WO1994018081A1

WO1994018081A1 - A pallet

Info

Publication number: WO1994018081A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/000245
Authority: WO
Inventors: Edward Dennis James Gillard; John Frank Buckton
Original assignee: Edward Dennis James Gillard; John Frank Buckton
Priority date: 1993-02-09
Filing date: 1994-02-09
Publication date: 1994-08-18
Also published as: AU5977694A; GB9302534D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallet including a load bearing surface (2) supported by rails (3, 4), to allow a pallet moving vehicle to enter its tines beneath the load bearing surface to elevate the pallet and any load supported thereon, said pallet including recesses (7) in the load bearing surface to allow the tines of a pallet moving vehicle entered into said recesses to elevate the load from the pallet. In a preferred embodiment the pallet presents oppositely facing load bearing surfaces and both said surfaces include recesses.

Description

A PALLET

This invention relates to a pallet of the type used for manoeuvring or transporting goods, for example, by means of a fork-lift truck or the like pallet moving vehicle.

Known pallets comprise a member or members defining a substantially rectangular load-bearing platform supported on generally parallel rails or runners which elevate the load- bearing platform above the ground, to enable the tines or forks of a pallet moving vehicle to enter beneath the load bearing platform to allow the platform, and the load thereon, to be elevated and transported by the vehicle.

Known conventional pallets are expensive and, with some low cost loads, the cost of a pallet can exceed the value of the load placed on it. It follows that, in many circumstances, a supplier of goods will wish to avoid any requi ement to provide his goods on a pallet, particularly since there is a risk that the pallet will not be returned.

To avoid this problem it is common practise, particularly in some industries, for goods to be loaded onto the back of a truck on a slipsheet. The slipsheet is generally made of a low cost material, such as cardboard, and involves lower costs than the use of a pallet.

By this practise the goods, loaded on a pallet, can be conveyed by a pallet moving vehicle to the truck and unloaded by hand from the pallet and restacked on a slipsheet supported on loose beams or rails on the truck. In some industries the loading of goods from the pallet to the slipsheet can be automated, using appropriate specialised equipment.

In another practise the goods may be loaded onto a slipsheet supported on a pallet, the load, including the pallet, may be loaded onto the back of the truck by a pallet moving vehicle and the slipsheet may be dragged off the pallet to allow the pallet to be removed.

To unload the goods a pallet moving vehicle is required to lift the load from the vehicle. However, in order to be capable of being moved the load must be placed on a pallet. This generally involves forcing the tines of the fork-lift truck under the slipsheet, elevating the load and the slipsheet, lowering the load and slipsheet onto a pallet, and dragging the tines of the pallet moving vehicle out from beneath the slipsheet. This can be an awkward operation, particularly with heavy goods or goods manufactured from fragile materials, since there is a risk that the goods will be displaced from the slipsheet, and be damaged or cause damage as a result.

According to the present invention there is provided a pallet comprising a load bearing surface, .supported above the ground by parallel rails to allow the tines of a pallet moving vehicle, such as a fork-lift truck, to enter the pallet beneath the load bearing surface from one side or an opposite side of the pallet, whereby said vehicle can then elevate the pallet and any load thereon, the load bearing surface having two recesses therein extending from an edge of the pallet for receiving the tines of a pallet moving vehicle, and whereby a load placed on the pallet can be elevated independent of the pallet.

The new pallet has the advantage that the pallet may be loaded with, for example, bags or sacks of goods, the pallet can be used at the manufacturing location and manoeuvred about by a conventional pallet moving vehicle and then, when loading a lorry, a pallet moving vehicle may enter its tines into the recess or recesses in the pallet beneath the load, and lift the load clear of the pallet and deposit it on loose timbers, carried by the lorry, to allow a pallet moving vehicle to remove the load at the destination. At the destination, a pallet moving vehicle can elevate the load and deposit it on a customer's pallet, generally of the same design as described above, or the customers's pallet moving vehicle can deposit the load at a storage location, or at the location for use, by simply depositing the base and load onto loose timbers.

In a preferred embodiment the load bearing surface has two recesses formed therein.

Preferably when two recesses are provided the recesses are between 25 to 130 cm apart, measured centre to centre of said recesses, to allow a wide range of different pallet moving vehicles to enter their tines into said recesses.

Preferably the depth of the recess or recesses is greater than 5 cms to facilitate entry of the tines into said recess or recesses.

In a preferred embodiment the depth of said recess or recesses is greater than 6.5 cm.

In a preferred embodiment the recess or recesses extend across the entire width of the pallet from one side to the opposite side and are open to receive the tines of a pallet moving vehicle from both sides of the pallet.

In a preferred embodiment the recess or recesses in the load-bearing surface of the pallet lie generally at right angles to the normal entry of the tines beneath the load bearing surface.

Preferably both oppositely facing major surfaces of the pallet comprises load bearing surfaces and in such an embodiment the pallet has recesses in both load bearing surfaces. Preferably a slipsheet, on which a load may be applied and supported, is provided as part of the pallet.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig 1 is an isometric view of a pallet according to the invention;

Fig 2 is a side view of a pallet; and

Fig 3 shows, an isometric view of an alternative arrangement for a pallet in accordance with the invention.

Fig 1 shows a pallet according to the present invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 1, and which comprises a load bearing surface 2 displaced from the ground by rails 3 and supporting cross rails A. A load (not shown) may be placed on the load bearing surface 2, directly or via a slipsheet (not shown) placed on the load bearing surface 2. Use of a slipsheet is advantageous as it affords a certain amount of protection from damage through direct contact between the load and the tines of a fork-lift truck.

