U.S. patent application number 13/356117 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-25 for paper-based pallet.
This patent application is currently assigned to SONOCO DEVELOPMENT, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Xiaokai Niu. Invention is credited to Xiaokai Niu.
Application Number | 20130186309 13/356117 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48796168 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130186309 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Niu; Xiaokai |
July 25, 2013 |
Paper-Based Pallet
Abstract
A paper-based pallet includes paper-based material top and
bottom decks spaced apart by wound paperboard tubes. The decks are
formed either by a single piece of paper-based material folded in
C-shaped fashion or by two separate pieces of paper-based material.
At least at one side of the pallet, flaps extend from the top deck
and corresponding flaps extend from the bottom deck. The flaps are
arranged in pairs each having a flap from the top deck overlapping
a flap from the bottom deck, the overlapping flaps being secured
together. Tine-receiving openings can be defined between adjacent
pairs of flaps. The top deck can be reinforced at each opening by a
flap hinged to the top deck and folded 180 degrees into contact
with the top deck and secured thereto, thus forming a double-layer
edge portion of the top deck.
Inventors: |
Niu; Xiaokai; (Hartsville,
SC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Niu; Xiaokai |
Hartsville |
SC |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
SONOCO DEVELOPMENT, INC.
Hartsville
SC
|
Family ID: |
48796168 |
Appl. No.: |
13/356117 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/51.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2519/00054
20130101; B65D 2519/00278 20130101; B65D 2519/00373 20130101; B65D
2519/00019 20130101; B65D 2519/00089 20130101; B65D 2519/00318
20130101; B65D 2519/00572 20130101; B65D 2519/00288 20130101; B65D
19/0012 20130101; B65D 2519/00343 20130101; B65D 2519/00273
20130101; B65D 2519/00562 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/51.3 |
International
Class: |
B65D 19/34 20060101
B65D019/34 |
Claims
1. A paper-based pallet, comprising: a top deck comprising a first
sheet of paper-based material; a bottom deck comprising a second
sheet of paper-based material; and a plurality of spacers formed as
separate parts from the first and second sheets and disposed
between and affixed to the first and second sheets such that a
vertical space is defined between the top and bottom decks; wherein
at one side of the pallet the first sheet defines a first flap
comprising an integral portion of the first sheet extending from an
edge of the top deck and the second sheet defines a second flap
comprising an integral portion of the second sheet extending from
an edge of the bottom deck, the first and second flaps being folded
down and up, respectively, to extend vertically, and the first and
second flaps overlapping and being secured to each other.
2. The pallet of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of first
flaps from the first sheet spaced apart along said one side of the
pallet and a plurality of second flaps from the second sheet spaced
apart along said one side, the flaps forming pairs each comprising
a first flap overlapped with a second flap and secured to each
other.
3. The pallet of claim 2, wherein there are three said pairs of
first and second flaps at said one side of the pallet.
4. The pallet of claim 3, wherein the pairs are spaced apart so as
to define two spaced tine-receiving openings at said one side for
receiving tines of a forklift.
5. The pallet of claim 4, wherein the first sheet defines
reinforcing flaps at the locations of the two openings at said one
side of the pallet, said reinforcing flaps being folded 180 degrees
relative to the top deck so as to contact the top deck and being
secured to the top deck to form a double-layer edge portion
adjacent each of the openings at said one side of the pallet.
6. The pallet of claim 5, wherein the first and second sheets are
two separate pieces, and wherein at another side of the pallet
opposite from said one side the first sheet defines a plurality of
first flaps spaced apart along said other side of the pallet and a
plurality of second flaps from the second sheet spaced apart along
said other side, the flaps forming pairs each comprising a first
flap overlapped with a second flap and secured to each other.
7. The pallet of claim 6, wherein there are three said pairs of
first and second flaps at said other side of the pallet.
8. The pallet of claim 7, wherein the pairs are spaced apart so as
to define two spaced tine-receiving openings at said other side for
receiving tines of a forklift.
