GB2160494A

GB2160494A - Improvements in or relating to pallets

Info

Publication number: GB2160494A
Application number: GB08415464A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alexander Cooper; Richard Smith
Original assignee: PACKAGING IND Ltd
Current assignee: PACKAGING IND Ltd
Priority date: 1984-06-18
Filing date: 1984-06-18
Publication date: 1985-12-24
Also published as: GB8415464D0; GB2160494B

Abstract

A pallet is described which comprises a base (2) formed of a plurality of frame members (3) on which is mounted a surface (5) for receiving articles to be stored or transported. The surface (5) is formed of a plurality of frame members (6) and is mounted on the base by a plurality of mounting elements (7). Each corner mounting element (7') has a corner section (7a) which extends beyond the edges of the frame members (6'') forming the surface (5). A corner unit (9) comprising three mutually perpendicular walls (10) is provided at each corner of the pallet (1). In a preferred arrangement, each corner mounting element (7') is mounted on one wall (10') of a respective corner unit (9) so that the other two walls (10'') of the corner unit extend upwardly from the base to define an L-shaped recess (13) between the two walls (10'') and the corner section (7a) of the corner mounting element (7'). Each recess (13) is arranged to receive a respective L-shaped supporting member (14) so that when the four supporting members (14) are each positioned in respective recesses (13) a further pallet can be supported above the pallet on the support members (14). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to pallets This invention relates to improvements in or relating to palletts.

Pallets are used in factories and the like to store articles for transportation. Such pallets are usually adapted to be be moved by a forklift truck. Usually, in order to save space, it is desirable to be able to stack two or more pallets carrying the articles to be transported or stored. However, where the articles to be stored or transported are not themselves particularly rigid, for example where the articles comprise cardboard boxes containing relatively soft articles such as, for example, expanded foam packing material or crisps, stacking of the pallets causes the articles on the lower pallets to become deformed and, in extreme cases, irreversibly damaged.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate the disadvantages of known pallets.

According to the present invention there is provided a pallet comprising a surface for receiving articles to be stored or transported and means for supporting a further pallet at a position spaced above the said surface.

Preferably, the support means is removable from the said surface, and may comprise a plurality of support members, the support members extending upwardly from the said surface at positions spaced around the periphery thereof. Usually, each support member is received in a respective recess provided by the said surface.

Generally, the said surface is substantially polygonal and is mounted on a base so that each corner of the surface is supported on the base by a mounting element. Conveniently, a wall means extends upwardly from the base but spaced from the mounting element so as to define a respective recess between each mounting element and the wall means for receiving a support member.

In a preferred arrangement, each mounting element comprises a substantially rightparallelopipedal element mounted to the base and the said surface is cut away at each corner thereof so that a corner section of each mounting element extends outwardly beyond the said surface, the wall means comprising a respective L-shaped wall member extending around but spaced from the said corner section of each mounting element to define a respective L-shaped recess for receiving an L-shaped support member which is conveniently formed by two perpendicular walls joined along abutting edges thereof.

Preferably, each L-shaped wall member forms part of a respective corner unit which comprises a further wall which is perpendicular to the said two walls and is joined thereto along respective edges abutting corresponding edges of the said two walls, the further wall being mounted on the base and forming a support surface for the respective mounting element.

Usually, the join between the abutting edges of the two mutually perpendicular walls is reinforced by a reinforcing member extending along and over the join and, in the preferred arrangement, the joins between the three walls are each reinforced by a respective reinforcing member. Usually, the or each reinforcing member is formed of a metal or metal alloy and is secured to the respective walls by rivets, screws or the like.

Generally the base of the pallet has a bigger surface area than the said surface to increase the stability of a stack of pallets. Also, passages may be provided between the base and the said surface to receive the tines of a fork lift truck to allow the pallets to be moved in a conventional manner.

