Patent ID: 7516705

Claim:
A pallet comprising: a cargo layer comprising a pair of spaced apart end deck boards, and a pair of spaced apart connector boards orthogonal to said pair of spaced apart end deck boards, each connector board and each end deck board having respective ends; a base layer comprising a pair of spaced apart end deck boards, and a pair of spaced apart connector boards orthogonal to said pair of spaced apart end deck boards, each connector board and each end deck board having respective ends; a strength plate coupled to each respective end of said connector boards in said base layer; a plurality of spaced apart support blocks between said base and cargo layers and forming a gap therebetween for receiving a lifting member, each support block comprising a stepped top surface including a first level receiving a respective end of one of said deck boards in said cargo layer, and a second level receiving a respective end of one of said connector boards in said cargo layer, with the connector board adjacent to and non-overlapping with said end deck board; a first plurality of fasteners coupling the respective ends of said deck boards in said cargo layer to the first level of said support blocks, and coupling the respective ends of said connector boards in said cargo layer to the second level of said support blocks; and a second plurality of fasteners coupling said base layer to a lower surface of said plurality of support blocks, with the ends of said connector boards and said corresponding strength plates coupled to a first area of the lower surface of said plurality of support blocks, and with the ends of said end deck boards coupled to a second area of the lower surface of said plurality of support blocks.