US3853072A

US3853072A - Pallet tiering frame interlock device

Info

Publication number: US3853072A
Application number: US00220608A
Authority: US
Inventors: L Skubic; P Blozis
Original assignee: PALTIER CORP
Current assignee: PALTIER CORP
Priority date: 1972-01-25
Filing date: 1972-01-25
Publication date: 1974-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-10
Also published as: FR2169647A5; DE2300883A1; JPS4882550A; DE2300883B2; GB1380683A; DE2300883C3; JPS5310337B2

Abstract

A pallet tiering frame interlock device is disclosed for detachably connecting two non-identical frame sections in stable assembled relation on a pallet. The frame sections have pallet engaging feet and generally V-shaped horizontal top members connected at their apexes by a threaded locking pin, the latter being captive in one of the frame sections.

Description

United States Patent [191 Skubic et a1.

[ 1 Dec. 10, 1974 1 PALLET TIERING FRAME INTERLOCK DEVICE [75] Inventors: Leroy F. Skubic, La Porte; Peter P.

Blozis, Michigan City, both of 1nd.

[731 Assignee: The Paltier Corporation, Michigan City, 1nd.

221 Filed: Jan. 25, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 220,608

[52] US. Cl. 108/55 [51] Int. Cl B65d 19/44 [58] Field of Search... 108/51-58;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,492,113 12/1949 Rees 151/69 2,828,933 5/1958 DePew et a1 108/55 2,853,114 9/1958 Barry 151/69 2,991,033 7/1961 108/53 3,137,336 6/1964 Wing l5l/4l.73

3,195,600 7/1965 Middleton, Jr. 151/69 3,257,974 6/1966 McMasters 3,313,248 4/1967 Bayluk 108/53 3,472,303 lO/l958 Bread 151/69 3,476,165 11/1969 Vaughn... 151/69 3,516,629 6/1970 Say 248/20 3,576,169 4/1971 DePew 108/53 3,597,110 8/1971 Corsmeier 416/198 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-G. O. Finch Attorney, Agent, or FirmWolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit & Osann, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT A pallet tiering frame interlock device is disclosed for detachably connecting two non-identical frame sections in stable assembled relation on a pallet. The frame sections have pallet engaging feet and generally V-shaped horizontal top members connected at their apexes by a threaded locking pin, the latter being captive in one of the frame sections.

8 Claims 11 Drawing Figures PALLET TIERING FRAME INTERLOCK DEVICE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to pallet tiering frames and, more particularly, to a pallet frame interlock device for detachably connecting two non-identical frame sections in assembled relation on a pallet in a manner which results in improved stability and load bearing capacity.

One object of the present invention is to provide a pallet tiering frame interlock device of the above character which will facilitate easy assembly and disassembly of the two frame sections on a pallet by one man without necessity for twisting one such section relative to the other.

Another object is to provide a device as above set forth wherein the mating frame sections cannot assume their fully assembled position on the pallet unless the interlock device is fully engaged.

A further object is to provide a device of the foregoing type adapted to join said frame sections on the pallet in a positive, stable manner so as to resist any tendency to become disengaged during handling or by impact with a fork lift truck.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative pallet tiering frame exemplifying the present invention and mounted'on a pallet of conventional form.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, partially in section, of the components of the interlocking device of the pallet tiering frame of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the components of the interlocking device of FIG. 1 in fully assembled relation.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of one portion of the interlocking device of FIG. 2, taken from the plane indicated by the line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the portion shown in FIG. 4, taken in the plane of the line 5-5.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are sequential sectional views taken longitudinally of the locking pin and detailing the manner of its retention in a frame member.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another form of pallet tiering frame also exemplifying the invention and mounted on a conventional pallet.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the components of the interlocking device as embodied in the pallet tiering frame shown in FIG.

cations and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the is there exemplified in a frame interlock device 10 incorporated into a pallet tiering frame 11 mounted on pallet 12 of conventional form, The frame II is in this instance fabricated of hollow tubular stock and comprises two non-identical sections l4, l5 detachably connected and held in assembled relation on the pallet by the interlock device 10. Each such frame section comprises a pair of upright posts 16 having pallet engaging feet 18 at their lower ends and connected at their upper ends by a generally V-shaped top member which overlies the pallet when the frame is assembled thereon. The section 14 thus comprises a pair of posts 16, pallet engaging feet 18 and a 'top member 19 welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the tops of the posts 16. The section 15 comprises a pair of posts 16, pallet engaging feet 18 and a top member 20 similarly fixed to the tops of the posts 16. The frame 11 happens in this case to be of the corner post type but it may, of course, be fashioned in modified form for center post or intermediate post engagement with the pallet.

