Abstract:
A plastic pallet is described having a removable deck, which deck may be removed by operation or destruction of fasteners such as pins or integral flared-over nubs or spin welded posts, which attach the deck to a circumscribing frame, or by machined away portions of the deck from the rest of the frame.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/657,377, filed Mar. 1, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. (not yet assigned) filed Feb. 21, 2006, entitled “Plastic Pallet Having Metal Deck”, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/654,768, filed Feb. 18, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. (not yet assigned) filed Feb. 21, 2006, entitled “Plastic Pallet Having Deck Suspension System”, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/654,760, filed Feb. 18, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. (not yet assigned) filed Feb. 21, 2006, entitled “plastic pallet having diagonally corrugated deck” which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/654,761, filed Feb. 18, 2005, and is a continuation-in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/729,615, filed Dec. 5, 2003, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/938,954, filed Aug. 24, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,237, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/227,537, filed Aug. 24, 2000, the entire contents of each of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This disclosure relates to a device for the transportation of packaged goods, and, more particularly, to a pallet that meets certain standards set by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and others for weight, durability, and strength. The present disclosure relates to improvements to the above-cited applications with regard to affixing a deck of a plastic pallet to a frame portion.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     A plastic pallet has a deck which is attached to the top frame of the pallet, which is supported on columns running from the base. During use pallets can become worn and damaged. In particular, the top deck may break or lose features which are necessary. Since the rest of the pallet may be still in good shape, there is a need for economic handling of the situation.  
         [0004]     What is needed in the art is a pallet design that permits easy exchange of worn or broken components.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The above discussed and other disadvantages of the art are overcome and alleviated by the present plastic pallet having a removable deck. In exemplary embodiments the pallet includes a deck having fasteners such as pins or integral flared-over nubs or spin welded posts, which attach the deck to a circumscribing frame. The fasteners can be removed and replaced, to replace the deck. In another exemplary embodiment, the deck is machined away from the rest of the frame and replaced with a new deck which is welded or adhesively bonded to the remaining structure of the frame.  
         [0006]     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present pallet will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     Referring now to the accompanying FIGURES, which are meant to be exemplary and not limiting:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a cross sectional side view of an exemplary deck configured with an exemplary frame;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a partial cross sectional side view of a an exemplary deck including a fastener component arranged with a frame; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a partial cross sectional side view of a an exemplary deck including a lower grid. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     The presently described thermoplastic pallet is configured in such a way that the deck is easily replaceable. The deck may be plastic, wood or metal, or any other material. The pallet and deck may be constructed in accord with the above listed commonly owned patent and patent applications, the disclosures are incorporated by reference, which applications describe different plastic pallet related aspects, including a corrugated metal deck, which may be, for example, diagonally corrugated aluminum mounted on a plastic frame, methods of configuring decks relative to frames, and hollow columns and hollow top frame periphery, which may be filled with thermoset plastic.  
         [0012]     The deck may posess ordinary properties compared to the rest of the pallet, or it may have special properties, such as selective mechanical properties or surface finish. In one exemplary embodiment, the deck is metal, as described in certain exemplary embodiments within the applications referred to above. In another exemplary embodiment, the deck is plastic.  
         [0013]     As described herein, leaving aside the composition of the deck and frame, the deck is configured and attached such that it may be removed, such as by releasing fasteners, by machining (including destructive machining), or by both in combination.  
         [0014]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a side elevation view of exemplary pallet  20  is illustrated. Pallet  20  has a rectangular frame  22  supported on columns or rails  26  which run up from the base  24 . Deck  30  is attached at spaced apart locations  40 , around its rim, to the frame by fasteners, such as screws  33 , and spans the forklift truck fork openings  31 . Spin welded fasteners may be used. By removing the screws or other fasteners a new deck may be installed to replace the old deck.  
         [0015]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an exemplary deck  30 A comprises a thermoplastic having integral fasteners  32 . Fasteners  32  are flared over the integral plastic nubs, which fit into holes  34  in the frame  22 A of pallet  20 A. To the replace the deck, the nubs may be drilled out and replaced by screw or pin type fasteners. Alternately, the flares of the nubs may be configured to compress upon upon application of a force urging the deck away from the frame. In another exemplary embodiment, the nubs may project upwardly from the frames.  
         [0016]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3-5 , another exemplary pallet is illustrated generally at  20 C. Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an exemplary deck  30 C is positioned in mated configuration with nubs  32 C of a frame  22 C. More specifically, the nubs  32 C extend through holes  34 C in the deck  30 C. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the nub  32 C is deformed over the hole  34 C to secure the deck to the frame. A deformed nub is illustrated generally at  37 . In another exemplary embodiment, the holes  34 C are countersunk such that the deformed nub  35  does not extend above the top surface of the deck. The deformed nub  37  may be ground away, drilled out, melted, etc., to provide for removal of the deck from the frame.  FIG. 4  also illustrates an upper pallet cover  40 , metal stays  42 , reinforcing beams  44 , and a lower pallet cover  46 .  
         [0017]     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an exemplary pallet  20 B has a frame  22 B and a deck  30 B. The deck  30 B has a lattice or grid  28  which spans the interior of the top of the pallet and a top plate  35 . The lattice comprises a plurality of rails  36 ,  38 , which in one exemplary embodiment are integral with the top plate  35  of the original deck. The top plate may be removed by machining, to provide a clean surface on the grid. A new deck is laid on the grid and fastened to it by adhesive, welding or fasteners. In another exemplary embodiment, the top plate  35  is originally fabricated as a separate element, and the attachment is released by machining or other means, so that the top plate can be replaced.  
         [0018]     Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to a exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in this art that various changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.