FR2743781A1 - Load handling and storage pallet - Google Patents

Abstract

The pallet has rectangular panel (50) with cardboard lugs (40) attached to the face of the panel. The lugs are formed on at least two strips of lugs (35). The strips are each formed by a sheet (10) of corrugated cardboard fixed on the panel at least by connecting parts (24). The lug strips can have at least two lugs, each formed as a parallelepiped which is open at two sides. Two sides of each lug are perpendicular to the plane of the panel.

Description

PALLETS
The present invention relates to pallets for handling, and / or storage of the type of those which comprise a rectangular plate intended to support a load, and feet or studs located at least at the corners of the plate to allow the passage of the forks of a handling machine, to lift and move the pallet and the load it supports.

 We have already proposed, for example in documents FR-A-2 286 066 and its addition FR-A-2 324 527, a handling pallet comprising a tray, in which each leg comprises two corrugated cardboard flaps perpendicular to the tray, and a sleeve for holding these flaps in this position. Each flap has a second flap, perpendicular to the first flap and to the plate, so as to internally maintain the first flap in its position.

 Such an arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring the formation of slots or cutouts in the tray, which adversely affect the rigidity of the latter if it is also made of corrugated cardboard. In addition, the manufacture of such a pallet can only be manual, which increases the cost price of the pallet.

 Document FR-A-2 304 532 also discloses a handling pallet, comprising a tray consisting of a blank of corrugated cardboard and cut to form parts of the tray and folded strips constituting housings for the feet, a plate of cardboard provided with windows corresponding to the housing of the feet being placed on the plate so that the housing enters the windows, and side members being introduced into the housing to form the feet themselves and ensure the locking in relative position of these various constituents.

 This embodiment has the same drawbacks as above, namely a lack of rigidity of the pallet plate and the impossibility of automating its manufacture. In addition, the cutting of the cardboard blank gives rise to significant cardboard scraps, which further increases the cost of the pallet.

 The present invention is placed in this context and its object is to provide a handling pallet of the type defined above, in which the plate is free from slots or cutouts for fixing the studs, so as to guarantee the rigidity of the plate if the latter is also made of cardboard, the pads being made of corrugated cardboard causing only minimal drops, and in a manner that can be fully automated, ensuring good mechanical strength of the pads and a reduced cost of the pallet thus produced.

 To this end, the present invention relates to a handling pallet comprising a rectangular tray and cardboard pads attached to one face of the tray.

 According to the invention, the pads are formed on at least two stud bars each obtained from a blank of corrugated cardboard and fixed on the plate at least by connecting parts.

 According to a characteristic of the invention, the stud bar comprises at least two studs, each stud having the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped open on two faces, three faces of the stud being perpendicular to the plane of the plate.

 Preferably, two of the faces of the stud perpendicular to the plane of the plate consist of a double thickness of corrugated cardboard.

 According to an advantageous embodiment, each stud is obtained by folding a reinforcing part of the blank, the reinforcing part comprising a central part adjoining a main strip of the blank, and two wings arranged on either side of the middle part.

 Preferably, the faces of the double thickness pad are obtained by fixing the wings of the reinforcing part on lateral parts delimited between two plies of the main strip of the blank, and a sole can be fixed on at least two bottom parts of the studs parallel to the plane of the plate.

 Another object of the invention is to propose a method for manufacturing a handling pallet.

According to this process,
- a blank of corrugated cardboard is cut to form a main strip and reinforcing parts adjoining the main strip by a middle part on either side of which the wings are arranged,
- fold lines are formed perpendicular to the axis of the main strip to delimit lateral parts, connecting parts, end parts and bottom parts in the main strip, and to delimit the wings of the part middle in the reinforcement part, and fold lines parallel to the axis of the main strip to delimit the middle part of the bottom part,
- the wings of a reinforcing part are folded towards one another,
- the middle part is folded with respect to the bottom part,
- the side parts are folded relative to the connecting and bottom parts;
- the side parts are fixed on the wings, and
- The connecting and end parts are fixed on one face of a plate.

 Such a method can also include the additional step of fixing a sole on the bottom parts.

