Abstract:
A folding pallet cart comprises four corner adapters that lock on to respective corners of an ordinary wooden pallet. A foldable frame has four vertical posts that fit at the bottom into each of the four corner adapters. The posts has holes in them to support a system of wire-frame shelves at various parallel levels above the/pallet. The pieces can be disassembled and folded up for storage.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to carts, and more particularly to frames and shelving that attach to standard pallets and can be folded down later for storage.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    Pallets of live plants are routinely delivered by truck to retail stores like The Home Depot, Orchard Supply Hardware, Wal-Mart, etc. A typical Chep pallet is 40″ by 48″ and fits quite loosely across the floor inside a typical eight-foot wide truck-trailer.  
           [0005]    More plants and other materials can be stacked on shelves above each pallet to take advantage of the vertical height inside a truck trailer or warehouse. But using wooden pallets for each of the higher stages consumes a lot of vertical room.  
           [0006]    Floor rollers, conveyers, and wheeled dollies have been conventionally used to move materials around warehouses and in and out of truck-trailers. It is more convenient when the wheels are a part of the carts themselves.  
           [0007]    A typical live plant distribution system returns to the dispatch office with empty carts. Unless those carts can collapse to save room, a lot of space is wasted that might otherwise be employed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    Briefly, a folding pallet cart embodiment of the present invention comprises four corner adapters that lock on to respective corners of an ordinary wooden pallet. A folding frame has vertical posts that fit at the bottom into each of the four corner adapters. Holes in the posts support a system of wire-frame shelves at various parallel levels above the pallet. The pieces can be disassembled and folded to lie flat.  
           [0009]    An advantage of the present invention is that a cart is provided that makes useful equipment from otherwise unused pallets.  
           [0010]    Another advantage of the present invention is that a corner-adapter is provided that allows shelving to be assembled over a pallet.  
           [0011]    A further advantage of the present invention is that caster-wheel assemblies are provided that can be used to convert a pallet into a roll-around cart or tray.  
           [0012]    The above and still further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cart embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a typical corner adapter that can be fitted to the wooden pallet of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is an exploded assembly diagram of a cart embodiment of the present invention like that of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram of a flared-side cart embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a single frame like the one shown in FIG. 1 after being folded; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of four frames like the ones shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 after being folded and stacked. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 illustrates a cart embodiment of the present invention, referred to herein by the reference numeral  100 . In this example, a roll-around cart suitable for use in a warehouse or retail display is shown assembled. The cart  100  comprises a wooden pallet  102  to which are attached a set of four corner adapters  103 - 106 . A frame  108  has four columns  110 - 113  that each plug into the tops of the corner adapters  103 - 106 . A number of wire-frame shelves  114 - 116  hook onto holes provided on each of the four columns  110 - 113 .  
         [0020]    The four columns  110 - 113  are braced by a set of trusses  118 - 123 . Trusses  119 ,  120 ,  122 , and  123  are foldable, and include hinge/locks  124 - 127 . Such allows the frame  108  to be unplugged from the corner braces and to folded up each side on the middle for compact storage. A simple construction that can be used to implement the hinge/locks  124 - 127  includes slipping a deep section of rectangular u-channel over a hinge connector that joins truss pieces. When in place, the u-channel prevents any pivoting of the hinges.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 2A and 2B show a corner adapter  200  that comprises a base plate  202 , a caster wheel  204 , and a top post pocket  206  supported by a webbing  208 . A lever  210  operates a pallet clip  212 , and a second lever  214  operates a second pallet clip  216 . A pair of outside edge clips  218  and  220  are intended to slip over pieces of lumber in the wooden pallet and the top of the base plate  202  supports a bottom corner of the pallet. The corner adapter  200  is locked on to the wooden pallet by rotating handles  210  and  214  so that clips  212  and  216  will capture a part of the pallet structure.  
         [0022]    A single dimple  222  in base plate  202  is stamped in so that handle  210  will snap in behind it. Similarly, another dimple  224  is also stamped into the base plate  202  to hold in handle  214 . These are preferred over notches that could be cut into the bottom edges of clips  218  and  220 .  
         [0023]    If the top post pocket  206  and webbing  208  are kept relatively short, several corner adapters  200  can be conveniently stacked one upon the other, e.g., for storage after disassembly of the cart  100 .  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 shows a disassembled cart embodiment of the present invention, referred to herein by the reference numeral  300 . The pieces of cart  300  comprise a wooden pallet  302  to which can be attached a set of four corner adapters  303 - 306 . A frame  308  has four columns  310 - 313  that each plug into the tops of the corner adapters  303 - 306 . A number of wire-frame shelves  314 - 316  hook onto holes provided on each of the four columns  310 - 313 .  
         [0025]    The four columns  310 - 313  are braced by a set of trusses  318 - 323 . Trusses  319 ,  320 ,  322 , and  323  are foldable, and include hinge/locks  324 - 327 . Such allows the frame  308  to be unplugged from the corner braces and to folded up each side on the middle for compact storage, e.g., as in FIGS. 5 and 6.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative flare-sided cart embodiment of the present invention, referred to herein by the reference numeral  400 . Such flare-sided roll-around cart preferred for use in truck-trailers and is shown here assembled. The cart  400  comprises a wooden pallet  402  to which are attached a set of four corner adapters  403 - 406 . Such pallet  402  is typically a Chep or block type that is 40″ by 48″. A foldable frame  408  is shaped to cantilever out beyond the area underneath of the pallet  402 . This gives the whole cart, e.g., an outside dimension of about 44″ by 48″, and such fits better in numbers into a standard truck-trailer cargo area. The frame  408  comprises a set of columns  410 - 413  which are all preferably made of metal. For example, tubular steel or aluminum. Such metal tubing is easily bent into the S-shapes shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0027]    A number of wire-frame shelves  414 - 416  attach inside the frame, e.g., by hooking into holes provided in the columns  410 - 413 . A set of trusses  418 - 423  brace the columns. Some of the trusses are provided with hinges and locks  424 - 427 . If the cart  400  needs to be able to be rolled around on the floor, wheels and/or casters can be added, e.g., caster wheels  428 - 430 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a single frame  500  like the ones shown in FIG. 1 after being folded.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of four frames  600  like the ones shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 after being folded and stacked.  
         [0030]    Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, such is not intended to limit the invention. Modifications and changes will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.