Patent Publication Number: US-9840348-B2

Title: Modular pallet

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/281,824 filed Jan. 22, 2016. This prior application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     (Not Applicable) 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     (Not Applicable) 
     REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX 
     (Not Applicable) 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to devices used in packaging, storing and transporting, and more specifically to a modular pallet for packaging, storing and transporting items with shapes that inhibit them from being readily stacked. 
     It is known in the transporting/shipping industry that an apparatus should be used to retain cargo for stability and ease in movement before, during, and after shipping. The generic category for such an apparatus is a “pallet” or a “skid”. A pallet is formed from a plurality of perpendicular members stacked and attached in such a way to permit a forklift (also called a lift truck, a fork truck, or a forklift truck) to lift and manipulate them. A pallet is used to elevate one or more objects (herein referred to as “cargo”) above a surface on which the pallet rests. A forklift has horizontal forks extending from the front of the forklift that extend into voids formed under a pallet and its cargo to enable the forklift to transport the pallet short distances, such as within a warehouse, dock, semi-trailer or any other enclosure or area. 
     Cargo is placed on a pallet and commonly secured to the pallet to prevent movement of the cargo relative to the pallet during transportation. An example of cargo that is commonly stacked on a pallet is parallelepiped boxes. Identical boxes may be stacked neatly on the top of a pallet and attached to the pallet by single-use straps made of plastic or metal, tacky polymer sheeting commonly referred to as “shrink wrap”, or any other fastener. Conventional pallets work well for a plurality of identical or even dissimilar boxes that stack well and pack tightly because they tend not to shift during transit. It is more difficult to attach spherical, circular cylindrical or oddly-shaped cargo to pallets. For example, if someone wishes to ship multiple cylindrical grinding wheels, as shown in  FIG. 1 , such wheels are typically placed with their curved sides between two substantially identical and parallel slats of a conventional pallet, and straps are fixed around the cargo. This provides little resistance to rolling or other shifting of the heavy grinding wheels relative to the pallet, and only works when the space in the pallet can accommodate the cargo. 
     There is a need for a pallet that accommodates various sizes of spherical, circular cylindrical and oddly-shaped objects, and enables stable attachment of such objects to the pallet. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed herein is an apparatus that is used to retain cargo for stability and ease in movement before, during, and after shipping. The generic category for the apparatus is referred to as “pallets” or sometimes “skids”. A preferred pallet has a first runner, a second runner spaced from, and substantial parallel to, the first runner, and preferably a third runner spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the first and second runners. A first slat is removably mounted to the runners and a second slat is removably mounted to the runners with a gap between the first and second slats. The first slat has a first cargo-supporting face on a first side and a second cargo-supporting face on an opposite, second side, and the second slat has a first cargo-supporting face on a first side and a second cargo-supporting face on an opposite, second side. 
     When the slats are mounted to the runners with the slats&#39; first faces facing one another, the slats&#39; first faces form a first pair of cargo-receiving surfaces. When the slats are mounted to the runners with the slats&#39; second faces facing one another, the slats&#39; second faces form a second pair of cargo-receiving surfaces. The first pair of cargo-receiving surfaces contacts the cargo differently than the second pair of cargo-receiving surfaces, such as at different points, or by contacting different quantities of surface area, or both. 
     In a preferred pallet, the runners have slat grooves formed therein to receive contacting portions of the slats. Protective endwalls are preferably formed in the slat grooves formed in the end runners, and the endwalls extend over at least a portion of the first and second slats&#39; ends. The slat grooves and the endwalls prevent, or reduce the probability of, any structure, such as a forklift fork, being inserted between the slats and the runners. The pallet preferably comprises removable pins extending through aligned apertures formed through the slats and through the slat grooves formed in the runners. The pins preferably have a first head at a first end of a narrower shaft and a second head at an opposite, second end of the shaft. A slot is formed in the first head that permits the first head to compress and expand back to its original position, thereby permitting one end of the pins to be inserted into a smaller aperture. 
