ES2890682T3 - pallet protector - Google Patents

Abstract

Pallet protector (6, 7) comprising a front plate defining one or more openings (10) intended, when in use, to overlap one or more corresponding openings in a pallet (1), wherein the pallet protector pallet (6, 7) comprises two or more clamping structures extending from the front plate adjacent to respective opposite sides of the or each opening, characterized in that the clamping structures are elastically arranged to grip the pallet (1) , to thus help retain the protector (6, 7) with respect to the pallet (1), and the front plate is elastically flexible and is arranged so that bending the front plate causes the two holding structures to move or separate together to facilitate the assembly of the protector (6,7) on the pallet (1), and when releasing the front plate it is allowed to return to its original configuration, causing the fastening structures to separate or come together to establish a clamping on e the pallet (1) on which the protector (6, 7) has been placed.

Description

DESCRIPTION

pallet protector

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a pallet protector; to a pallet equipped with a pallet protector; and to a method of placing a pallet protector on a pallet.

Background of the invention

Wooden pallets are widely used for the transport of goods.

In order to extend the service life of wooden pallets and reduce maintenance costs, various types of pallet protectors have been proposed. Protectors typically comprise a face plate that is attached to each side face of a pallet to protect it from damage.

Patent WO2013/019276 describes molded plastic pallet protectors comprising a front plate with openings corresponding to the tine-receiving openings of the pallet on which the protector is to be placed. At least the top wall and the side walls extend rearwardly from the openings of the pallet protector and are inserted into the openings of a pallet when the protector is placed on a pallet. This is accomplished by placing the guard on a pallet so that the top and side walls extend into the openings in the pallet and then securing the guard to the pallet with screws.

There are several problems with this type of protector.

The top wall and side walls, while intended to protect the pallet, may, for some types of pallet, reduce the size of the openings in the pallet below an acceptable size. To account for manufacturing tolerances in pallet size and to ensure that the guard will fit all acceptable variations in pallet size, the outside dimensions of the walls should reflect the minimum possible size of openings on the pallet This compounds the problem of reducing the size of the opening and, for many pallets, means that there is some clearance between the outside of the walls and the pallet.

This causes shifting between the guard and the pallet, which can make it difficult to properly align the two before the guard is attached to the pallet. It also means that where the top wall does not make contact with the inside of the pallet opening when the guard is installed, the guard could move when the pallet is lifted by a forklift, as a significant load can be transferred from the guard to the pallet. through the guard.

Patent DE10139551A1 presents lateral elements with retaining clips, which can embrace the outer sides of the corner base blocks at both ends of the narrow side of a pallet. The retaining clips fold at right angles from a band-shaped side surface at both ends. The lateral element is formed by a strip of sheet metal approximately 1.5 mm thick, the width of which corresponds to the height of the narrow lateral surface of the pallet.

The side member is secured to the pallet not only by the clamping force of the spring clips on the corner foot blocks, but also by the positive engagement of the clamp clip ends which are arranged to protrude from each other. yes to fit behind the corner foundation blocks.

Patent CA1287806C describes a pallet protector comprising a front plate and openings that overlap the openings of the pallet. The pallet protectors are mounted to the pallet by means of arms projecting below the pallet from the face plate, the arms being fixed to the pallet blocks by means of a suitable fastening means.

Embodiments of the present invention have taken these problems into account.

Summary of the invention

A first aspect of the present invention describes a pallet protector comprising a front plate having one or more openings adapted, when in use, to overlap one or more corresponding openings of a pallet The pallet protector comprises two or more gripping structures extending from the faceplate adjacent to respective opposite sides of the or each opening, and being resiliently arranged to grip the pallet, thereby helping to retain the protector. next to the pallet, and the front plate is elastically flexible and arranged so that bending the front plate causes two clamping structures to move or separate together to facilitate fitting of the protector to the pallet, and when the front plate is released, it it returns to its original configuration, causing the clamping structures to be separated or brought together to establish a clamping on the pallet on which the protector has been placed.

