Abstract:
A transportation base load unitizer ( 8 ) for unitizing a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base ( 16 ), such as a pallet. The unitizer ( 8 ) comprises at least one elastic section ( 12 ) and at least one protection section ( 10 ) for providing greater protection to a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section ( 12 ). The unitizer ( 8 ) is configured such that, in use, the unitizer ( 8 ) holds together as a unit and protects a load ( 14 ) on a transportation base ( 16 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a transportation base load unitizer and a method of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet. 
         [0002]    Pallets are flat structures for carrying goods to form a unit load of the goods. The goods forming the load may be, for example, foodstuffs or other products. 
         [0003]    Pallets are typically made of wood. They include a deck (usually square or near-square) on which a load is placed. The deck is supported by an arrangement that allows forks of a forklift or pallet jack to lift and transport it. The pallets including their load can be transported on to and off from lorries, which carry unit loads on them long distances. Many standard configurations of pallet are used such as international organisation of standardisation (ISO) pallets and Euro (CEN) pallets. These typically have dimensions of between 800 mm to 1300 mm by between 800 mm to 1300 mm. 
         [0004]    Stretch wrap or shrink wrap is typically wound around goods on a pallet to hold a load on its pallet and to unitize it. Stretch wrap is a highly elastic plastics film that is wrapped around items to bind them together tightly to unitize them. Shrink wrap is a plastics film that is applied loosely around a load and then heated causing the film to shrink, tightly holding the load and unitizing it. 
         [0005]    It typically takes around twenty minutes for one person to wrap a load in stretch or shrink wrap. There are machines that can perform this function. However, they are very expensive and may require occasional human intervention. 
         [0006]    When the unit load of goods has reached its final destination, the stretch wrap or shrink wrap must be removed. The film cannot be used again and must be stored before disposal. Storage takes up considerable space. Disposal has detrimental environmental impact. 
         [0007]    The stretch wrap or shrink wrap provides only a little protection to the goods they cover. They and the goods they are covering can easily become torn on sharp edges during transportation. For foodstuffs in paper bags, for example, if one bag of the unit load is torn open, then the entire unit load or pallet of goods must be thrown away at great expense. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,464 A discloses a pallet wrapping apparatus having an elongated panel. The panel has alternating elastic/non-elastic panels. It is mounted by a hook to the pallet and is wrapped around the load and secured in place by VELCRO strips. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,955 A discloses a belt which fastens around a load. It has a hook which attaches the belt to an article of the load. The belt is then wrapped around the load and secured by VELCRO. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,330 A discloses a flexible wrapping member with rubber-like straps. Each strap has a hook which fastens to a grommet in the wrapping member. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,815 A and GB 1117448 A disclose a wrapper connected at its lower end to a pallet. The wrapper is held in tension around a load by tension straps connected to the wrapper. 
         [0012]    Devices described in the publications listed above generally require a sheet or covering to be wrapped around a load and a means for fastening the sheet around the load, such as a belt, a hook or a rope. Such fastening means can add weight, bulk and cost to the device and can become tangled when being stored. 
         [0013]    The inventors have appreciated the need for an improved arrangement to unitize a load carried on a transportation base, such as a pallet. Examples described herein mitigate some or all of the problems described above, such as, reducing the time to unitize a load, reducing the waste and storage requirement of waste plastic film, and providing greater protection to the load on a pallet. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The invention is defined by the independent claims to which reference is now directed. Preferred features of the invention are defined by the dependent claims. 
         [0015]    Features of the dependent claims directed to a transportation base load unitizer may also be dependent on the independent method claim. 
         [0016]    An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below and takes the form of a transportation base load unitizer for unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet. The unitizer comprises at least one elastic section and at least one protection section for providing greater protection to a load on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section. The unitizer is configured such that, in use, the unitizer holds together as a unit and protects a load on a transportation base. 
         [0017]    At least one of the at least one protection section may be in the form of a sheet. 
         [0018]    In an embodiment of the invention, at least one of the at least one protection section comprises a durable material. Thus, the unitizer is able to resist perforation. At least one of the at least one protection section may be plastics and in particular polypropylene. 
         [0019]    In another embodiment of the invention, the unitizer is in the form of a sleeve or sheath. For example, the unitizer may be in the form of a tube. This arrangement is particularly easy to place around the load being unitized. For example, rather than wrapping a material around the load, a prefabricated sleeve or sheath may be expanded or stretched by tensioning the at least one elastic section and subsequently lowered over the load to a position where it surrounds the load. Advantageously, the at least one elastic section may be relaxed, such that the sleeve automatically constricts around the load. Therefore, it may be said that the sleeve is configurable between an expanded or stretched state and a restricted or contracted state, by tensioning or relaxing the at least one elastic section. Configuration of the contracted state may be automatic once the at least one elastic section is no longer tensioned. This arrangement may prevent the need to provide the unitizer with hooks, belts or other such fastening means. Preferably, the unitizer does not have a fastening means. It is envisaged that a sleeve will be particularly suitable for machine-automated application to loads, especially compared to devices of the prior art which typically require manual tightening or fastening. 
