U.S. patent application number 11/451642 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-13 for vibration dampening in shipping unit with pallet.
Invention is credited to Lance R. Ballard.
Application Number | 20070283858 11/451642 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38820574 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070283858 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ballard; Lance R. |
December 13, 2007 |
Vibration dampening in shipping unit with pallet
Abstract
A shipping unit includes a rack cabinet, computerized devices
and a pallet. The computerized devices are mounted within the rack
cabinet. The rack cabinet is mounted on the pallet. The pallet
includes layers of sheets of structural material and a layer of
blocks of vibration dampening padding between first and second ones
of the layers of sheets of structural material. Each block of
vibration dampening padding includes a lower rectangular portion
and an upper tapered portion.
Inventors: |
Ballard; Lance R.;
(Magnolia, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HEWLETT PACKARD COMPANY
P O BOX 272400, 3404 E. HARMONY ROAD, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION
FORT COLLINS
CO
80527-2400
US
|
Family ID: |
38820574 |
Appl. No.: |
11/451642 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/57.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2519/00293
20130101; B65D 2519/00562 20130101; B65D 2519/0086 20130101; B65D
2519/00815 20130101; B65D 2519/00114 20130101; B65D 19/0016
20130101; B65D 2519/00064 20130101; B65D 2519/00333 20130101; B65D
2519/00373 20130101; B65D 2519/00572 20130101; B65D 2519/00029
20130101; B65D 2519/00273 20130101; B65D 2519/00323 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/57.12 |
International
Class: |
B65D 19/38 20060101
B65D019/38 |
Claims
1. A shipping unit comprising: a rack cabinet; computerized devices
mounted within the rack cabinet; and a pallet on which the rack
cabinet is mounted comprising layers of sheets of structural
material and a layer of blocks of vibration dampening padding
between first and second ones of the layers of the sheets of
structural material, each block of vibration dampening padding
comprising a lower rectangular portion and an upper tapered
portion.
2. A shipping unit as defined in claim 1, wherein: the upper
tapered portion is trapezoidal in cross section.
3. A shipping unit as defined in claim 1, wherein: the upper
tapered portion has a first bearing area contacting the first layer
of the sheets of structural material when the pallet is not
weighted by the rack cabinet and the computerized devices; and a
weight of the rack cabinet and the computerized devices on the
pallet causes the blocks of padding to be compressed with a
deformation of the upper tapered portion resulting in the upper
tapered portion having a second bearing area contacting the first
layer of the sheets of structural material, the second bearing area
larger than the first bearing area.
4. A shipping unit as defined in claim 3, wherein: the
aforementioned rack cabinet and computerized devices are a first
cabinet/devices combination and the weight thereof is a first
weight; a second weight of a second cabinet/devices combination on
the pallet causes the blocks of padding to be compressed with a
deformation of the upper tapered portion resulting in the upper
tapered portion having a third bearing area contacting the first
layer of the sheets of structural material; and the second weight
is larger than the first weight and the third bearing area is
larger than the second bearing area.
5. A shipping unit as defined in claim 4, wherein: the first and
second weights are between about 300 and 2000 pounds.
6. A shipping unit comprising: a means for containing a plurality
of computerized devices; a means attached to the containing means
for supporting the containing means during transportation thereof;
a means within the supporting means for dampening vibration of the
containing means, the vibration caused by the transportation of the
containing means, the vibration dampening means comprising a lower
rectangular portion and an upper tapered portion.
7. A shipping unit as defined in claim 6, wherein: the upper
tapered portion is trapezoidal in cross section.
8. A shipping unit as defined in claim 7, further comprising: a
means within the supporting means for providing structural rigidity
to the supporting means and contacting the vibration dampening
means; and wherein: the upper tapered portion has a first bearing
area contacting the structural rigidity providing means when the
supporting means is not weighted by the containing means and the
computerized devices; and a weight of the containing means and the
computerized devices on the supporting means causes the vibration
dampening means to be compressed with a deformation of the upper
tapered portion resulting in the upper tapered portion having a
second bearing area contacting the structural rigidity providing
means, the second bearing area larger than the first bearing
area.
9. A shipping unit as defined in claim 8, wherein: the
aforementioned containing means and computerized devices are a
first containing-means/devices combination and the weight thereof
is a first weight; a second weight of a second
containing-means/devices combination on the pallet causes the
vibration dampening means to be compressed with a deformation of
the upper tapered portion resulting in the upper tapered portion
having a third bearing area contacting the structural rigidity
providing means; and the second weight is larger than the first
weight and the third bearing area is larger than the second bearing
area.