The provision of resilient clamping structures greatly facilitates mounting the protector to a pallet, as they will grip the pallet while allowing for variations in the actual dimensions of the pallet within manufacturing tolerances. This makes it easy to put on the protector before the fasteners are placed. Furthermore, the elastic and supportive nature of the structures means that the protector needs to contact fewer surfaces on a pallet to be properly installed than prior art protectors. This allows for shield designs that minimize intrusion into pallet openings.

The front plate may comprise a substantially flat rear face intended, when in use, to be adjacent and/or in contact with a pallet. The front plate may also comprise a front face that is substantially flat and substantially parallel to the rear face. The outer edge of the face plate may correspond in shape to the outer edge of a side face of the pallet on which it is to be placed.

The fastening structures may extend from the rear face and may comprise a first part extending substantially perpendicularly from the rear face, and a second part extending from one end of the first part at an oblique angle to the first part. . The angle can be between 20 and 70 degrees or between 30 and 60 degrees. The first part may be intended to be adjacent but spaced from an edge of an opening in a pallet, and the second part is intended to extend into contact with that edge. The first part may comprise a wall. The second part may comprise a plurality of fingers.

When in use, two clamping structures may be arranged to contact opposite sides of a part of a pallet, such as a block lying between two openings in the pallet, to thereby grip the part between the two structures. In this arrangement, the two holding structures may form an inner pair of holding structures.

When in use, two holding structures may be provided, respectively contacting spaced apart opposite surfaces of parts of a pallet, such as spaced adjacent blocks on either side of an opening in a pallet or spaced blocks defining sides to different openings. on a pallet, to grab it that way.

The holding structures may be disposed adjacent respective opposite lateral sides of the or each opening. The or each opening may be substantially rectangular. It can be defined by borders on all four sides or on three sides.

The corner locating structures may extend from the faceplate at at least some corners of the openings to facilitate placement of the protector on a pallet. The corner locating structures may be at least substantially spaced apart from the holding structures to allow them to move relative to each other.

The pallet protector can be formed in one piece from a resilient plastic material, for example by injection moulding. The ability of the attachment structures to grip elastically may be a consequence of the inherent elasticity of the material from which the protector is formed.

Another aspect of the present invention describes a pallet equipped with one or more pallet protectors according to the first aspect.

The pallet may comprise one or more blocks and each support means of the protector or each protector may come into contact with a block. Where each fastening means comprises a first part that extends from the front plate and a second part that extends from the first part to a free end, with at least one section of the second part in contact with a block, the latter being able to be first separate part of the block.

The pallet may define at least one elongated substantially rectangular tine receiving opening with the short sides of the rectangle forming lateral sides of the opening and the front plate of the protector may define at least one rectangular opening corresponding to that of the pallet. The holding structures can be arranged adjacent the short sides of the opening in the faceplate and enter the opening in the pallet. They can only enter the opening or each opening on the pallet adjacent to the short sides of the opening or each opening.

The pallet protector may not enter the opening or each opening in the pallet adjacent to the majority of the length of any of the longest sides of the opening or each opening to minimize any reduction in the available height over which the opening can be accessed.

Some, all, or substantially all of the outer edges of the pallet protector may be sized and shaped to extend substantially parallel to, but slightly inset from, the corresponding outer edges of the face of the pallet on which the protector is installed.

Another aspect of the present invention includes a method of installing a pallet protector according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of:

- flexing the front plate in a curved configuration;

- locating the faceplate on a pallet such that at least two support structures extend adjacent to opposite structures on the pallet; Y

- allow the faceplate to return to its original configuration.

This allows the clamping structures to be inserted into the pallet without coming into contact with it, or bringing it too close, but still allowing the clamping structures to be securely clamped to the pallet. This allows the guard to be fixed in place, for example with screws or other fasteners, without having to hold the guard in position relative to the pallet.