The frame 11 is adapted to be detachably but positively connected to the pallet 12. For this purpose, each of the pallet engaging feet 18 (FIG. 1) is formed with a depending flange 21 which engages the end of its associated deckboard and the outer stringer of the pallet. Each foot 18 also has a somewhat narrower depending flange 22 which engages the outer edge of the deckboard. The flange 22 has an in-turned finger which extends under the deckboard and in proximity to the inside face of the outer stringer. A releasable locking element 24 on the foot 18 serves to engage the inneredge of the deckboard. By reason of this arrangement, the foot 18 is restrained against disengagement from the pallet in a horizontal or vertical direction.

Provision is made, through the interlock 10, for detachably but rigidly securing the frame sections l4, 15 in assembled relation on the pallet 12. In furtherance of such objective, a locking pin 25 (FIGS. 2, 3, 6-8) is joumaled in aligned bearing apertures 26, 27 in one of the top members, in this case the top member 20 of the frame section 15. The pin is situatedon an axis lying in the general plane of the top member and projects outwardly from the apex of the member 20, being mounted for limited axial movement in the bearing apertures 26, 27. The outwardly projecting end portion of the pin 25 is formed with a relatively coarse screw thread 28, in this case of the Acme configuration. The opposite end portion of the pin .25 projects slightly to the rear of the member 20 and has a turning knob 29 welded or otherwise rigidly secured thereto.

In order to preclude loss of the locking pin 25 during I handling of the frame sections, and to save time in as-' sembling the frame on a pallet, the locking pin 25 is held captive in the member 20 and restrained against axial withdrawal therefrom. This is accomplished by fashioning the locking pin 25 with a generally radial abutment 30 within the hollow tubular frame member 20 (FIGS. 2, 3, 6-8). The abutment 30 projects substantially beyond the diameter of the bearing apertures 26, 27 in the frame member 20 and the dimensions are such as to permit free rotational and limited axial movement of the locking pin 25 within the frame member 20. The abutment 30 is spaced axially from the knob 29 by a distance corresponding to the amount of end play desired for the pin 25.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, it will be noted that the abutment 30 in this instance happens to be in the form of a tapered pin which is installed from the exterior of the frame member with the locking pin resting in the bearing apertures 26, 27. The abutment pin is mounted in a bore 30a skewed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the locking pin 25. This permits the pin 30 to be inserted into the bore 30a from the exterior of the frame member 20 and driven partially therethrough so that its leading end projects substantially beyond the diameter of the locking pin 25, as shown in FIG. 8. In this condition, the locking pin 25 may be freely rotated and moved axially within the limits determined by engagement of the projecting end of the pin 30 with the interior wall of the frame member 20.

With the construction just described, replacement of a locking pin 25 in the event of damage thereto is a simple matter. This may be done by grasping the knob 29, pulling pin axially outward, and turning the locking pin until the outermost end of the abutment pin 30 is exposed. The pin 30 may then be driven completely through the bore 30a by means of a punch or drift pin and the locking pin 25, as well as the disengaged pin 30, may then be completely removed from the frame member 20. Installation of a new locking pin may be effected by reversing the foregoing procedure.

For cooperatively receiving the outwardly projecting locking pin 25, the other top member 19 has aligned receiving apertures 31, 32 formed at its apex on an axis projecting outwardly therefrom in the general plane of the member 19. A fixed retainer nut 34 is rigidly secured on the member 19 with its threaded opening 35 in concentric relation with the receiving aperture 32. The nut 34 in this case happens to be formed as a relatively heavy stamped sheet metal plate of slightly arcuate cross section and is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the member 19. The nut 34 is provided with a single thread 36 which is struck outwardly from the material of the nut and defines a spiralshaped element with a pitch corresponding to that of the thread 28 on the pin 25. Accordingly, when the

member

19 and 20 are brought together and the pin 25 inserted through the receiving apertures 31 and 32 until its threaded end engages the nut 34, the

members

19, 20 may be secured together by turning the knob 29 and threading the pin 25 into the nut 34. With progressive turning of the knob 29, eventually the skirt of the knob 29 engages the concave side of the member 20, bringing the apexes of the

members

19, 20 snugly together. By use of a series of scallops 38 on the skirt of the knob 29, frictional engagement takes place between the latter and the concave side of the member 20 minimizing the tendency of the knob and pin to work loose.

