Patent Publication Number: US-2007113758-A1

Title: Pallet with pallet block protection system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to pallets designed for use with forklifts and to a method for building a pallet.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Pallets are one of the most widely used means for handling large amounts of heavy materials. Usually heavy machinery, such as a forklift, is used to move heavily loaded pallets as needed. Thus, pallets are designed to allow a set of fork tines on the forklift to be inserted between a top deck and bottom deck of the pallet. However, the tines of the forklift can damage the pallets if they are incorrectly aligned with the space between the pallet decks. Often, the front or sides of the tines hit one or more pallet blocks joining the two pallet decks, thereby damaging the pallet block. Some pallet blocks may be damaged more than others because of the shape of the block. As a result of the damage, the integrity and stability of the entire pallet may be compromised. Compromised pallets are safety hazards because the materials loaded on a pallet can fall if a compromised pallet breaks. Injuries to people or damage to goods and equipment that may result are unacceptable.  
      Attempts to prevent pallets from being compromised include changing the pallet material from wood to a more sturdy material, such as some type of plastic, or adding covers to the forklift tines to soften the impact at insertion. However, each of these solutions has failed to satisfactorily prevent pallets from becoming compromised.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method of building a pallet. The pallet includes a first deck, a second deck, and at least one pallet block connecting the first deck and the second deck. A sleeve is disposed around the at least one pallet block for protection against damage caused by the tines of a forklift.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  depicts a material handling scenario in which an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can be implemented;  
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  shows a sleeve for a pallet block, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a method for building a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  depicts a material handling scenario in which an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can be implemented. Forklift  110  lifts and moves pallet  130  using tines  120  and  122  attached to the front of forklift  110 . While forklift  110  can be a fork truck, forklift  110  can also be any piece of equipment that uses one or more tines or similar structure to move a pallet.  
      Tines  120  and  122  are inserted between first deck  132  and base beams  134  and  136  forming a second deck of pallet  130 . Tine  122  is also inserted between sleeves  140 ,  141 ,  143 , and  144 , and tine  120  is inserted between sleeves  141 ,  142 ,  144 , and  145 . Sleeves  140 ,  141 ,  142 ,  143 ,  144 , and  145  are disposed around corresponding pallet block  150 ,  151 ,  152 ,  153 ,  154 , and  155 . Pallet block  150 ,  151 ,  152 ,  153 ,  154 , and  155  connect first deck  132  and to the second deck and maintains a space between the decks.  
      In the illustrative example shown, pallet  130  is provided with a total of six pallet blocks ( 150  through  155 ). However, pallet  130  can also have more or less pallet blocks. A pallet could potentially be built without pallet blocks, but most pallets include at least one pallet block, and usually include a plurality of pallet blocks.  
      Sleeves  140  through  145  act as protective covers for pallet blocks  150  through  155  respectively. Each sleeve is adapted to prevent the pallet feet from being damaged as the tines  120  and  122  are inserted between deck  132  and base beams  134  and  136  which form the second deck. When tines  120  and  122  are inserted into pallet  130 , if the tines contact one or more of sleeves  140  through  145 , one or more of sleeves  140  through  145  will deflect tines  120  and  122  away from the corresponding pallet feet. Thus, sleeves  140  through  145  also assist tines  120  and  122  to be properly aligned within the opening of pallet  130 . Therefore, tines  120  and  122  roll off or slide over the outside of sleeves  140  through  145  and pass into the opening between first deck  132  and base beams  134  and  136  of pallet  130 .  
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of a pallet, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Pallet  200  includes first deck  210 , base beams  220  and  222  to form the second deck, six pallet blocks ( 230 ,  231 ,  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235 ), and sleeves  240 ,  241 ,  242 ,  243 ,  244 , and  245  disposed around the corresponding pallet blocks  230 ,  231 ,  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235 . Pallet blocks  230 ,  231 ,  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235  can be any number of shapes, including but not limited to a right circular cylinder, a right elliptical cylinder, or a prism.  
      Sleeves  240  through  245  can be partially or fully disposed around pallet blocks  230  through  235  respectively. Partially disposed means that the sleeve partially surrounds the entire cross-section and/or length of the pallet block. In the illustrative embodiment, sleeves  240  through  245  are partially disposed around corresponding pallet blocks  230  through  235 .  
      First deck  210  is the top of pallet  200 . In the example shown, base beams  220  and  222  form the second deck and make up the bottom of pallet  200 . First deck  210  and the second deck can be formed from a single, solid piece of material or one or more base beams. A base beam can be made of various materials, such as wood, steel, plastic, or some combination thereof, which are suitable for holding heavy materials.  
