WO2004085273A1

WO2004085273A1 - Pallet or knockdown container with corrugated surfaces

Info

Publication number: WO2004085273A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/001716
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Matich
Original assignee: Armacel Pty Limited
Priority date: 2003-03-25
Filing date: 2003-12-23
Publication date: 2004-10-07
Also published as: AU2003901367A0

Abstract

A pallet (16) and a knockdown or collapsible container (1) have corrugated surfaces to enable stacking and nesting. The pallet has a deck with corrugated upper and lower surfaces and at least two bearers (18, 19) with corrugated lower surfaces (6). The corrugations of the deck upper surface (17) and of the bearer lower surfaces (6) have like pitch to allow a pair of pallets to be stackable. The corrugations on the deck lower surface of one pallet allow nesting with bearer corrugations of another pallet. The container has releasable sidewalls and a lid wherein the sidewalls and lid have at least one corrugated surface that can mate with the corrugated upper surface of the pallet. The pallet and container components are fabricated from moulded polystyrene to which a corrugated plastic or metal layer (6) is abutted. These components are vacuum encapsulated with sheet plastics material using the ARMACEL process.

Description

PALLET OR KNOCKDOWN CONTAINER WITH CORRUGATED SURFACES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the transportation of goods and, in particular, to the transportation of goods in containers which at their destination are able to be knocked down and the container returned to the original source. Such systems are already in use in respect of, for example, fresh seafood where the specialized container is returned to the seafood vendor.

Background Art

Various systems using various containers are known for this purpose. In general, all the containers used hitherto suffer from one or more of various disadvantages. For example, the containers can be expensive, fragile, liable to damage by splintering, difficult to clean for reuse, and so on.

The ARMACEL process and apparatus for forming structural articles, especially from weak substrates such as polystyrene and cardboard, and articles so formed, are disclosed in the applicant's International PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU95/00100 entitled "A method and apparatus for forming structural articles" (WO 95/23682), International PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU96/00541 entitled "Layered Structural Article" (WO 97/09166) and International PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AUOO/00250 (WO 00/59709) entitled "An improved method of forming structural articles" - the contents of all three of which are hereby incorporated into the present specification by cross reference.

These specifications disclose forming structural articles from a shape defining interior member and at least one external skin. The basic steps of the method comprise: 1 • heating a thermoformable sheet intended to form the external skin,

2. bringing the heated sheet alongside the interior member, 3. applying a fluid pressure differential between opposite surfaces of the interior member and the sheet to conform the sheet to the shape of the interior member and mutually engage same, and

4. maintaining the fluid pressure differential until the sheet has cooled.

The application of a fluid pressure differential is normally brought about by evacuation of the gas (normally air) between the heated sheet and the interior member or article.

Object of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved transportation system, container and pallet which go at least some way towards ameliorating the abovementioned difficulties.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a pallet for transporting goods, said pallet comprising a load bearing deck having an upper surface on which said goods are located and at least two support bearers extending beneath said deck, the upper surface of said bearers being adjacent the lower surface of said deck and the lower surface of said bearers being remote from said deck, wherein said deck upper surface and bearer lower surfaces are corrugated with corrugations of like pitch whereby a pair of said pallets can be stacked with the bearer corrugations of the upper pallet mated with the deck corrugations of the lower pallet.

Preferably, the lower deck of the pallet is also corrugated with a like pitch so that a pair of pallets can be nested with the bearer corrugations of each pallet mated with the deck lower surface corrugations.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a knock down container for transport of goods, said container comprising a base, a lid, four side walls and releasable means to hold said base, lid and walls in an assembled condition to define an interior for said container, said releasable means being releasable to permit said base, lid and walls to be separated from each other, wherein at least one surface of said walls, base and lid is corrugated with corrugations of like pitch, whereby said base lid and walls when separated can be arranged in pairs with said corrugations mated and said mated pairs stacked.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a transportation system incorporating the above defined pallet and/or the above defined knock down container.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of restraining goods in transit, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) locating said goods within, or on, a load bearing support having at least one lower surface which is corrugated, and

(ii) positioning said load bearing support on a corrugated upwardly facing surface having corrugations of like pitch to those of said corrugated lower surface, said support being orientated to permit said corrugations to mate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the knock down container at the preferred embodiment in an assembled condition,

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pallet of a first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container of Fig. 1 mounted on the pallet of