9. The pallet of claim 8, wherein the first sheet defines
reinforcing flaps at the locations of the two openings at said
other side of the pallet, said reinforcing flaps being folded 180
degrees relative to the top deck so as to contact the top deck and
being secured to the top deck to form a double-layer edge portion
adjacent each of the openings at said other side of the pallet.
10. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the first and second sheets are
portions of a single continuous piece of paper-based material, said
piece of paper-based material being folded at another side of the
pallet opposite from said one side so as to form a side wall at
said other side, the side wall extending between and connecting the
top deck to the bottom deck at said other side.
11. The pallet of claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of first
flaps from the first sheet spaced apart along said one side of the
pallet and a plurality of second flaps from the second sheet spaced
apart along said one side, the flaps forming pairs each comprising
a first flap overlapped with a second flap and secured to each
other.
12. The pallet of claim 11, wherein there are three said pairs of
first and second flaps at said one side of the pallet.
13. The pallet of claim 12, wherein the pairs are spaced apart so
as to define two spaced tine-receiving openings at said one side
for receiving tines of a forklift.
14. The pallet of claim 13, wherein the first sheet defines
reinforcing flaps at the locations of the two openings at said one
side of the pallet, said reinforcing flaps being folded 180 degrees
relative to the top deck so as to contact the top deck and being
secured to the top deck to form a double-layer edge portion
adjacent each of the openings at said one side of the pallet.
15. The pallet of claim 14, wherein the side wall at said other
side of the pallet defines two spaced tine-receiving openings.
16. The pallet of claim 15, wherein the openings at said other side
are created by two spaced reinforcing flaps cut out from the side
wall and hingedly connected to the top deck, said reinforcing flaps
being folded 180 degrees relative to the top deck so as to contact
the top deck and being secured to the top deck to form a
double-layer edge portion adjacent each of the openings at said
other side of the pallet.
17. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the spacers comprise wound
paperboard tubes each oriented with an axis of the tube extending
vertically.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to pallets, and more
particularly relates to pallets made substantially from paper-based
materials.
[0002] Pallets are widely used for supporting items in a manner
enabling the palletized items to be moved about with the aid of a
forklift or lift truck. The vast majority of pallets in use at
present are constructed from wood and accordingly are quite heavy,
sometimes exceeding the weight of the items being supported (e.g.,
when supporting cartons of toilet paper or the like). Wooden
pallets are expensive to ship because of their substantial weight.
It has been recognized that the weight of a pallet could be
substantially reduced by constructing the pallet from paper-based
materials, and various designers have endeavored to develop such a
paper-based pallet, with varying degrees of success.
[0003] The present application relates to improvements in
paper-based pallets.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present disclosure in particular describes a paper-based
pallet capable of achieving a high supported load-to-weight ratio
and/or other advantages. In accordance with embodiments of the
present invention, a paper-based pallet is described herein,
comprising:
[0005] a top deck comprising a first sheet of paper-based
material;
[0006] a bottom deck comprising a second sheet of paper-based
material; and
[0007] a plurality of spacers disposed between and affixed to the
first and second sheets such that a vertical space is defined
between the top and bottom decks;
[0008] wherein at one side of the pallet the first sheet defines a
first flap comprising an integral portion of the first sheet
extending from an edge of the top deck and the second sheet defines
a second flap comprising an integral portion of the second sheet
extending from an edge of the bottom deck, the first and second
flaps being folded down and up, respectively, to extend vertically,
and the first and second flaps overlapping and being secured to
each other.
[0009] In one embodiment, there are a plurality of first flaps from
the first sheet spaced apart along said one side of the pallet and
a plurality of second flaps from the second sheet spaced apart
along said one side, the flaps forming pairs each comprising a
first flap overlapped with a second flap and having the flaps
secured to each other. Optionally, there can be overlapping first
and second flaps at two or more sides of the pallet.
[0010] In a particular embodiment, there are three said pairs of
first and second flaps at said one side of the pallet. The pairs
are spaced apart so as to define two spaced tine-receiving openings
at said one side for receiving tines of a forklift.