With the foregoing arrangement, the frame 11 may be quickly and easily assembled on the pallet by one man without necessity for twisting one frame section relative to the other. This is accomplished by first mounting one frame section, in this instance the section 14, on the pallet with the member 19 projecting generally horizontally over the center of the pallet. In the course of such action, it may be necessary to spring the lower ends of the posts 16 apart slightly in a direction parallel to the underlying pallet stringer so as to be certain that the plates 18 abut solidly with the tops of the deckboards. The lower ends of the posts 16 are then pulled toward one another in the opposite direction and the locking elements 24 actuated to retain them in place. The frame section 15 is next placed in its normal attitude in proximity to the section 14. The projecting end of the locking pin 25 is inserted into the receiving apertures 31, 32 and pushed axially until the threaded portion of the pin 25 is accosted by the nut 34. The pallet engaging feet 18 of the frame section 15 are brought into engagement with the associated pallet deckboards in the manner just described for the frame section 14. The turning knob 29 is then ortated by hand to engage the thread 28 of pin 25 in the nut 34 and such ortation is continued until the opposed apexes of the

members

19 and 20 are drawn up into snug relation with each other. At this point, the assembled frame 11 is securely mounted on the pallet and in such condition is highly stable and well adapted to support heavy superimposed loads while at the same time resisting disengagement due to ordinary handling or accidental impacts. Disassembly may be carried out by reversing the procedure just described.

Turning next to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown another form of pallet tiering frame 40 have an interlock 41 also embodying the present invention. In this instance, the frame 40 happends to be of the center post type and is mounted on a conventional pallet 42 with its feet disposed intermediate, rather than at, the pallet corners. The frame 40 comprises two non-identical sections 44, 45 each having a pair of upright posts with pallet engaging feet and a generally V-shaped top member. The section 44 includes top member 46, posts 48, one having pallet engaging foot 49 and the other pallet engaging foot 50. The section 45 includes top member 51, posts 48, one having a foot 49 and the other a foot 50. Due to the fact that the frame 40 is of the socalled center post type, its top members 46, 51 each have arms disposed at approximately to each other and a relatively short blunt apex portion engaged by the locking member 41.

The pallet engaging feet 49 are each adapted to overlie the ends of the enter stringer of the pallet. Each such foot 49 is formed at its outborad end with a pair of spaced apaprt depending flanges 52 which straddle the center stringer and have in-tumed fingers underlying the deckboard. At its opposite end, each foot 49 is provided with a depending flange 54 adapted to engage the inner edge of the deckboard. Each pallet engaging foot 50 is formed with a large depending flange 55 which engages the adjacent ends of the two central deckboards and a portion of the outer face of the underlying outer stringer. The inner portion of the foot 50 may be provided with a locking member 56 or a fixed flange projecting downwardly. between the two central deckboards and adapted to engage the inner face of the associated outer stringer.

The interlocking device 41 is mounted at the apexes of the top members 46, 51 as shown in FIG. 8 and it operates in a manner similar to that of the locking device 10 to detachably secure frame sections 44, 45 in assembled relation on the pallet 42. Since a number of the individual parts of the interlocking device 41 are identical to those of the device 10, like parts in both devices are given the same reference numerals.

Referring more specifically to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, it will be noted that the principal difference between the devices and 41 is the manner in which the locking pin 25 is held captive in the frame member. In this instance, it is accomplished by forming a lateral offset 57 in the pin 25 as by striking the latter in a punch press prior to attachment of the turning knob 29. In such condition, the rearward end of the pin may be inserted through the bearing aperture 27 and the pin manipulated until the offset 57 also passes through the aperture 27. The rearward end of the pin 25 is then pushed through the bearing aperture 26 and the knob 29 attached. The offset 57 is spaced axially from the knob 29 by a distance corresponding to the amount of end play desired of the pin 25.

