FR3002210A1 - PALLET AND DISPLAY CONSISTING OF AN ASSEMBLY OF SUCH PALLETS - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pallet (200), in particular, a pallet for transporting plants (P) and which can also be used for the manufacture of a display ( 100) for plant handling and plant presentation (P) at the point of sale, the pallet (200) comprising a floor (R) provided to support the mass of the plants (P), said floor resting on feet (280) for lifting it off the ground (S) to allow handling of the pallet by a hoist. According to the invention the pallet (200) incorporates, in each foot (280), a first housing (L1) of vertical axis, in the sitting position on the floor of the pallet, opening from above and intended to receive the lower end of an upright (300b), a second housing (L2), coaxial with the first and opening at the bottom through said foot and which is intended to receive the upper end of a post (300a), at at least one closure wall (414, 294) forming a stop at the amount separating the two housings (L1, L21). We can then build a display by assembling the pallets using simple amounts, for example, boards. The height of a display can be optimized according to the height of the plants which it is required to support by cutting the said lengths to the right length. It is also possible to prepare two orders for two different customers and stack the two displays on the same transport column within the useful height of the transport vehicle. The pallet as such is used to prepare the customer order. When made of plastic and metal, the pallet remains reusable.

Description

The present invention relates to a transport pallet for handling plants, in particular for preparing orders and which can also be used for the manufacture of a pallet for the transport of plants and the presentation thereof on a selling location.

To present plants at a point of sale, it is known to use a display called "Danish roll" in the profession. This display consists of several superimposed trays, connected to their corners by uprights, and on which plants are placed, in the view of customers. The distance between two overlapping trays is adjustable to suit the height of the plants. The total height of the display is however fixed. Furthermore, the dimensions of this display do not comply with the transport standard type "Pallet Europe" meeting the requirements of NF-EN 13698-1 and NF-EN 13698-2, which poses a problem of filling trucks . It is still known, from GB2482926, a display consisting of a lower plate and superimposed upper trays and connected by separator tubes, all these components being made of paper fibers. Each tube consists of a first cylindrical section surmounted by a second section which is also cylindrical but of larger diameter. The first section is threaded from above the upper tier trays through a corner pocket to be inserted into the second section of another tube. The lower tier tray is provided with an elevation plate to move the display thus constituted by a forklift. The display is not reusable and two types of trays are necessary for its manufacture The applicant has sought to design a reusable pallet, likely to be used from the start of production of plants, which can facilitate the preparation of plant orders and which can still be used in the manufacture of a display of transport and presentation of plants to customers. For this purpose, is proposed a pallet transport intended, in particular, to the handling of plants and which can be used also for the manufacture of a display for handling said plants and the presentation of plants at the point of sale, the pallet comprising a floor designed to support the mass of the plants, said floor resting on feet intended to raise it off the ground to allow the handling of the pallet by a hoist; according to the invention, the pallet incorporates, in each foot, a first housing of vertical axis, in the sitting position on the floor of the pallet, opening from above and intended to receive the lower end of a post , a second housing, coaxial with the first and opening at the bottom through said foot and which is intended to receive the upper end of a post, at least one closure wall forming a stop to the amount separating the two housing. We can then build a display by assembling the pallets using simple amounts, for example, boards. The height of a display can be optimized according to the height of the plants which it is required to support by cutting the said lengths to the right length. It is also possible to prepare two orders for two different customers and stack the two displays on the same transport column within the useful height of the transport vehicle. The pallet as such is used to prepare the customer order. When made of plastic and metal, the pallet remains reusable. According to an additional feature of the invention, the second housing is flared towards its outlet to facilitate the stacking of a pallet of higher rank on the free ends of amounts inserted into the first housing of an immediately lower range pallet. The handling of pallets loaded, to build a display, can thus be mechanized, for example by the use of a forklift, because of the low precision required to stack a pallet of a higher rank on the amounts of a rank pallet immediately below. According to an additional feature of the invention, the first housing is made in an insert mounted in a foot. The insert, of relatively small dimensions, can be made by molding a plastic material, to obtain sufficient precision to maintain the amount it is required to receive. Stacking pallets is also facilitated. According to an additional feature of the invention, the second housing is made in the lower part of the foot. It is made during the manufacture of the foot and if necessary of the pallet.

According to an additional feature of the invention, a centering means joins the first housing and the second housing so as to position the insert perpendicularly with respect to the ground seat of the pallet on its feet. The accuracy of maintaining the amount in his home is further increased.

According to an additional feature of the invention, the centering means is formed of a conical positioning stud taking place in a ring. Positioning the insert by a conical centering on the second housing formed in the foot.