     The apertures formed through the slats and through the slat grooves formed in the runners are centrally disposed in the slats and the slat grooves. This permits the slats to be positioned in the slat grooves in either of two orientations with the apertures in the slats aligned in corresponding apertures in the runners. Such a structural configuration permits the slats to be reversed and positioned in the slat grooves in either of two orientations. 
     In an alternative embodiment, at least one of the slats has a blocker extending laterally therefrom to reduce contact between the cargo on the pallet and a device used to lift and manipulate the cargo, such as a forklift. By including a blocker on the slat or slats, a forklift raising the pallet from one side or the other may not impact the cargo, but instead impacts the blocker first. In order to have blockers that extend far enough laterally, but that also may be turned inwardly when not in use, the blockers on facing slats may be interlaced, such as by having peaks and valleys into which peaks of facing blockers are inserted. 
     Also disclosed herein is a method of constructing a pallet to support cargo that has an outer surface. The method comprises taking a pallet comprising first, second and third runners and first and second slats mounted thereto, and removing at least the first slat. The second runner is spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the first runner, and the third runner is spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the first and second runners. The first elongated slat is removably mounted to the runners in a first series of aligned slat grooves formed in the runners. The first slat has a first cargo-supporting face on a first side and a second cargo-supporting face on an opposite, second side. The second elongated slat is removably mounted, with a gap between the slats, to the runners in a second series of aligned slat grooves formed in the runners. The second slat has a first cargo-supporting face on a first side and a second cargo-supporting face on an opposite, second side. The first cargo-supporting face of the first slat faces the first cargo-supporting face of the second slat. The step of removing includes removing at least the first of the slats from the runners and mounting the first of the slats to the runners in the slat grooves with the second cargo-supporting face of the first slat facing the second slat. This is a reversal of the orientation of at least one of the slats so that the best arrangement of cargo-supporting faces can be selected. Both slats may be reversed, or the best combination of the two cargo-supporting faces can be constructed by simply orientating the slats in the best configuration. This method also contemplates repair of the pallet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view in perspective illustrating a prior art pallet with circular cylindrical objects resting thereon. 
         FIG. 2  is a view in perspective illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a view in perspective illustrating an end runner component of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a view in perspective illustrating a middle runner component of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a view in perspective illustrating a slat component of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is an end view illustrating the slat component of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a view in perspective illustrating the runner components of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is a view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 2  in a state of partial assembly. 
         FIG. 9  is a view in perspective illustrating the structures shown in  FIG. 7  with the pins mounted as they would be in  FIG. 8 , but with the slat removed for illustrative purposes. 
         FIG. 10  is a view in perspective illustrating the structures shown in  FIG. 8  with the pins mounted as they would be in  FIG. 11 , but with the slat removed for illustrative purposes. 
         FIG. 11  is a view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 12  is a top view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 13  is an end view illustrating an alternative arrangement of the slats of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 14  is an end view illustrating another alternative arrangement of the slats of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 15  is an end view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 16  is a side view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 15  with one of the end runners omitted, but with the pins shown as they would be positioned were the missing runner not omitted. 
         FIG. 17  is an end view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 2  with cargo mounted thereto. 
         FIG. 18  is a top view illustrating an end runner. 
         FIG. 19  is a bottom view illustrating the end runner of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a view in perspective illustrating the end runner of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 21  is a bottom view in perspective illustrating the end runner of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 22  is a bottom view illustrating a slat. 
         FIG. 23  is a top view illustrating the slat of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is a side view illustrating the slat of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 25  is an opposite side view illustrating the slat of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 26  is a top view illustrating an end of the slat of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 27  is a view in perspective illustrating the slat of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 28  is a side view illustrating numerous pins used in the present invention. 
         FIG. 29  is a view in perspective illustrating the present invention with cargo mounted thereto. 
         FIG. 30  is a bottom magnified view illustrating a pin end. 
         FIG. 31  is a view in perspective illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 32  is an end view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 33  is an end view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 31  with cargo shown mounted thereto. 
         FIG. 34  is a top view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 35  is a view in perspective illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 31  in an alternative configuration. 