Other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows of an exemplary embodiment given by way of illustration, with reference to the appended drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank of corrugated cardboard, cut out, for the implementation of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a plan view of two blanks of FIG. 1, arranged head to tail,
- Figure 3 is a schematic view of the first step of a process for shaping the cardboard blank of Figure 1
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the second step of the process for shaping the cardboard blank of FIG. 1,
- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a detail of the blank of Figure 1 shaped using the method of Figures 2 and 3
- Figure 6 is a perspective view of the assembly of the blank of Figure 1 shaped using the method of Figures 2 and 3
- Figure 7 is a perspective view of a variant of the assembly of the blank of Figure 1 shaped using the method of Figures 2 and 3
- Figure 8 is a perspective view, from below, of a handling pallet made using the assembly shown in Figure 6 ;;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an assembly as shown in FIG. 6, and
FIG. 10 is a perspective view, from below, of a handling pallet produced using the assembly shown in FIG. 9.

 Referring now to the figures, there is shown in Figure 1 a blank of corrugated cardboard, generally designated by the reference 10 consisting of a main strip 12, of width L, of general axis XX ', and at which are contiguous with at least two reinforcing parts 14, three in the example shown, all identical, and of width R. These reinforcing parts 14 are intended to form support pads for the platform of a pallet, as will 'explain further.

 More precisely, each reinforcing part 14 comprises two wings 16, of axial length L, and arranged on either side of a middle part 18, which is alone adjacent to the main strip 12.

 In Figure 1, the dashed lines show the fold lines. Thus, each reinforcement part 14 has two interior fold lines "a", perpendicular to the axis XX ′, and located between the middle part and the reinforcement parts 16.

 Two interior fold lines "b", perpendicular to the axis XX, are formed on the main strip 12 parallel to the lines "a", and spaced apart by an axial distance D equal to the axial length M of the determined central part 18 by the axial distance between the lines "a", increased, in the example shown, by twice the thickness of the corrugated cardboard constituting the blank 10.

 The fold lines "b" define between them, on the main strip 12, a bottom part 20. Two external fold lines "C", perpendicular to the axis XX, are formed on either side of the part bottom 20, at a distance R from the fold lines "b", the lines "b" and "c" delimiting between them lateral parts 22. Between two fold lines "c", the blank 12 has a flat part of connection 24, of axial length P. The blank 12 also has, between a fold line "c" and each of its ends, an end portion 26, of axial length E. Finally, an interior fold line "d ", parallel to the axis XX ', is formed between the bottom part 20 and the middle part 18.

 As shown in FIG. 2, we see that by arranging head to tail two blanks as just described, we can cut from a strip of cardboard with a total width equal to k (R + RL), where k is greater than or equal to 1, two blanks such as 10A and 10B while not causing substantially any cardboard drop. The only falls that are likely to occur are represented by the hatched zones C on the left of FIG. 2, between two pairs of head-to-tail blanks 10A, 10B on the one hand, and 10C, 10D on the other hand.

 By a judicious choice of the dimensions L, R, M, D, P and E, it will be possible to obtain that these zones C have a minimal surface, and even zero. There will therefore be no falls in the cardboard strip when cutting the blanks from the cardboard strip, and, therefore, the use of the cardboard used to form blanks will be maximum, consequently, a minimum cost of raw materials.

 It will be understood from reading the above how the invention can be implemented. Once the blank 10 has been cut and the fold lines "a" to "d" formed simultaneously in a first work station, as explained with reference to FIG. 1, the blank arrives at a second work station. work which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3.

 In this second station, the wings 16 are folded towards each other with respect to the middle parts 18 along the fold lines "a", in the direction of the arrows A.

Simultaneously or subsequently, the middle part 18 is folded along the fold line "d" relative to the bottom part 20, in the direction of the arrows D.

 During one and / or the other of these operations, nozzles 30 deposit glue on the lateral parts 22, by a process known under the name of "hot melt" Then, as shown in the figure 4, the lateral parts 22 of the main strip 12 are folded relative to the connecting parts 24 and bottom 20, then pressed on the corresponding wings 16 to be fixed therein using jacks 32, for example pneumatic, only the end cylinders having been shown in Figure 4. To facilitate this operation, a template 34 is disposed between the wings 16 to prevent their deformation. Provision may also be made for the wings 16 to be held flat, for example by suction, against a jig 34.