[0011] In a further embodiment, the first sheet defines reinforcing
flaps at the locations of the two openings at said one side of the
pallet, said reinforcing flaps being folded 180 degrees relative to
the top deck so as to contact the top deck and being secured to the
top deck to form a double-layer edge portion of the top deck
adjacent each of the openings at said one side of the pallet.
[0012] Pallets in accordance with the invention can be formed
either using two separate pieces of paper-based material (i.e., one
piece for the top deck and another piece for the bottom deck) or by
using a single piece of paper-based material folded in a generally
C-shaped manner to form the top and bottom decks.
[0013] In the case of the single-piece design, where the first and
second sheets are portions of a single continuous piece of
paper-based material, the piece of paper-based material can be
folded at another side of the pallet opposite from said one side so
as to form a side wall at said other side, the side wall extending
between and connecting the top deck to the bottom deck at said
other side. The one side of the pallet has overlapping first and
second flaps (which extend from the free ends of the single piece
of paper-based material), and can have double-layer portions at the
tine-receiving openings, as previously described.
[0014] With the single-piece embodiment of the pallet,
tine-receiving openings at said other side (i.e., the side having
the side wall) can be created by two spaced reinforcing flaps cut
out from the side wall and hingedly connected to the top deck, said
reinforcing flaps being folded 180 degrees relative to the top deck
so as to contact the top deck and being secured to the top deck to
form a double-layer edge portion adjacent each of the openings at
said other side of the pallet.
[0015] In any of the various embodiments described herein, the
spacers between the top and bottom decks can comprise wound
paperboard tubes each oriented with an axis of the tube extending
vertically. The tubes can be glued to the decks.
[0016] Pallets as described herein have enhanced resistance to
impact and shear loading and other wear and tear experienced by the
pallets in use, in part because of the overlapping flaps that are
secured to each other. Additionally, when the double-layer edge
portions are present, these edge portions can greatly reduce the
tendency of the top deck to be torn by banding that is frequently
wrapped around the top deck and around the supported load to
stabilize the load.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0017] Having thus described the invention in general terms,
reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are
not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a pallet in accordance with
one embodiment of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the assembled pallet of FIG.
1;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the first (top) sheet, viewed
in an inverted orientation for illustrative purposes, in accordance
with a further embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a pallet in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the assembled pallet of FIG.
4;
[0023] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a pallet in accordance with a
still further embodiment of the invention; and
[0024] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the assembled pallet of FIG.
6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The present invention now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
some but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed,
these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should
not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;
rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will
satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like
elements throughout. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and
thus the relative proportions of various elements suggested by the
drawings is not necessarily indicative of the actual relative
proportions.
[0026] With reference to FIG. 1, a pallet 10 in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention is shown in an exploded view, and in
FIG. 2 the pallet 10 is shown in the assembled condition. The
pallet 10 is a substantially paper-based pallet, i.e., paper-based
materials make up the majority of the pallet on a weight basis. In
the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the pallet 10 is
constructed from a first sheet 20, a second sheet 30, and a
plurality of spacers 40. The first and second sheets comprise
paper-based materials, non-limiting examples of which include
corrugated board or cardboard. In the case of corrugated board, it
can be single-wall (i.e., having a single corrugated layer plus one
or two non-corrugated facing sheets) or double-wall (i.e., having
two corrugated layers with a non-corrugated sheet between them,
plus one or two non-corrugated facing sheets). In the case of
double-wall corrugated board, the two corrugated layers can have
the same flute geometry or two different flute geometries (e.g.,
one layer can have "B" flutes and the other can have "C"
flutes).
[0027] The spacers 40 preferably also comprise substantially
paper-based spacers. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and
2, the spacers comprise wound paperboard tubes. The diameter, wall
thickness, and length of the spacers 40, and the paperboard grades
used in their construction, can be selected in order to achieve the
desired or needed strength properties of the spacers.
