U.S. patent application number 12/741216 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-11 for loading pallet.
Invention is credited to Claes Nordstrom.
Application Number | 20110192327 12/741216 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40626006 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110192327 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nordstrom; Claes |
August 11, 2011 |
LOADING PALLET
Abstract
The present invention relates to a loading pallet made of metal,
comprising an elongate upper portion composed of profiles (1) which
run in substantially the longitudinal direction of the pallet and
constitute a load surface, profiles (2) which run on the underside
thereof in substantially the transverse direction of the pallet in
order to hold together the load surface profiles running in the
longitudinal direction of the pallet, spacers (4) disposed on the
underside of respective holding-together profiles running in the
transverse direction of the pallet, and profiles (5) binding
together the spacers, at opposite ends thereof, in substantially
the longitudinal direction of the pallet, which profiles each have,
running in substantially the longitudinal direction of the pallet,
a bearing surface (6) for placing the pallet on a substrate. To
ensure that it has the necessary strength and resistance even in
its transverse direction, the loading pallet according to the
present invention also comprises one or more reinforcing profiles
(11) each disposed between two holding-together profiles (2) which
run in the transverse direction of the pallet.
Inventors: |
Nordstrom; Claes; (Lund,
SE) |
Family ID: |
40626006 |
Appl. No.: |
12/741216 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
November 6, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE08/51269 |
371 Date: |
February 1, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/57.32 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2519/00059
20130101; B65D 2519/00024 20130101; B65D 2519/00129 20130101; B65D
2519/00437 20130101; B65D 2519/00601 20130101; B65D 2519/00298
20130101; B65D 2519/00164 20130101; B65D 2519/00641 20130101; B65D
19/0095 20130101; B65D 2519/00293 20130101; B65D 2519/00094
20130101; B65D 2519/0091 20130101; B65D 2519/00273 20130101; B65D
2519/00333 20130101; B65D 2519/00104 20130101; B65D 2519/00323
20130101; B65D 19/12 20130101; B65D 2519/00572 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/57.32 |
International
Class: |
B65D 19/28 20060101
B65D019/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 7, 2007 |
SE |
0702450-8 |
Claims
1-19. (canceled)
20. A loading pallet made of metal, comprising: an elongate upper
portion composed of profiles (1) which run in substantially the
longitudinal direction of the pallet and constitute a load surface,
and of profiles (2) which run on the underside thereof in
substantially the transverse direction of the pallet in order to
hold together the load surface profiles running in the longitudinal
direction of the pallet, spacers (4) disposed on the underside of
respective holding-together profiles (2) running in the transverse
direction of the pallet, and profiles (5) binding together the
spacers (4), at opposite ends thereof, in substantially the
longitudinal direction of the pallet, which profiles each have,
running in substantially the longitudinal position of the pallet, a
bearing surface (6) for placing the pallet on a substrate, wherein:
the spacers (4) are each detachably connected to the load surface
profiles (1), the holding-together profiles (2) and the profiles
(5) with bearing surfaces (6) by a bolted connection, each spacer
(4) and holding-together profile (2) have mutually fitting
elevations (23) and hollows (22), each spacer (4) is provided with
a hollow (13) fitting together with a corresponding elevation (12)
on a profile (5) with bearing surface (6), and the bolted
connection abuts an underside (9) of the elevation (12) of the
profile (5) with bearing surface (6) such that no parts of said
bolted connection protrude beyond said bearing surface.
21. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein the bolted
connection is composed of a bolt (7) running through the respective
spacer (4) and relating load surface profile (1), holding-together
profile (2) and a profile (5) with bearing surface (6), and of a
nut (8) which can be screwed firmly at the threaded free end of the
bolt.
22. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein the bolted
connection abuts against the underside (9) of the elevation (12)
of, and runs through, the profile (5) with bearing surface (6),
through the spacer (4) and through the holding-together profile (2)
and the load surface profile (1) of the upper portion and abuts
against an upper side (10) of the load surface profile.
23. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein said hollow
(13) of the spacer (4) runs the whole length of said spacer.
24. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein said elevation
(12) of the profile (5) with bearing surface (6) runs the whole
length of said profile.
25. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein each profile
(5) with bearing surface (6) is also provided on the respective
side of the elevation (12) with a protruding bearing surface
portion (19) which, for stacking on top of another corresponding
loading pallet, can be lowered into a correspondingly shaped groove
(20) in the pallet's load surface profiles (1).
26. A loading pallet according to claim 25, wherein said protruding
portions (19) of each profile (5) with bearing surface (6) and said
groove (20) in the respective load surface profile (1) run the
whole length of the respective profile.
27. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein the loading
pallet also comprises one or more reinforcing profiles (11) each
disposed between two holding-together profiles (2) which run in the
transverse direction of the pallet.
