Abstract:
The present invention relates to pallets including improved structural supports suitable for use with various materials. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the pallet includes a load supporting deck comprised of deck members, and runners attached to the bottom of the load supporting deck, which are comprised of structural supports supporting, in two planes, a plank. The structural support of the present invention includes a supporting wall, which has a top support surface and a side surface, and a base support wall connected to the supporting wall and which extends beyond the width of the supporting wall and extends below the height of the supporting wall, such that the supporting wall and base support wall define a plank supporting edge for supporting a plank.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/458,120, filed Mar. 26, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to pallets, and, more particularly, to pallets having improved structural supports suitable for use with various materials.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Pallets are typically flat, rectangular or square shaped surfaces that are used to transport goods. Currently available pallets are made from wood, paper, fiberboard, various plastics and other substances. A typical industry standard pallet is rectangular in shape and measures 48 inches by 40 inches.  
           [0006]    One of the problems associated with the currently available pallets are the strict exportation regulations required of such packing materials. For example, wood packing materials, including wood pallets currently are required to be kiln-dried or chemically impregnated with a preservative. Documentation is required to certify that wood packing materials, including wood pallets, are acceptable for exportation. These strict exportation regulations increase the costs associated with manufacturing wood pallets and creates a risk that the product, upon importation to a country, will be destroyed for failing to comply with the exportation regulations.  
           [0007]    Another problem associated with the currently available pallets, and a further problem associated with the exportation regulations, is the high cost of pallets that are exempt from the wood packing exportation regulations. Corrugated and plastic pallets are exempt from the wood packing exportation regulations; however, these exempt pallets can be expensive to manufacture. For example, pallets made completely from plastic can cost approximately $50 each. Additionally, pallets are typically not returned to the exporting company, which means that a high-cost pallet can greatly increase the cost of the product being exported.  
           [0008]    Thus, there exists a need to provide a load-supporting pallet having an improved structural support suitable for use with various materials and that be constructed and assembled from relatively lightweight, durable materials, which are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention satisfies the foregoing and other needs. In one embodiment, the structural support of the present invention supports fiberboard, wood, plastic or other suitable planks and deck members, which preferably are relatively lightweight and which are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  
           [0010]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the pallet includes a load supporting deck comprised of deck members, and runners attached to the bottom of the load supporting deck, which are comprised of structural supports supporting, in two planes, a plank. The structural support of the present invention includes a supporting wall, which has a top support surface and a side surface, and a base support wall connected to the supporting wall and which extends beyond the width of the supporting wall and extends below the height of the supporting wall, such that the supporting wall and base support wall define a plank supporting edge for supporting a plank.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional top view illustrating a pallet incorporating a structural support in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional top view illustrating a structural support that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is an side elevation view illustrating a durable structural support that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is an end elevation view illustrating a durable structural support that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional side view illustrating a plank attached to a structural support that may be used to assemble a runner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional side view illustrating a second plank being attached to a structural support during assembly of a runner that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional side view illustrating a runner that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional bottom view of a runner that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of a partially assembled bottom deck in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In general, such embodiments relate to pallets constructed of lightweight, durable materials, and, more particularly, to pallets constructed with lightweight, durable structural supports, which can withstand rough handling and heavy and high impact loads, as well as to support members suitable for use in these and other pallets.  
         [0022]    Turning to FIG. 1 pallet  10  includes a plurality of longitudinally extending top deck members  12  supported by runners  20 . Runners  20  typically include one or more planks  30 , which extend longitudinally in a non-parallel direction with respect to deck members  12 . Planks  30  typically rest upon one or more structural supports  40  (shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and  4 ), the bottom surfaces of which are attached to bottom deck members  18  in a non-parallel direction with respect to runners  20 . While the majority of pallets rectangular, measuring 48 inches by 40 inches, the present invention can be used to form pallets of any size and shape. For example, a pallet could be a square or another polygon having rail supports along one or more of the edges, or elsewhere. The present invention can be used with any kind of pallet, including those disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,067,418; 5,272,990; 5,816,172; 6,012,399; D419,275 and D419,774, which are herein incorporated by reference.  
         [0023]    As shown in FIG. 2, structural support member  40  has a generally inverted T-shaped profile and includes supporting walls  42 , base support walls  44 , bottom surface  46  and top surfaces  48 . Structural support  40  also includes a plank supporting edge  50  and a side wall  54  for supporting the planks  30 .  
         [0024]    Structural support  40  can be made from any durable lightweight material that is capable of withstanding the required loads, such as, for example, high density polypropylene (HDPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and wood. Structural support  40  can be molded in any manner known in the art, including, for example, having a gate located on bottom surface  46 , which connects the left and right sides of structural support  40 . In one embodiment, structural support  40  is produced by injection molding a high density polypropylene compound. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, structural support  40  has a hollow interior. However, other embodiments may include differently configured interior portions and solid interiors. FIG. 3 depicts a front wall  42  view of structural support  40 , while FIG. 4 depicts a side view of structural support  40 .  
         [0025]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, structural support  40  of the present embodiment provides added stability and durability by supporting at least two surfaces of the planks  30 , one surface contacting plank supporting edge  50  and another surface contacting side wall  54 . Furthermore, because structural support  40  is supported on all sides (i.e., by planks  30  on each side, and top deck member  12  on the top and bottom deck member  18  on the bottom), and includes plank supporting edges  50 , which planks  30  engage, the structural support  40  is resistant to rotation, adding additional stability and durability.  
