Abstract:
A transport pallet assembly that can safely and easily transport large and heavy equipment of a character that is both delicate and temperature sensitive. The assembly is specially designed to safely and easily transport and store highly sensitive and easily damaged scientific equipment such as large, sophisticated lithograph machines.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC  
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates generally to transport pallets. More particularly, the invention relates to a transport pallet assembly for safely transporting large, very sensitive equipment such as large optical scanners. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0007]    Pallets of the number of different designs have been developed in the past for use in the loading and transport of equipment of various types, for use in stacking of various types of bulk items for transportation and storage, and for use in connection with various types of agricultural and industrial endeavors. The typical prior art pallet is generally constructed from inexpensive materials such as wood and plastic. 
         [0008]    The prior art fails to address the need to provide pallets that are capable of safely and conveniently storing and transporting large, very sensitive and easily damaged equipment such as sophisticated optical devices, including optical devices such as complex step and repeat scanning systems. It is this need that the present invention seeks to address. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0009]    By way of brief summary, the transport pallet of the present invention comprises a base assembly including frame having interconnected side and end walls; a plurality of spaced apart stiffener members connected to and spanning the end walls of the frame; a plurality of ground engaging roller assemblies connected to the frame and extending there from; and a novel article support assembly connected to said base assembly, the article support assembly including a support panel and a plurality of resilient, energy dissipating shock and vibration isolators connected to the support panel. 
         [0010]    With the forgoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel transport pallet assembly that can safely and easily transport large and heavy equipment of a character that is both delicate and temperature sensitive. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel transport pallet assembly that can safely and easily transport and store highly sensitive and easily damaged scientific equipment such as large, sophisticated lithograph machines. 
         [0011]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly of the character described that is reusable and one that can readily be employed to transport large and heavy equipment in climate controlled trucks and aircraft. 
         [0012]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly as described in the preceding paragraph that can be easily loaded onto trucks and large airplanes without damaging the cargo truck, or airplane. 
         [0013]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly of the class described in which the cargo to be transported is supported during transport on a plurality of novel shock and vibration absorption members that comprise resilient, energy dissipating isolators of unique design. 
         [0014]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly of the aforementioned character that can safely carry cargo weighing up to 22,050 pounds (10,000 kg). 
         [0015]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly as described in the preceding paragraphs that can be easily raised and lowered and smoothly rolled from place to place. 
         [0016]    Another object of the invention is to provide a novel transport pallet assembly of the class described in which the cargo can be positively secured to the pallet during transport. 
         [0017]    The forgoing objectives as well as other objectives will be achieved by the novel transport pallet assembly illustrated in the drawings and described in the following paragraphs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a generally perspective view of one form of the pallet assembly of the present invention shown in supporting a large piece of highly sensitive optical scanning equipment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a generally perspective view of the pallet assembly shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings as it appears prior to the equipment being placed on the pallet. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2A  is a generally perspective exploded view of the pallet assembly shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a generally perspective view of the base assembly of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the base assembly shown in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a generally perspective exploded view of the article support assembly of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is an end view of the article support assembly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the article support assembly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a generally perspective view of one form of the energy dissipating shock and vibration isolators of the article support assembly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is a generally perspective front view of one form of jack screw skate assembly of the base assembly shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a generally perspective rear view of the jack screw skate assembly. 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a generally diagrammatic view illustrating one method for removing cargo and article support assembly from the transport pallet. 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a generally perspective view showing a plurality of the pallet assemblies as they appear in a stacked relationship. 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of the plurality of the pallet. assemblies with the jack screw skate assemblies as they appear in a stacked relationship. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]    Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one form of the pallet assembly of the present invention is there illustrated and generally designated by the numeral  11 . Pallet assembly  11  here comprises a base assembly  12  and an article support assembly  14  that is connected to base assembly  12  in the manner shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
         [0033]    As best seen in  FIG. 3  of the drawings, base assembly  12  includes a frame  16  having side walls  18   a  and  18   b  and end walls  20   a  and  20   b  respectively. Provided at the juncture of the side and end walls are angularly extending wall segments  22  ( FIG. 4 ). As best seen by referring to  FIG. 2A  of the drawings, each of the side walls includes a cover plate  24  that is removable to expose a pair of spaced apart, generally U-shaped openings  25  ( FIG. 3 ). Welded to the top of each cover plate are four inverted U-shaped brackets  26  that can be used as tie down points. The two center brackets  26   a  can also be used to pick up the heavy cover plate using a forklift. Connected to and spanning end walls of the frame is a plurality of spaced apart stiffener members  28 , the purpose of which will presently be described. Spaced apart stiffener members  28  are superimposed over a base panel  30  that is also connected to and spans end walls  20   a  and  20   b.    
