GB1559971A - Pallet converters - Google Patents

Description

(54) PALLET CONVERTERS (71) We, BIRMINGHAM PALLET COMPANY LIMITED, a British Company of 370 Warwick Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, Bi 1 2PE, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to pallet converters.

Pallets normally comprise flat or substantially flat decks of square or rectangular shape on which goods are placed to enable them to be stored and readily transported from one place to another. A pallet converter comprises a structure which can be provided for use with a pallet and which can support a further pallet so that said further pallet is spaced above the first mentioned pallet. The present invention is in particular concerned with pallet converters of the kind (hereinafter referred to as the kind specified) comprising four upright supports assembled or adapted to be assembled in upright positions around a pallet, and connecting members releasably secured or adapted to be releasably secured to the upright supports so as to link adjacent upright supports together.

According to the present invention there is provided a pallet converter of the kind specified in which there is a set of four connecting members secured or adapted to be secured to the four upright supports so that in linking adjacent upright supports they together extend around the four sides of the converter, each of the connections between the upright supports and the connecting members comprising complementary headed pins or rivets and keyhole-shaped holes, that is holes of the kind having an opening large enough to accept the head of a pin or rivet and a slot leading from the opening and while wide enough to house the neck of the pin or rivet being too narrow to allow the head to pass through it, each such connection comprising at least two such pins or rivets and two such holes, and the arrangement being such that in the assembly of each such connection the heads are passed through the openings, the connecting members are then moved downwards relative to the upright supports so as to cause the necks of the pins or rivets to move into the slots, their movement along the slots being limited by the engagement between the mutually abutting faces of stops on the associated connecting member and upright support, a wedging action occurring due to the relative inclination between the slots and the face of at least one of the stops.

For convenience of description certain parts are described herein as if they are in the positions they occupy when they are in use. It must be understood, however, that those parts may assume other positions when the pallet converter is not in use or when it is disassembled.

There will now be described by way of example, one particular form of pallet converter in accordance with the present invention.

The accompanying drawing is a perspective view looking upwards at one corner of the pallet converter from a position near the centre of the converter, and showing the upper part of an upright support and the adjacent end parts of two connecting members, one shown as being assembled with the upright support and the other shown as in a position ready for assembly with the upright support.

The pallet converter is similar in overall shape and construction to that illustrated in Figure 1 of our Patent No. 1 433 736 but differs in the construction of the connections between the upright supports and the connecting members.

The pallet converter embodying the present invention is intended for use with a square pallet and comprises four upright supports 10 and eight connecting members. Each upright support comprises a length of angleiron provided at its lower end with a square plate which constitutes a foot which rests flat on the ground when the support is in use; and provided at its upper end with a similar, horizontal plate 11 which can support one corner of a further pallet when the converter has been assembled. Near its upper end each web of each upright support is formed with a pair of keyhole-shaped holes 12, one above the other. Each hole has a round opening 13 at the top and a parallel-sided slot 14, narrower than the round opening, leading downwards from the round opening.The longitudinal axis of each slot 14 is not vertical but is inclined at an angle of between about 3 and about 5 to the vertical, the inclination being such that the lower end of the slot is nearer the corner of the angle-iron than is the upper end of the slot. The centres of the two round openings 13 of each pair of holes, however, are in true vertical alignment.

A similar pair of keyhole-shaped holes is formed in each web of each upright support towards the lower end of the support, the arrangement being such that in use those holes are a little above the level of the top of the pallet.

Each of the connecting members comprises a metal strip 15 which extends horizontally between two adjacent upright supports when the converter is assembled. To each end of each metal strip 15 there is fixed a mounting bracket 16 made from a rectangular metal plate. A narrow strip 17 extending along the full length of one of the longer sides of the plate 16 is bent forwards at right angles to the remainder of the plate and constitutes a stop, the purpose of which is described below. The end part ofthe metal strip 15 extends behind the stop 17 and over a part of the back of the main part of the plate 16, to which it is welded or secured in some other manner. In use each strip 15 extends horizontally and the longitudinal axis of the mounting bracket 16 extends vertically, half the bracket being above the level of the strip and half being below that level.

To one side of the stop 17 the inner face of the plate 16 carries two headed pins or rivets 18, one above the level of the strip 15 and one below that level. In use the headed pins or rivets 18 are in true vertical alignment and heir axes, which are horizontal, are spaced vertically apart by a distance equal to the vertical spacing between the centres of the round openings 13 of each pair of keyholeshaped holes. Each pin or rivet 18 has a cylindrical stem or neck the diameter of which is substantially equal to the width of each slot, and the length of which is rather greater than the thickness of the material from which the upright supports are made.

Each pin or rivet 18 also has a dome-shaped head, the underside of which is flat, of a maximum diameter slightly less than the diameter of the round openings 13 of the keyhole-shaped holes.

During assembly of the pallet converter the four upright supports 10 are placed at the four corners of the pallet, the corner portions of the pallet entering the angles between the webs of the angle iron. Each of the eight connecting members is then attached to the upright supports in the same way. In each instance a connecting member is brought up to an adjacent pair of upright supports from the outside. The headed pins or rivets 18 are caused to pass through the complementary round openings 13 in the upright supports, and the connecting member is lowered so that the necks of the pins or rivets pass into the slots 14 of the keyhole-shaped holes, and the margins of the slots are trapped between mounting brackets 16 and the flat undersides of the heads of the pins or rivets.As the connecting member is lowered the upright supports 10 are drawn towards each other slightly due to the inclination of the slots 14 to the vertical. This movement continues until the outer edges of the webs of the upright supports abut the stops 17 on the mounting brackets, this occurring before the necks of the pins or rivets 18 reach the lower ends of the slots 14. The connecting members are thus secured firmly to the upright supports due to a type of wedging action resulting from the slight inclination between the vertical edge faces of the webs and the inclined edges of the slots. Ideally both pins or rivets become wedged simultaneously to the same extent.

