GB2143503A

GB2143503A - Pallets

Info

Publication number: GB2143503A
Application number: GB08418259A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John James Mckerr
Original assignee: CANADA DRY RAWLINGS Ltd
Current assignee: CANADA DRY RAWLINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1983-07-19
Filing date: 1984-07-18
Publication date: 1985-02-13
Also published as: GB8418259D0; GB2143503B

Abstract

A pallet is provided with strengthening means in the form of boards (18) at each end of the top deck (11) of the pallet. The strengthening boards (18) constitute part of a lower layer of the top deck, that lower layer also including spaced stringers (17) of which the ends are set back from the ends of the pallet so as to accommodate the strengthening boards (18). The top deck (11) comprises spaced top boards (19 and 20) which extend transversely of the stringers (17). End top boards (20) are broader than the remaining, intermediate top boards (19) and not only overlie the strengthening boards (18) but also overlap end portions of the stringers (17). Nails (22) extend through the end top boards (20) and through the strengthening boards (18) into spacer blocks (12) beneath, while other nails (21) extend through the top end boards (20) and through the end portions of the stringers (17) into the same spacer blocks (12). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pallets This invention relates to pallets.

A commonly used form of pallet is made from wood and is of rectangular or square shape in plan. It consists of horizontal top and bottom decks which are spaced vertically apart by spacer blocks. The top deck consists of two layers of boards. The lower layer comprises widely spaced, parallel boards, usually called stringers, each of which is secured on top of an associated row of spacer blocks.

The upper layer comprises less widely spaced, parallel boards which lie across the stringers at right angles and are secured to them. The boards constituting the upper layer will hereinafter be referred to as top boards.

In use, goods are placed on the top deck for storage or transport. Pallets bearing goods are often moved from place to place with the aid of fork-lift trucks. To this end the pallets are so designed that the forks of a fork-lift truck can be inserted into openings formed between the vertically spaced decks and between the horizontally spaced spacer blocks of a pallet. Pallets may be of the two-way entry kind or of the four-way entry kind, but even with four-way entry pallets it usually happens in practice that the forks of a fork-lift truck are most frequently inserted from the front or rear of a pallet rather than from the sides, the front and rear faces being those end faces of the pallet that extend in a direction parallel with the top boards and at right angles to the stringers.

When large numbers of pallets are used it is inevitable that from time to time some of them are damaged. The present applicants have found that top boards at the front and rear of the pallet are particularly vulnerable or susceptible to damage and that a significant proportion of repairs to damaged pallets require the replacement or at least the refixing of one or other of the top boards at the ends of the top deck.

An object of the present invention is to provide a design or construction of pallet such as to enable that problem to be reduced.

From one aspect the present invention consists in a pallet having vertically spaced top and bottom decks of which the top deck comprises a lower layer including a plurality of mutually spaced stringers and an upper layer comprising top boards which extend across the stringers, the lower layer also including strengthening means which extends transversely relative to the stringers and is disposed beyond the ends of the stringers at at least one end of the pallet.

From another aspect to the present invention consists in a pallet of the kind comprising top and bottom decks spaced apart by spacer blocks, the top deck comprising a lower layer comprising relatively widely spaced stringers, each of which overlies an associated row of said spacer blocks, and an upper layer comprising less widely spaced top boards extending across the stringers, the pallet being characterised in that in the neighbourhood of at least one end of the pallet the ends of the stringers are set back from the end of the pallet, and strengthening means is provided which extends parallel to the top boards and lies between said ends of the stringers and the adjacent end of the pallet, the strengthening means overlying spacer blocks at that end of the pallet.

The strengthening means or each strengthening means preferably abuts or lies closely adjacent to ends of the stringers so that in the event of its being struck or otherwise forced in a direction towards the stringers, the stringers can assist in preventing damaging movement of the strengthening means relative to the remainder of the pallet.

In a preferred construction the strengthening means or each strengthening means comprises a board lying beneath an end top board at the adjacent end of the pallet. Nevertheless it would be possible for the strengthening means or each strengthening means to be of sufficient thickness for an upper part thereof to constitute part of the top layer of the top deck of the pallet. In that case the upper part of the strengthening means could replace, or at least partially replace, the top board at that end of the pallet.

It will be appreciated that, whichever construction is adopted, the end of the pallet is strengthened by the provision of the strengthening means. Advantages stemming from this are mentioned below in relation to specific embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that many of those advantages apply equally well to other constructions of pallet embodying the invention.

Many pallets are symmetrical or substantially symmetrical in the sense that they can turn end to end through 180 , and it is therefore preferred to provide strengthening means at both ends of the pallet, each of the kind characteristic of the present invention.

There is then no need to distinguish between one end of the pallet and the other cither end may come to be used as the front end, that is the end into which the forks of a forklift truck are inserted. Nevertheless it would still be within the scope of the present invention to provide a pallet with strengthening means at only one end thereof.

