Patent Publication Number: US-2010107936-A1

Title: Pallet for storing and transporting goods

Description:
The present invention relates to a pallet for storing and transporting goods. 
     Wooden pallets are known for storing and transporting goods. They present a series of drawbacks, and in particular:
     they have a large weight (25-26 kg if the wood is dry), often comparable with the weight of the goods placed on them,   they require the use of costly equipment for their construction, resulting in an added cost to the transported product.   

     An object of the invention is to eliminate these drawbacks by providing a pallet for storing and transporting goods which is of low weight. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a pallet which can be produced in a simple and automated manner, using traditional methods and plants. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a pallet which presents characteristics suitable for international transport and conforms to the FAO Standard, even without accompanying documentation. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a pallet which can be formed in accordance with patterns corresponding to different requirements. 
     All these and further objects which will be apparent from the ensuing description are attained according to the invention by the pallet defined in claim  1 . 
    
    
     
       The present invention is described in detail hereinafter in terms of a preferred embodiment and some variants thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pallet according to the invention, 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view thereof from below, 
         FIG. 3  is an interrupted detailed view of the support, 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section through a support portion, 
         FIG. 5  shows a first variant thereof in the same view as  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 6  shows a second variant thereof in the same view as  FIG. 1 , and 
         FIG. 7  shows the lower part of the platform in a further variant thereof. 
     
    
    
     As can be seen from the figures, the pallet of the invention is formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprises substantially a load platform  2  supported by three tubular supports  4  of U cross-section disposed parallel to each other along the longitudinal edges and along the centre line of the platform  2 . 
     The platform  2  comprises, applied to its lower surface, a metal sheet  6  containing a plurality of continuous parallel grooves  8  substantially of V cross-section with their axis perpendicular to the axis of the supports  4 . 
     The upper surface of the platform is made rough or provided with a plurality of centering ribs or projections (not shown in the drawings) disposed in a circular or square pattern. They can be obtained by drawing the sheet metal forming the platform or be formed separately and applied thereto. 
     The invention also comprises plugs  10  insertable into the cavity of the supports and fixed by their longitudinal edges to the walls of the corresponding supports, to form parts of the platform. 
     The side walls  14  of each support  4  comprise continuous parallel grooves  16  performing a stiffening function. A similar stiffening function is performed by ribs  18  provided on the base  20  of the support, the lower surface of which is covered with anti-slip material or is made rough. 
     The upper edge of the side walls  14  of each support  4  comprises V-shaped recesses  22 , complementary to the ribs  8  of the ribbed panel of the platform  2 . In a variant, not shown in the drawings, both ends of the base  20  of each support comprise a bevel. 
     The side walls  14  of the tubular supports  4  comprise cut-out holes  24  for engagement by the prongs of a lifting fork. The cut-out holes  24  generally have a height less than the height of the side wall  14  of the support  4 , i.e. each cut-out hole  24  is bounded lowerly and upperly by a strip of the side wall  14  of the support. In addition, in order to facilitate fork insertion, the lower edge  26  of each cut-out hole lies at a level slightly lower than the crests of the ribs  18  provided on the base  20  of each support  4 . Again to facilitate fork insertion, the lower edge of each cut-out hole and the crest of those ribs  18  closest to it are connected together by an inclined surface  28  preferably obtained by bending a strip of the sheet metal portion corresponding to the cut-out hole. 
     As generally each cut-out hole  24  is preferably obtained by cutting the sheet metal forming the side wall of the support  4 , the cut sheet metal portion, instead of being completely removed, is preferably bent upwards through 90° and fixed to the lower surface of the platform  2 , to form a reinforcement element for the platform at its most highly stressed parts. 
     Further reinforcement elements comprise profiled plates  30  inserted into the tubular supports  4  at those portions not comprising the cut-out holes. These reinforcement elements are fixed to the side walls  14  and to the base of the respective supports  4 , and to the platform  2 . 
     These reinforcements are made of sheet metal bent several times in order to involve a certain length of the support and are provided in both horizontal edges with recesses  32  and  34  complementary to the ribs  8  of the sheet metal and to the ribs  18  of the base  20  of the respective support  4 . The recesses  34  preferably have larger dimensions than the corresponding ribs  18  to allow passage of liquids accidentally spilled and/or used to wash the pallet. 
     Further reinforcement elements comprise terminal plugs  36  applied to the ends of each support and preferably consisting of portions of the sheet metal of the platform and/or support bent towards the interior of the support. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , a ribbed metal sheet  40  is applied to the upper surface of the platform with its ribs  42  parallel to the axis of the grooves  8 . 
     To further stiffen the structure of the pallet of the invention, adjacent supports  4  can also be connected together at floor level by ties  34  permanently or removably applied between the facing side walls  14  of adjacent supports  4  (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     The pallet of the invention is constructed by bending and profiling a sheet metal strip to form the platform and the three supports in which the plugs  10  are then applied by traditional seam-joining, welding, riveting and clinching. The ribbed metal sheet  6  and the sheet  40  are then applied to the upper and lower surface of the platform. 
     The pallet (platform plus supports) can also be formed directly by suitable bending and profiling of the metal sheet. 
     From the aforegoing it is apparent that the pallet of the invention presents numerous advantages, namely:
     it is of lower weight (less than 9 kg) for equal performance (static capacity and dynamic capacity),   it can be easily produced by known machines and techniques (drawing presses, bending machines, profiling machines),   it has the same dimensions as wooden pallets and can hence be used for the same purposes,   it can also be used as a removable floor to be maintained on a previously erected frame,   it can be engaged and lifted as required, by forks inserted below the platform both parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the supports.