US2969948A

US2969948A - Frame structure for pallets

Info

Publication number: US2969948A
Application number: US752681A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Higgins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-08-01
Filing date: 1958-08-01
Publication date: 1961-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 1978-01-31

Description

Jan. 31, 1961 W. J. HIGGINS RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR PA LLETS INVENTOR. IVA/M TI Egg/A0 Zak/1 irroe/vzrs Jan. 31, 1961 w. J. HIGGINS 2,969,948

FRAME STRUCTURE FOR PALLETS Filed Aug. 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. MAL/A, Jfigq/ms J BY United States FRAME STRUCTURE FOR PALLETS William J. Higgins, 12 Capp St., Shore Crest, Carteret, N .3.

Filed Aug. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 752,681

Claims. (Cl. 248-120) (Granted under Title 35, U.S. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention pertains to the art of handling and storing materials constituting stock of various kinds on pallets, and is embodied in a frame which is attachable to a pallet to facilitate the purpose.

Under standard practice of handling stock in storage and transportation, it is customary to place the stock on pallets of well known standardized structures, which enables the stock to be lifted and carried conveniently, stored, or stowed in transportation. The frame of the invention enables pallets of stock to be stacked, one on top of another, with the load of any upper pallet resting on the frame of the pallet below.

The frame of the invention comprises like frame components which, with standardized fasteners and simple stay members, constitute the only essential components of a frame. Several frame components are secured to each other rigidly by means of one or more fasteners to constitute a frame in position of engagement with the pallet, the frame thereby attached to the pallet constituting a unitary structure.

Frame components positioned closely adjacent to each other occupy little space for storage or shipping. Fasteners consist of ordinary bolts, a standard being selected that is readily procurable. Stay members are provided in quantities that are needed to hold the frames rigid in the normal practices of handling for storage and shipping. All stay members are alike, and according to preferred structure constitute lengths of strap iron, requiring little space for storage or transportation.

To assemble any given number of pallets with frames attached, the required number of frame components are provided, all alike, together with what are needed of stay members, also all alike, and with the required quantity of standard bolts. In addition to bolts, like frame components and the like stay members are the only different kinds of elements that are needed.

A practical embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective of a pallet with a frame of the present invention attached thereto,

Fig. 2 is an exploded view in side elevation of the pallet and frame of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 2.

A frame that embodies the present invention consists of several frame components 11 which are secured to each other, and thereby are attached to pallet 12.

Each frame component 11 consists of lengths of suitable elongated stress members, channel iron and angle iron being employed, the several stress members being secured to each other, by welding for example, to constitute a rigid structure.

Each frame component 11 comprises a pallet-engaging member 15, which in the disclosed embodiment con- \stitutes a length of channel iron that fits in the space between upper and lower decks l6 and 17 of pallet 12.

The selected gage of channel iron of pallet-engaging,

member 15 allows ample clearance between decks l6 and 17 to enable the member to be inserted freely between the decks, as shown.

Each frame component 11 comprises a rest member 18, which in the disclosed embodiment describes a truncated triangle which is isosceles. The length of base 19 corresponds with pallet-engaging member 15. Opposite edge 20 is any suitable length. Each end of base piece 19 is connected with piece 20 at its corresponding end by means of a side piece 21. Each of the

several pieces

19, 2t and 21 constitutes a length of angle iron, and the several pieces are secured to each other rigidly, as by welding, to locate web faces of the several pieces in a plane that constitutes a surface of rest 22.

Upright pieces 23 are similar lengths of angle iron. Each upright 23 connects an end of base 19 with the corresponding end of pallet-engaging member 15 both connections being at right angles to describe a rectangle of pieces l9, l5 and 23 disposed at right angles to rest surface 22.

All frame components 11 are the same. The distance between opposite and parallel web faces of

pieces

19 and 20 of a rest member 18 is equal to half the dimension of pallet 12 along planks of its

decks

16 and 17, plus a fraction of an inch for clearance. Pieces 20 of any two frame components 11 may be abutted face-to-face along their companion web faces, as seen in Fig. 1, which enables the pallet-engaging members 15 of the several frame components to be lodged between

decks

16 and 17 of a pallet 12 along its respective opposite end edges. The angle of angle iron in each upright piece 23 thereby engages a corner of pallet 12, whereby the pallet is held in its frame.

Locating pin 24 and

bolt holes

25 and 26 are spaced symmetrically along piece 20 of each frame component 11, as seen in Fig. 3, with bolt hole 25 located at the mid-point. Locating pin 24 of any frame component 11.

is positioned for companion engagement with bolt hole 26 of any other frame component, and the disclosed structure thereby positions the several bolt holes 25 in registry with each other and located to be engaged by bolt 27. One bolt 27 secures the two frame components 1 1 to each other, with locating pin 24 of each engaging locating hole 26 of the other. Pallet i2 is held thereby in its frame of the two components 11, with only limited motion permitted between the pallet and the frame. The frame rests with its pallet-engaging member 15 bearing on lower deck 17 of pallet 12, and constitutes a support for another pallet on top of the frame, and out of engagement with any stock that rests on a pallet.