         FIG. 36  is a top view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 31  in the alternative configuration shown in  FIG. 35 . 
     
    
    
     In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection, but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/281,824 filed Jan. 22, 2016, which is the above claimed priority application, is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     A modular pallet  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  made in accordance with the present invention. The pallet  10  has two slats  12  and  14  supported by three runners  20 ,  22 , and  24 . An analogous component for a slat in a conventional pallet may be called a “deckboard”, and an analogous component for a runner in a conventional pallet may be called a “bearer”. The slats  12  and  14  are substantially perpendicularly mounted to the runners  20 - 24  in an operable position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and this creates a configuration that may be useful to receive, store and transport objects that are not readily stacked. The slats  12  and  14  may not be exactly perpendicular, but a transverse orientation that is within typical pallet tolerances is acceptable. 
     There are multiple pins  30  used in the pallet  10  to attach the slats  12  and  14  to the runners  20 - 24 . Each pin  30  extends through a bore that has a similar, but larger, cylindrical shape to the exterior of the pin  30 . Such bores are formed in one of the slats  12 - 14  and a similarly-shaped bore is formed in one of the runners  20 - 24 . The cooperation between the pins  30  and the structure that defines the bores allows the pins  30  to attach each of the slats  12  and  14  to the underlying runners  20 - 24  where the substantially perpendicular components intersect as shown in  FIG. 2 . The pins  30  are preferably made of durable plastic, as are most or all components of the pallet  10 , unless stated otherwise. 
     As shown in  FIG. 28 , the pins  30  preferably have a first head  32  on a shaft  36 , in the manner of a nail, and a second head  34  on an opposite shaft end. The shaft  36  connects the two heads  32  and  34 . A slot  34   s  is formed through the head  34 , and permits the two spaced fingers formed on opposite sides of the slot  34   s  to compress inwardly under a radial force and expand outwardly upon release of that force. 
     Attachment of one of the pins  30  occurs by compressing the fingers towards the slot  34   s  and inserting the compressed head  34  into the exposed aperture of a bore, which aperture is smaller than either head  32  or  34  (when the head  34  is expanded). Compression of the head  34  allows the pin  30  to be inserted through the smaller aperture until the head  32  is about to seat against the structure at the end of the bore. The length of the bore is slightly shorter than the length of the shaft  36  so that, just before the head  32  seats, the head  34  exits the opposite end of the bore into which the pin  30  is inserted, and the fingers expand away from one another. Thus, the head  32  and the slotted head  34  function in the manner of a nail or bolt head to prevent removal of the pin  30  without first compressing the fingers on opposite sides of the slot  34   s.    
     An advantage of using the pins  30  on the pallet  10  is that if one or more components of the pallet  10  are damaged or need to be separated from one another for any reason, one need merely remove the associated pin or pins  30 , and the slat and/or runner may be readily separated and replaced. Removal of the pins  30  is effected by simply compressing the fingers at the head  34  and pushing the pin  30  through the bore in the direction opposite of that in which it was inserted until the pin  30  is entirely removed from the bore. The removed pin or pins  30  may be re-used due to the fact that compressing the fingers on the slotted end  34  does not damage or severely wear the pin  30 . 
     The pallet  10  is made up of at least three types of major components, which are shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 : end runners, middle runners and slats. Of course, there may be more than one of each component on a given pallet, and the pins  30  are used to connect the major components together to form the completed pallet. 
     The end runner  20  is the first major component, and is shown in  FIG. 3  having two slat grooves  20   a  and  20   b , each of which has a respective end wall  20   c  and  20   d  and opposing lateral (relative to the orientation of a finished pallet) walls that adjoin the respective end walls. The pin apertures  20   e  and  20   f  are at the ends of bores that extend through the end runner to receive the pins  30 , and are centrally located longitudinally of the end runner  20  within the slat grooves  20   a  and  20   b  to permit reversal in the position of the slats  12  and  14  in the grooves as described below. Two preferably identical end runners  20  and  24  are used with the pallet  10 , and they are positioned as mirror images of one another on opposite ends of the pallet  10  as shown in  FIG. 7 . With the first end runner  20  at one end of the pallet  10  and the second end runner  24  positioned at an opposite end of the pallet  10 , the end walls  20   c  and  20   d  face corresponding end walls in the end runner  24 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The slat grooves  20   a  and  20   b  receive the ends of the slats  12  and  14  and the end walls  20   c  and  20   d  protect one of the ends of the slats  12  and  14  from being pried away from the end runner  20 , and help position the slats  12  and  14  during construction. The corresponding end walls in the end runner  24  have a similar function to the end walls  20   c  and  20   d  and the slat grooves  24   a  and  24   b  ( FIG. 7 ) receive the slats  12  and  14  in a manner similar to the slat grooves  20   a  and  20   b.    