 This pressing operation inducing a reduction in the total length of the blank, since the latter is then folded along the lines "b" and "c", it is necessary to provide a relative movement of approximation between two successive jigs 34. In the case where the blank comprises, as in the example shown, three reinforcing parts, or may provide that the central template 34 is fixed, and that the templates 36 and 38 on each side of the central template 34 are moved one towards each other, each at a distance equal to substantially three times the axial length R of the lateral parts 22. Similarly, if the blank has only two reinforcing parts, provision may be made for one of the templates to be fixed and that the other is moved by distance 3R during the pressing operation.

 There is thus obtained, after these assembly operations, a studded bar 35 or 35 ′, designated as a whole by the reference 35 in FIG. 6 or 35 ′ in FIG. 7, comprising one or two connecting parts 24 between respectively two or three studs 40, formed as seen above. Each pad 40, shown in more detail in Figure 5, in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, open on two sides, and whose sides have dimensions L, R and D, to the thickness of the cardboard. These dimensions can advantageously be chosen so that the studs 40 constitute cubes, so as to obtain an optimal mechanical strength of the stud. Such studs are then called dice.

 The studded bar 35 or 35 'or dice obtained as just explained, is then ready to be fixed to a rectangular plate 50 to constitute a handling pallet, as shown in FIG. 8 , the pallet being seen from below.

Advantageously, the tray 50 is also made of corrugated cardboard, which further reduces the cost of the pallet thus produced. Depending on the dimensions of the tray, we can choose to use two bars with two studs or three bars with three studs, as in Figure 8. In addition, the different dimensions of the blank blanks 10 will have been chosen for the length of the bars with studs obtained either close to, or slightly less than, the length of the side of the plate 50 to which they are parallel.

 Preferably, each studded bar 35 or 35 ′ is fixed to the plate 50, by gluing or stapling the connecting parts 24, to the lower face of the plate 50. The end parts 26 can also be fixed to the lower face of the plate 50 by gluing or stapling.

 After this final assembly, each stud has only one open face. Preferably, the bar will be oriented in such a way that this open face is turned towards the center of the plate 50, as can be seen in FIG. 8, the central bar, in the case of an odd number of bars, being able to have any orientation.

 It can also be seen in FIG. 5 that the connection between the plate 50 and the bottom part 20 is ensured by three faces of the stud 40 perpendicular to the plane of the plate 50, two faces of which are made of a double thickness of cardboard. It follows that the support of the plate 50 is provided by five thicknesses of cardboard, which guarantees the mechanical resistance of the pad 40. In addition, whatever the direction of the flutes of the corrugated cardboard constituting the blank 10, it can be seen that these flutes are crossed on the two double faces, consisting of parts 16 and 22 glued one on the other. As a result, the mechanical strength of these double faces is further improved.

The resistance can be increased at will by increasing the number of cardboard thicknesses.

 For example, it was thus possible to produce pallets, provided with a tray of standard dimensions, that is to say 1200 mm by 800 mm or 1200 mm by 1000 mm, which can support without high loads.

 A handling pallet has therefore been produced, the plate of which does not require any slits or cut-outs for fixing the support pads, and which therefore has maximum rigidity. The support pads have excellent mechanical resistance to compression thanks to five thicknesses of cardboard, including two double thicknesses of corrugated cardboard with crossed grooves. The cut necessary for the production of these pads only involves minimal cardboard drops, or even zero. The production of these studs being fully automated, the studded bar 35 or 35 'obtained, as well as the pallet produced, presents an extremely reduced cost.

 If the handling pallet according to the invention is likely to be placed on loose soil, or if pallets provided with their loads are called to be stacked, provision may be made to associate each stud bar 35 or 35 'with a sole 60, rectangular strip, with a length close to the adhesive of the studded bar 35 or 35 ′, and of width equal to the width L of the main strip 12 of the blank 10.

 The sole 60 can be a wooden slat, or other equivalent material. It is fixed to the bottom portions 20 parallel to the plane of the plate 50 by gluing or stapling, before or after the studded bar 35 or 35 ′ has been fixed on the plate 50.