10. A shipping unit as defined in claim 9, wherein: the first and
second weights are between about 300 and 2000 pounds.
11. A pallet for shipping a rack cabinet containing computerized
devices, comprising: layers of the sheets of structural material;
an engaging device with which the rack cabinet can be mounted to a
top one of the layers of the sheets of structural material; and a
layer of blocks of vibration dampening padding between first and
second ones of the layers of board, each block of padding
comprising a lower base portion and an upper tapered portion.
12. A pallet as defined in claim 11, wherein: the upper tapered
portion is trapezoidal in cross section; and the lower base portion
is rectangular in cross section.
13. A pallet as defined in claim 12, wherein: the upper tapered
portion has a first bearing area contacting the first layer of
board when the pallet is not weighted by the rack cabinet and the
computerized devices; the blocks of padding are compressible when
the pallet is weighted by the rack cabinet and the computerized
devices with a deformation of the upper tapered portion resulting
in the upper tapered portion having a second bearing area
contacting the first layer of board; and the second bearing area is
larger than the first bearing area.
14. A pallet as defined in claim 13, wherein: the aforementioned
rack cabinet and computerized devices are a first cabinet/devices
combination and the weight thereof is a first weight; the blocks of
padding are compressible when the pallet is weighted by a second
weight of a second cabinet/devices combination with a deformation
of the upper tapered portion resulting in the upper tapered portion
having a third bearing area contacting the first layer of board;
and the second weight is larger than the first weight and the third
bearing area is larger than the second bearing area.
15. A pallet as defined in claim 14, wherein: the first and second
weights are between about 300 and 2000 pounds.
16. A method of mitigating vibration on a rack cabinet containing
computerized devices and mounted on a pallet, comprising: providing
a pallet having layers of board and a layer of blocks of vibration
dampening padding between first and second ones of the layers of
board, each block of padding comprising a lower base portion and an
upper trapezoidal portion; and placing the rack cabinet on the
pallet to cause the layer of blocks of padding to be compressed by
a weight of the rack cabinet and the computerized devices, the
upper trapezoidal portions of the blocks of padding maintaining a
gap between the lower base portion and the first layer of board and
attenuating vibrations of the rack cabinet and the computerized
devices during transportation of the pallet, the rack cabinet and
the computerized devices.
17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein: when the pallet is
not weighted by the rack cabinet and the computerized devices, the
upper trapezoidal portion has a first bearing area contacting the
first layer of board; when the pallet is weighted by the rack
cabinet and the computerized devices, compression of the blocks of
padding causes the upper trapezoidal portion to have a second
bearing area contacting the first layer of board; and the second
bearing area is larger than the first bearing area.
18. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein: the aforementioned
rack cabinet and computerized devices are a first cabinet/devices
combination and the weight thereof is a first weight; a second
cabinet/devices combination has a second weight greater than the
first weight; and when the pallet is weighted by the second
cabinet/devices combination, compression of the blocks of padding
causes the upper trapezoidal portion to have a third bearing area,
larger than the second bearing area, contacting the first layer of
board.
19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein: the first and second
weights are between about 300 and 2000 pounds.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Some customers of computers and computer-related products
custom order such products with specific desired configurations,
e.g. type of processor, amount of memory, number of hard drives,
peripheral devices, etc. Additionally, customers may custom order
some computers and computer-related products that are designed to
be rack mounted within a cabinet for efficient use of vertical
space in a room containing such products. If the rack cabinet and
desired computers and computer-related products are shipped to the
customer separately, then the rack cabinet has to be assembled and
the computers and computer-related products have to be installed
into the rack cabinet in the room at the customer's site. It is
more efficient, however, to assemble the rack cabinet and install
the computers and computer-related products at the manufacturing
facility and to transport the entire loaded rack cabinet with
installed computers and computer-related products as a single
shipping unit to the customer's site. In this case, though, due to
the size and complexity of the shipping unit and the delicate
nature of its components, it is necessary to take special
precautions to ensure that the shipping unit arrives at the
customer's site undamaged. Such damage may be caused by shock or
impact loads due to hitting or dropping the shipping unit or by
vibrations due to transportation.
[0002] Shipping pallets have been used to transport rack cabinets.