         [0034]    Interconnected with each of the end walls of the frame are upstanding members  32  to which connector plates  34  are interconnected ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). Connected to and spanning each pair of upstanding members  32  is a transversely extending rod  35  that functions to stabilize the upstanding members  32 . 
         [0035]    Also forming a part of base assembly  12  is a plurality of ground engaging roller assemblies  36  that are connected to connector plates  34  in the manner illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2A  of the drawings. In the present form of the invention, each of the ground engaging roller assemblies  36  comprises a modified 12,000 Lbs (5,450 kg) capacity manually operated trailer jack assembly  38 . Jack assembly  38  is bolted on top of a 13,200 Lbs (6,000 kg) capacity skate assembly  40  that includes four spaced apart swiveling rollers  41  ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ). Welded to the body of the jack assembly is a horizontal arm  42  to which the connector plate  42   a  is connected. Connector plate  42   a  has a plurality of spaced apart keyhole shaped openings  43  ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ) that accept appropriate fasteners that include head and threaded shank portions and function in a conventional manner to interconnect connector plates  42   a  with connector plates  34 . 
         [0036]    With the construction thus described, a selected jack screw skate assembly  36  can be rolled up to a selected connector plate  34  and cranked up or down to level the larger diameter opening of the keyhole shaped openings  43  of the connector plate  44   a  with the heads of the threaded fasteners. The jack screw skate assembly  38  can then be rolled forward over the fastener heads until the two mounting plates mate. The jack screw skate assembly can then be cranked up to move the slots of the keyholes over the threaded body of the threaded fasteners. The threaded fasteners can then be tightened to secure the jack screw skate assembly  36  to the frame  12 . Advantageously, because of the novel design of the connector plates, when attaching and removing the jack screw skate assemblies, it is not necessary to remove the fasteners, only to loosen them. 
         [0037]    Jack assembly  38  is readily commercially available from several sources including Northern Tool Equipment Company of Burnsville, Minn. Similarly, rotating skate assembly  40  is readily commercially available from a number of sources including Amital USA, Inc. of Monroe, N.C. The operation of these assemblies will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
         [0038]    As best seen by referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  5 ,  6  and  7  of the drawings, the important article support assembly  14  of the present invention comprises a lower, generally planar base plate  45  and three longitudinally spaced apart, generally planar load support panels  46 ,  48  and  50  that are superimposed over planar base plate  45  and are affixed proximate their ends to transversely spaced apart, elongated right angle members  52  and  54  (see  FIG. 5 ). Disposed between panel  46  and panel  48  is a transverse space  55  and disposed between panel  48  and panel  50  is a transverse space  56 . In a manner presently to be described, the edges of planar base plate  45  are connected to base assembly  12  by means of spaced apart connecter block assemblies  57  that are affixed to planar base plate  30  (see  FIGS. 3 and 4 ). 
         [0039]    As best seen in  FIG. 7 , support panel  46  has an upper surface  46   a  and a lower surface  46   b.  Similarly, support panel  48  has an upper surface  48   a  and a lower surface  48   b  and support panel  50  has an upper surface  50   a  and a lower surface  50   b  (see  FIG. 7 ). Connected to and extending upwardly from the upper surface  46   a  of support panel  46  are four, transversely spaced apart positioning blocks  58  ( FIG. 2A ), the purpose of which will presently be described. Connected to and disposed below the lower surface  48   b  of support panel  48  are six, spaced apart, spacer blocks  49 , four of which extend transversely and two of which extend longitudinally ( FIGS. 5 and 7 ). The purpose of these important spacer blocks will presently be described. Also connected to and extending upwardly from the upper surface  48   a  of support panel  48 , are two transversely spaced apart positioning blocks  58  ( FIG. 2A ). Connected to and extending upwardly from the upper surface  50   a  of support panel  50  are four transversely spaced apart positioning blocks  58  ( FIGS. 2 and 2A ). Connected to and disposed below the lower surfaces  46   b  and  50   b  of each of the support panels  46  and  50  are six transversely spaced apart, staggered spacer blocks  59  ( FIGS. 5 and 7 ). Also connected to and disposed below the lower surfaces of each of the support panels  46 ,  48  and  50  are four spaced apart, resilient bumper assemblies  61 , the purpose of which will presently be described. 
         [0040]    Connected to each of the spacer blocks  49  and  59  and forming a part of the article support assembly  14  is a shock and vibration absorption member shown here as a resilient, energy dissipating isolator assembly  60  ( FIG. 8 ). Isolator assemblies  60 , which form an important aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, here comprise stable mounting assemblies of high quality stranded wire rope  62  held with upper and lower rugged metal retainers  64  and  64   a  ( FIG. 8 ). Connector blocks  49  and  59  are affixed to the upper retainers  64  of the isolating elements in the manner depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . 