     The middle runner  22  is the second major component of the pallet  10 , and is shown in  FIG. 4  having two slat grooves  22   a  and  22   b . The slat grooves  22   a  and  22   b  receive the slats  12  and  14  in a manner similar to the slat grooves  20   a  and  20   b . The pin apertures  22   e  and  22   f  are at the end of bores that extend into the middle runner and receive the pins  30 . The pin apertures  22   e  and  22   f  are centrally located, longitudinally and laterally of the runner  22 , within the slat grooves  22   a  and  22   b  to permit reversal in the position of the slats  12  and  14  in the grooves. One middle runner  22  is used with the pallet  10 , preferably centrally located at or near the middle of the pallet  10  as shown in  FIG. 7 , but it is contemplated that for a longer pallet there may be numerous middle runners  22 . All runners  20 - 24  are oriented substantially parallel and spaced from one another in an operable orientation. 
     The slat  14  is the third major component of the pallet  10  and is shown in  FIG. 5  having angled or curved faces  14   a  and  14   b . The slat  12  is substantially identical to the slat  14  and therefore is not described in detail herein. The faces  14   a  and  14   b  are preferably curved in the direction from the top toward the bottom, and this can be seen in the end view of the slat  14  shown in  FIG. 6 . The faces  14   a  and  14   b  are preferably not curved in the longitudinal direction (from one end of the slat  14  to the opposite end). When one compares the face  14   a  to the straight imaginary line  14   c  that is placed adjacent the face  14   a  in  FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the face  14   a  is concave, and this concavity provides benefits when it receives a convex outer surface of cargo. The face  14   b  is similarly concave, but this is not as visible due to the smaller width of the face  14   b . Pin apertures  16  are formed in the slats  12  and  14 , and are the ends of bores that extend entirely through the slats as shown in  FIGS. 22 and 23 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the slat  14  may have a plurality of U-shaped strap-retainers  14   d  on its sides, which allow conventional cargo straps to be inserted through an aperture formed therein. These strap-retainers  14   d  prevent the straps from sliding lengthwise along the slat  14  (and the slat  12 ). Nesting guides  14   e  and  14   f  are additional features formed at opposite ends of the slat  14 . Nesting guides  14   e  and  14   f  seat within cavities formed on the bottom of identical slats, as shown in  FIG. 22  in phantom in the position where they are located, that are stacked one upon the other. Two substantially identical slats  12  and  14  are used on the pallet  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , and the nesting guides  14   e  and  14   f  assist in nesting if the slats  12  and  14  are stacked in a nesting configuration with one on top of the other. This may be done prior to assembly of the pallet  10 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the runners  20 ,  22  and  24  aligned in preparation for assembly of the pallet  10 . The runners  20 - 24  are aligned substantially parallel to one another and substantially equally spaced. Note that the end walls of the end runners  20  and  24  are at opposite ends of the pallet  10 . The pallet  10  will be assembled as shown and described, and the ends of the slats  12  and  14  are protected by the end walls when the pallet  10  is fully assembled. 