The shipping pallets are attached to the bottom of the rack
cabinets to form the shipping unit. The shipping pallets are
generally made of layers of plywood with a layer of foam to reduce
shock and/or attenuate vibration due to transportation of the
shipping unit. When dealing with vibration and mass in particular,
solutions involving such shipping units depend on the "bearing
area" of the layer of foam that is needed to attenuate the
vibrations for the given mass. In other words, if there is too much
bearing area in the layer of foam between the layers of plywood for
a given load of the shipping unit, then the layer of foam will be
too stiff to reduce or attenuate shock and vibrations. On the other
hand, if there is too little bearing area in the layer of foam for
a given load of the shipping unit, then the layer of foam will be
too weak to reduce or attenuate shock and vibrations. The shipping
pallets are, thus, made to work within a specific weight range for
the loaded rack cabinet. For example, a given shipping pallet
design might be optimal for use within a weight range of the loaded
rack cabinet of only about 800 to 1200 lbs. However, the actual
weight for a given loaded rack cabinet may be outside of the
specific weight range of the available shipping pallets, since the
customer's order may range from a rack cabinet with a single
installed computer up to a fully loaded rack cabinet. A given
shipping pallet design, therefore, will not work for every possible
loaded rack cabinet. It is undesirable, however, to have more than
one shipping pallet design in inventory, since having different
designs will require more space and cost to accommodate all of the
necessary shipping pallet designs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary shipping unit
incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary shipping pallet
for use in the exemplary shipping unit shown in FIG. 1 according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0005] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary
shipping pallet shown in FIG. 2 incorporating an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary shipping pallet shown
in FIG. 2 incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a side view of a first exemplary foam block for
use in the exemplary shipping pallet shown in FIG. 2 according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 6 is a side view of a second exemplary foam block for
use in the exemplary shipping pallet shown in FIG. 2 according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 7 is a side view of a third exemplary foam block for
use in the exemplary shipping pallet shown in FIG. 2 according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 8 is a side view of a fourth exemplary foam block for
use in the exemplary shipping pallet shown in FIG. 2 according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 9 is a side view of a portion of the exemplary shipping
pallet shown in FIG. 2 incorporating an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 10 is another side view of the portion of the exemplary
shipping pallet shown in FIG. 5 incorporating an embodiment of the
present invention under a loading condition.
[0013] FIG. 11 is yet another side view of the portion of the
exemplary shipping pallet shown in FIG. 5 incorporating an
embodiment of the present invention under another loading
condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] An exemplary shipping unit 100 incorporating an embodiment
of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The shipping unit 100
generally includes a loaded rack cabinet 102 and a shipping pallet
104. The loaded rack cabinet 102 generally includes devices, such
as rack-mounted computers 106 and computer-related products 108
(e.g. network routers/hubs, storage devices, uninterruptible power
supplies, blade servers, etc.), mounted within a cabinet 110. The
shipping pallet 104 can reduce or attenuate shock and vibration
over a weight range of the loaded rack cabinet 102 that can
accommodate a variety of configurations of the numbers and types of
the devices 106 and 108 within the cabinet 110. Thus, a single
design for the shipping pallet 104 can be used for most, if not
all, configurations for the loaded rack cabinet 102.
[0015] The devices 106 and 108 are generally connected together by
a variety of cables 112, typically at a rear side 114 of the
cabinet 110. Some or all of the devices 106 and 108 may also be
mounted on rails 116 attached to an inside of the cabinet 110, so
these devices 106 and 108 can be extended out of a front side 118
of the cabinet 110 for servicing. Although the present invention is
described with respect to its use in the shipping unit 100 as
shown, it is understood that the invention is not so limited, but
may be used in any appropriate shipping unit that requires shock
and vibration dampening/attenuation, regardless of the elements
included or not included in the shipping unit.
[0016] The shipping pallet 104, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes
several layers of plywood (or other appropriate sheet of structural
material) 120-134 with a layer of foam (or other appropriate shock
and vibration dampening padding or material) 136 in about the
middle thereof. The exact number of layers of the plywood 120-134
may depend on the application, so other embodiments may include
more or less layers of plywood 120-134 than that shown. The
shipping pallet 104 also preferably has holes 137 through which a
key hole bracket, or other appropriate engaging device, can engage
leveling feet of the cabinet 110 to mount the cabinet 110 to the
top layers of the plywood 120-124. Other embodiments may
incorporate other mounting methods.
[0017] Some of the upper layers of the plywood (e.g. 120, 122 and
124) have length and width dimensions about the same as the overall
shipping pallet 104. Lower layers of the plywood (e.g. 126, 128,
130, 132 and 134), on the other hand, are formed of runners 138,
140 and 142. The presence of the layers of the plywood 126-134 with
the runners 138-142 allows for a forklift (or other appropriate
lifting device) to reach under the upper layers of the plywood
120-124 in order to lift the shipping unit 100.