      In the illustrative embodiment, pallet blocks  230  through  235  connect first deck  210  to base beams  220  and  222 . Pallet blocks  230 ,  231 , and  232  are disposed on front  250  of pallet  200  and pallet blocks  233 ,  234 , and  235  are disposed on back  260  of pallet  200 . Sleeves  241 ,  242 ,  243 ,  244 ,  245 , and  246  are disposed around pallet blocks  230 ,  231 ,  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235  respectively.  
      Sleeves  240  through  245  can be hollow structures that are not permanently affixed to pallet blocks  230  through  235 , to first deck  210 , or to base beams  220  and  222 . In the illustrative embodiment, sleeves  240  through  245  are sized and dimensioned to enable sleeves  240  through  245  to move laterally and/or rotate freely around pallet blocks  230  through  235 . Thus, in the illustrative embodiment, sleeves  240  through  245  are shorter in length than pallet blocks  230  through  235  and larger in cross-section than pallet blocks  230  through  235 . Therefore, if a tine strikes a sleeve, the sleeve is adapted to rotate or shift in position relative to a corresponding pallet block. The rotation or motion of the sleeve helps prevent damage to the corresponding pallet block and to the rest of the pallet. However, in other embodiments, one or more of the sleeves may be as long as a corresponding pallet block. In addition, in other embodiments, one or more of the sleeves may be fixedly attached to either first deck  210  or the second deck, and, therefore, the tines of the forklift will slide over a fixed sleeve.  
       FIG. 3  shows a sleeve for a pallet block, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Sleeve  300  is a hollow tube with inner wall  310  and outer wall  320 . In the illustrative embodiment, the cross section of sleeve  300  is a right circular cylinder with inner wall  310  and outer wall  320  having the same cross-sectional shapes. However, either wall of sleeve  300  can be a right elliptical cylinder, a prism, or some other shape. For example, inner wall  310  can have a first cross-sectional shape, such as a circle, and outer wall  320  can have a second cross-sectional shape, such as a hexagon.  
      Sleeve  300  can be made out of any type of material that is durable and resilient enough to protect the pallet blocks from damage caused by impact from a forklift&#39;s prongs, such as a metal alloy, a plastic resin, or any combination thereof. In the illustrative example shown, sleeve  300  is made out of a material such as polypropylene or high density polyethylene.  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of the method for building a pallet in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The method begins by attaching a pallet block to a first deck of a pallet (step  400 ). After the pallet block is attached, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks that will be used to build the pallet are attached to the first deck (step  410 ). If an additional pallet block needs to be attached (“No” output of step  410 ), then the method returns to step  400  and another pallet block is attached. The process is repeated until all the pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step  410 ) are attached to the deck.  
      Once all the pallet blocks are attached to the deck, a sleeve is then disposed around a pallet block (step  420 ). After the sleeve is disposed, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks have a sleeve disposed around the pallet blocks (step  430 ). If a sleeve needs to be disposed around another pallet block (“No” output of step  430 ), then the method returns to step  420  to have a sleeve disposed around another pallet block. The process is repeated until all pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step  430 ) have a sleeve disposed around the pallet blocks.  
      Once a sleeve is disposed around all the pallet blocks, a pallet foot is attached to the second deck (step  440 ). After the pallet block is attached to the second deck, a determination is made as to whether all the pallet blocks that will be used to build the pallet are attached to the second deck (step  450 ). If an additional pallet block needs to be attached (“No” output of step  450 ), then the method returns to step  440  and another pallet block is attached. The process is repeated until all the pallet blocks (“Yes” output of step  450 ) are attached to the second deck. Once all the pallet blocks are attached to the second deck, the method ends.  
      The method for building a pallet in accordance with the aspects of the present invention is not limited to the described steps or order of steps. For instance, the method may include disposing a sleeve around each pallet blocks after the pallet block is attached to both decks.  
      The aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method for building a pallet with a pallet block protection system. The pallet includes a first deck, a second deck, at least one pallet block connecting the first and second decks, and a sleeve disposed around the at least one pallet block. The sleeve acts as a protective cover for the at least one pallet block. The sleeve is adapted to prevent its associated pallet block from damage as the tines of a forklift are inserted between the first and second decks. When the tines are inserted, the sleeve deflects the tines away from the pallet block. The sleeve also assists the tines to be properly aligned with the opening of the pallet. In the manner presented, the aspects of the present invention provide a pallet and a method of building a pallet.  
      The aspect of the present invention prevents a pallet block on a pallet from damage by a forklift. The aspects of the present invention do not require any modifications to the forklift. The aspects of the present invention also do not require the pallet to be made from any particular different material. Therefore, pallets currently in use in industry only need to be modified with one or more sleeves to protect the pallet blocks.  
      The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.