Patent ID: 8424469

Claim:
A unitary forklift-compatible reinforced plastic pallet comprising: A partly hollow thermoformed, twin sheet upper deck comprising peripherally fused together top and bottom sheets creating an interior volume and a reinforcement frame encapsulated between the top and bottom sheets within said volume; and a plurality of partly hollow thermoformed twin sheet runners formed independently of said deck each comprising a plate-like bottom sheet with upturned end walls and centrally-located opposed sidewalls spaced inwardly from end walls, each of said runners further comprising a top sheet peripherally fused to said bottom sheet including fused portions along the tops of said sidewalls and end walls; said top sheet being formed of an undulating configuration whereby the fused combination of the top and bottom sheets creates twin sheet upstanding hollow vertical end structures and, in combination with said sidewalls, a hollow center structure whereby forklift openings are formed in a first direction between said end structures and said center structure; said runners being permanently fused to said upper deck at the tops of said end structures and said center structures in spaced-apart relationship to form a second set of forklift openings in a second direction at 90° to the first direction by the spacing between said fused runners.