[0018] The top layer of the plywood 120 has one or more masonite
hardboards (or other appropriate material) 144 mounted thereon. The
masonite hardboards 144 protect the layer of plywood 120 from the
loaded rack cabinet 102. Under some situations, the loaded rack
cabinet 102 may be so heavy that the bottom of the cabinet 110
would dig into the layer of plywood 120 if the masonite hardboards
144 were not present.
[0019] The top layer of the plywood 120 also has various blocks
(e.g. wood or other appropriate material) 146 and 148 mounted
thereon near the periphery thereof. The various blocks 146 and 148
prevent the cabinet 110 from rolling off the deck when it is being
mounted on the shipping pallet 104. There are no such blocks near
the rear side 150 of the shipping pallet 104, because the cabinet
110 is typically rolled up onto and back down off of the shipping
pallet 104 from this side.
[0020] The layers of the plywood 120-134, the various blocks 146
and 148 and the masonite hardboards 144 are attached to each other
by any appropriate means, such as by screwing, nailing, gluing,
etc. The layer of the foam 136 is preferably attached to the
adjacent layers of the plywood (e.g. 126 and 128) by an appropriate
means that does not damage the foam material, such as by gluing,
etc.
[0021] Additionally, bolts 152 are preferably inserted through the
shipping pallet 104 (e.g. along the front side 154 and rear side
150 thereof). The bolts 152 are not tightened down to the point of
significantly compressing the layer of the foam 136. Instead, the
bolts 152 are only screwed down to a point that allows the upper
layers of the plywood 120-124 to effectively "float" on the layer
of the foam 136 above the lower layers of the plywood 126-134. In
this manner, the bolts 152 may hang loose when the shipping pallet
104 is compressed by the weight of the loaded rack cabinet 102. The
bolts 152, thus, serve as a safety mechanism that holds the
shipping pallet 104 together in the event that it receives a blow
that could separate or damage any of the layers 120-136 of the
shipping pallet 104.
[0022] The layer of the foam 136 may be any appropriate shock and
vibration dampening material. An example of such material is
Ethafoam.TM. in a six-pound density available from The Dow Chemical
Company. For other embodiments, the exact material and/or density
may depend on the anticipated situation. A consideration is that
the selected material should be able to be compressed, but should
not flatten out too much (as described below) under the highest
anticipated load of the loaded rack cabinet 102.
[0023] The layer of the foam 136 includes various foam blocks
156-164 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The arrangement of the foam blocks 156-164
within the shipping pallet 104 generally depends on the
distribution of the weight of the loaded rack cabinet 102, i.e. of
the devices 106 and 108 within the cabinet 110 (FIG. 1). In the
example shown, the devices 106 and 108 are generally concentrated
near the front side 118 of the cabinet 110, because space near the
rear side 114 of the cabinet 110 is generally open to make room for
the variety of cables 112. Thus, the center of gravity, or
distribution of the weight, of the loaded rack cabinet 102 is
typically towards the front side 118 of the cabinet 110. The foam
blocks 156-164 (see 156, 160 and 162), therefore, are generally
concentrated near the front side 154 of the shipping pallet 104, as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0024] Additionally, the foam blocks 156-160 on the outside runners
138 may be about the same as those on the outside runners 142, as
shown, if the weight distribution of the loaded rack cabinet 102 is
relatively even from side 166 to side 168 (FIG. 1). On the other
hand, if the weight distribution is not relatively even from side
166 to side 168, then the foam blocks 156-160 and the outside
runners 138 or 142 on the heavier side may have to be larger, i.e.
wider. Furthermore, the foam blocks 162 and 164 on the inside
runners 140 down the middle of the shipping pallet 104 are
generally larger, i.e. wider, than the other foam blocks 156-160 to
account for potential downward bowing of the middle of the upper
layers of the plywood 120-126 due to the weight of the loaded rack
cabinet 102.
[0025] The foam blocks 156-164 used in the exemplary shipping
pallet 104 are described herein with respect to FIGS. 5-8. (Foam
block 164 has a side view similar to foam blocks 158 shown in FIG.
6.) However, the particular shapes and geometries shown and
described for the foam blocks 156-164 are exemplary only. Other
embodiments may incorporate foam blocks having different shapes,
but with certain preferred features.
