NZ337041A - Pallet, typically of paperboard, with pair of sleeves retained in features conformed from same general plane of planar member - Google Patents

Abstract

The pallet is formed from a pair of fork retaining members 2 (typically half tubes) which are located into sleeve-like features 4A which are shaped from the general plane of member 3 (which is mostly planar). Member 3 may be folded over as shown to strengthen the assembly.

Description

NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 337041 Date: 02 August 1999 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "Pallets" We, CARTER HOLT HARVEY LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 640 Great South Road, Auckland, New Zealand, 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: ^ 7 n l 1 rJ § U 1 1 The present invention relates to a paperboard pallet, bin base, bin assembly, pallet truck assemblies, the components therefor and the use thereof.

Frequently pallets or bins are required in order to convey produce. Such pallets and bins should have a capability whereby there is provision for the carriage of a load thereon or therein without fetter of engagement therewith by the fork tines of a forklift or equivalent vehicle so as to maneuver the loads.

Pallets of wood or plastics materials are frequently used. Such pallets however tend to be expensive particularly where they are for a single use, ie, they are not returned. Where they are to be returnable there is of course a cost.

With single destination pallets and bins there is also the prospect of a difficulty of recycling at the other end if a product is of mixed materials.

The present invention is directed to assemblies at least in part of an easily disposable or recyclable material (eg paperboard) that can preferably be dismantled.

In a first aspect the present invention consists in a pallet assembly (whether per se or part of any bin/pallet truck or the like related assembly) comprising or including a pair of fork tine receiving members and substantially planar means capable of being conformed in part from the general plane thereof to provide at least one sleeve-like retention feature for each fork tine receiving member, such sleeve-like retention features to hold said fork tine receiving members apart.

Preferably each said receiving member is elongate.

Preferably each said receiving member is of constant cross section.

Preferably each said receiving member is in the form of an elongate member of a channel or hollow box section.

Preferably each said receiving member is substantially rigid.

Preferably said substantially planar means is of a paperboard or a laminate thereof. Preferably it is formed from a blank, or blanks, with preferably the use of adhesive, stapling or other fixings, to provide for deployment from said general plane of means (eg bands) to coact with such material in the general plane to a sleeve-like means to locate each said fork tine receiving member.

Preferably said substantially planar means, at least in part, is of more than one ply in thickness to enable said band(s) to deploy with part of each ply from said general plane.

Preferably said ply is of a corrugated paperboard laminate (i.e. a flute providing corrugated core with sandwiching liners eg; that currently known as fibreboard). Other ply providing materials may be used, eg; solid fibre type products.

Preferably the flutes of the corrugated ply run in a parallel direction to the longitudinal axis of each elongate fork tine receiving member.

Preferably the arrangement is substantially as hereinafter described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a component for such an assembly comprising substantially planar means of a form substantially as hereinafter described with reference, by way of example, to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a component for such an assembly which comprises, by way of example, the arrangement substantially as hereinafter described with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 4 hereof.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in an assembly substantially as hereinafter described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in, in combination, any of the components hereinafter described wherein said fork tine receiving members are of a form as shown in any one of the accompanying drawings and/or the spacing means for said fork tine receiving members is of a form substantially as hereinafter described or not.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a bin, pallet truck or the like construction which utilises, as a part, an arrangement substantially as herein defined.

In some forms of the present invention said bin can be formed from flap extensions from the material providing the blank (eg, such as shown in Figure 5 but with flaps, for example, from the top and bottom thereof).

Preferably the fork tine receiving members are split tubes formed from overlaid paper such as might be prepared by wrapping paper (in an adhesive laminating way) around a forming mandrel and which is thereafter cut centrally so as to provide, for example, a form as shown in Figure 6.

Preferably each split tube is half of a tube of inside diameter of from 12 to 30 cms (preferably 18.5 cms) and preferably of a length of from 50 to 300 cms (most preferably 110 cms or 120 cms).

Preferably such split tubes are of a size derived from a tube of up (or otherwise are dimensioned) to 20 mm thick in its walls (most preferably about 7.5 mm thick).

Preferably the substantially planar member to act as a spacing member is ? j -3a- provided from a laminate of paperboard sandwiched fluted paper or any lamination thereof, (eg; fibreboard [such as corrugated C flute 275/160/275 gsm] or solid fibre [such as DURABOARD™ solid fibre material of Carter Holt Harvey Limited, New Preferably the flute run direction, if a fibreboard with a corrugated inclusion, is with the flutes extending in a parallel direction to the longitudinal axis of the elongate fork tine receiving members.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in the use as a pallet or bin base or pallet truck of an assembly in accordance with the present invention.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a fork liftable cargo comprising material supported on an assembly in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention also consists in any pallet truck assembly which makes use of apparatus in accordance with the present invention on a rigid planar base member (eg plywood).

