Abstract:
The present invention relates to a pallet comprising a four-sided support plate, said support plate comprising two first edges arranged opposite each other and two second edges arranged opposite each other, first walls arranged along the first edges of support plate and hinged to the support plate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/543,622, filed Sep. 7, 2005 (now abandoned). 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a load carrying pallet, and to a method for using such pallet. 
   2. The Prior Art 
   Although pallets have substantial advantages in improving the mechanical handling of goods and commercial products, their use have some disadvantages in respect to handling the pallet when unloaded. Since most pallets are being recycled or returned to the manufacturer of the goods or the warehouse from which they were shipped, the handling of the empty pallet is involving considerable handling costs. Furthermore, the empty pallets occupy space that could have been otherwise available for other purposes in the store/warehouse, or during transport/logistics. 
   A pallet of the type, requiring only a little space when empty is known from GB 2 061 871 A. The pallet described in this reference refers to a load carrying pallet comprising a base section having a surface layer and two support elements also having surface layers in contact with and secured to the surface layer of the base section, integrally formed and connected by an flexible hinge portion to said surface layer of the base section. The pallet is constructed of cardboard as a single element and comprised of respective outer layers of cardboard. Interposed a sandwiched honey-comb structure made of paper is arranged. 
   The pallet described in GB 2 061 871 A is intended for carrying both light weight goods and heavy goods. However, the construction is vulnerable to damage when handled by a fork-lift truck and especially when the support elements are subjected to relatively large laterally-directed forces the walls are vulnerable of collapsing. 
   It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a pallet of the above type that is more stable, and where the support elements are capable of withstanding relatively large laterally-directed forces. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This object is obtained in accordance with the invention with a pallet of the above-defined type, which is characterized in that the pallet further comprises two second walls arranged along at the two second sides of said support plate and hinged hereto, and that said first walls and said second walls are connectable to each other. 
   In accordance with the application, the invention provides according to an aspect a pallet, wherein the first walls and the second walls comprise engagement means for connecting said first walls to said second wall, whereby said walls provide a stable construction for the support plate. 
   In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pallet comprise releasable engagement means, whereby the foldable pallet may be brought to reassume a flattened state. 
   In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention the engagement means provide a snap-lock, whereby the engagement of said first and second walls allow a quickly assembly of the pallet. 
   In accordance with other preferred embodiments of the invention, the first walls and the second walls are hinged to the support plate by use of film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness, and the film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness are integrally molded areas of the pallet, whereby a sturdy construction of the pallet is achieved. 
   In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the second walls have at least one, preferably two openings, and said opening being a recess extending towards said hinge from an edge of the second walls opposite the hinge, whereby there is obtained an opening for the insertion of the tines of a fork-lift. 
   In accordance with yet a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the two recesses are arranged symmetrically about a centre axis of said second walls, and extending towards the first walls, said centre axis being perpendicular to said film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness, whereby a central support element  16  is obtained. 
   In accordance with another further preferred embodiment of the invention, the support plate comprises a first sheet and a second sheet, and welded or molded together, and that the first walls and the second walls comprise a first sheet and a second sheet, welded or molded together, whereby a particular light construction of a pallet is obtained. 
   In accordance with an yet another further preferred embodiment of the invention, the first sheet is kept a distance from said second sheet by means of separate distance pieces, said distance pieces being welded to said sheets, whereby a particular light and strong construction of a pallet is obtained. 
   In accordance with an yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first sheet is kept at a distance from said second sheet by means of distance pieces, said distance pieces being bulges protruding from said second sheet, and that said bulges being welded to said first sheet, whereby a yet particular light and strong construction of the pallet is obtained. 
   In accordance with a yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the support plate, the first walls, and the second walls are solid, or substantively solid, where by a strong construction of the pallet is obtained. 
   In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first edges of the support plate and the first walls have an extension of about 1200 mm, or 1200 mm; and that second edges of the support plate and the second walls have an extension of about 800 mm, or 800 mm, whereby a pallet of a preferred dimension is obtained. 
   In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first edges of the support plate and the first walls have an extension of about 1200 mm, or 1200 mm; and that second edges of the support plate and the second walls have an extension of about 1000 mm, or 1000 mm, whereby a pallet of another preferred dimension is obtained. 
   In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, after use of the pallet for transporting goods said walls are disconnected from one another, whereby a pallet that requires little space in storage is obtained. 
   The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a bottom plan view of a pallet according to the invention in a flattened condition and showing its base section, walls and engagement means, 
       FIG. 2   a  shows the engagement means seen from the outside of the assembled pallet, 
       FIG. 2   b  shows the engagement means seen from the inside of the assembled pallet, 
       FIG. 3  shows in a cross-section of the assembled pallet, 
       FIG. 4  shows a cross-section of the pallet in a preferred embodiment, and 
       FIG. 5  shows a cross-section of the pallet in another preferred embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Turning now to  FIG. 1  of the drawings there is illustrated a bottom plane view of the pallet in a collapsed state, the pallet comprising a support plate  10  (base section), two first walls  11  arranged at opposite edges at the support plate  10  (base section) and two second walls  12  arranged at two other opposite edges at said support section  10 . The first walls  11  and the second walls  12  are hinged to the support plate  10  by film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness  20 , whereby said film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness  20  are preferably integrally molded parts of the pallet ( 10 ). The walls  11 ,  12  comprise edges  11   a ,  12   a  perpendicular to the film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness  20 , and at said edges  11   a ,  12   a  the walls  11 ,  12  comprise engagement means arranged for the engagement of the first wall  11  with the second wall  12 . A center axis  5  is arranged symmetrically, or substantially symmetrically to the second edges. 