28. A loading pallet according to claim 27, wherein the respective
reinforcing profiles (11) run substantially parallel with the
holding-together profiles (2) running in the transverse direction
of the pallet.
29. A loading pallet according to claim 27, wherein the reinforcing
profiles (11) and the load surface profiles (1) are fastened to one
another by riveting.
30. A loading pallet according to claim 27, wherein the reinforcing
profiles (11) have on the underside a friction-enhancing covering
against which lifting means can be applied when lifting the
pallet.
31. A loading pallet made of metal, comprising: an elongate upper
portion composed of profiles (1) which run in substantially the
longitudinal direction of the pallet and constitute a load surface,
and of profiles (2) which run on the underside thereof in
substantially the transverse direction of the pallet in order to
hold together the load surface profiles running in the longitudinal
direction of the pallet, spacers (4) disposed on the underside of
respective holding-together profiles (2) running in the transverse
direction of the pallet, and profiles (5) binding together the
spacers (4), at opposite ends thereof, in substantially the
longitudinal direction of the pallet, which profiles each have,
running in substantially the longitudinal position of the pallet, a
bearing surface (6) for placing the pallet on a substrate, wherein:
the loading pallet also comprises one or more reinforcing profiles
(11) each disposed between two holding-together profiles (2) which
run in the transverse direction of the pallet, and the reinforcing
profiles (11) have on the underside a friction-enhancing covering
against which lifting means can be applied when lifting the
pallet.
32. A loading pallet according to claim 31, wherein the respective
reinforcing profiles (11) run substantially parallel with the
holding-together profiles (2) running in the transverse direction
of the pallet.
33. A loading pallet according to claim 31, wherein the reinforcing
profiles (11) and the load surface profiles (1) are fastened to one
another by riveting.
34. A loading pallet according to claim 31, wherein the spacers (4)
are detachably connected to the load surface profiles (1), the
holding-together profiles (2) and the profiles (5) with bearing
surfaces (6).
35. A loading pallet according to claim 34, wherein the spacers (4)
are each detachably connected to the load surface profiles (1), the
holding-together profiles (2) and the profiles (5) with bearing
surfaces (6) by a bolted connection composed of a bolt (7) running
through the respective spacer (4) and relating load surface profile
(1), holding-together profile (2) and a profile (5) with bearing
surface (6), and of a nut (8) which can be screwed firmly at the
threaded free end of the bolt.
36. A loading pallet according to claim 35, wherein the bolted
connection abuts against an underside (9) of, and runs through, the
profile (5) with bearing surface (6), through the spacer (4) and
through the holding-together profile (2) and the load surface
profile (1) of the upper portion and abuts against an upper side of
(10) of the load surface profile.
37. A loading pallet according to claim 27, wherein the load
surface profiles (1), the holding-together profiles (2) and the
reinforcing profiles (11) have the same cross-sectional shape.
38. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein the loading
pallet is provided with brackets (14) for a pallet surround
(15).
39. A loading pallet according to claim 20, wherein spacers (4)
situated at least at the corners of the pallet are so configured
that they are readable in automatic warehouses for loading pallets.
Description
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a loading pallet made of
metal and comprising an elongate upper portion composed of profiles
which run in substantially the longitudinal direction of the pallet
and constitute a load surface, profiles which run on the underside
thereof in substantially the transverse direction of the pallet in
order to hold together the load surface profiles running in the
longitudinal direction, spacers disposed on the underside of
respective holding-together profiles running in the transverse
direction, and profiles binding together the spacers, at opposite
ends thereof, in substantially the longitudinal direction of the
pallet, each of which latter profiles has, running in substantially
the longitudinal direction of the pallet, a bearing surface for
placing the pallet on a substrate.
[0002] Metal loading pallets exist in a plurality of different
versions.
[0003] Those known loading pallets are substantially not
constructed in the same way as conventional loading pallets made of
wood. The advantage of such conventional pallets is, inter alia,
that much of the equipment for the handling of loading pallets is
adapted to and depends on the pallet being of precisely the same
layout as a conventional pallet made of wood. Wooden loading
pallets are approximately dimensioned and are relatively
insensitive to stresses even in the transverse direction of the
pallet. In contrast, a metal loading pallet is, owing to the nature
of its constituent parts, more sensitive to stresses in its
transverse direction, nor is the configuration of its structure
always optimum for handling in, for example, automatic warehouses
for loading pallets.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose
a loading pallet which is made of metal and has the necessary
strength and resistance even in its transverse direction, and a
loading pallet which can be handled even in automatic warehouses
for conventional types of loading pallet. The pallet has also to be
easy to assemble and to dismantle for transport, storage, etc. when
it is not to be used. The pallet has also to be flexible in its
configuration to allow it to be handled by several different kinds
of lifting means.