The slipsheet also acts as a support which may be necessary for small items of goods which may fall or protrude through the pallet and be damaged when the tines of a fork-lift truck enter the pallet.

Recesses 7 are provided either by cutting portions of the cross rails A away or by building up a recess 7 by using sections of thick timber 8. The recesses 7 allow the tines of a fork-lift truck to be inserted between the load and the pallet 1 and thus allow the load to be lifted independently of the pallet 1.

The load and the pallet 1 may be lifted together by inserting the tines of a fork-lift truck in the direction and positions indicated by the arrows 5 or, alternatively in the direction and positions indicated by the arrows 6. Once the pallet 1 and load has been transported to the desired position the pallet 1 and load can be set down. The tines of a fork- lift truck are then inserted in the direction and positions indicated by the arrows 9 ie. into the recesses 7 between the load and the pallet 1. The load may then be lifted, supported on its slipsheet if one is used, away from the pallet 1. The load may be placed on loose timbers arranged on a load bearing surface of a lorry or other vehicle, secured and transported to its destination location, where a customer may remove the load from the loose timbers by a fork-lift truck and set the load down onto a pallet, preferably of the same type so that the tines of the fork-lift truck can be readily removed from the recesses 7 in the pallet without change to the load, or slipsheet.

In this way pallets may be re-used without necessarily leaving the supplier or customer location. Therefore, a shortage of pallets cannot occur preventing disruption or problems in loading or unloading goods. Furthermore, the supplier does not have to provide or ship pallets to the customer, thereby avoiding any extra charges which may have been passed on to the customer.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig 3 a pallet, generally indicated by numberal 11, comprises three spaced apart, generally parallel, cross rails 12 secured to three load bearing members 13 which are secured along an edge of the cross rails 12. Three load bearing members 1A, secured along the opposite edges of the rails 12 define an alternative load bearing surface when the pallet 11 is inverted from its position shown in Fig 3. The load bearing members 13 and 14 lie at right angles to the cross rails 12, the members 13 are arranged in spaced apart parallel relationship and the members 14 are arranged in spaced apart parallel relationship.

As will be seen from Fig 3 the cross rails 12 are cut-away between the load bearing members 13, defining cut- aways 12a_, and the rails 12 are cut-away between the load bearing members 14 defining cut-aways 12b, the bottoms of the cut-aways 12a_ are at least 6 cms below the load bearing surface 13, and the bottoms of the cut-aways 12b_ are spaced at least 6 cms from the plane of the load bearing surface defined by members 14 when the pallet 11 is inverted from the position shown in Fig 3. The spaces between the load bearing members 13, in combination with the cut-aways 12a_, define recesses 15 in the load bearing surface defined by load bearing members 13 and into which recesses the tines of a pallet moving vehicle can be entered to elevate a load supported on the load bearing surface defined by member 13. The spacings between members 14, in combination with the cut-aways 12b_ define recesses 16 which allow the tines of a fork-lift truck to enter the pallet 11 under the cross rails 12, from one side or the other side of the pallet, and whereupon the tines of the pallet moving vehicle can be entered to elevate the pallet from all four sides of the pallet.

In identical manner, when the pallet is inverted from the position illustrated in Fig 3, the tines of a fork- lift truck can enter the recesses 16 between the load bearing members 14 to elevate a load from the pallet 11 and the tines can be entered into the recesses 15 between the load bearing members 13, again facilitating entry of the tines of the pallet moving vehicle from any one of the four sides of the pallet 11 to elevate the pallet 11.

In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention a pallet, intended for use with relatively long rigid container loads or with rigid slipsheets, may define a load bearing surface comprising two load bearing members spaced apart to define one recess therebetween, the recess having such width as to allow both tines of a pallet moving vehicle to enter thereinto.

Claims

- -CLAIMS

1. A pallet comprising a load bearing surface, supported above the ground by parallel rails to allow the forks of a pallet moving vehicle, such as a fork-lift truck, to enter the pallet beneath the load bearing surface from one side or an opposite side of the pallet, whereby said vehicle can then elevate the pallet and any load thereon, the load bearing surface having at least one recess therein extending from an edge of the pallet for receiving the tines of a pallet moving vehicle, and whereby a load placed on the pallet can be elevated independent of the pallet.

2. A pallet according to claim 1 and wherein the load bearing surface has two recesses formed therein.

3. A pallet according to claim 2 and wherein the recesses are between 25 to 130 cm apart, measured centre to centre of said recesses.

4. A pallet according to claim 1, 2 or 3 and wherein the depth of the recess or recesses is greater than 5 cm.

5. A pallet according to claim 4 and wherein the depth of said recess or recesses is greater than 6.5 cm.

6. A pallet according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and wherein the recess or recesses extend across the entire width of the pallet from one side to the opposite side and are open to receive the tines of a pallet moving vehicle from both sides of the pallet.

7. A pallet as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and wherein the recess or recesses in the load-bearing surface of the pallet lie generally at right angles to the normal entry of the tines beneath the load bearing surface.

8. A pallet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and wherein both oppositely facing major surfaces of the pallet comprises load bearing surfaces.

9. A pallet as claimed in Claim 8 and wherein the pallet has recess or recesses in both load bearing surfaces.

10. A pallet according to any preceding claim and wherein a slipsheet on which a load may be applied and supported is provided as part of the pallet.

11. A pallet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.