Generally, the base and the said surface are each formed of a framework of mutually perpendicular intersecting members which may be formed of wood.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pallet in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the pallet of Figure 1 showing a corner of the pallet in greater detail; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified arrangement for a corner of the pallet of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the modified corner arrangement of Figure 3 taken along the line A-A in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a further alternative arrangement for a corner of the pallet of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show a pallet 1 in accordance with the present invention. The pallet 1 comprises a base 2 formed by a substantially square outer framework of wooden frame members 3 and a wooden cross-member 4 extending across the outer framework parallel to two sides of the framework 3. The pallet 1 also comprises a surface 5 for receiving articles to be stored. The surface 5 is a formed of a plurality of wooden frame members 6" which are arranged to form a substantially square outer framework and intersecting transverse cross members 6'. As can be seen from Figure 1, however, the frame members 6" forming the periphery of the substantially square surface 5 abut each other only at the inner corners of their ends so that a substantially square section is "cut-away" from each corner of the surface 5.

The surface 5 is mounted on the base 2 by means of a plurality of substantially right parallelepipedal mounting elements 7, there being nine mounting elements 7 used in the arrangement shown in Figure 1, four of these comprising corner mounting elements 7'. Since the surface 5 is separated from the base 2 by means of the mounting elements 7 channels are formed between surface 5 and the base 2 dimensioned to receive the tines of a fork lift truck to enable the pallet to be lifted. The described pallet is a four way entry pallet, but the invention may be applied to two way entry pallets.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the frame members 6', 6" are secured to the mounting elements 7, 7' by means of screws, nails or the like so that a respective corner section 7a of each of the corner mounting elements 7' extends beyond the ends of the frame member 6" of the surface 5, thus extending into the said "cut-away" section.

It will be understood from a consideration of Figure 1 that the construction of each corner of the pallet is the same and accordingly the structure of only one corner of the pallet will now be discussed with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, each corner of the pallet has a corner unit 9 which comprises three mutually perpendicular walls 10 each constituted by a sheet of plywood. The abutting edges of the three mutually perpendicular walls 10 are joined and reinforced by sheet metal reinforcing members 11 which extend along and over the joins between the adjacent walls and are secured to the walls 10 by means of rivets, screws or the like. As shown in Figure 1, one wall 10' of each corner unit 9 forms a support surface for a respective corner mounting element 7' and is secured to the corner of the base so that the other two walls 10" of the corner unit 9 extend upwardly from the base parallel to, but spaced apart from, the two upwardly extending walls of the protruding corner section 7a of the respective mounting element.An L-shaped recess 13 is thus formed between the two walls 1 OD and the protruding corner section 7a of the respective mounting element 7'. The recess 13 is arranged to receive one end of a respective support member 14.

Each support member 14 is of substantially 'L' cross section, and may be fabricated from timber. Four such support members of equal length will be provided, the length of each support member being greater than the height of the load to be carried on the pallet. The arrangement is such that, when the four support members 14 are in position, a further pallet may be stacked on top of the support members 14 so that the weight of the further pallet is carried by the support members 14 and not by any articles stacked on the pallet below. Advantageously in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base 2 of the pallet has a larger surface area than the surfaces on which articles are to be stored or transported.This ensures that the dimensions of the underside of the pallet are greater than the spacing of the upper ends of the support members 14, thus facilitating stacking. If the support members were aligned with the periphery of the underside of the pallet, the next pallet would have to be positioned extremely accurately if a stable stack is to be created Figure 3 shows an alternative structure for the corner of the pallet of Figure 1 wherein the walls 10' of the corner units are omitted so that each corner unit merely comprises an L-shaped member formed by the two walls 10". Of course, in this arrangement, only one reinforcing member 11 is required. As shown most clearly in Figure 4, the corner mounting elements 7' are not mounted directly on the base but are mounted on respective support blocks 15 to which the walls 10" are attached.Each support block 15 is, of course, secured to the base 2.

Figure 5 shows a further alternative arrangement for the corner construction of the pallet. As shown in Figure 5, the base is, is unlike the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4, of substantially same surface area as the surface 5. In this arrangement, the wall 10' of the corner unit is again omitted so that each corner unit merely comprises an L-shaped member and the two walls 10" comprising one L-shaped member are mounted directly to respective edges 3a of the frame members 3.