According to yet another variant (not shown), the soles 60 can be arranged perpendicular to the studded bars, so as to bring together the bottom portions 20 of studs 40 of different studded bars and contribute to increasing the rigidity of the pallet. The advantage of this type of pallet is then to be able to be stored on racks.

 We could even use only one sole common to all studded bars, such a sole then consisting of a rectangular plate of dimensions identical to those of the plate 50. We then obtain a reversible pallet, which we can use the sole as a tray if it is damaged, or vice versa.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments which have been described, but it is on the contrary liable to receive numerous modifications which will appear to those skilled in the art. Thus, for example, provision may be made to form the studs 40 by stapling the parts 22 and 16 to one another. Similarly, the number of layers of corrugated cardboard can be chosen according to the dimensions of the final pallet or the maximum load it will be called upon to bear, and that this number of layers and the direction of the grooves may be different for the plate 50, for the blank 10 having to constitute the studded bar 35 or 35 ', and for the sole 60, whether the latter is a strip associated with a single studded bar 35 or 35' or a rectangular plate associated with the assembly studded bars.

 Likewise, it is possible to reinforce the studs and increase their resistance to crushing by inserting an additional panel which is placed diagonally inside the stud. This panel can be a flap extending one of the wings 16 and which is folded towards the inside of the stud.

 According to another embodiment, also not shown, the stud is further reinforced by providing two flaps extending the wings 16 which form its fourth lateral face and thus close the stud.

Although we have represented and described what we currently consider to be the
preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is evident that the sum of
Art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of
the present invention as defined below.

Claims (10)

 I) Handling and / or storage pallet comprising a rectangular tray (50) and pads (40) made of cardboard attached to one face of the tray (50), characterized in that the pads (40) are formed on at least two stud bars (35, 35 ') each obtained from a blank (10) of corrugated cardboard and fixed on the plate (50) at least by connecting parts (24).  2) Handling and / or storage pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the stud bar (35, 35 ') comprises at least two studs (40), each stud (40) having the shape of a parallelepiped rectangle open on two faces, three faces of the stud (40) being perpendicular to the plane of the plate (50).  3) Handling and / or storage pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that two of the faces of the stud (40) perpendicular to the plane of the plate (50) consist of a double thickness of corrugated cardboard.  4) Handling and / or storage pallet according to claim 3, characterized in that each stud (40) is obtained by folding a reinforcing part (14) of the blank (10), the reinforcing part (14) comprising a middle part (18) adjoining a main strip (12) of the blank (10), and two wings (16) arranged on either side of the middle part (18).  5) Pallet handling and / or storage according to claim 4, characterized in that the faces of the stud (40) of double thickness are obtained by fixing the wings (16) of the reinforcing part (14) on side parts (22) delimited between two folds (b, c) of the main strip (12) of the blank (10).  6) Handling and / or storage pallet according to claim 5, characterized in that a sole (60) is fixed on at least two bottom parts (20) of studs (40) parallel to the plane of the plate (50) .  7) Pallet handling and / or storage according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixing is obtained by gluing.  8) Pallet handling and / or storage according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the fixing is obtained by stapling.  9) A method of manufacturing a handling and / or storage pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:  - a blank (10) of corrugated cardboard is cut to form a main strip (12) and reinforcing parts (14) adjoining the main strip (12) by a middle part (18) on either side of which are arranged wings (16).  (50).  - the connecting parts (24) and end (26) are fixed on one face of a plate  - the lateral parts (22) are fixed on the wings (16), and  - the side parts (22) are folded relative to the connecting (24) and bottom (20) parts; ;  - The middle part (18) is folded with respect to the bottom part (20);  - the wings (16) of a reinforcing part (14) are folded one towards the other  - fold lines (a, b, c) are formed perpendicular to the axis (XX) of the main strip (12) to delimit lateral parts (22), connecting parts (24), parts of end (26) and bottom parts (20) in the main strip (12), and to delimit the wings (16) of the middle part (18) in the reinforcement part (14), and fold lines ( d) parallel to the axis (X-X ') of the main strip (12) to delimit the middle part (18) of the bottom part (20)  10) Method according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises the step  additional fixing of a sole (60) on the bottom parts (20).