     Once the runners  20 - 24  are positioned as in  FIG. 7 , the slat  14  is mounted in the aligned series of slat grooves  20   b ,  22   b  and  24   b  in the runners  20 - 24  along one longitudinal end of each of the runners  20 - 24 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , which is the lateral side of the assembled pallet  10 . The pins  30  are inserted in the corresponding and aligned apertures  16  on the slat  14  and through the bores in each of the runners  20 - 24 . The location of each of the pins  30  is shown in  FIG. 9  (without the slat  14  in place) for illustrative purposes, and the pins  30  are preferably only inserted when a corresponding slat is in place on the runners  20 - 24 . The pins  30  fix the slat  14  to the runners  20 - 24  in the manner of a bolt. A similar illustration is shown in  FIG. 10 , in which the pins  30  are shown in the location they will have when the slat  12  is mounted as shown in  FIG. 11 , but without the slat  12  in position. Again, this is for illustrative purposes only, because the pins  30  are preferably only in the position shown in  FIG. 10  when the corresponding slat  12  is in place as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  show the slats  12  and  14  mounted with their longer faces  12   a  and  14   a  closest to, and facing, one another. As shown in  FIG. 14 , the slats  12  and  14  can be mounted with their shorter faces  12   b  and  14   b  facing one another, or in  FIG. 13  with one long face  14   a  and one short face  12   b  facing one another. Because the apertures  16  in the slats  12  and  14  align with the apertures  20   e ,  20   f ,  22   e ,  22   f  (and corresponding apertures in the end runner  24 ), regardless of orientation of the slats  12  and  14  in the slat grooves, the invention has immense flexibility in how it can be constructed. It is an advantage of the present invention that the slats  12  and  14  can be mounted in either orientation in the grooves in the runners  20 - 24 . Because the apertures  20   e ,  20   f , and others are centrally located within the corresponding slat grooves, the pins  30  can be used to fasten the slats to the runners regardless of the orientation of the slats  12  and  14 . This allows the user to best accommodate the shape and size of the cargo placed on the pallet  10  by orienting the slats  12  and  14  to best receive the cargo on their faces. Thus, if any of the configurations shown in  FIGS. 12-14  best suits the shape, size or other feature of the cargo, that configuration is used by so arranging or re-arranging the slats  12  and  14 . 
     In  FIG. 16 , the pallet  10  is shown with the end runner  24  removed but with the pins  30  in their location when the runner  24  is in place. This is for illustrative purposes only, and shows the location of the pins  30  when inserted into each of the runners  20 - 24  after extending through the slats  12  and  14 . Preferably the pins  30  would not be installed in the slats in this manner unless the end runner  24  is in place. In a preferred embodiment, the end of each pin with the slot  34   s  is inserted through the aperture  16  in the slat  12  or  14 , and then through the aperture  20   e ,  20   f , etc. in the respective runner. On the bottom of the runner, the aperture&#39;s bore terminates above the lowest edge of the runner (see  FIG. 21  for illustration of this in a mid-runner) by a distance greater than the thickness of the head  34 , thereby allowing the head  34  of the pin  30  to spring open after exiting the aperture but to remain protected so that no part of the pin  30  supports the weight of the pallet  10  or its cargo. 
     The pallet  10  has cylindrical cargo  50 , which may be a pressure vessel, a metal mold, a container or any other object, resting on the slats  12  and  14 , as shown in  FIG. 17 . The diameter of the cargo  50  is such that it is best nested between the curved faces  12   a  and  14   a  on the slats  12  and  14  in their orientation shown in  FIG. 17 , which is similar to that shown in  FIGS. 2, 11, 12 and 15 . For different diameter cargo, one or both of the slats  12  and  14  may be reversed to the positions shown in  FIG. 13 or 14  so that the cargo rests against faces  12   b  and  14   a  or  12   b  and  14   b.    
     The contemplated pallet  10  thus has slats  12  and  14  with faces that accommodate cargo from between about 14 to 20 inches in diameter, but with modification of the orientation, cargo up to about 24 inches in diameter can be readily accommodated by the same major components. Of course, the runners and slats of any given pallet may be made taller, longer and/or wider, and/or with slat grooves spaced farther apart to accommodate different-sized cargo. The curved faces on the slats can be of varying radius of curvature analogous to a “French curve”, in order that one can select a position on the curved faces to rest the cargo. 