Due to manufacturing tolerances and to wear this may not always be fully achieved.

Four connecting members, forming a first set, are disposed around the converter near the top thereof, and the other four, forming a second set, are disposed around the converter at a level a little above that of the top of the pallet.

Means may be provided for preventing downward movement of the converter relative to the pallet if the pallet should be lifted, as for example by a fork-lift truck.

Such means may comprise plates projecting from the upright supports over the corner portions of the pallet. The plates may be welded to upright supports or may be constituted by tongues struck out from the material of the upright supports. Similar plates are illustrated in our Patent No. 1 433 736 referred to above.

Numerous modifications may of course be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example it would be possible for at least some of the headed pins or rivets to be provided on the webs of the upright supports and the complementary keyhole-shaped holes, inverted, to be formed in the mounting brackets. The main dips; advantage of such an arrangement, however, is that it is normally necessary to increase the vertical extent of the mounting brackets to acommodate the holes, which are vertically more extensive than the pins or rivets. In other modifications the number of holes and complementary headed pins or rivets for each connection is greater than two; it could be example be three or even four.In another modification the stop on the mounting bracket is replaced by a pin or pins or by other abutment means presenting a face which abuts only a relatively small area of the edge of the web of the associated upright support. Yet again, it is not essential for each connection to resemble the remaining connections. For example connections of the kind described above in detail may be provided for the first set of connecting members, near the tops of the upright supports, while simpler connections, such as those having a single headed pin or rivet engaging a single keyhole-shaped hole, may be provided for the second set of connecting members just above the level of the top of the pallet.

Tt will be appreciated that the present invention is also related quite closely to that which is the subject of our Patent No.

1105 664, and to that which is the subject of our Patent No. 1 523 273.

Co-pending application no. 6975/79 (Serial no. 1 559 92) which has been divided from the present application, discloses the present pallet converter but has different claims.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A pall et converter of the kind specified in which there is a set of four connecting members secured or adapted to be secured to the four upright supports so that in linking adjacent upright supports they together extend around the four sides of the converter, each of the connections between the upright supports and the connecting members comprising complementary headed pins or rivets and keyhole-shaped holes, that is holes of the kind having an opening large enough to accept the head of a pin or rivet and a slot leading from the opening and while wide enough to house the neck of the pin or rivet being too narrow to allow the head to pass through it, each such connection comprising at least two such pins or rivets and two such holes, and the arrangement being such that in the assembly of each such connection the heads are passed through the openings, the connecting members are then moved downwards relative to the upright supports so as to cause the necks of the pins or rivets to move into the slots, their movement along the slots being limited by the engagement between the mutually abutting faces of stops on the associated connecting member and upright support, a wedging action occurring due to the relative inclination between the slots and the face of at least one of the stops.

2. A pallet converter according to Claim 1 in which the keyhole-shaped holes are formed in the upright supports and the pins or rivets are produced on the connecting members.

3. A pallet converter according to Claim 1 in which at least some of the connecting members include at least one plate, part of which is bent to form said stop and another part of which is either formed with said keyhole-shaped holes or provided with said pins or rivets.

4. A pallet converter of the kind specified and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. another modification the stop on the mounting bracket is replaced by a pin or pins or by other abutment means presenting a face which abuts only a relatively small area of the edge of the web of the associated upright support. Yet again, it is not essential for each connection to resemble the remaining connections. For example connections of the kind described above in detail may be provided for the first set of connecting members, near the tops of the upright supports, while simpler connections, such as those having a single headed pin or rivet engaging a single keyhole-shaped hole, may be provided for the second set of connecting members just above the level of the top of the pallet. Tt will be appreciated that the present invention is also related quite closely to that which is the subject of our Patent No. 1105 664, and to that which is the subject of our Patent No. 1 523 273. Co-pending application no. 6975/79 (Serial no. 1 559 92) which has been divided from the present application, discloses the present pallet converter but has different claims. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A pall et converter of the kind specified in which there is a set of four connecting members secured or adapted to be secured to the four upright supports so that in linking adjacent upright supports they together extend around the four sides of the converter, each of the connections between the upright supports and the connecting members comprising complementary headed pins or rivets and keyhole-shaped holes, that is holes of the kind having an opening large enough to accept the head of a pin or rivet and a slot leading from the opening and while wide enough to house the neck of the pin or rivet being too narrow to allow the head to pass through it, each such connection comprising at least two such pins or rivets and two such holes, and the arrangement being such that in the assembly of each such connection the heads are passed through the openings, the connecting members are then moved downwards relative to the upright supports so as to cause the necks of the pins or rivets to move into the slots, their movement along the slots being limited by the engagement between the mutually abutting faces of stops on the associated connecting member and upright support, a wedging action occurring due to the relative inclination between the slots and the face of at least one of the stops.

2. A pallet converter according to Claim 1 in which the keyhole-shaped holes are formed in the upright supports and the pins or rivets are produced on the connecting members.

3. A pallet converter according to Claim 1 in which at least some of the connecting members include at least one plate, part of which is bent to form said stop and another part of which is either formed with said keyhole-shaped holes or provided with said pins or rivets.

4. A pallet converter of the kind specified and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.