         [0020]    The sleeve may be substantially closed at one end which could form a sock-like covering. In this way, it may substantially cover the top of the goods on the transportation base, thus also protecting the top of the goods from damage, such as from being soiled by liquid exposure. In one embodiment, the unitizer, in use, provides a substantially continuous covering for a load, such that little or none of the load is exposed. However, the sleeve may have a vent (preferably at the top) to allow air to escape whilst applying the unitizer to a load. 
         [0021]    The or each elastic section may be arranged such that they provide a substantially uniform restoring force circumferentially around the unitizer. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the or each elastic section may be substantially planar or flat such that it has a lower profile or takes up less volume than, for example, a hook, belt buckle or rope typically used in devices of the prior art. Advantageously, the unitizer may thus be more readily folded or compacted and subsequently stored. 
         [0023]    In a further embodiment of the invention, the unitizer is configured for repeated use. That is to say, the unitizer may be removed from one unit load of goods and be re-located around many other unit loads of goods. In this way, waste is reduced. 
         [0024]    In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet, using a transportation base load unitizer comprising at least one elastic section and at least one protection section for providing greater protection to a load on a transportation base than the at least one elastic section, the method comprising elastically deforming the at least one elastic section around the load on the transportation base to hold together as a unit and protect the load. 
         [0025]    When in use, unitizing and holding a typical square or near square cross-section load, the unitizer takes on the same or similar cross-sectional shape, that is to say square or near square cross-section or, in other words, it has four sides. In this configuration, the unitizer may have an elastic section on each side. This aids in maintaining a uniform restoring force on the load of goods inside the unitizer. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0026]    An embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figure, in which: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a transportation base load unitizer embodying the present invention, holding together a load, as a unit, on a transportation base. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    A transportation base load unitizer and a method of unitizing a load on a transportation base, such as a pallet (for example, of the pallet type described in the background to the invention section above) will now be described with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0029]    In this example, the unitizer  8  is in the form of a sleeve or tube open at both ends. It includes protection sections each made of a sheet  10  (in this example, there are four sheets). Each sheet is connected to a neighbouring or adjacent sheet by an elastic section  12 . The interconnecting sheets and protection sections form the sides of the sleeve. 
         [0030]    In this example, the elastic sections each take the form of a plurality of substantially planar elastic strips  13 . The elastic strips are equally spaced apart axially between adjacent sheets. The sheets and the elastic sections are made from different materials. The sheets are relatively less elastic than the elastic sections. In this example, they are made from inelastic material. The sheets are in the form of a durable material, such as plastics, for example, polypropylene. The elastic sections are made from elastic or resilient material that includes, for example, rubber strands. 
         [0031]    In an alternative arrangement (not shown), each elastic section is in the form of one continuous elastic strip, each elastic strip connecting adjacent sheets  10 , such that there are no gaps or spaces between adjacent sheets. Thus, in use, each elastic strip spans the height of the load. 
         [0032]    In use, when surrounding goods  14  on a pallet  12 , a restoring force provided by the elasticity or resilience of the elastic sections  16  of the sleeve  8  between the sheets  10  causes it to hold the goods together. The inelastic sheets of durable material provide protection for the goods (they provide greater protection than the elastic sections). 
         [0033]    When in use, holding and unitizing a typical square or near-square cross-section load  14  on a pallet  16 , the sleeve  8  takes on a corresponding or similar cross-sectional shape (square or near square) as the load. In other words, it has four sides with a corner  18  at each corner of the load. In this configuration, the sleeve has an elastic section  16  on each side of the sleeve and, in particular, towards the middle of each side. Each sheet engages with and provides a force to a corner formed by the goods on the pallet. In this example, it is a portion towards the middle of each sheet that engages with a corner formed by the goods on the pallet. 
         [0034]    The sleeve  8  is located around the goods  14  to be held or unitized as follows. The sleeve is elastically deformed or stretched to increase its circumference by circumferentially elastically deforming or stretching the elastic sections  16 . It is then lowered over the load of goods  14  on the pallet  16  such that the sleeve circumferentially surrounds or is around the load or goods  14  on the pallet  16 . The elastic portions of the sleeve  8  are then allowed to relax and their resilience causes the goods  14  to be held together firmly. 
         [0035]    The sleeve  8  forming the unitizer may be applied to a unit load of goods  14  on a pallet  16  as described above by a single person. However, it is quicker and easier for the sleeve  8  to be applied to the goods  14  by two people. This method of holding the goods is considerably quicker than using shrink or stretch wrap to hold the goods and also affords greater protection. 
         [0036]    Such an embodiment will stabilise the goods  14  loaded on a pallet  16  whilst also giving good protection to the goods  14 . The sleeve or unitizer described may be used many times on various unit loads. 
         [0037]    An additional feature (not shown) is that the sleeve  8  may be closed at one end forming a cover such that it covers the top of the goods  14  on the pallet  16 . Thus, it will provide protection to the top of the goods. 
         [0038]    The or each sheet  10  forming part of the unitizer  8  in the example described have a continuous surface. That is to say, there are no holes in the surface. Alternatively, the sheet may be wholly or in part include one or more holes through it, such as being of netting or webbing. 
         [0039]    The sleeve  8  may include identifying marks to indicate an owner, the type of pallet load or display advertising (not shown). It may also include an electronic device (not shown) to indicate the location of the sleeve. 
         [0040]    It is to be understood that the above disclosure merely describes examples of embodiments of the present invention and that there are variations and modifications that may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present invention.