Fig. 3,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the pallet of Fig. 4 strapped together with the container of Fig. 1 , the latter being in a knocked down configuration,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the interengagement of the container and pallet of Fig. 4,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pallet of a second embodiment,

FIG. 8 shows two of the pallets of Fig. 7 stacked one above the other, and

FIG. 9 shows two of the pallets of Fig. 7 nested, one with the other. Detailed Description

As seen in Figs. 1-5 the container 1 of the preferred embodiment is fabricated from six components namely a lid 2, a base 3 and four substantial identical side walls 4. Each of the six components is preferably fabricated from moulded polystyrene to which a corrugated plastics sheet 6 is abutted. The polystyrene and sheet 6 are vacuum encapsulated with preferably transparent plastics sheet material such as APET. This procedure is preferably carried out using the AR ACEL processes described in any one of the following published patent specifications (WO 95/23682; WO 97/09166 and WO 00/59709) the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by cross reference.

As best seen in Fig. 2, the side walls 4 form a frictional fit with the base 3 and lid 2 and the container 1 is held in its assembled condition with the lid 2 closed by means of releasable devices which, in their simplest form, take the form of two packing straps 8 which extend all the way around the side walls 4 but are illustrated in truncated form in FIG. 1. As indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, if desired in order to increase the stiffness of the lid 2 base 3 and side walls 4, the interior surfaces of these components could be provided with a corrugated sheet 6 also.

The base 3 takes the form of a deck 10, the lower surface of which is corrugated and is provided with a pair of bearers 11, 12. The lowest surface of each of the bearers 11 and 12 is corrugated at 13 with corrugations having the same pitch as those on the corrugated sheets 6. Thus all corrugated surfaces are preferably identical. However this is not strictly necessary since some variation in crest height is permissible provided the pitch remains the same.

As seen in Fig. 3 a pallet 16 is provided with a deck 17 and a pair of bearers 18, 19. The upper surface of the deck 17 and the lower surface of the bearers 18, 19 are provided with corrugation 6 which are substantially identical to those provided on the container 1. The bearers 18, 19 are spaced apart by a distance sufficient to enable the prongs of a forklift to pass under the deck 17 between the bearers 18, 19. Thus, as seen in Fig. 4 it will be apparent that the container 1 can be stacked on the deck 17 of the pallet 16. Normally the pallet 16 would be very much bigger than the container 1 and so many containers 1 would be stacked on the deck 17 and not just one as illustrated.

Once the product(s) packed within the interior of the container 1 have reached their destination, the packing straps 8 are cut to enable the container 1 to be opened. Thereafter the lid 2, base 3, walls 4 and pallet 16 are able to be stacked by mating the corrugated surfaces and nesting the bearers 11, 12 and 18, 19 all as illustrated in Fig. 5. A packing strap 28 holds the mated components together. In this way the volume occupied by the container components in the knock down form is much reduced compared to the assembled form and so freight costs for the return trip are much reduced.

Furthermore, since the container components are covered with a layer of APET, or similar, the components are strongly resistant to wear, chipping, abrasion etc and can be easily cleaned using a hose and water.

As seen in Fig. 6 in conjunction with Fig. 4 it will be apparent that the mating of the corrugations 6 stops relative movement of the container 1 with respect to the pallet 16 in the left to right direction as seen in Fig. 4. It is desirable to also inhibit movement of the container 1 relative to the pallet 16 in the longitudinal direction of the corrugations 6. Fig. 6 shows how this can be done by including a shaped chip 21 of timber, for example, or some other similar protrusion which projects into the trough 7 between adjacent crests 9 of the corrugation 6. Thus the container 1 is prevented from sliding off the pallet 16 in the direction of the corrugation 6 by engagement of the bearer 12 with the chip 21.

Turning now to Fig. 7 a second embodiment in the form of a pallet 36 is illustrated, the pallet having a deck 37 and bearers 38, 39 and thus the general configuration of the pallet 16. However, in the embodiment of Fig. 7 the lower surface 32 of the deck 37 is corrugated as is the upper surface 31. Again the pitch of the corrugations is the same as is the pitch of the corrugations on the lower surface of the bearers 38, 39. The pallet 36 is preferably fabricated from polystyrene and, if desired, the corrugations can be fabricated, for example by moulding the polystyrene itself as illustrated in the right hand side of Fig. 7. However, preferably to increase the strength of the pallet 36 and its ability to withstand wear, the corrugated polystyrene surface is covered with a metal sheet 40 as illustrated in the left hand side of Fig. 7. The metal sheet 40 preferably includes regularly spaced apart apertures 41 which assist in the encapsulation process. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that normal wear and tear may eventually partially abrade through the APET covering on the crests of the corrugations. If so, the steel sheet 40 provides a further tough wearing surface, thus prolonging the life of the pallet 36.