Although in the arrangements described above, the base 2 and surface 5 are formed of wood, any suitable material, for example metal or a plastics material could be used. Moreover, the base 2 and surface 5 can be of any suitable shape, for example, any polygonal shape. Further, the surface 5 and the base 2 need not be in the form of open frameworks but may be formed by solid planar members. Also, it should be appreciated that the support members 14 and the recesses 13 need not be L-shaped but may be any suitable shape. However, an L-shaped recess is desirable because it provides greater stability than would be provided by, for example, a rectangular cross-section recess because, even if the fit between the L-shaped recess and the support member is not exact, movement of the support member is inhibited.

It will be appreciated that a preferred pallet in accordance with the invention enables pallets supporting articles, for example cardboard boxes containing relatively non-rigid or soft material such as foam packing materials or crisps, to be stacked one upon another using the support members 14 of one pallet to support the pallet without any significant risk of the articles supported on the pallets being damaged. Bands of resilient material or wire may be bound round the support members 14 after the articles have been mounted on the pallets to give added strength to the combination of the pallet and the articles stacked thereon.

It has, been found that using the invention at least up to four pallets can be stacked on top of one another and weights of the order of three or four tonnes may be stacked in this way.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising a surface for receiving articles to be stored or transported and means for supporting a further pallet at a position spaced above the said surface.

2. A pallet according to Claim 1, wherein the support means is removable from the said pallet.

3. A pallet according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the support means comprises a plurality of support members, the support members extending upwardly from the said surface and being arranged around the peripherythereof.

4. A pallet according to Claim 3, wherein each support member is received in a respective recess provided by the said surface.

5. A pallet according to Claim 4, wherein the said surface is substantially polygonal and is mounted on a base so that each corner of the surface is supported on the base by a respective mounting element.

6. A pallet according to Claim 5, wherein a wall means extends upwardly from the base but spaced from the mounting elements so as to define a respective recess for receiving a support member between each mounting element and the wall means.

7. A pallet according to Claim 6, wherein each mounting element comprises a substantially rightparallelopipedal element mounted to the base and the said surface is cut away of each corner thereof so that a corner section of each mounting element extends outwardly beyond the said surface, the wall means comprising a respective L-shaped wall member extending around but spaced from the said corner section of each mounting element to define a respective L-shaped recess for receiving on Lshaped support member.

8. A pallet according to Claim 8, wherein each L-shaped wall member is formed by two mutually perpendicularwallsjoined along abutting edges thereof.

9. A pallet according to Claim 8, wherein each L-shaped wall member forms part of a respective corner unit which comprises a further wall which is perpendicular to the said two walls and is joined thereto along respective edges abutting corresponding edges of the said two walls, the further wall being mounted on the base to form a support surface for the respective mounting element.

10. A pallet according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the join between the abutting edges of the two mutually perpendicular walls is reinforced by a reinforcing member extending along and over the join.

11. A pallet according to Claim 9, wherein each join between abutting edges of the three walls is reinforced by a respective reinforcing memberex- tending along and over the join.

12. A pallet according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein the or each reinforcing member is formed of a metal or metal alloy and is secured to the respective walls by rivets.

13. A pallet according to any one of Claims Sto 12, wherein the base has a bigger surface area than the said surface.

14. A pallet according to any one of Claims Sto 14 wherein the base and the said surface are each formed of a framework of mutually perpendicular intersecting members.

15. A pallet according to any one of Claims 5 to 15, wherein the said surface and/or the base are formed of wood.

16. A pallet according to any one Claims 5 to 13, wherein passages are provided between the base and the said surface to receive the tines of a fork lift truck.

17. A pallet according to any one of Claims 1 to 15 incorporating channels to receive the tines of a fork lift truck.

18. A pallet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference, to and as illustrated, in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A pallet substantially as hereinbefore described reference to, and as illustrated in, Figure 1 when modified by Figures 3 and 4 or Figure 1 when modified by Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

20. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.