[0005] To this end, the loading pallet according to the present
invention comprises not only what is indicated above but also
primarily one or more reinforcing profiles each disposed between
two holding-together profiles running in the transverse direction
of the pallet.
[0006] Other objects and advantages of the invention will be
apparent to one skilled in the art who studies the attached
drawings and the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a loading pallet
according to the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below of the loading
pallet according to FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above of the loading
pallet according to FIG. 1 provided with a pallet surround.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a perspective view from below of the loading
pallet with pallet surround according to FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The loading pallet depicted in the drawings is a loading
pallet made of metal. Using metal makes it possible for the
constituent parts of the pallet to be made thinner, thereby
reducing the weight of the pallet. The weight can be halved by
using, for example, thin sheetmetal.
[0012] The pallet is configured in substantially the same way as a
conventional pallet made of wood. The pallet thus comprises a
number of profiles 1, in the version depicted five profiles, which
constitute a load surface and in this case run in substantially the
longitudinal direction of the pallet. The load surface profiles 1
are held together by a number of profiles 2, in the version
depicted three profiles, which run in substantially the transverse
direction of the pallet. These holding-together profiles 2 are
disposed on the underside of the load surface profiles 1, e.g. they
are fastened to the latter by riveting. Two of the holding-together
profiles 2 run along respective short sides of the pallet and the
third runs centrally between them from one long side of the pallet
to the other. The load surface profiles 1 and the holding-together
profiles 2 constitute the pallet's upper portion which in the
version depicted is surrounded by a peripheral profile 3 anchored
to it in a suitable manner.
[0013] Spacers 4 are disposed on the underside of each
holding-together profile 2. The number of spacers 4 may vary. There
needs to be at least one spacer 4 at each corner of the pallet,
i.e. at least two spacers disposed on the underside of at least the
two holding-together profiles 2 which run along the short sides of
the pallet. In the version depicted, there are three spacers 4 on
each holding-together profile 2, i.e. a total of nine spacers.
[0014] The respective spacers 4 are connected at opposite ends to a
profile 5 which runs in the longitudinal direction of the pallet
and binds the spacers together in substantially the longitudinal
direction of the pallet. The profiles 5, which thus each have,
running in substantially the longitudinal direction of the pallet,
a bearing surface 6 for placing the pallet on a substrate, are
three in number in the version depicted and each bind together at
least two, in the version depicted three, spacers 4 in the
longitudinal direction of the pallet. Two of the profiles 5 run
along the respective long sides of the pallet, while the third runs
centrally between them from one short side to the other.
[0015] The bearing surfaces 6 on the profiles 5 are suitably
provided with a covering (not depicted), e.g. they are clad with
sheet aluminium, which affords good friction relative to the
substrate, is wear-resistant and protects the profiles, prevents
sparking and is noise-damping.
[0016] A rigid structure is thus achieved in the transverse
direction of the pallet by the spacers 4 being bound together by
the holding-together profiles 2 and in the longitudinal direction
of the pallet by the spacers 4 being bound together by the
respective profiles 5 with bearing surface 6. It should also be
noted that the spacers 4 are thus with advantage disposed at the
intersection points between the load surface profiles 1 and the
holding-together profiles 2.
[0017] The spacers 4 are each also, for example, detachably
connected to the load surface profiles 1, to the holding-together
profiles 2 and to the profiles 5 with bearing surfaces 6. The
spacers 4 are thus detachably connected to the load surfaced
profiles, the holding-together profiles 2 and the profiles 5 with
bearing surfaces 6 by a bolted connection in the form of a bolt 7
which runs through the respective spacer and relating load surface
profile 1 and holding-together profile 2 and a profile with bearing
surface, and of a nut 8 which can be screwed firmly at the threaded
free end of the bolt. The bolted connection in the version depicted
is so arranged that it abuts against an underside 9 of the profile
5 with bearing surface 6, possibly being countersunk in a hole (not
depicted) therein, runs through that profile, through the spacer 4
and through the holding-together profile 2 and the load surface
profile 1 of the upper portion, and abuts against an upper side 10
of the load surface profile 1, possibly being countersunk in a hole
21 in that upper side. The pallet is thus effectively held together
by said bolted connections, which also make quick and efficient
dismantling of the pallet possible when it is not to be used, and
similarly quick and efficient reassembly for resumption of use.
[0018] In the advantageous version of the invention depicted, at
least the spacers 4 situated at the corners of the pallet are so
configured that they are readable in automatic warehouses for
loading pallets. The spacers 4 may be made of metal like other
parts of the pallet, but may also be made of, for example, plastic.
The spacers 4 may also vary in height, e.g. to allow access for
different types of lifting means.
[0019] To further strengthen and stiffen the pallet structure,
particularly in the transverse direction of the pallet, it also
comprises one or more reinforcing profiles 11 each disposed between
two holding-together profiles 2 running in the transverse direction
of the pallet. In the version depicted, this means that there are
two reinforcing profiles 11 on the underside of the upper portion.