According to an additional feature of the invention, the outlet of the first housing is surrounded by a rim and the outlet of the second housing through each foot is enlarged, so as to allow the stacking of two pallets superimposed by the positioning of these expanded outlets respectively around the ledges. Pallets can be stacked and transported stacked and stably by a hoist. According to an additional feature of the invention, an amount is inserted into said first housing and a shim is inserted between said amount and said first housing. The use of wedges eliminates the play between the uprights and their respective housings. This stiffens the display thus built and also facilitates stacking. According to an additional feature of the invention, a wedge-shaped recess is dug in the first housing to cooperate with the wedge of a wedge-shaped geometry.

The wedge can flatten, and accurately, the amount on the opposite side to the corner. According to an additional feature of the invention, the pallet is formed of an outer frame made of wood, and supporting a floor, made of a thermoformed plastic material and feet made by injecting a plastic material in a mold and which are integral with said frame. This structure of the pallet gives it, at lower cost, the required mechanical strength. According to an additional feature of the invention, the pallet structure is formed by injecting at least one plastic material into a manufacturing mold. This pallet structure is suitable for large scale pallet manufacture.

According to an additional feature of the invention, the structure of the pallet is formed of at least one sheet of a thermoformed plastic material and at the corners of which are formed feet, an insert being housed in each foot. This structure of the pallet is relatively economical to implement.

A plant display stand is also part of the invention. It comprises at least two superposed pallets which are joined by uprights whose ends are inserted into the first and second housings, respectively of the two pallets. The display thus built can be used from the preparation of the customer's order until delivery and presentation at the point of sale. It is removable, easily transportable by stacking the pallets containing the amounts. It is reusable. The characteristics of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will appear more clearly on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment, said description being made in connection with the attached drawings, among which: FIG. . 1 is a perspective view of a display unit in its upright position of use according to the invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pallet for the manufacture of a display according to the invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pallet according to the invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective bottom view of a pallet according to the invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an upright and an insert for mounting in a pallet according to the invention, FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of two superposed pallets according to the invention, FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of a display according to the invention and FIG. 8 shows a sectional view of a foot of a pallet according to the invention. The display 100, shown in FIG. 1, is intended to be used in the field of horticulture. It has been designed to prepare plant orders in nurseries, greenhouses and to transport plant-laden plants to garden centers and other plant-based businesses where it can also be used to introduce plants to customers.

It is composed, in this FIG. 1, of a plurality of pallets 200 superimposed and joined in pairs by means of uprights 300. It rests on the ground via its pallet 200a of first rank. The pallets 200b of higher rank are identical to this pallet 200a of lower rank.

The pallet and display of the invention can also be used in other trades in which it is necessary to present or transport goods on several levels and this by avoiding that the goods of the higher level rely directly on the goods. goods of immediately lower rank, that is to say goods which can not be stacked directly on one another, and whose height may be variable. Each pallet 200 has a polygonal geometry and here rectangular in this FIG. 1. It comprises a floor R bounded at its corners by feet 280. These dimensions in top view are preferably as follows: 800 x 1200 mm, thus meeting the dimensional requirements of NF-EN 13698-1.

In FIG. 2, the pallet 200 is advantageously made of two sheets 210 and 260 made of a plastic material and these are shaped by thermoforming. They are then assembled together, for example by gluing. This sandwich structure of the pallet gives it the rigidity necessary to support the mass of several tens of kilos of plants in pots.

The topsheet 210 is formed of a bottom wall 212 surrounded by a rim 214 raised with respect to said bottom wall, considering the pallet in its use position shown in FIG. 2. The bottom wall 212 has on the surface a plurality of protuberances 216 facing upwards and which are intended, on the one hand, to stiffen its structure and, on the other hand, to allow the plant to be raised from the wall. bottom 212 so that water can stagnate on the sheet without the bottom of the pots containing the plants is immersed. Bosses 220 are formed projecting upwardly from the bottom wall 212, at the corners of the bottom sheet 260. They are traversed by openings 222 for the insertion of inserts 400.