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in its correct disposition an assembly in accordance with the present invention, the fork tine receiving members being half of a tube of a wound paper laminate and the spacing member being formed from a blank configured to a form as shown in Figure 5 hereafter with appropriate use of adhesive so as to define fork tine receiving member locating loops that can be moved from the general plane of the member of Figure 5, Figure 2 is a rear view of the arrangement of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a top view of the spacing member in its fabricated form, such fabricated form having being evolved from a blank as shown in Figure 6, Figure 4 is the bottom view of the arrangement of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a perspective view from the same direction as in Figure 1 of the spacing member shown in Figure 3, Figure 6 is the blank showing cuts and fold lines which, with appropriate use of adhesive, will result in the creation of the member shown in Figures 3 through 5 and useable in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2, Figure 7 shows a box or the like form that could be used as a fork tine receiving -5- 3 ^ 7 f) /} 1 member with the fork tine receiving spacing means as shown in Figures 3 through 6, Figure 8 shows a preferred half tubular form to be used as a fork tine receiving means and which can if desired be re-used even if the structure of Figures 3 through 6 is recycled or burned rather than re-used, Figure 9 shows an alternative channel defining form for the arrangement of Figure 8 (much less preferred), Figure 10 shows how the arrangement of Figure 1 can instead be used as a bin base which is either integrally formed from extensions of the blank of Figure 6 or otherwise connected thereto, and Figure 11 shows the use of four of the assemblies of Figure 1 to support bales. In the preferred form of the present invention a laminate of appropriate material is die cut to the form as shown in Figure 6. The cuts 1 are preferably transverse of the flute run of the core of a flute medium laminate that is sandwiched between appropriate liner paper. An appropriate flute medium laminate material is, for example, corrugated C flute 275/160/275 gsm.

An alternative material is solid card, (eg; DURABOARD™ board of Carter Holt Harvey Ltd).

Preferably each split tube is half of a tube (ie; longitudinally halved whether formed by splitting of the whole tube or otherwise formed) and preferably is of inside diameter of from 12 to 30 cms (eg; 18.5 cms) and preferably is also of a length of from 50 to 300 cms (eg; 110 or 120 cms).

In its glued form the substantially planar means to space preferred fork tine receiving members 2 takes the form as it is shown as 3 in Figure 5. It is capable of having the regions 4 thereof uplifted using fold lines 5, 6 and 7 to define the means 4 A to encircle the members 2 in the manner shown.

Preferably such split tubes are of a size derived from a tub of up to 20 mm thick in its walls (most preferably about 7.5 mm thick).

In the preferred form of the present invention the fork tine receiving members 2 can be slipped in through under the members 4A above the general plane of the member 3. To facilitate this uplift, and the folding or hinging along lines 5 and 7 and the preferable unfolding at the fold line 6 of each member 4, preferably the flute run direction is perpendicular to the die cuts 1 shown in the blank of Figure 6. Such a flute run direction of the laminated material preferably facilitates the fold at the fold line 8 which provides the double thickness provided by the adhering of the flaps 9 as shown in Figure 5.

When the fork tine receiving members such as those of Figures 7, 8 or 9, or any alternative, are located in a spaced relationship (using preferably four members 4A as shown in Figure 1) and with the fork tine receiving members above the general plane, a support for bales 10 (or any other items or containers) can be provided (as shown in Figure 11) or a base can be provided for a bin 11 (as shown in Figure 10).

In some forms of the present invention, and particularly for liquid carriage, a layer of plywood can be used underneath or over the arrangement of Figure 1 or an inversion thereof (eg to provide the base of a pallet truck).

With the members 2 above said general plane (eg; as would be the case in Figure 10) a containment volume for a normal sized bin using a normal sized compliantly bottomed pallet base can gain 70 to 80 litres containment volume over a conventional wooden pallet owing to the small intrusion only of the members 2 and 4A into the carrying space 11 upwardly from the general plane of the member 3.

The present invention therefore is adapted to provide alternatives to existing pallets, bin bases, pallet trucks and their components. %- °4%. , 3-

Claims (17)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 337^^^

1. A pallet assembly comprising or including a pair of fork tine receiving members and substantially planar means capable of being conformed in part from the general plane thereof to provide at least one sleeve-like retention feature for each fork tine receiving member, such sleeve-like retention features to hold said fork tine receiving members apart.

2. An assembly of claim 1 wherein each said receiving member is elongate.

3. An assembly of claim 2 wherein each said receiving member is of constant cross section.

4. An assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein each said receiving member is in the form of an elongate member of a channel or hollow box section.

5. An assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein each said receiving member is substantially rigid.

6. An assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein said substantially planar means is of a paperboard or a laminate thereof.

7. An assembly of claim 6 wherein said substantially planar means is formed from a blank, or blanks, with the use of adhesive, stapling or other fixings, to provide for deployment from a general plane of the substantially planar means of at least one band for each receiving member, each such band to coact with such material substantially in the general plane to a sleeve-like means to locate each said fork tine receiving member.

8. An assembly of claim 7 wherein said substantially planar means, at least in part, is of more than one ply in thickness to enable said band(s) to deploy with part of each ply from said general plane.

9. An assembly of claim 8 wherein each said ply is of a corrugated paperboard laminate (i.e. a flute providing corrugated core with sandwiching liners).

10. An assembly of claim 9 wherein the flutes of the corrugated ply run in a parallel direction to the longitudinal axis of each elongate fork tine receiving member.

11. An assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the arrangement is substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

12. A component suitable for an assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11 comprising substantially planar means of a form substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A component for an assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11 which comprises the arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 4 hereof.

14. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

15. In combination, any of the components of any assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein said fork tine receiving members are of a form substantially as shown in any one of the accompanying drawings.

16. A bin, pallet truck or the like construction, assembly or combination which utilises, as a part, an assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11.

17. The use of an assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 12. DATED THIS |H^ DAY OF (WW A1 PARK