The method may comprise the steps of flexing the faceplate so that a portion of a rear face of the faceplate disposed between two holding structures assumes a convex configuration to separate the two holding structures, placing the protector on a pallet so that the structures rest on each side of a part of the pallet, like a block, and allow the faceplate to return to its original configuration so that the support structures grip the part of the part of the pallet.

The method may comprise the steps of flexing the faceplate so that a portion of a rear face of the faceplate disposed between two holding structures assumes a concave configuration to move the two holding structures toward each other, positioning the protector in a pallet so that the frames meet between spaced-apart opposing surfaces of parts of the pallet, such as sides of blocks, and allow the faceplate to return to its original configuration so that the clamping frames contact the two surfaces , thus grasping the pallet.

The faceplate can be flexed so that a part of the faceplate assumes a convex configuration and another part of the faceplate assumes a concave configuration at the same time. In one embodiment where the faceplate comprises an inner and an outer pair of clamping structures, it flexes into a one-and-a-half wave configuration so that the rear face is convex between the inner pair of clamping structures and concave. between the outer and inner pairs of structures.

Detailed description of the invention

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, one or more embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pallet.

Figure 2 is a perspective view, from the front, of a first type of protector for use with the pallet of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, from behind, of the protector of Figure 2.

Figures 4a-e are front, back, top, bottom and side plans respectively of the protector of figure 2 (with figures 4b, c and d showing only half of the protector).

Figure 5 is a perspective view, from the front, of a second type of protector for use with the pallet of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view, from behind, of the protector of Figure 5.

Figures 7a-e are front, back, top, bottom and side plans respectively of the shield of Figure 5 (with Figures 7b, c and d showing only half of the shield).

Figures 8 ad are plan views, partially cut away, of the pallet of Figure 1 showing the stages of installation of the protector of figure 5.

Figure 9 is a perspective view, from above, of the pallet of Figure 1 equipped with protectors of the types shown in Figures 2 and 5.

Figure 10 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a sectional view showing an enlargement of a center and side block of the pallet of Figure 9 from above.

Figure 12 is a partial vertical cross-section, partially broken away, through a larger opening on the nominal 1200 side of the pallet of Figure 9.

Hereinafter, the terms top, bottom, front, back, and similar terms, are used to refer to items in the orientation shown in the accompanying drawings, which is the orientation in which they are normally intended to be used, but they should not be understood in a limiting way.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a wooden pallet 1. The actual type of pallet illustrated is a standard rectangular European flat wooden pallet, with four inlets and nominal dimensions of 800mm x 1200mm. The pallet 1 is made up of three substantially parallel and uniformly spaced elongated base plates 2 approximately 1200 mm in length.

The vertical and upper corners of the long edges of the board are chamfered. Each base plate 2 supports three blocks 3, two end blocks, one positioned at each opposite end, and a central block in the middle of the length of the plate. The blocks 3 have a generally rectangular cuboid shape with their vertical corners chamfered. Three elongated boards known as stringers 4 extend substantially at right angles to the base boards, each supported on three blocks 3, one on each of the three base boards 2. The stringers are approximately 800mm long.

Five top boards 5 are supported on spikes 4 which extend substantially at right angles to the stringers and evenly spaced across the stringers from one end to the other. The various components of the pallet 1 are secured to each other by fasteners. Pallets of this type are well known and will therefore not be described in more detail.

The protectors for the lateral faces of pallet 1 are shown in figures 2 to 7. There are two types of protectors, the first 6, shown in figures 2 to 4, for mounting on the 1200 mm sides of pallet 1 and the second 7, shown in figures 5 to 7, for mounting on the 800mm sides of pallet 1.

Both types of protectors are elastically flexible and molded from a single piece of plastic material. A suitable material is a polypropylene copolymer, such as that sold under the name PP PHC27 by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.