     The cargo  50  is mounted to the pallet  10  by cargo straps  52 . The cargo straps preferably extend through the U-shaped strap-retainers  14   d ,  12   d  (see  FIG. 12 ), which are identical to the retainers  14   d  and possibly similar U-shaped strap-retainers (e.g., retainer  24   d  in  FIG. 17 ) mounted to the end runners  20  and  24 . The cargo straps  52  may be conventional metal or woven polymer cargo straps. 
       FIG. 18  shows the end runner  20  from a top view, and  FIG. 19  is the same end runner  20  from a bottom view.  FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the end runner  20 .  FIG. 21  is a bottom perspective view of the mid runner  22 , which shows where the bores of the pin apertures  22   e  and  22   f  terminate above the lowest point of the runner  22 . The bottoms of the end runners  20  and  24  are very similar in at least this regard. 
       FIGS. 22, 23, 24 and 25  show the slat  14  from the bottom, top, short face side and long face side, respectively.  FIG. 27  shows the slat  14  from another perspective, and  FIG. 26  shows one end of the slat  14  in a more magnified view.  FIG. 29  shows a roughly cylindrical object on a pallet made in accordance with the invention.  FIG. 30  shows the end of a pin that has expanded after insertion into a runner. 
     The end walls on the end runners  20  and  24  prevent or greatly reduce the possibility that a slat  12  and  14  may be pried off the pallet  10  during use, whether unintentionally or otherwise. If the fork of a forklift could be inserted between the slats  12  and  14  and the runners  20 - 24 , the fork could pry the slats from the runners. Because of how the slats rest in slat grooves in each of the runners  20 - 24 , it is not likely that a user would unintentionally insert a fork between the slat and the runner from any of the four sides of the pallet  10 . This can be seen in  FIG. 15  where the end walls of both end runners  20  and  24  cover at least a portion of the ends of the slats  12  and  14 , and the lateral sides of the pallet  10  are also not exposed for fork insertion. This prevents access to a horizontal crack between a slat and a runner by a fork on a forklift. Such a fork placed in such a horizontal crack could separate the slats from the end runner, but this is virtually impossible with the normal use of the pallet  10 . 
     Based on the relative sizes of the slats  12  and  14 , the slat grooves in the runners  20 - 24 , pins and pin apertures, and the recessed positions of the pin tips, the pins do not bear any of the weight of the cargo. When weight rests on a slat, that weight is transferred to the corresponding runners only, not to any pins. The sizes of the slat grooves are such that if a slat receives a lateral force, the slat cannot be moved far enough laterally relative to an attached runner to place a shear force on a corresponding pin. This may be due to the tight fit of slats in the slat grooves compared to the loose fit of the pins in the apertures, or to any other relationship. Instead, the sidewalls and end walls of the slat grooves stop the movement of the slat before a shear force is applied to a pin. The pins connect the slats and the runners, so that when the cargo is lifted by a forklift&#39;s forks under the slats the pins prevent the runners from falling away from the slats. 
     In the illustrations, a pallet  10  is shown with two slats  12  and  14  and three runners  20 - 24 . It is contemplated that a pallet may be made with more than three runners. For example, a pallet may be constructed with five runners—two end runners and three mid runners—and two much longer slats. The pallet  10  may have an overall width of forty inches and a length of four feet, but the pallet  10  may be made much smaller or much larger than this typical pallet size. There are only practical limits to the number and size of the completed pallet, and this will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill. 