         [0041]    Isolator assemblies  60 , which uniquely can handle both shock and vibration, have specific response characteristics determined by the diameter of the wire rope, the number of strands, the cable length, the cable twist or lay, and the number of cables per section. Under load inherent damping is provided by flexure hysteresis, i.e., the rubbing and sliding friction between the strands of the wire rope. The novel design of the isolators permits their use in any attitude. Their relatively large dynamic displacement attenuates heavy shocks, while their inherent damping enables them to store and dissipate large amounts of low and high frequency vibration. Further, the damping capacity of the isolators effectively dissipates energy and rapidly decays the response oscillations produced by the initial shock. By keeping the number of oscillations and their peak amplitude to a minimum, the isolators provide a highly beneficial effect on the protected equipment. Advantageously, the isolators are generally unaffected by environmental conditions such as changing temperatures and corrosive media and once installed, require little or no maintenance and typically exhibit a long useful life. 
         [0042]    Planar base plate  45  and load support panels  46 ,  48  and  50  cooperate to define there between an internal space  68 . Within internal space  68  and aligned with transverse spaces  55  and  56  are two longitudinally spaced apart transverse lift members receiving channels  70  and  72  ( FIG. 2A ), the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. 
         [0043]    Affixed to end wall  20   a  in the manner indicated in  FIG. 3  is a pair of transversely spaced apart hoist rings  74  and affixed to end wall  20   b  in the manner indicated in  FIG. 3  is a pair of transversely spaced apart hoist rings  76 . The purpose of these hoist rings will presently be described. 
         [0044]    Prior to loading the cargo to be transported onto the pallet assembly  11 , the number of isolating assemblies  60  of the transport pallet can be adjusted to suit the weight of the cargo and its center of gravity. This is accomplished by removing the three longitudinally spaced apart, generally planar support panels  46 ,  48  and  50  from the article support assembly  14  and then removing from the panels the spacer blocks  49  and  59  that engage each isolating assembly  60  that is to be rendered inactive. To prevent accidental loss of the spacer blocks, they can be bolted to the end of the base panels  45  using taped holes provided for this purpose. 
         [0045]    In order to adjust the transport pallet in an alternate manner to accommodate various cargo weights, spacer blocks of different selected widths can be connected to the isolating assemblies, thereby adjusting the resilience of the energy dissipating isolator assemblies. 
         [0046]    Next, the article support assembly  14  is re-secured within the base assembly  12  using the previously identified connecter block assemblies  57 . In this regard, each connecter block assembly  57  here comprises a connecter block  57   a  and a strap clamp  57   b  ( FIG. 4 ), which is pivotally connected to the top of the connecter block and which functions to secure the article support assembly in position. More particularly, with the article support assembly  14  nested within the connecter block assemblies  57 , the strap clamps  57   b  are rotated 90 degrees to cause them to be moved over and into engagement with the generally planar base plate  45  of the article support assembly  14 . 
         [0047]    With the article support assembly  14  re-secured within the base assembly  16 , the transport pallet can be positioned to enable the cargo to be safely loaded onto the article support assembly  14 . While the particular method to be used to load the cargo onto the transport pallet depends on the nature of the cargo, typically the cargo is raised by any suitable means of a character well understood by those skilled in the art and the transport pallet is rolled under the elevated cargo. To provide for maximum stability of the transport pallet during cargo loading, the frame  16  of the base assembly  12  is lowered to the ground through use of the four jack assemblies  38 . This step is accomplished by first connecting a suitable crank handle  80  to each of the drives  38   d  of the jack assemblies (see  FIG. 9 ). This done, using a person stationed at each jack assembly, the jack assemblies are simultaneously lowered by controllably rotating the crank handles. Preferably, during this step, one person will count out loud the number of revolutions of the crank handle so that all four people stay at the same revolution, thereby keeping the load level equal. 
         [0048]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , as the cargo is lowered into position, the previously identified positioning blocks  58  which are mounted on the upper surfaces of the planar support panels, function to strategically locate the cargo within the article support assembly  14 . To secure the cargo within the article support assembly  14 , conventional clamp down type restraining assemblies  82  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) which are also mounted on the upper surfaces of the planar support panels, are provided as may be required. In practice, the positioning blocks  58  and the restraining assemblies  82  can be moved to different locations on the support panels to suit various cargo dimensions. 
         [0049]    With the cargo loaded onto and secured to the transport pallet, the frame  16  of the base assembly  12  is controllably raised by the four persons stationed at each jack assembly simultaneously rotating the crank handles in a frame raising direction. 
         [0050]    Prior to loading the transport pallet into the transport vehicle, the rigging crew must create a level transition across the gap between the transport vehicle and the loading dock. This is normally accomplished with large steel and plastic sheets that are taped to the floor of the loading dock. After determining the estimated overall weight of the loaded transport pallet, the vehicle operator must determine the exact position of the loaded transport pallet within the transport vehicle and prepare the necessary tie down equipment needed to secure the cargo. 