The lower sheet 260 also consists of a bottom wall 262 surrounded by a flange 264. This bottom wall 262 is intended to be applied against the bottom wall 212 of the topsheet 210 to form the floor of the pallet. that is to say a tray capable of supporting the mass of plants. The flange 264 is provided to receive the rim 214 of said topsheet 210 after assembly of the two sheets which are then nested one inside the other. The bottom wall 262 has on the surface a plurality of ribs, pads 266, facing downwards and which are intended to stiffen the structure of the bottom sheet 260. In a first variant embodiment, not shown, metal stiffening blades however, are interposed between the two sheets to increase the rigidity under load of the pallet. In a second embodiment, not shown, the pallet is made of a single sheet of a thermoformed plastic material. In a third variant embodiment, not shown, the pallet is manufactured by injecting at least one plastic material into a manufacturing mold. In a fourth variant embodiment, not shown, the pallet is made of metal. Given the greater stiffness of the material used, it may comprise only one sheet. In a fifth embodiment, not shown, the pallet is formed of an outer frame made of wood, a floor forming a tray for supporting plants, made of a thermoformed plastic material and feet manufactured by injection of a plastic material in a mold. The frame supports the floor. The feet are fixed on the frame. In FIG. 2, feet 280 are formed at the corners of the bottom sheet 260 and are turned downward, and this in alignment with the corresponding openings 222. They can receive inserts 400. In FIG. 4, the pallet 200 is provided with five feet, four feet 280 located at its four corners and a fifth central foot 280 'which protrudes under its floor R to increase the stability under load of said pallet. It can be supported on the ground or on a raised support zone of a lower range pallet and which is provided on its floor, on the other side of the central foot. This raised bearing area is visible on the floor R of the pallet 200 shown in FIG. 3, under the reference 202. In FIG. 6, the bottom wall 262 being raised from the ground S by the feet 280, it is possible to use a hoist for handling, for example with the fork F of a forklift, the pallet 200 loaded with plants or pallets stacked. In FIG. 5, the insert 400 consists of a belt wall 410 bordered on one side by a flange 412 and on the other by a closure wall 414. It is intended to form a first housing Li to receive the end The arrow D indicates the direction of assembly of the lower end of the upright 300 in the insert 400. The belt wall 410 is formed of four facets capable of wedging laterally an amount 300 of rectangular section then that the closure wall 414 serves as an abutment to its depression. The amounts used advantageously come from recovered planks and which are cut to length, that is to say cut to a length that corresponds to a chosen distance separating two pallets superimposed in the display to store the plants, without loss of useful volume and without damaging them.

The insert 400 is preferably made by molding a plastic material in a manufacturing mold. In FIG. 3, the insert 400 is mounted in a corresponding foot 280, through an opening 222, so that its rim 412 abuts the boss 220. The arrow M indicates the mounting direction of the insert 400 in the corresponding foot 280 of the pallet 200.

In FIG. 7, the lower part of each foot 280 is hollowed out with a second housing L2 opening from below, in the vertical position of use of the display unit 100, and which is intended to receive the bottom end of a post 300. housing L2 is delimited by a belt wall 290 flared towards its outlet to facilitate the stacking of a pallet 200b of higher rank by a hoist F on a pallet 200a of immediately lower rank equipped with its amounts 300. The direction The housing L2 is closed on the opposite side of its outlet by a closure wall 294 serving as a stop for the depression of the upright 300. The belt wall 290 is formed of four facets capable of wedge laterally the high end of an amount 300 of rectangular section. In FIG. 8, the housing Li of the insert 400 is abutted on the housing L2 of the foot 280, by their respective closure walls 414 and 294, so that the load transmitted by the upper amount 300b can be carried over to the lower amount 300a.

The closing walls 414 and 294 of the two housings Li and L2 are provided with a centering means C for correctly positioning the insert 400 in the pallet 200 so that the posts 300 can be perfectly perpendicular to the seat of the seat. pallet 200. The stacking of the upper range pallet on the pallet of lower rank is thus facilitated. The centering means C is formed in this FIG. 8, a conical positioning stud taking place in a crown. In FIG. 7, note the presence of shims 500, preferably a wedge-shaped geometry, and that should be inserted between the uprights 300 and the inserts 400 to block said amounts in their respective inserts to stiffen the display and increase its stability. The insertion movement of the corners is indicated by the arrow I. Their wedging can be confirmed by means of a mallet. This blocking position of the uprights also facilitates the stacking of the pallets 200 by accurately stalling the amounts 300. In FIG. 5, one of the constituent facets of the belt wall 410 is hollowed out at least locally of a wedge-shaped recess E and adapted to receive a wedge-shaped wedge 500, so that the wedge 500 can effectively flat said amount on the opposite facet, for the purpose of stalling precisely in its insert 400. In FIG. 8, the outlet 292 of the waist wall 290 through the feet 280 is widened, so that a pallet of higher rank can be positioned by stacking on another pallet of lower rank, by the positioning of these outlets 292 around the edges 412 of said pallet of lower rank. This situation is presented in FIG. 6, where we see two pallets 200a and 200b stably stacked one on the other.