The first type of protector 6 comprises a substantially rectangular elongated front plate. When the protector is mounted on a pallet, the front face 8 is visible and the rear face 9 rests on the pallet. The contour shape of the faceplate corresponds to the nominal contour shape of the flat part of the 1200mm side of the pallet, except that the corners are curved. The protector is sized so that its outer edges fall within the corresponding edges of a pallet, ie its dimensions are less than the corresponding minimum allowable dimensions of the pallet.

This reduces the risk of the protector separating from a pallet on which it is fitted, for example by contact with a fork of a fork-lift vehicle or by adjacent pallets rubbing against each other. The rear face 9 is substantially flat. The front face 8 is substantially parallel to the rear face 9 except that at its outer edges the front face curves gently through 90 degrees to form a side edge which meets the rear face 9 substantially at right angles to the rear face.

Three rectangular openings are formed in the front plate, two substantially identical larger openings 10 and a smaller opening 11 positioned between them. The edges of the openings are substantially parallel to the corresponding outer edges of the faceplate.

The larger openings 10 are sized and positioned so that when the protector is placed on the pallet, the side edges of the openings are substantially parallel to, but just inside, the side edges of the openings on the side of the pallet defined by the openings. blocks, and the top and bottom edges of the openings in the protector are substantially flush with the top and bottom edges of the openings in the pallet, defined by the top and base boards, respectively. The larger openings 10 allow the tines of a forklift truck or other lifting device to be inserted through the shield into the pallet.

The smaller opening 11 is sized and positioned to overlap the center block 3 on the face of the pallet, allowing any indicia or other markings on the block to show through the opening.

The shield is substantially symmetric about a vertical axis extending through the center of the smaller opening 11.

The upper edge 12 of the larger openings 10 is substantially straight and meets the front and rear tracks of the faceplate with rounded curves, such that the edge has a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the faceplate.

The lower edge of the larger openings 10 has a central angled section 13, which extends over approximately half the length of the edge, delimited by substantially straight sections 14. A rearwardly projecting rectangular lip 15 extends substantially at right angles from the rear face 9 of the faceplate adjacent to the straight sections 14 of the lower edge, thus providing a rim with a greater depth than the upper edge 12. The struts Right angle triangles 16 extend between the bottom of the rim 15 and the rear face 9 to support the rim 15. The depth of the shelf is approximately 5% of the height of the larger openings 10.

In the central section 13, a rectangular strip of the front plate parallel to its edge, forms an angle away from the front face 8, so that the free end of the edge of the front plate is in line with the free edge of the shelf. 15, and the bottom of the angled portion is in the plane of the edges of the struts 16. Thus, when viewed from the front, the bottom edge of the larger rectangular openings has a depth greater than the thickness of the front plate and a chamfered central region.

The chamfered/angled center region makes it easy for the pallet jack feed wheels to ride smoothly over the edge of the pallet base boards. Substantially straight sections on either side of the central chamfered/angled region provide a greater faceplate depth which strengthens this portion of the faceplate and provides a larger surface area in which openings 23 can be formed to accept fasteners 24. (as detailed later).

At the end of each straight section of the lower edge away from the beveled region there is a slight step 17 in the edge as it approaches the corner of the opening 10. A wall extends rearwardly from the stepped portion of the lower edge, substantially to the right, and at an angle to the rear face 9 of the front plate. The wall extends along the stepped portion of the bottom edge, around the corner of the opening, and rises up the side edge of the opening, but less than it extends along the stepped portion, so which is partly arched and partly straight. The concave surface of the arched part of the wall is flush with the inner edge of the opening. The wall features a corner locator 18, the function of which is described below.

A corner locator 19 also extends substantially perpendicularly from the rear face 9 of the faceplate at each of the corners between the side and top edges 12 of the larger openings 10. Each of these corner locators 19 is formed by an arched wall that is symmetrical around the corner, with its concave surface flush with the inside edges of the opening.