         [0051]    Because of the weight of the cargo, which, in some cases can exceed 22,000 pounds, industrial class fork lift trucks are required to move the loaded pallet toward the transport truck. The forklift can be suitably connected to the hoist rings  74  of the base assembly with the chains and load binders of a conventional nature so that the forklift can pull, push, and steer the cart as may be required. Similarly, a pair of hoist rings  75  are provided at each end of the base assembly to enable the assembly to be lifted using forklifts or other lifting equipment ( FIG. 4 ). Using an appropriate fork lift truck, the forklift driver will maneuver the loaded pallet cart until it is lined up for a straight entry into the transport vehicle. To prevent damage to the transport vehicle, an adjustable rigid caster  86  is provided on each of the angularly extending wall segments  22  located at each corner of the cart. As shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings, casters  86  extend past the long side of the base assembly  12  so that they will contact the inside walls of the transport vehicle to help guide the assembly and prevent the sides of the assembly from damaging the walls. Casters  86  can be readily adjusted to accommodate transport vehicle openings of various widths. After verifying that the casters  86  are correctly mounted so that they will safely enter the entrance to the transport vehicle, the forklift driver can push the cart into the transport vehicle to the tie down location. With the transport pallet properly positioned within the transport vehicle, the frame  16  of the base assembly  12  is lowered to the floor of the transport vehicle through use of the four jack assemblies  38  in the manner previously described. 
         [0052]    Removal of the cargo from the pallet assembly at the cargo destination can be accomplished in two ways. In one case the cargo can be removed directly from the pallet assembly and lowered onto the air bearings or dollies that can be used to move it to its next location. Alternatively, the cargo can remain on the article support assembly of the transport pallet, while the article support assembly along with the cargo is lifted from the base assembly. In this case, the article support assembly along with the cargo can be lowered onto air bearings or dollies and moved to another location where, at a later time, the cargo can be lifted from the article support assembly. 
         [0053]    In the instance where the article support assembly along with the cargo is removed from the base assembly, it is necessary to remove the cover plates  24  from the frame  16  to expose the previously identified pair of spaced apart U-shaped openings  25 . As previously mentioned, center U-shaped brackets  26   a  can be used to pick up the heavy cover plate using a forklift and the four inverted U-shaped brackets  26   a  can be used as tie down points. With the cover plates  24  removed, two elongate lifting bars  90  are first inserted through the transverse lift member receiving channels  70  and  72  so that an equal amount of each lifting bar protrudes from each of the side walls  18   a  and  18   b  of the frame  16  (see  FIG. 11 ). This done, a specially designed lifting fixture  92  is connected to each of the protruding ends of the lifting bars in the manner indicated in  FIG. 2A  of the drawings. Next, four readily commercially available battery operated mobile column lifters “CL”, such as column lifters of the character available from Stertil-Koni of Stevensville, Md. and sold under the Model designation “ST1082”, are mated with the lifting fixtures  92  and then used to lift the lifting bars. More particularly, a selected one of each of the four column lifters “CL” is first rolled into proximity with one of the lift fixtures  92  and then the lifting member of the column lifter is telescopically mated with the lift fixture  92  in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art (See also  FIG. 11 ). Preferably, each of the four lifters should be engaged with its respective lift fixture until the base of the column lifter is approximately one inch from the side of the frame  12 . 
         [0054]    With the column lifters mated with the lifting fixtures  92  the base plate  45  of the article support assembly  14  can be disconnected from the base assembly  12 . This is accomplished by rotating the strap clamps  57   b,  of the connecter block assemblies  57 , 90 degrees to cause them to be moved out of engagement with the generally planar base plate  45  of the article support assembly  14 . 
         [0055]    This done, the column lifters can be energized to controllably lift the article support assembly  14  along with the cargo from the base assembly  12 . With the support assembly  14  in an elevated position, the base assembly  12  can be pulled from beneath the support assembly  14 . Then, using the column lifters, the article support assembly  14  along with the cargo can be lowered onto blocks, air bearings or dollies that are of a sufficient height to permit withdrawal of the column lifters and removal of the lifting bars from the article support assembly. 
         [0056]    It is to be understood that rather than using column lifters of the character described, lifting and lowering of the article support assembly  14  along with the cargo can be done with a large (30,000+Lbs capacity) forklift truck and a skilled driver. In such case, the forks of the forklift truck, rather than the lifting bars, are inserted into lift member receiving channels  70  and  72  and the forks of the forklift truck accomplish the lifting operations in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. 
         [0057]    As depicted in  FIGS. 12 and 13  of the drawings, when the transport pallets  11  are not in use they can be conveniently stacked for storage or shipment in the manner illustrated so that each assembly rests upon the upstanding members  32  of the assembly immediately beneath it. 
         [0058]    Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statues, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.