

Brief description of the drawings

A further description of the invention will be provided with reference to an embodiment of a pallet represented in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a schematic perspective view of the upper surface of an embodiment of a pallet;

Figure 2 represents a schematic perspective view of the lower surface of an embodiment of the pallet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 represents a detail of a friction element;

Figure 4 represents the detail of an opening in the upper cover for a friction element;

Figure 5 represents the detail of a friction element in the opening of Figure 4;

Figure 6 represents an example of a friction element;

Figure 7 represents an example illustrating the openings and other friction means on the top cover, and

Figure 8 represents an example illustrating the detail of a friction element provided in the lower cover.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Pallet 1 illustrated by way of example only in Figures 1 and 2 in perspective from above and in perspective from below (as well as other embodiments according to the present invention) is preferably formed from a thermoplastic material or other polymeric material and preferably, but not necessarily, it is performed by an injection molding process. Technical materials can be used, as well as a synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene with an added load to make the resin more rigid. It is contemplated that the pallet disclosed herein may be manufactured by several different molding techniques and different manufacturing processes applicable to the design and selected materials, including but not limited to blow molding, thermoforming, molding vacuum, etc. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the material in which the pallet according to the present invention is made may include materials that are not mixtures of plastics or polymers, and may include metallic materials, such as aluminum and tin. The pallets present aspects and technical characteristics that are part of the current description of the patent. In addition, the illustrated pallet and its parts may have design characteristics and / or a specific form that may be the subject of design rights.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, pallet 1 comprises an upper cover 2 and a lower cover 3 and both have an upper and lower surface. The upper cover 2 provides an upper pallet surface and the lower cover provides a lower pallet surface. Preferably, the covers 2 and 3 have a rectangular shape with rounded corners, but can have other shapes, including but not limited to a square, circular, triangular or other shapes as desired or according to the needs of their use and application . In general, pallet 1 is symmetrical around a central line. Preferably the upper surface of the upper cover 2 consists of a substantially flat surface on which items (not shown) can be carried. The upper cover 2 and the lower cover 3 are connected by support elements 4, which preferably form a single piece with both covers. Between the support elements 4 the openings 8 can receive the spikes of a fork lift or similar device.

As can be seen, the upper surface of the upper cover 2 is constituted by a structure of interconnected ribs 30, see also Figures 3 and 4 in detail. This provides an open structure that is very strong and lightweight. In addition, the open structure allows deep cleaning of pallet 1. In addition, the pallet can be provided with a label (not shown).

In addition, the pallet is provided with friction elements 20 in the upper cover 2, which will be described in greater detail below.

In the central part of the pallet 1, a through hole or open space 9 can be provided, as illustrated in this embodiment. Said hole 9 can have the following functions. Bottle boxes can be stacked on pallet 1 such that the central opening 9 is left uncovered. Therefore, a free central axis (such as a tube or gutter) remains open. Therefore, when several pallets are stacked one on top of the other, a free shaft is left extending from the top to the bottom. This axis allows the material that can end up on a loaded pallet to fall and not stay on top of the pallet.

In accordance with the present invention, openings 10 are provided in the (upper) cover. The friction elements 20, which will be described in greater detail below with reference to Figures 3 to 6, can be accommodated in these openings 10 in order to increase the friction between the pallet 1 and the spikes of a fork lift. The increased friction prevents the pallet from moving while being transported on the truck, and even prevents it from sliding off the spikes. As can be seen, the openings 10 are illustrated in the embodiment defined by tubular elements (see Figure 4) that form a single piece with the upper cover

2. The openings 10 are arranged in rows that form an acute angle (in the illustrated embodiment, the angle is approximately 45 °) with respect to the barbs. In this way, the friction elements can be contacted from two substantially orthogonal directions.

It is noted that a similar arrangement of openings and friction elements could be made in the lower cover 3. However, it is usually not necessary.

The example of the friction element 20 illustrated in detail in Figures 5 and 6 has an upper part forming an upper collar 21, a lower part forming a lower collar 22 and a relatively narrow middle part 23. The upper collar is housed in an enlarged part of 11 of a respective opening 10 and extends above the upper surface of the cover 2. The upper collar 21 rests with its flange 25 on a flange 12 provided in the opening 10. Preferably the friction element 20 It is substantially cylindrical, that is, it preferably has a substantially circular cross-section. However, a rectangular, hexagonal or other cross-section would also be viable.

As can be seen, the upper part of the friction element 10 extends beyond the opening 10 or above the upper surface of the cover, which helps prevent the sliding or displacement of the articles, such as bottle boxes, which are stacked on pallet 1.

The lower collar 22 of the friction element 20 rests against the lower surface of the cover 2, the lower part of the friction element being disposed beyond, that is, below the opening 10. When resting with its flange 26 against the flange 13 on the lower surface of the cover, the risk of pushing the friction element 20 into the opening 10 where it would be less effective is considerably reduced.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lower collar 22 is wider than the upper collar 21. This is advantageous because the lower collar of the friction element helps support the covers on the tines and therefore should be relatively large. The upper collar serves to prevent the displacement, for example, of the bottle boxes stacked on the pallet 1. However, it can be understood that the lower collar and the upper collar could have a substantially equal width, or even that the upper collar It could be wider than the bottom collar.

However, a relatively narrow upper collar helps to introduce the friction element into the opening 10 from the part under the cover 10. This introduction from below, which can be carried out by a robot or manually, is particularly suitable for friction elements with a relatively wide bottom. In order to facilitate this introduction to a greater extent, the friction element (the upper part) may be provided with a layer of grease or soap. In fact, the diameter of the upper collar 21 in an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 is almost equal to the diameter of the middle part that narrows 23 near the lower collar 22. Therefore, the friction element 20 can be introduced in an opening 10 as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 and remain in position, even during heavy use.