     The pallet is preferably made of polymer, as noted above, and is cast or injection molded into individual components that are assembled as described herein. Of course, it is contemplated to make the pallet of metal, wood, fiber-reinforced polymer composite, or any other suitable material, as will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill from the description herein, but such materials would present advantages and disadvantages that are known to the person of ordinary skill. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 17 , the pallet  10  is wider than the cargo item  50 . In this situation, the forks of the forklift extend under the pallet  10 , and the portion of the forklift that extends upwardly from the ends of the forks nearest the lift abuts the lateral edges of the runners  20 - 24 . This prevents the upwardly-extending portion from impacting, and possibly damaging the cargo  50  or the straps holding the cargo  50 . An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 31-36 . In the alternative embodiment, the pallet  110  is substantially identical to the pallet  10 , but there are blockers  112   a ,  112   b ,  114   a  and  114   b  mounted to at least one side of each of the slats  112  and  114 . These blockers  112   a - 114   b  extend outwardly (laterally on a finished pallet) of the runners  120 ,  122  and  124  for stopping the upwardly-extending portion of the forklift from impacting the cargo. The blockers  112   a - 114   b  are shown attached to the sides of the slats  112  and  114  that have the short faces, but it is contemplated that blockers  112   a - 114   b  may be attached to either side (or both sides) of the slats  112  and  114 . The blockers on opposite sides may be of different size or shape. 
     As shown in the end view of  FIG. 32  and the top view of  FIG. 34 , the blockers  112   a - 114   b  extend, at their outermost extremity, to beyond the lateral extremity of the pallet  110 , which is the longitudinal extremity of the runner  124 , and the other runners  120  and  122 . The blockers  112   a - 114   b  present a surface against which the upwardly-extending portion of the forklift may seat during use, rather than seating against the cargo  150  that extends beyond the extremities of the pallet  110  as shown in  FIG. 33 . The imaginary line A extends parallel to the plane of the end of the runner  124 , and the imaginary line B extends parallel to the line A at the outermost extremity, or the tip  114   b ′, of the blocker  114   b . It is apparent that if the forklift were only to be stopped by the end runner  124 , and the corresponding ends of the runners  120  and  122 , the upwardly-extending portion of the forklift could impact the cargo before impacting the runners  120 - 124 . However, because the tip  114   b ′ of the blocker  114   b  extends laterally beyond the ends of the runners  120 - 124 , the upwardly-extending portion of the forklift would only impact the tip  114   b ′ of the blocker  114   b , which is at line B. 
     There may be times when the blockers  112   a - 114   b  are not needed, or are a hindrance to the use of the pallet  110 , and in those situations the slats  112  and  114  may be reversed to the positions shown in  FIGS. 35 and 36 . In the position shown, the blockers  112   a - 114   b  extend inwardly toward one another, because the slats  112  and  14  have been oriented 180 degrees from the positions shown in  FIGS. 31-34 . The blockers  112   a - 114   b  preferably have tips that are formed with an interlacing structure, thereby permitting the tips to extend as far as is desired from the slats  112  and  114 , but still fitting with the space allowed between one another when reversed. As an example, if the blockers  112   a - 114   b  were each 7 inches long to extend a desired distance from the slats  112  and  114 , but only a 12 inch wide gap was formed between the slats  112  and  114 , there would be insufficient space for the blockers  112   a - 114   b  to be reversed to face one another if the tips thereof were straight. However, by forming the shown and described interlacing structure, at least some portions of the blockers  112   a - 114   b  extend the desired distance, and other portions extend far less. When the blockers  112   a - 114   b  are thus interlaced as shown in  FIGS. 35 and 36 , there is sufficient space for blockers to face one another. 
     The above interlacing structure is shown and described herein, in one example, with peaks  212 ,  216 ,  312  and  316  and valleys  214 ,  218 ,  314  and  318  on the blockers  112   a - 114   b  shown in  FIG. 34 . The peaks  212 ,  216 ,  312  and  316  extend away from the slats  112  and  114  substantially farther than the valleys  214 ,  218 ,  314  and  318 . Furthermore, the valleys  214 ,  218 ,  314  and  318  are voids that receive the peaks  212 ,  216 ,  312  and  316  when the blockers  112   a - 114   b  face one another as shown in  FIGS. 35 and 36 . Thus, the longer the peaks  212 ,  216 ,  312  and  316  are, the deeper the valleys  214 ,  218 ,  314  and  318  need to be. Of course, other alternative structures may be used in place of the example shown herein, as will become apparent to a person having ordinary skill, including blockers (not shown) that extend one length from one side of a slat, and separate blockers that extend a different length from the opposite side of the same slat. 
     This detailed description in connection with the drawings is intended principally as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention and that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the invention or scope of the following claims.