   In  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  there is illustrated a section of the pallet from two view points showing in greater details the engagement means, the pallet being in this state, ready for use with the walls  11 ,  12  being connected. In the preferred embodiment, the engagement means is a snap-lock where the edge  11   a  of first wall  11  comprise a protruding ear  31  being flexible and allowing a spring like movement of the protruding ear  31 . The second wall  12  comprise an opening  30  arranged for the insertion of the protruding ear  31 , thereby providing an engagement between the first wall  11  and the second wall  12 . It can be seen that the protruding ear has generally parallel sides  31   a ,  31   b , and the ear  31  does not extend beyond the thickness of the wall  12 . As will appear from the figures, the edges  32  will, when the pallet is assembled and placed on the floor constitute the contact faces between the floor, and the walls  11 ,  12 . 
   Alternatively, yet another opening (not shown) could be arranged in the first wall  11 , and the protruding ear  31  could be constituted by a separate clamp (not shown) arranged for the insertion in said openings thereby providing a snap-lock for the engagement of said first wall  11  to said second wall  12 . 
   Turning again to  FIG. 1 , the second walls  12  each comprises two recesses  13  extending towards said film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness  20  (hinge) from an edge  12   c  of the second wall  12  opposite the hinge. 
   By this construction there is provided a central support element  16  which serves to reduce the bending moments in the support section ( 10 ), which bending moments among other factors are dependent of the unsupported span of the support plate ( 10 ). 
   The two recesses  13  provide space for the insertion of the tines of a fork-lift truck (not shown) such that the pallet may be lifted by the fork-lift truck. It will be noted that, the recesses  13  preferably have an extent towards the hinge like areas of reduced thickness  20  whereby the tines of the fork-lift upon insertion of the tines will contact the surface of the downside of the support section, thereby providing contact of the tines with the surface of the downside of the support plate. 
   Now turning to  FIG. 3  a cross-sectioned view of the pallet at the hinged edge between one of the walls  11 ,  12  and the support plate (base section)  10  is illustrated, the pallet being shown in an up-side-down position. The support plate  10  (base section) comprise a support surface  9  and a downside  8 , where said support surface  9  is arranged for carrying the goods/products to be transported or stored. 
   As will appear from  FIG. 3  the walls  11 ,  12  comprise a contact face  30   a  extending perpendicular to a side surface  9   a  of the walls  11 ,  12  arranged in the area of the hinge like area of reduced thickness  20 . A similar contact face  30   b  of support plate  10  is arranged at the edges  10   a ,  10   b  of the support plate  10 , said contact face  30   b  extending parallel to the support surface  9  of the support plate  10  towards the hinge like areas of reduced thickness  20 . 
   When assembled, the first walls and the second walls are both pivoted about the film-like hinge areas of reduced thickness  20 , preferably at an angle of 90° whereby the first contact face  30   a  and the second contact face  30   b  abut each other thereby ensuring that forces related to the goods loaded on the support surface (support plate) are distributed from the contact faces  30   a ,  30   b  through the walls to the base (floor). 
   It should be noted that the thickness of the pallet (of the walls  11 ,  12  and the support plate  10 ) and the extent of the contact face  30   a ,  30   b  will be selected in accordance with the loads to be carried and the actual size of the pallet, and furthermore in some special cases is dependent on the construction of the pallet among these if the pallet is solid or the sandwich board type. 
   In  FIG. 4 , an intersected cross section of a preferred embodiment of the pallet is illustrated in the area of the hinged edge (the film like areas of reduced thickness  20 ) between a wall  11 ,  12  and the support plate  10  is illustrated. From the figure it will appear that the pallet may be constructed of a solid plate material, or of a substantially solid plate material. Preferably the pallet is constructed of plastic materials and more preferably a thermo plastic material. In some special cases the pallet is constructed of a reinforced plastic material comprising fibers, e.g.: Glass fibers, Carbon fibers. In some other special cases the pallet is constructed of reinforced plastic material comprising or the pallet may be comprise a reinforcement of steel or aluminum in the form of a reinforcement mat, a wire netting or bars. 
   In  FIG. 5 , an intersected cross section of a preferred embodiment of the pallet is illustrated. The intersected section shows the pallet at the hinged edge (the film like areas of reduced thickness  20 ) between a wall  11 ,  12  and the support plate  10 . Further in  FIG. 5 , a cross section of an assembled pallet is shown. As will appear from  FIG. 5 , the pallet is a sandwich board type comprising a first sheet  9  and a second sheet  8 , where said second sheet  8  comprise distance pieces being bulges  35  protruding from the surface of said second sheet  8 . The bulges  35  form a plurality of rows of distance pieces (supporting points) in the second sheet which are subsequently attached to the first sheet. The first sheet  9  and second sheet  8  are joined along the edges  10   a ,  10   b  of the pallet preferably by molding techniques or by welding techniques commonly know by the person skilled in the art of plastics fabrication/productions. Furthermore, the bulges  35  protruding from the surface of said second sheet  8  are spot welded to the inner surface of the first sheet  9 , said spot welding being indicated with the reference sign  6 . 
   Furthermore, it should be noted that the pallet may be transported or stored when unloaded in the form illustrated in  FIG. 1 . That is the pallet may be transported or stored in its flat form, in combination with its light-weight construction that there may be substantial savings in relation to pallets of conventional types, e.g. the EU-pallet of wood.