Extending substantially at right angles from the rear face 9 of the adjacent front plate and flush with each side edge of each larger opening is a side wall 20 which is substantially trapezoidal in shape. Each of the side walls extends over most of the length of each side edge between, but spaced apart from, the walls forming the corner locators 18, 19 so that there is an elongated space extending between the walls. sides and corner locators that increase in width from the rear face 9 of the front plate.

This facilitates independent movement of the sidewalls relative to the corner locators. The side walls are approximately the same height as the corner locators. Extending from the free end of each side wall 20 are five substantially trapezoidal fingers 21.

The fingers 21 are generally flat, approximately the same thickness as the side wall 20 at their base, where they connect to the wall and taper in both thickness and width towards their free ends. The fingers 21 extend in a plane at an oblique angle to the wall so that the fingers extending from the side walls on opposite sides of each opening extend away from each other towards their free ends. The oblique angle can be in the range of 15 to 30 degrees, but other angles are possible. In one embodiment, the angle is about 10 degrees.

The side walls 20 extend more than 80% of the length of the side edges of the larger openings 10, and extend back from the rear face 9 of the front plate for a distance of approximately 20% of the height of the largest openings 10, thus being significantly greater than the depth of the rim 15. The fingers 21 extend from the ends of the sidewalls a distance of at least half the height of the sidewalls.

The sidewalls and fingers form inner and outer pairs of clamping structures, the function of which is described below.

A bead 22 is formed around the edge of the smaller opening 11 in the front face 8 of the faceplate. Counter-drilled openings 23 are formed in the faceplate, for inserting fasteners, with the larger perforation opening towards the front face 8 of the faceplate. There is one in each corner of the faceplate. Another is located approximately one quarter of the way along each long edge of each larger opening from the end of the edge, between the opening and the outer edge of the faceplate. Therefore, in total, there are 12 counter-drilled openings.

The second type of protector effectively has a subset of the features of the first type. Corresponding features of the second type of protector are identified in the drawings by the same reference numerals as those of the first type.

In particular, the second type of shield has no faceplate extending below the larger openings 10, so the openings are only delimited on three sides, and the short sides are stepped to increase the width of the opening. to its open side. Consequently, the lower corner locators of the first type of protector are omitted.

The side edges of the openings in the second type of protector are also shorter than those in the first type and are therefore the side walls 20, which therefore only carry four fingers 21 instead of five. The side walls are also substantially rectangular rather than trapezoidal.

In the second type of protector ten counter-perforated openings 23 are formed. Four are spaced across the top edge 12 adjacent to that edge with one located towards each outer corner of the shield. There is one located along each outside edge of each opening about halfway down that edge. Two are located at the respective lower outer corners of the shield and the remaining two adjacent to the lower corners of the faceplate are between the two openings. There is no other opening in the faceplate between the two openings and therefore there is no equivalent to the smaller opening 11 through the first type of shield 6. When in use, the shields are placed on the sides of the pallet . An adjustment procedure is shown in figures 8a to 8c and is the same for each type of protector.

In a first stage, a protector flexes in a curved configuration where at least the central part of its rear face 9 is convex as shown in figure 8a. This increases the distance between the free ends of the inner pair of holding structures.

In a second stage, the central region of the protector is positioned on one side of the pallet such that each of the inner pair of clamping structures is inserted into a respective opening in the pallet such that the clamping structures are located on opposite sides. respectively from a central block of the pallet. At this stage, corner locators 18, 19 at one or both ends of the internal support structures help to position the protector vertically with respect to the pallet.

In a third step, at least the central part of the protector is allowed to return to its original configuration, with a substantially flat front plate. This causes the inner pair of fasteners to push towards each other, gripping the center block of the pallet, retaining the shield relative to the pallet.

In a fourth step, the protector is flexed so that at least part of the rear face 9 of the protector extending on each side of its center to its lateral edges is concave, as shown in figure 8b. This reduces the distance between the free ends of the outer pair of holding structures.