It is well known that providing a corrugated sheet 40 increases the stiffness of the deck 37 of the pallet 36. However, in the particular construction of Fig. 7 the corrugations on the lower surface 32 provide additional stiffness, especially where the second metal sheet 40 is provided. A further measure of control of the stiffness of the deck 37 is provided by adjusting the distance between the surfaces 31 and 32 as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7. In this way extremely strong pallets can be manufactured, notwithstanding the constituent materials (eg polystyrene and thin metal sheets) are not of themselves particularly strong.

As seen in Fig. 8 two of the pallets 36 can be stacked one above the other with the corrugations of the bearers 38, 39 mating with the corrugations of the upper surface 31 of the deck 37. Similarly, as seen in Fig. 9 two of the pallets 36 can be nested with the corrugations of the bearers 38, 39 mating with the corrugations of the lower surfaces 32 of the decks 37.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, a truck or other motor vehicle to carry the pallets 16, 36 can be provided with a corrugated load bearing surface having the same pitch as the corrugations 6. This corrugated surface can be provided by corrugating the truck tray, or by providing a mat with corrugations. In this way relative movement between the pallets 16, 36 and the vehicle can be impeded. The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "having" or "including" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of.

Claims

1. A pallet for transporting goods, said pallet comprising a load bearing deck having an upper surface on which said goods are located and at least two support bearers extending beneath said deck, the upper surface of said bearers being adjacent the lower surface of said deck and the lower surface of said bearers being remote from said deck, wherein said deck upper surface and bearer lower surfaces are corrugated with corrugations of like pitch whereby a pair of said pallets can be stacked with the bearer corrugations of the upper pallet mated with the deck corrugations of the lower pallet.

2. The pallet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower surface of said deck is corrugated with corrugations of said pitch whereby a pair of said pallets can be nested with the bearer corrugations of each pallet mated with the deck lower surface corrugations of the pallet.

3. The pallet as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said corrugations in said deck upper surface includes at least one protrusion projecting into a trough of said corrugations.

4. The pallet as claimed in claim 3 wherein the or each protrusion is adjacent an edge of said deck.

5. The pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1-4 wherein said corrugations of said deck are formed from the material from which said deck is fabricated.

6. The pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1-4 wherein said corrugations of said deck are formed from a layer applied to the material from which said deck is fabricated.

The pallet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said layer is formed from metal.

8. The pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1-7 and encapsulated with sheet plastics material.

9. A knock down container for transport of goods, said container comprising a base, a lid, four side walls and releasable means to hold said base, lid and walls in an assembled condition to define an interior for said container, said releasable means being releasable to permit said base, lid and walls to be separated from each other, wherein at least one surface of said walls, base and lid is corrugated with corrugations of like pitch, whereby said base lid and walls when separated can be arranged in pairs with said corrugations mated and said mated pairs stacked.

10. The container as claimed in claim 9 wherein said base includes at least two spaced apart bearers the lower surfaces of which are corrugated with corrugations of said pitch.

11. The container as claimed in claim 9 or 10 where said releasable means comprises one or more packing straps.

12. The pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1-8 in combination with the container as claimed in any one of claims 9-11.

13. A transportation system incorporating pallets as claimed in any one of claims 1-8 and/or containers as claimed in any one of claims 9-11.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 including a motor vehicle having a load supporting surface which is corrugated with corrugations having said pitch.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said vehicle load supporting surface comprises a mat.

16. A method of restraining goods in transit, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) locating said goods within, or on, a load bearing support having at least one lower surface which is corrugated, and (ii) positioning said load bearing support on a corrugated upwardly facing surface having corrugations of like pitch to those of said corrugated lower surface, said support being orientated to permit said corrugations to mate.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 including the step of:

(iii) locating at least one protrusion projecting into a trough of said corrugations.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein each said corrugated lower surface is the lower surface of a pallet bearer.

19. The method as claimed in any one of claims 16-18 wherein said corrugated upwardly facing surface is the deck of a pallet.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein said load bearing support comprises a pallet as claimed in any one of claims 1-8.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein said load bearing support comprises a knock down container as claimed in any one of claims 9-11.