A frame of component 11 may be attached to any upper pallet 12 in the manner described. This enables pallets 12 to be stacked on top of each other as high as it is feasible to lift them. Pallets may be positioned closely adjacent to each other side-by-side, in the directions of the two dimensions of a pallet, thereby affording economic use of storage space, or stowage space in a transportation vehicle. Floor or deck area occupied by any pallet 12 is less than one inch greater than its dimension in each direction. 7

The disclosed structure is compatible with standard machinery used for handling stock. Forked trucks are commonly used to lift and carry stock on a pallet 12. The tines of a truck fork are inserted between decks l6 and 17 of a pallet 12, in the space between stringers 28 as best seen in Fig. 2, whereby the fork of the truck takes hold below upper deck 16. A frame of components 11 attached to a pallet 12 does not interfere with Patentecl lan. 31, 1961.

the normal operation of a forked truck. A sling may be attached to rest members 18 of a frame of components 11, to be lifted by any suitable hoisting engine, and palletengaging members of the frame engage the under surface of upper deck 16 to lift the attached pallet 12.

Structure of a frame of components 11 as described up to now is sufficient as a stationary support of stock on pallets 12. Greater stability and rigidity is desired to meet the shock and stresses or ordinary practices of stock handling. Stay members 29 are provided, consisting of lengths of any suitable elongated stress members. Strap iron is preferred, and each stay member 29 constitutes a length of strap iron.

' Bolt holes 30 are provided in each upright 23, and the bolt holes are located symmetrically and uniformly in the uprights of all frame components 11. Each upright 23 is provided with two bolt holes 30, each located so that the distance between the upper bolt hole of each upright of one of the two components 11 of a frame and the lower bolt hole of the corresponding upright of the other component of the frame is uniform in all the combinations of a given frame, and is uniform in a frame of any two components that are attached to each other. This is accomplished by locating the two bolt holes 30 uniformly in each of the two uprights 23 of any frame component 11, and uniformly in the bolt holes of all uprights of all frame components.

All stay members 29 constitute like lengths of strap iron, and each comprises a bolt hole 31 at each of its opposite ends. The distance between bolt holes 31 of any stay member 29 is the same as the distance between bolt holes 30, upper and lower respectively, of the corresponding uprights 23 of the two frame components 11 of any frame. Bolts 32 fit bolt holes 30 and 31, all bolts 32 being alike and a standard that is readily procurable. If desired,

bolts

32 and 27 may be alike.

A single stay member 29 connecting upright 23 of the two frame components 11 along each of opposite sides of a frame is sufficient to stabilize the frame with sufiicient rigidity to withstand the shock and stress of usual and common practices in handling stock on pallets 12.

In addition to

bolts

27 and 32, which usually are supplied in kegs, and stay member 29 constituting uniform lengths of standard strap iron, frame members 11 are the only elements needed to supply the work of equipping any given number of pallets 12 with frames consisting of frame components 11. Frame components 11 may be stacked, each in the angle of the next, to conserve the space required to store or stow frame components. The problem of supplying and shipping the stock of materials needed to assemble frames of components 11 is greatly simplified thereby. The work of assembling frames, as also the work of fabricating frame components 11 and stay members 29, is simplified by the structure of all components 11 being alike and all stay members 29 being alike. Any two components 11 and any two stay members 29 are removed from stock to make the assembly, and the problem of selecting rights and lefts is completely eliminated thereby.

One practical embodiment of the invention is disclosed. Scope of the invention is determined by the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Frame structure for a pallet having a plurality of deck boards forming an upper deck and a lower deck sandwiching a plurality of stringers spaced from the ends of said deck boards, said frame structure comprising a rest member comprising a pair of frame components of angle iron defining identical closed plane figures, said components being secured together removably to form a figure that is coextensive with the corners of such pallet, angle irons secured to and depending from said rest member at the points thereof that are coextensive with the corners of such pallet, said depending angle irons being positioned wholly outside the rectangle defined by such pallet, and a pair of U-shaped channel members each connecting two of said angle irons at the ends thereof distal said rest member, said U-shaped channel member being seated wholly between such upper deck and such lower deck and parallel to such stringers.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which one of said frame components, its depending angle irons and the U-shaped channel member thereof is identical the other of said frame components, its depending angle irons and its U-shaped channel member.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said frame components each define a truncated isosceles triangle and the shorter bases of said frame components are juxtaposed.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which the juxtaposed bases of such truncated triangles are provided with mating pins and holes maintaining registry of said components.

. 5. The combination of claim 8 including a plurality of stay members positioned wholly outside the rectangle defined by such pallet securing selected depending angle irons to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,742,384 Fitzgerald Jan. 7, 1930 1,795,060 Vance Mar. 3, 1931 2,495,711 Fletcher Jan. 31, 1950 2,523,271 Bartel Sept. 26, 1950 2,579,685 Loose Dec. 25, 1951 2,686,645 Whitehurst Aug. 17, 1954 2,828,933 De Pew Apr. 1, 1958