US3677199A - Arrangement in loading pallets with supporting walls - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a loading pallet having two opposite parallel supporting side walls, a supporting rear wall and a detachable supporting front wall. The pallet also has a bottom frame shaped as a U, the open portion of said U facing said front wall and providing an attachment for said supporting walls. A bottom plate is placed on the bottom frame so as to fit between the supporting walls and adapted to be folded up against the rear supporting wall or one of the supporting side walls. The dimensions are such as to permit two similar loading pallets, viz. a first and a second loading pallet, with their front supporting walls and their bottom plates in folded-up position to be fitted together front to front so that the side supporting of the first loading pallet will be surrounded by two supporting side walls of the second loading pallet.

Description

United States Patent Lindqvist [54] ARRANGEMENT IN LOADING PALLETS WITH SUPPORTING WALLS [72] Inventor: Karl Slgvard Rune Llndqvlst, Grythyttan,

Sweden [73] Assignee; Combitalner S.A., Geneva, Switzerland 221 Filedz Feb. 5, 1911 21 Appl.No.: 112,948

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 25, 1970 Sweden ..4139/70 52 U.S.Cl. ..l08/55,108/56 511 mu! B65dl9/18 [S8] fleldofseareh ..l08/5I-58;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,503,562 4/1950 Porter ..l08/55X 2,669,373 2/1954 Coit,Jr. ..220/84 [451 July 18, 1972 Pn'mary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch Attomey-Albert M. Parker ABSTRACT The invention is concerned with a loading pallet having two opposite parallel supporting side walls, a supporting rear wall and a detachable supporting front wall. The pallet also has a bottom frame shaped as a U, the open portion of said U facing said front wall and providing an attachment for said supporting walls. A bottom plate is placed on the bottom frame so as to fit between the supporting walls and adapted to be folded up against the rear supporting wall or one of the supporting side walls. The dimensions are such as to permit two similar loading pallets, viz. a first and a second loading pallet, with their front supporting walls and their bottom plates in foldedup position to be fitted together front to front so that the side supporting of the first loading pallet will be surrounded by two supporting side walls of the second loading pallet.

2 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures Patented July 18, 1972 Fig.3

Fig.4

A T TORNE Y.

ARRANGEMENT IN LOADING PALLETS WITH SUPPORTING WALLS The present invention relates to loading pallets or the like,

provided with four supporting walls, said pallets being in the form of so-called containers, possibly movable on wheels. Particularly the invention relates to loading pallets of the type in which the supporting-walls comprise two opposite, approximately parallel side walls, a rear wall and a removable front wall.

Principally the invention aims at designing loading pallets of this type in such a way that two identical pallets can be fitted together when not in use for loading so that together they take up the least possible floor space.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of the loading pallet according to the invention ready for loading,

FIG. 2 a top view of the same loading pallet,

FlG. 3 a top view of the loading pallet ready for being fitted into a similar loading pallet,

FIG. 4 a top view of the loading pallets fitted together, and

FIG. 5 a cross section of part of the pallet on a larger scale.

All the figures are schematical and intended only to serve as examples. ldentical parts in the different figures are indicated by the same reference designations.

The pallet project consists of a bottom frame 1 and a bottom plate 2. The four walls comprise two upright side walls 3 and 4, a rear wall 5 and a removable front wall 6. Normally the walls are cage or grid shaped having an outer frame. However, since the construction of the wall surface has no importance in connection with the invention, each wall is only indicated by an outer frame. The side walls and back walls may be permanently or removably attached to each other and to the bottom frame, for example by means of bolt joints. However, the lower edge of the front wall 6 engages recesses 8a or the like in the bottom frame by means of two hooks 8 (FIG. 5), the upper part detachably engaging the side walls 3 and 4 by means of two cotter pins 9 or the like. If the cotter engagement is released the front wall can be folded forwards as shown by the arrow 10 (H6. 5) so that the wall can be unhooked from the bottom frame. It can be attached again in the opposite manner.

According to the invention the bottom frame I seen from above is U-shaped opening towards the front wall 6 and the bottom plate 2 can be folded up against one side wall 3 by means of hinges 7. Thus, with the front walls removed and the bottom plates folded up, two such pallets can be fitted into each other front to front in accordance with FIG. 4 so that one side wall 4 of the first loading pallet is surrounded by the two side walls 3 and 4 of the second loading pallet and together they take up a floor space which does not greatly exceed the floor space required for a single loading pallet.

Of course the bottom plate 6 may also be secured in its folded position by means of some catch means or other blocking arrangement. A particularly suitable method, however, (FIG. 3) is to place the front wall 6, after it having been removed, in front of the folded bottom plate with its hooks 8 in recesses 8a intended arranged for this purpose in the bottom frame 1 (FIG. 2) and with one cotter pin 9 inserted in a corresponding attachment (not shown in the drawings) in the back wall 5 (or one side wall 3). Since in this way the front wall has to keep the folded bottom plate in position it cannot be unintentionally set aside but will always be adjacent the loading pallets when they are to be used. For the same reason it is advisable to attach the bottom plate by means of the hinges 7. In principle, however, it would be sufficient to have it lying loose on the bottom frame, and to raise it when necessary against the side wall.

With the guidance of the embodiment now illustrated many parts can be further modified within the scope of the invention. For example the function of the cotter pins 9 can be achieved by many other variations of the blocking means, for

example of the type havin parts which are clamped together by wedge-like action. All t e support walls may be removable like the front wall, the bottom frame may be provided with pivot rollers so that it can be moved along the floor, etc.

The bottom plate 6 may also be folded up against the back wall 5 in similar manner.

What I claim is:

l. Arrangement in loading pallets having four supporting walls comprising two opposite parallel side walls, a rear wall and a detachable front wall, characterized in that the pallet also is provided with a bottom frame which is U-shaped in horizontal projection and open towards the front wall, said bottom frame forming an attachment for the supporting walls, and a bottom plate being placed on the bottom frame to fit between the supporting walls and adapted to be folded up against one wall, the opening of the bottom frame towards the front wall being so dimensioned as to permit two similar loading pallets with the front walls removed and the bottom plates folded up to be fitted together front to front so that one side wall of the first loading pallet will be surrounded by two side walls of the second loading pallet.

2. Loading pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall is provided with blocking means arranged to detachably cooperate with the adjacent side walls to keep the front wall in normal loading position and also with one wall in a position against the folded bottom plate on the inside of this side wall, in the latter case serving as support for this bottom plate.

Claims (2)

1. Arrangement in loading pallets having four supporting walls comprising two opposite parallel side walls, a rear wall and a detachable front wall, characterized in that the pallet also is provided with a bottom frame which is U-shaped in horizontal projection and open towards the front wall, said bottom frame forming an attachment for the supporting walls, and a bottom plate being placed on the bottom frame to fit between the supporting walls and adapted to be folded up against one wall, the opening of the bottom frame towards the front wall being so dimensioned as to permit two similar loading pallets with the front walls removed and the bottom plates folded up to be fitted together front to front so that one side wall of the first loading pallet will be surrounded by two side walls of the second loading pallet.

2. Loading pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall is provided with blocking means arranged to detachably cooperate with the adjacent side walls to keep the front wall in normal loading position and also with one wall in a position against the folded bottom plate on the inside of this side wall, in the latter case serving as support for this bottom plate.

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