To assemble the frame 40 on the pallet, the frame section 44 is first mounted in place so that its feet, 50 engge the deckboards. The frame sctio 45 is then brought toward the ston 44 and the locking pin of the device 41 is inserted in the receiving apertures of the member 46. The feet 49,50 of the frame section 45 are then brought into engagement with the pallet and the locking pin 25 is tightened by means of the turning knob 29. This brings the top members 46, 51 into snug engagement at their apexes and the scalloped skirt of the member 29 into engagement with the concave side of the member 51 (FIG. 10). The frame is thus in stable, assembled condition on the pallet and ready for supporting heavy super-imposed loads. Disassembly may, of course, be effected by reversing the foregoing procedure.

Turning now to FIG. 13, there is shown a modified form of locking device 58 also embodying the invention and very similar in operation to the devices 10 and 41. In this case, the device 58 utilizes a different restraining means for holding the locking pin 59 captive in its associated top frame member. This is accomplished by forming the inner end portion 60 of the locking pin of reduced diameter andutilizing a correspondingly reduced diameter bearing aperture 61. The rearward end of the reduced diameter portion 60 of the pin has a turning knob 29 secured thereto in suitably spaced relation to a shoulder 62 on the locking pin to define the desired amount of end play. Operation of the device 58 is otherwise the same as that of the interlocking devices 10 and 41.

FIG. 14 shows an alternate form of nut member applicable to either or both of the interlocking devices 10, 41. In this instance, the thread 36 which engages the thread 28 of the locking pin is formed directly in the side wall of the frame member. The necessity for a separately mounted nut member is thereby eliminated. A governing factor in the use of this modification is the wall thickness of the frame member in a given installation compared with the sizeof the thread 28.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pallet tiering frame comprising a pair of nonidentical frame sections each defined by a pair of upright posts with pallet engaging feet and an integrally connected generally horizontal top member of substantially V-shaped form, an interlock device comprising. in combination,

a. a locking pin journalled in alined bearing apertures in one said top member and projecting longitudinally from the apex of said top member in the general plane thereof;

b. means on said locking pin intermediate the ends thereof said between said top member apertures for holding said locking pin captive in said one top member and restraining said pin against axial with drawal therefrom;

c. means defining a screw thread on the projecting end portion of said locking pin;

d. a turning knob fixed to the opposite end of said locking pin for rotating the same;

e. menas defining a pair of alined receiving apertures in the other one of said top members at the apex thereof and on an axis lying in the general plane thereof for receiving the projecting end of said locking pin; and a stamped nut member integral with said other one of said top members adjacent and concentric with the aperture on the concave side of said top member for threadably engaging said locking pin to releasably secure said frame sections together when said frame members are assembled on a pallet and sai locking pin has been inserted through said alined receiving apertures of said other top member.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nut member is formed as a separately attached seet metal stamping, and said retaining means prmits limited axial movement of said locking pin relative to said one top member.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nut member is formed from an integral part of the wall of said other top member.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking pin restraining means comprises a lateral abutment formed as a longitudinally skewed pin projecting through and substantially beyond the diameter of the locking pin.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 wherien said skewed pin id disposed at an actue angle to the longitudinal axis of the locking pin so as to permit installation of siad skewed pin from the exterior of said one top member.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking pin restraining means comprises a lateral offset portion formed in said locking pin in axially spaced relation to said turning knob.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said turning knob has a scalloped skirt for frictionally engaging said first top member.

8. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking pin restraining means comprises a shoulder and a stem of lesser diameter which projects through the wall of said one top memeber and engages said knob on the exterior thereof.

Claims

1. In a pallet tiering frame comprising a pair of non-identical frame sections each defined by a pair of upright posts with pallet engaging feet and an integrally connected generally horizontal top member of substantially V-shaped form, an interlock device comprising, in combination, a. a locking pin journalled in alined bearing apertures in one said top member and projecting longitudinally from the apex of said top member in the general plane thereof; b. means on said locking pin intermediate the ends thereof said between said top member apertures for holding said locking pin captive in said one top member and restraining said pin against axial withdrawal therefrom; c. means defining a screw thread on the projecting end portion of said locking pin; d. a turning knob fixed to the opposite end of said locking pin for rotating the same; e. menas defining a pair of alined receiving apertures in the other one of said top members at the apex thereof and on an axis lying in the general plane thereof for receiving the projecting end of said locking pin; and f. a stamped nut member integral with said other one of said top members adjacent and concentric with the aperture on the concave side of said top member for threadably engaging said locking pin to releasably secure said frame sections together when said frame members are assembled on a pallet and sai locking pin has been inserted through said alined receiving apertures of said other top member.