In a preferred construction of pallet an end top board at one end of the pallet or at each end of the pallet overlies the strengthening means, and securing means extends through the end top board, through the strengthening means and into the spacer blocks beneath it.

Moreover, in a preferred construction in which an end top board overlies the strengthening means, the end top board also overlaps adjacent end portions of the stringers of the lower layer. Those end portions of the stringers preferably overlie the spacer blocks beneath the strengthening means, and securing means preferably extends through the end top board, the end portions of the stringers and those spacer blocks.

In conventional pallets the top boards are all of the same width. In a preferred form of pallet embodying the present invention however, the end top board, or each of the end top boards, overlying associated strengthening means, is preferably wider than at least one, and preferably all, of the remaining top boards.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure I is a plan view cf a pallet of conventional construction, Figure 2 is a side view of the pallet shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an end view of the pallet shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a pallet of the same general kind as that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 but modified in such a way as to embody the present invention, Figure 5 is a side view of the pallet shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 is an end view of the pallet shown in Figure 4, Figure 7 is an underneath view of the pallet shown in Figure 4, and Figure 8 is an isometric view of the pallet shown in Figure 4.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, this shows a conventional wooden pallet of rectangular shape in plan. It comprises a bottom deck 1, a top deck 2 and spacer blocks 3. The top deck 2 comprises two layers: a lower layer 4 and an upper layer 5. The bottom deck comprises three spaced, parallel boards 6 and two end boards 7 at right angles to the boards 6.

The five boards of the bottom deck are nailed to the undersides of the spacer blocks 3. It will be seen from Figure 2 that end portions of the boards 6 extend beneath spacer blocks at the ends of the pallet. Those end portions are nailed to the spacer blocks. The lower layer 4 of the top deck comprises three widely spaced, parallel boards or stringers which extend lengthwise of the pallet and are parallel with the boards 6 of the bottom deck. Each of the stringers extends over an associated row of three of the spacer blocks 3. The upper layer 5 of the top deck 2 comprises a plurality of less widely spaced, parallel top boards 8 which extend widthwise of the pallet and lie across the stringers at right angles. Nails 9 are used to secure the top boards 8 to the stringers forming the lower layer 4 wherever the boards overlie the stringers.Where the top boards and stringers overlie spacer blocks 3 the nails 9 extend through the top boards and stringers into the blocks. In this way the top deck 2 is secured to the remainder of the pallet.

In use, goods are placed or stacked on the top deck 2 for transport and storage. The pallet can be moved with the aid of a fork-lift truck, the forks being inserted into the openings formed between the top and bottom decks 1 and 2 and between the spacer blocks 3. Although there are openings at both the sides and the ends of the pallet, making this a four-way entry pallet, the pallet would usually be used in such a manner that the forks were inserted at the ends of the pallet. It is found that clumsy insertion of the forks can lead to damage, particularly of the end top boards.

This is particularly likely to occur when goods placed or stacked on the pallet occupy less than the whole of the top deck and do not cover or fully cover the end top boards.

Another problem that occurs with this kind of pallet arises in the following manner. Pallets bearing goods are often stored on pallet racks.

One form of pallet rack comprises an array of vertical stanchions carrying horizontal, parallel rails. When a pallet is placed on the rack the two side boards 6 of the bottom deck 1 rest on horizontally spaced, parallel rails, and there is no additional, intermediate support for the pallet. The reason for the absence of any additional support is that a space must be left between the rails to enable a fork-lift truck to be driven between the rails when no pallet is present. In the absence of any additional support there is sometimes a tendency for pallets supported on the rails to sag or even break, particularly when they are heavily laden. These problems are reduced by using pallets of the kind shown in Figures 4 to 8.

The new pallet shown in Figures 4 to 8 is largely similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Like the conventional pallet shown in Figures 1 to 3 the new pallet has a bottom deck 10, a top deck 11 and spacer blocks 1 2. The bot tqm deck 10 comprises three spaced, parallel boards 1 3 like the boards 6 and two end boards 14 like the boards 7. These are nailed to the spacer blocks 1 2. The top deck 11 comprises two layers: a lower layer 1 5 and an upper layer 16. The lower layer 1 5 comprises three relatively widely spaced stringers 17, each in the form of a board extending lengthwise of the pallet. Each stringer overlies a row of three spacer blocks 12. The stringers 1 7 differ from the stringers constituting the lower layer 4 of the conventional pallet, however, in that in the neighbourhood of the ends of the pallet the ends of the stringers are set back.

The lower layer 1 5 also includes two strengthening boards 1 8 which lie between the ends of the stringers 1 7 and the adjacent ends of the pallet. The strengthening boards 18 preferably abut the ends of the stringers 1 7 but are in any case closely adjacent to them. Each of the strengthening boards overlies a row of three spacer blocks 1 2 at the associated end of the pallet.