The reinforcing profiles 11 run substantially parallel with the
holding-together profiles 2. They may alternatively run at an angle
relative to the holding-together profiles 2, but not so great an
angle as to impair their load-absorbing effect in the transverse
direction of the pallet. The reinforcing profiles 11 and the load
surface profiles 1 are, for example, fastened to one another by
riveting.
[0020] The reinforcing profiles 11 have with advantage a covering
(not depicted), e.g. sheetmetal or plates, on their underside. A
lifting means, e.g. the fork of a fork truck, can be applied
against this covering, e.g. plates made of soft aluminium. Covering
in the form of sheet aluminium affords increased friction relative
to the lifting means, provides excellent wear protection and is
also noise-damping.
[0021] To simplify the process of manufacturing the pallet and at
the same time make the pallet less expensive, the load surface
profiles 1, the holding-together profiles 2 and the reinforcing
profiles 11 may have the same cross-sectional shape. The profiling
also helps to increase the strength and rigidity of the pallet. In
the version depicted, however, each profile 5 with bearing surface
6 is provided with an elevation 12 running in the longitudinal
direction of the pallet, e.g. an elevation running the whole length
of the profile. This elevation 12 fits together with a
corresponding hollow 13 in the respective spacers 4 so that the
connection between the spacers 4 and the profiles 5 becomes
optimum. The hollow 13 runs, for example, the whole length of the
spacer 4. The underside of the elevation 12 constitutes at the same
time said underside 9 of the profile 5 against which the bolted
connection or, as in the version depicted, the nut 8 of the bolted
connection abuts, so that no parts of the bolted connection
protrude beyond the bearing surface 6 of the profile.
[0022] Correspondingly, the holding-together profiles 2 and the
spacers 4 may have mutually fitting hollows and elevations for
optimum resistance and strength at the connections between them and
hence throughout the pallet structure (see FIGS. 2 and 4).
[0023] To further strengthen the pallet structure, the pallet also
comprises, in an undepicted version, profiles which bind the
spacers 4 together, at opposite ends thereof, in substantially the
transverse direction of the pallet, which profiles each have,
running in substantially the transverse direction of the pallet, a
bearing surface for placing the loading pallet on a substrate.
These binding-together profiles thus run parallel with the
holding-together profiles 2 but on the opposite side of the
respective spacers 4. The last-mentioned profiles also run
substantially level with the profiles 5 with bearing surfaces 6,
i.e. in the same plane as them, so that said profiles constitute a
common bearing surface for placing the pallet on a substrate. They
also serve to prevent the pallet from tilting if it is lifted at
the short sides by, for example, a fork truck. To this end, the
configuration of the profiles may vary and is therefore not
described in more detail here. The last-mentioned profiles may also
be, for example, fastened by riveting to the profiles 5 with
bearing surfaces 6.
[0024] Finally, it should be noted that the pallet may be provided
with brackets 14 for a pallet surround 15. These brackets 14 are
depicted in FIG. 1, but the pallet surround 15 is illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4. As may be seen, the brackets 14 are placed with
advantage at the corners of the pallet and may take the form of,
for example, hollows in which locking elements 16 of hingelike
portions 17 of the, for example, collapsible surround 15 are
inserted and placed in a locking position. The pallet surround 15
may be supplemented by a bottom 18.
[0025] Loading pallets according to the present invention are
stackable on top of one another. To facilitate this, each profile 5
with bearing surface 6 has on the respective side of the elevation
12 a protruding load surface portion 19. For stacking on top of
another corresponding loading pallet, these portions 19 can be
lowered into correspondingly shaped grooves 20 in the load surface
profiles 1 of said other pallet. Said protruding portions 19 of
respective profiles 5 with bearing surface 6 and said grooves 20 in
respective load surface profiles 1 run, for example, the whole
length of the respective profile.
[0026] To facilitate stacking of loading pallets according to the
present invention on top of one another, it may also be of
advantage to invert each depicted bolted connection as above so
that the free threaded end of the bolt 7 and the nut 8 which
cooperates with it will instead be on an upper side 10 of a load
surface profile 1, being countersunk in one of the holes 21
therein, while the bolt head abuts against the underside 9 of a
profile 5 with bearing surface 6, likewise being countersunk in a
hole (not depicted).
[0027] It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the
present invention can be modified within the scope of the claims
set out below without departing from the idea and object of the
invention. Thus the number, shape and positioning of the loading
pallet's constituent profiles 1, 2, 5 and 11, the spacers 4 and
other parts may vary, depending largely on the size and purpose of
the pallet. The manner in which the profiles and other parts of the
pallet are connected to one another may also vary.
* * * * *