         [0026]    The dimensions of structural support  40  can be varied as desired to provide structural supports  40  that properly attach planks  30  and top deck members  12  and bottom deck members  18 , to thereby form a pallet  10  that can withstand the applied loads. It should be understood that the dimensions and proportions shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and  4  are provided for purposes of illustration only, and do not limit the invention to any particular dimensions or portions. In a preferred embodiment, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, structural support  40  has a height (H) of 4″, width (W) of 3″ and depth (D) of 5″.  
         [0027]    Furthermore, other configurations for structural support  40  are possible while staying within the scope of the present invention. For example, structural support  40  can be solid. Structural support can also be made with only one plank supporting edge  50  and one side wall  54 , i.e., having an L-shaped profile, such that only one plank  30  is supported by edge  50  of structural support  40  and, optionally, another plank supported by the opposite wall. Structural support  40  can also be inverted, such that planks  30  engage the bottom deck members rather than top deck members.  
         [0028]    Planks  30  may be made from any material that is suitable for use in a pallet, such as, for example, wood, paper, medium density fiberboard and plastic, and it is not required for all planks  30  to be made from the same material in order to form pallet  10 . In one embodiment, plank  30  is made from a laminate. In another embodiment, one or more planks  30  may be fiberboard laminates, such as those manufactured by the BCI division of the Newark Group Inc., Cranford, N.J. under the trademark NEWPLANXS.  
         [0029]    Plank  30 , top deck members  12 , bottom deck members  18  and/or structural supports  40  may be designed to exhibit one or more qualities that are desirable for pallets or to provide qualities that will enhance the performance of a pallet that may be used for ordinary or special purposes. For example, in one embodiment, plank  30  has the size and shape used to build a standard size pallet, such as those that are currently made from wood and/or other known pallet materials. In another embodiment, plank  30  is made water resistant through any of a number of known processes, such as being laminated or chemically treated. In yet another embodiment, plank  30  has sufficient hardness to withstand one or more particular loading conditions. Plank  30  may also be designed such that it can be manufactured using conventional pallet building tools.  
         [0030]    The construction process of runners  20  of pallet  10  are shown in FIGS. 5, 6,  7  and  8 . As depicted in FIG. 5, one or more runners  20  can be assembled by attaching a plank  30  to a first side of structural support  40  at plank supporting edge  50 . Any suitable fastener can be used to attach planks  30  to support member  40  including, for example, slotted portions, protrusions or other mating surfaces in planks  30  and/or structural supports  40 , staples, nails, screws, adhesives and any other known fastening or securing mechanism. Additionally, planks  30  can have any desired lengths and widths. A second plank  30  can be attached to a second side of structural support  40  as shown in FIGS. 6-8.  
         [0031]    Runners  20  may be provided in any size by cutting planks  30  to appropriate lengths and adjusting the location and/or number of structural supports  40 . In one embodiment, a plurality of structural supports  40  are used with each of the one or more runners  20 . By way of example, a standard size pallet can be formed using runners with 48″ planks  30  and three structural supports  40 . Standard size pallets may also use fewer or more than three structural supports per runner  20 .  
         [0032]    Pallet  10  can include a bottom deck  14  (illustrated in FIG. 9) and/or a top deck  16  (illustrated in FIG. 1). As depicted in FIG. 9, runners  20  for a single pallet  10  can be positioned so that structural support  40  of runner  20  aligns with the corresponding structural supports  40  of different runners  20 . The number and distance (D) between runners  20  can vary and should be determined based upon the load the will be supported by pallet  10  and based upon other desirable features, for example, runners  20  can be spaced to permit the insertion of the tines of a pallet jack. One or more bottom deck members  18  can attach to bottom surfaces  46  of structural supports  40  in a non-parallel direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of runners  20  and can form bottom deck  14 . In one embodiment, bottom deck members  18  can be attached to structural supports  40  in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of runners  20 . The bottom deck may also include members attached to the bottom of planks  30 .  
         [0033]    Assembled bottom deck  14  and attached runners  20  can then be rotated or otherwise adjusted to facilitate assembly of top deck  16 . In one embodiment, top deck members  12  are attached to top surfaces  48  of structural supports  40  and in one embodiment, the direction of attachment of top deck members  12  to top surfaces  48  is a direction perpendicular to that of the longitudinal axis of runner  20 . For top deck  16 , deck members  12  may be attached to a plurality of runners  20  at top surfaces  48  of the aligned structural supports  40 . The number of bottom deck members  18  and top deck members  12  used to form bottom deck  14  and top deck  16 , respectively, may or may not be the same, depending upon the manner in which pallet  10  will be used, and the number of deck members used to form either bottom deck  14  or top deck  16  may exceed that of the other deck. In one embodiment, top deck  16  includes seven top deck members  12  and bottom deck  14  includes three bottom deck members  18 .  
         [0034]    Once assembled, pallet  10  will have the capabilities of other pallets and may be used to transport goods and perform the other tasks for which pallets are used. An assembled pallet may be capable of receiving a forklift tine and may be assembled to facilitate handling from all sides.  
         [0035]    It is to be understood that certain changes may be made in the above structures and construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is also intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
         [0036]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that the apparatus of the present invention has many applications, may be implemented in many manners and, as such, is not to be limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments and examples. In this regard, any number of the features of the different embodiments described herein may be combined into one single embodiment. Moreover, the scope of the present invention covers conventionally known and future developed variations and modifications to the apparatus described herein, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.