[0026] The foam blocks 156-164 preferably have a lower generally
rectangular portion 170 and at least one upper generally tapered
(e.g. trapezoidal) portion 172, as separated by dashed lines 174 in
FIGS. 5-8. For the exemplary foam block 156 (FIG. 5), the lower
generally rectangular portion 170 is wider than the upper generally
tapered portion 172 and extends beyond the width of the upper
generally tapered portion 172 in both directions. For the exemplary
foam block 158 (FIG. 6), and for the exemplary foam block 164, the
lower generally rectangular portion 170 is wider than the upper
generally tapered portion 172, but extends beyond the width of the
upper generally tapered portion 172 only in one direction. The
exemplary foam block 160 (FIG. 7) has two of the upper generally
tapered portions 172 spaced apart above the lower generally
rectangular portion 170. The exemplary foam block 162 (FIG. 8) has
three of the upper generally tapered portions 172 spaced apart
above the lower generally rectangular portion 170, with the
right-most upper generally tapered portion 172 generally aligning
with the upper generally tapered portion 172 of the exemplary foam
blocks 156 and the other two upper generally tapered portions 172
generally aligning with the upper generally tapered portions 172 of
the exemplary foam blocks 160, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0027] The top surface 176 of the upper generally tapered portion
172 of the foam blocks 156-164, exemplified by the foam block 156
as shown in FIG. 9, is glued to the runner 138 in the layer of the
plywood 126 above. The bottom surface 178 of the lower generally
rectangular portion 170 is glued to the runner 138 in the layer of
the plywood 128 below.
[0028] When the shipping pallet 104 is not loaded, the foam blocks
156-164 have the general shape of the foam block 156 shown in FIG.
9, with little or no deformation. When the shipping pallet 104 is
partially loaded, the foam blocks 156-164 have the general shape of
the foam block 156 shown in FIG. 10, with some deformation of the
lower and upper portions 170 and 172. When the shipping pallet 104
is more heavily loaded, the foam blocks 156-164 have the general
shape of the foam block 156 shown in FIG. 11, with considerable
deformation of the lower and upper portions 170 and 172.
[0029] The upper generally tapered portions 172 of the foam blocks
156-164 generally have a shape that results in the pounds per
square inch being about the same (e.g. about 4.5-5.0 psi) for each
allowable load on the shipping pallet 104, because the bearing area
increases as the load increases. For example, under no load (FIG.
9), i.e. no cabinet 110 on the shipping pallet 104, only the top
surface 176 of the foam blocks 156-164 touches the runners 138-142
in the layer of the plywood 126 above. In this example, the bearing
area that touches the runners 138-142 above is indicated by
dimension A in FIG. 9. In another example, under the loading
condition for FIG. 10, i.e. a combination of the cabinet 110 and
devices 106 and 108 for a partially loaded rack cabinet 102 on the
shipping pallet 104, a portion of the tapered sides of the upper
generally tapered portion 172 also touches the runners 138-142
above. In this example, the bearing area that touches the runners
138-142 above is indicated by dimension B, larger than dimension A,
in FIG. 10. In yet another example, under the heavier loading
condition for FIG. 11, i.e. a combination of the cabinet 110 and
devices 106 and 108 for a more heavily loaded rack cabinet 102 on
the shipping pallet 104, a larger portion of the tapered sides of
the upper generally tapered portion 172 touches the runners 138-142
above. In this example, the bearing area that touches the runners
138-142 above is indicated by dimension C, larger than dimensions A
and B, in FIG. 11. Accordingly, the bearing area is generally
proportional to the load on the shipping pallet 104, so the psi is
generally the same for each load level.
[0030] Generally, the necessary vibration/shock attenuation for a
larger load is achieved with a larger bearing area of the upper
generally tapered portions 172 touching the runners 138-142 in the
layer of the plywood 126 above the foam blocks 156-164. Therefore,
since the bearing area of the upper generally tapered portion 172
that touches the runners 138-142 above for each of the foam blocks
156-164 depends on the weight of the load in the loaded rack
cabinet 102 thereon, the geometry of the foam blocks 156-164
naturally allows for the proper level of vibration/shock
attenuation for a wide range in the allowable weight of the loaded
rack cabinet 102.
[0031] Some portions, i.e. "exposed" portions, of the lower
generally rectangular portion 170 of each foam block 156-164 are
not directly beneath the upper generally tapered portions 172. It
is preferable, however, that only the upper generally tapered
portion 172 of each foam block 156-164 touches the runners 138-142
above under "non-shock" loading conditions. This situation allows
the exposed portions of the lower generally rectangular portion 170
of each foam block 156-164 to provide additional shock attenuation
only when needed. Such need may arise when the shipping unit 100 is
subject to a relatively large shock load, e.g. upon accidentally
dropping the shipping unit, that causes the upper generally tapered
portions 172 to momentarily compress to the point that the exposed
portions of the lower generally rectangular portions 170
momentarily touch the runners 138-142 above. When the exposed
portions of the lower generally rectangular portions 170 touch the
runners 138-142 above, additional shock attenuation is
provided.
* * * * *