In a fifth step, the outer edges of the protector are positioned on the pallet such that one of each of the outer pair of support structures is inserted into a respective opening in the pallet, such that each support structure is located adjacent to each other. an inner edge of a respective outer block of the pallet.

In a sixth stage, the protector is released allowing it to return to its original configuration, with a substantially flat front plate. This causes the outer pair of clamping members to be pushed away from each other to grip the outer blocks 3 of the pallet, further retaining and positioning the shield relative to the pallet. Corner locators on one or both ends of the outer support structures also help position the protector vertically with respect to the pallet.

In a seventh stage, fasteners 24, such as screws or tacks, are inserted through the perforated openings 23 in the pallet to further secure the shield in place. It will be noted here that the counter-punched openings 23 are positioned so that when the shields are mounted on a pallet, they lie on the solid structure of the pallet which is suitable for accepting a fastener.

The process is then repeated to place protectors on the remaining three sides of the pallet, or two or more protectors could be placed on the pallet simultaneously.

In an alternative procedure, the first through sixth stages are consolidated into two stages. In the first stage, the pallet protector is flexed in a triple bend, typically a "w" or one and a half wave shapes, so that the rear face 9 of the faceplate assumes a concave curve between the clamping structures inside and outside and a convex shape forms between the internal holding structures as shown in figure 8d. This serves to simultaneously separate the inner pair of holding structures and bring the outer pair of holding structures closer together.

The shield thus configured can be placed on the pallet in a further step, inserting the four clamping structures into the holes in the pallet, before releasing the shield and allowing it (at least partially) to assume its original shape.

The face plate of the pallet is thicker and therefore more rigid than the clamping structures, in particular the fingers of those structures. Therefore, when the shield is placed in front of a pallet in a curved state and is subsequently released, the faceplate will return to a substantially flat configuration.

This pushes the clamping structures into contact with the blocks 3 of the pallet and can cause the clamping structures, and in particular the fingers 21, to deform slightly, keeping them in contact with the blocks 3.

The first procedure is suitable for manual installation of protectors, while the second, which requires more complex bending of the protector, is more suitable for automated or at least tool-assisted installation.

Figures 9 to 12 show a pallet 1 and parts of a pallet on which protectors have been placed. On the nominal 1200mm sides of Pallet 1, the protector is placed over the entire flat surface of Pallet 1, stopping at the beveled corners of the end blocks. Corner locators 18, 19 are located adjacent to the inside edges of the top and base boards and side blocks.

The bottom of the angled portion of the faceplate that forms the center of the bottom edge of each larger opening follows the shape of the chamfered edge of the baseplate. The fingers 21 of the holding structures contact the sides of the blocks, separating the wall portion 20 of the holding structures from the blocks.

On the nominal 800mm side of pallet 1, the protector is located on the flat surface of pallet 1 below the top boards 5.

Provide a pallet protector with clamping structures that elastically grip blocks on a pallet helping to hold a pallet protector in place after assembly, facilitating subsequent assembly of fasteners, while accommodating variations in dimension of the pallet due to manufacturing tolerances and by protecting the sides of the pallet block from damage during use. The provision of corner locators helps locate the protector on a pallet, particularly vertically, but allows the top and bottom edges of the openings in the pallet to be substantially free of obstruction. This reduces the risk of the guard being damaged by fork tines or other equipment.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims (15)