The embodiment of the friction element illustrated in Figure 6 is similar to that of Figure 5 with the exception of the grooves 24 provided on the friction surface provided to rest on the spikes. Therefore, the water that may be between the friction element 20 and a spike will not form a slippery film of water.

In the embodiment of the pallet according to the invention illustrated in Figure 1, friction means 31 are provided in the upper cover 2 in order to retain the bottle boxes on the surface of the upper cover and prevent its sliding.

The height of the friction means 31 can be adapted to certain items to be carried on the pallet. For example, the height of the friction means 31 can be approximately 1.5 to 10 mm. In this embodiment the friction means are pyramidal. This has been shown to provide reasonable compensation between vulnerability and sufficient grip. The friction means are arranged at the junctions of the ribs 30. Therefore the means are striated. They are injection molded in one piece with pallet 1. The arrangement of said friction means at such regular intervals allows working with different sizes of piles of bottle boxes on the pallet, with different shapes and arrangements.

Likewise, said friction means 31 can be provided in the lower cover 3, and therefore, can be provided in the same manner as illustrated. Therefore, the friction means 31 extend beyond the bottom surface of the pallet. In this way it helps to fix a pallet on top of another arranged below that is stacked with bottle boxes.

Other friction means are illustrated in Figure 8. In this embodiment, friction elements 40 are provided in the corners of the rectangular pallet 1. These friction elements 40 are made of a rubber type material, such as natural or artificial rubber. . Likewise, said friction elements 40 can be made in other materials. Such materials prevent the sliding of pallet 1 on a surface. A part 41 of the friction element 40 extends beyond the lower surface of the lower cover 3. Normally the friction elements 40 are independent elements that are placed in a pressurized position. They can be manufactured similarly to friction elements 20. In another embodiment, they can be manufactured in a 2K molding process, in a single molding stage after molding the rest of the pallet. In another molding process, the friction elements are molded together in the same mold. An advantage of placing friction elements 40 a

5 pressure or with clamp on the bottom cover is that they can be replaced when worn. In fact, the friction elements 40 prevent wear due to the abrasion of the lower surface of the pallet 1 against the street surface. In addition, the extending part is arranged so that it falls between the walls of a bottle box stacked on an identical pallet arranged below. Therefore, a stack of loaded pallets is more stable.

Also, it will be apparent that the description and drawings above are included to illustrate some embodiments of the invention, and not to limit the scope of protection. From this disclosure, many more embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which are comprised in the scope of protection and the essence of the present invention, and which are obvious combinations of prior art techniques and the disclosure of this patent.

Claims (12)

1. Pallet (1) formed from a plastic material, the pallet (1) comprising a substantially flat upper cover (2) intended to carry articles and support elements (4) to support the upper cover (2), being friction elements (20) mounted in openings (10) in the upper cover (2) to increase friction between the pallet (1) and any spike of a fork lift, each of the friction elements (20) extending below the upper cover (2) and comprising an upper part forming an upper collar (21), a lower part and a relatively narrow middle part (23) between said upper part and said lower part, characterized in that the lower part forms a lower collar (22), because each opening (10) comprises a central part with a narrowing shape arranged to cooperate with a respective middle part of a friction element (20), because each opening (10) comprises a part thereof Perior having an enlarged part (11) with a lower flange (12), and because each upper collar (21) of each friction element (20) is housed in said respective enlarged part (11) of said openings (10) and it comprises a flange (25) that rests on the flange (12) and the lower collar (22) rests with a flange (26) against a flange (13) provided on the lower surface of the roof.

2.

Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the diameter of the upper collar (21) is almost equal to the diameter of the middle part that narrows near the lower collar (22).

3.

Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the friction elements (20) comprises a friction surface with grooves (24) to divert the water or a profiled surface to divert the water.

Four.

Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises friction means (31) formed in one piece from the plastic material injected from the pallet.

5.

Pallet according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper cover (2) is constituted by a plurality of interconnected ribs (30), and the friction means (31) comprise pointed extensions that extend above the substantially flat cover and are formed at the junctions of the interconnected nerves (30).

6.

Pallet according to any of claims 4 and 5, wherein said friction means (31) have a pyramidal shape, with a height between approximately 1.5 and 10 mm.

7.

Pallet according to claim 5, wherein said friction means (31) have a rectangular base plane with sides extending parallel to the ribs (30).

8.

Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is substantially rectangular and is provided with the friction means in its corners or in the vicinity thereof.

9.

Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also has a central hole (9) that extends through the upper cover and the entire pallet.

10.

Pallet according to claim 9, characterized in that the central hole (9) has a diameter between approximately 10 and 20 cm.

eleven.

Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a lower cover

(3)

 substantially flat to provide a lower pallet surface, said lower cover being engaged

(3)

 to the upper cover (2) by means of the support elements (4) and comprising friction elements (20) that are mounted in openings (10) in the lower cover (3) to increase friction between the pallet (1) and any barb of a fork lift, each friction element (20) extending above the lower cover (3), said friction elements (20) comprising an upper part forming an upper collar (21), a lower part which it forms a lower collar (22) and a relatively narrow middle part (23) between said upper part and said lower part, each opening (10) comprising an upper part having a widened part (11) with a lower flange (12), and because each upper collar (21) of each friction element (20) is housed in said respective enlarged part (11) of said openings (10) and comprises a flange (25) that rests on said flange (12).

12. Pallet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed by injection molding.