In FIG. 7, the load of the pallets 200b of higher rank is transferred to the housing L2 of the feet 280 of the pallet 200a of first rank and which rest on the ground S, after the stacking. An identification component, such as an RFID chip, of English radio frequency identification, can be implemented in each pallet to define in particular a commercial management of the plants sold. The use of the pallet 200, the display 100, is carried out as follows. The preparer fetches the plants corresponding to a command, it cleans them, conditions them and places them on a pallet 200, on a display stand 100. The latter is manufactured in the following manner, during the preparation of the order or before its commencement. One end of the uprights 300 is inserted into the housings Li of the inserts 400 of a pallet 200a, and then another pallet 200b is attached to the upper ends of the uprights 300 by threading the housings L2 on said ends. If the pallet does not support any plant, it is fixed manually. If the pallet is loaded, a lifting machine, such as a forklift, is used to move it, to stack it. The same procedure is used to raise a display 100 to the desired height. The length of the uprights 300 determines the distance separating two pallets of the display according to the height of the plants P. The amounts can be delivered with the pallets or are provided by the nurseryman. The display 100 loaded during the preparation of the order is then transported in a suitable vehicle, using a forklift. It is delivered to the merchant, then set up on its sales site using a forklift.

When the plants P have been sold, the display unit 100 is disassembled, the pallets are stacked one on the other and the amounts are deposited in the pallets to occupy a minimum volume. They are also handled using a forklift. The pallet of the invention makes it easy to build displays for the preparation of plant orders, their transport and their exposure at points of sale. The height of the display is flexible to accommodate a maximum volume of plants, to offer half-pallets to customers and which are however stackable to optimize the volume of transport. The display is reusable. It is removable for this purpose to reduce the cost of transport back. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the first housing, the second housing and which are formed in a corner foot, are a single constituent.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS1) pallet (200) for transport intended, in particular, for the handling of plants (P) and which can also be used for the manufacture of a display (100) for the handling of said plants and the presentation of plants (P) ) at the point of sale, the pallet (200) comprising a floor (R) designed to support the mass of the plants (P), said floor resting on feet (280) intended to raise it from the ground (S) to allow the handling of the pallet by a hoist, characterized in that it incorporates, in each foot (280), a first housing (L1) of vertical axis, in the sitting position on the floor of the pallet, opening from above and intended to receive the lower end of a post (300b), a second housing (L2), coaxial with the first and opening at the bottom through said foot and which is intended to receive the upper end of an amount (300a), at least one closure wall (414, 2 94) forming a stop at the amount separating the two housings (L1, L21). 2) Pallet (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second housing (L2) is flared towards its outlet to facilitate the stacking of a pallet (200b) of higher rank on the free ends of uprights (300 ) inserted in the first housing (L1) of a pallet (200a) of immediately lower rank. 3) Pallet (200) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first housing (L1) is formed in an insert (400) mounted in a foot (280). 4) pallet (200) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the second housing (L2) is formed in the lower part of the foot (280). 5) pallet (200) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a centering means (C) joins the first housing (L1) and the second housing (L2) so as to position the insert perpendicularly (400) relative to the ground seat (S) of the pallet (200) on its feet (280). 6) Pallet (200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the centering means (C) is formed of a conical positioning stud taking place in a ring. 7) pallet (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outlet of the first housing (L1) is surrounded by a flange (412) and in that the outlet (292) of the second housing (L2 ) through each foot (280) is enlarged, so as to allow the stacking of two pallets superimposed by the positioning of these enlarged outlets (292) respectively around the flanges (412). 8) pallet (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an amount (300) is inserted into said first housing (L1) and in that a shim (500) is inserted between said amount and said first housing (L1). 9) pallet (200) according to claim 8, characterized in that a recess (E) wedge-shaped is hollowed in the first housing (L1) to cooperate with the wedge (500) of a wedge-shaped geometry . 10) Pallet (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed of an outer frame made of wood, and supporting a floor, made of a thermoformed plastic material and feet made by injection molding. a plastic material in a mold and which are integral with said frame. 11) pallet (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the structure of the pallet (200) is formed by injection of at least one plastic material in a production mold. 12) pallet (200) according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the structure of the pallet (200) is formed of at least one sheet of a thermoformed plastic material and at the corners of which are formed feet (280), an insert (400) being housed in each leg (280). 13) display (100) characterized in that it comprises at least two superposed pallets (200a, 200b) according to any one of the preceding claims, said pallets being joined by uprights (300) whose ends are inserted in the first and second housings (L1, L2) respectively of the two pallets.