The upper layer 1 6 comprises a plurality of top boards, 1 9 and 20, less widely spaced than the stringers 1 7 and extending across the stringers. The two end top boards 1 9 are rather wider than the remaining or intermediate top boards 20.The end top boards 1 9 are also wider than the strengthening boards 18 so that they overlap end portions of the stringers 1 7. The six spacer blocks 1 2 that are at the ends of the pallet are somewhat longer than the corresponding spacer blocks 3 of the conventional pallet so that they provide an adequate support for the end portions of the stringers 1 7 and also afford a suitable anchorage for pairs of nails 21 which extend through the end top boards 19, through the end portions of the stringers 1 7 and into the spacer blocks beneath. Other pairs of nails 22 extend through the end top boards 19, through the strengthening boards 1 8 and into the same spacer blocks.The intermediate boards 20 are secured by nails 23 similar to the nails 9.

In use, the strengthening boards 1 8 help to strengthen and to form a support for the end top boards 19, reducing the likelihood of those boards being chipped or otherwise damaged if struck. Further, if the forks of a forklift truck are inserted too vigorously into one end of the pallet, with the result that upright parts of the truck to the rear of the forks strike the strengthening board 1 8 and the end top board 1 9 at that end, the strengthening board will be urged against the adjacent ends of the stringers 1 7. If a conventional pallet is struck in a similar manner the shock is taken solely by that top board 8 at the end of the pallet, with the result that it is more likely to be damaged and is more likely to be shifted relative to the remainder of the pallet as only the nails 9 extending through it serve to resist rearward movement of the board relative to the remainder of the pallet.

Further, when the new pallet is mounted on a rack of the kind described above, the strengthening boards 1 8 serve to stiffen the pallet and reduce any tendency for the pallet to sag.

In a modified form (not illustrated) of the new pallet, each of the strengthening boards 1 8 with its associated end top board 1 9 is removed and replaced by strengthening means in the form of a strengthening bar of twice the thickness of either of the boards. A lower part of the strengthening bar abuts or lies closely adjacent to the adjacent ends of the stringers, while an upper part of the bar extends above the stringers and affords a top surface on the same level as the top surfaces of the intermediate top boards 20. The upper part of the strengthing bar may overlap the adjacent end portions of the stringers 17, like the end board 1 9 it replaces, or the strengthing bar be of uniform width so that there is no such overlap. In the latter case the widths of the intermediate top boards may be increased so that all the gaps in the top surface remain of equal width.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention can thus provide a number of advantages without adding greatly to the weight, complexity or cost of a pallet.

The overall dimensions of the pallet can remain unaltered, and while the height of the end openings in the pallet is reduced the openings are no less high than the openings in the sides of the pallet, which openings are themselves tall enough to accept readily the forks of a fork-lift truck.

Claims

1. A pallet having vertically spaced top and bottom decks of which the top deck comprises a lower layer including a plurality of mutually spaced stringers and an upper layer comprising top boards which extend across the stringers, the lower layer also including strengthening means which extends transversely relative to the stringers and is disposed beyond the ends of the stringers at at least one end of the pallet.

2. A pallet of the kind comprising top and bottom decks spaced apart by spacer blocks, the top deck comprising a lower layer comprising relatively widely spaced stringers, each of which overlies an associated row of said spacer blocks, and an upper layer comprising less widely spaced top boards extending across the stringers, the pallet being characterised in that in the neighbourhood of at least one end of the pallet the ends of the stringers are set back from the end of the pallet, and strengthening means is provided which extends parallel to the top boards and lies between said ends of the stringers and the adjacent end of the pallet, the strengthening means overlying spacer blocks at that end of the pallet.

3. A pallet according to either of claims 1 and 2 in which the strengthening means or each strengthening means abuts or lies closely adjacent to ends of the stringers.

4. A pallet according to any one of the preceding claims in which the strengthening means or each strengthening means comprises a board lying beneath an end top board at the adjacent end of the pallet.

5. A pallet to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the strengthening means or each strengthening means is of sufficient thickness for an upper part thereof to constitute part of the top layer of the top deck of the pallet.

6. A pallet according to claim 2 and either of claims 3 and 4 in which an end top board at one end of the pallet or at each end of the pallet overlies the strengthening means, and securing means extends through the end top board, through the strengthening means and into the spacer blocks beneath it.

7. A pallet according to claim 6 in which said end top board also overlaps adjacent end portions of the stringers of the lower layer.

8. A pallet according to claim 7 in which said end portions of the stringers overlie the spacer blocks beneath the strengthening means, and securing means extends through the end top board, the end portions of the stringers and those spacer blocks.

9. A pallet according to any one of the preceding claims in which an end top board overlies the strengthening means or each strengthening means and that end top board or each of those end top boards is broader than at least of the remaining top boards.

10. A pallet substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 4 to 8 inclusive of the accompanying drawings.