1. Pallet protector (6, 7 ⁾ comprising a front plate defining one or more openings (10) intended, when in use, to overlap one or more corresponding openings in a pallet (1), in which the pallet protector (6, 7) comprises two or more gripping structures extending from the front plate adjacent to respective opposite sides of the or each opening, characterized in that the gripping structures are resiliently arranged to grip the pallet ( 1), thus helping to retain the protector (6, 7) with respect to the pallet (1), and the front plate is elastically flexible and is arranged so that bending the front plate causes the two clamping structures to move or separate together to facilitate the assembly of the protector (6,7) on the pallet (1), and when releasing the front plate it is allowed to return to its original configuration, causing the fastening structures to separate or come together to establish a restraint on the pallet (1) on which the protector (6, 7) has been placed. 2. Pallet protector (6, 7) according to claim 1, in which the front plate comprises a substantially flat rear face (9) intended, when in use, to be adjacent to the pallet (1) and the fastening structures they extend from the posterior face (9). 3. Pallet protector (6, 7) according to claim 2, in which the fastening structures comprise a first part that extends substantially perpendicularly from the rear face (9) and a second part that extends from one end from the first part at an oblique angle to the first part, where optionally, the first part comprises a wall (20) and the second part comprises a plurality of fingers (21). Pallet protector (6, 7) according to any of the preceding claims, in which two gripping structures are arranged, when in use, to come into contact with opposite sides respectively of a part of the pallet (1) to grip thus the part between the two structures, and/or in which two clamping structures are arranged, when in use, to come into contact with respective spaced-apart opposing surfaces of portions of the pallet (1) so as to grip the pallet . 5. Pallet protector (6, 7) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the openings in the front plate is defined by edges on at least three sides. 6. Pallet protector (6, 7) according to any of the preceding claims, in which one or more openings (10) in the front plate are rectangular and the corner locating structures (18, 19) extend from the plate front in at least some corners of the openings (10), the corner locating structures being intended, when in use, to be received in an opening in the pallet, so as to facilitate the placement of the protector (6, 7 ) on the pallet (1). Pallet protector (6, 7) according to any of the preceding claims, in which the pallet protector (6, 7) is molded in one piece of elastic plastic material. 8. Pallet (1) equipped with one or more pallet protectors (6, 7) as claimed in any preceding claim. 9. Pallet (1) according to claim 8, comprising one or more blocks (3) in which each securing means of the protector or of each protector (6, 7) contacts a block (3). 10. Pallet (1) according to claim 9, wherein each fastening means comprises a first part that extends from the front plate and a second part that extends from the first part to a free end, and where at least a section of the second part contacts a block (3), the first part is separated from the block (3). 11. Pallet (1) according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the pallet (1) defines at least one elongated rectangular tine receiving opening with the short sides of the rectangle forming lateral sides of the opening and the front plate of the protector (6, 7) defines at least one rectangular opening (10) corresponding to that of the pallet (1) and in which the fastening structures are arranged adjacent to the short sides of the opening (10) in the front plate and enter the opening of the pallet (1). 12. Pallet (1) according to claim 11, in which the holding structures only enter the opening or each opening of the pallet (1) adjacent to the short sides of the opening or each opening, and/or where the pallet protector (6, 7) does not enter the opening or each opening of the pallet (1) adjacent to most of the length of any of the longest sides of the opening or each opening. 13. Method for installing a pallet protector (6, 7) according to any of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of: - flexing the front plate in a curved configuration; - positioning the front plate in front of a pallet (1) so that at least two support structures extend adjacent to the opposite structures of the pallet (1); Y - allow the faceplate to return to its original configuration. 14. Method according to claim 13, comprising the steps of flexing the front plate so that a part of the rear face of the front plate disposed between two holding structures adopts a convex configuration so as to separate the two holding structures, locating the protector (6, 7) in front of a pallet (1) so that the structures rest on both sides of a part of the pallet (1) and allow the front to return to its original configuration so that the fastening structures grab the part of the pallet (1). 15. Method according to claim 14, comprising the steps of flexing the front plate so that a part of a rear face (9) of the front plate disposed between two holding structures adopts a concave configuration to move the two holding structures towards each other, position the shield (6, 7) in front of a pallet (1) so that the frames are between spaced opposite surfaces of parts of the pallet (1) and allow the faceplate to return to its original configuration, so that the clamping structures come into contact with the two surfaces, to thereby grip the pallet (1), and the step of flexing the front plate so that one part of the front plate adopts a convex configuration and another part of the front plate adopt a concave configuration at the same time.