[0028] The first sheet 20 is generally planer and generally
rectangular (which term includes square or non-square
quadrilaterals), as is the second sheet 30. The sheets 20 and 30
have the same or substantially the same lengths and the same or
substantially the same widths. The spacers 40 are arranged between
the sheets to space them apart vertically. The spacers 40 are
arranged in an array configuration such that there are openings
between them for receiving the tines of a forklift, as further
described below. When the spacers comprise wound paperboard tubes,
the tubes have their longitudinal axes oriented vertically and the
opposite ends of the tubes engage the underside of the first sheet
20 and the upper side of the second sheet 30. The spacers are
securely fastened to the sheets, such as by gluing. Suitable
adhesive or glue materials for this purpose include hot melt glues,
although the invention is not limited in terms of adhesive
type.
[0029] The first sheet 20 forms a top deck 20A of the pallet and
the second sheet 30 forms a bottom deck 30A of the pallet. Items to
be palletized are supported atop the top deck 20A and the bottom
deck 30A rests on the floor or ground. In some cases, the user may
employ straps or bands (not shown) that are passed through the
space between the top and bottom decks and over the tops of the
items on the pallet and are tightened about the items to stabilize
them.
[0030] Paper-based pallets having the features described thus far
possess advantages over wooden pallets, especially when used for
supporting items that are relatively light in weight, such as trays
of corrugated boxes, toilet tissue, or paper towels. A wooden
pallet is over-designed for such lightweight items, and using
wooden pallets in that context is wasteful of raw materials and
also leads to increased costs for shipping as well as for disposal
of the pallets when they have reached the end of their useful
lives. Furthermore, wooden pallets can harbor wood-boring
parasites.
[0031] A possible drawback of paper-based pallets having the
features described thus far is that the abuse-resistance of the
pallet depends entirely upon the integrity of the glue bonds
between the ends of the spacers 40 and the top and bottom decks 20A
and 30A. If those glue bonds should fail, then the integrity of the
pallet is completely compromised. A further possible drawback
relates to the use of bands for stabilizing palletized items as
noted above. The bands can tend to cut into the top sheet 20 and
cause tearing of the sheet as well as damage the palletized items
adjacent the perimeter of the top deck.
[0032] The further features to be described below are aimed at
alleviating or reducing these potential drawbacks. Abuse-resistance
of the pallet 10 is enhanced by providing a further connection
between the first sheet 20 and the second sheet 30 so that the glue
bonds between the sheets and the spacers 40 are not the sole
connection between the decks. In particular, in the embodiment of
FIGS. 1 and 2, that further connection is provided by first flaps
22 that extend from two opposite side edges of the top deck 20A,
and second flaps 32 that extend from two opposite side edges of the
bottom deck 30A. As illustrated, in this embodiment there are three
first flaps 22 at each of the opposite sides of the top deck 20A,
and correspondingly three second flaps 32 at each of the opposite
sides of the bottom deck 30A. The three flaps at each side are
spaced apart along the side, such that there are two spaced
openings 50 defined between adjacent flaps. The spacers 40 are
arranged with a similar spacing such that the do not obstruct these
openings 50. The openings 50 are spaced apart by the same amount by
which the tines of a standard fork of a forklift are spaced apart,
so that the tines are able to enter the openings 50 for lifting the
pallet. Additionally, at the other two sides of the pallet (i.e.,
the sides perpendicular to the sides having the flaps 22, 32),
there are similar tine-receiving openings 50 by virtue of the
spacers 40 being suitably spaced apart. Thus, the pallet 10 is a
four-way-entry pallet.
[0033] The first flaps 22 are folded down, about fold or crease
lines, such that the first flaps 22 extend vertically. The second
flaps 32 are folded up, about fold or crease lines, such that the
second flaps 32 extend vertically. Each first flap 22 overlaps a
corresponding second flap 32, and the two flaps in each pair of
overlapping flaps are secured to each other such as by staples 24
or alternatively by glue. There is thus a strong connection between
the first sheet 20 and the second sheet 30 at each of the two
opposite sides having the flaps, which greatly enhances the
abuse-resistance of the pallet.
[0034] With reference to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of a
first sheet 20' is depicted, which is designed for enhancing the
resistance of the sheet to tearing by load-stabilizing bands. The
first sheet 20' has three spaced first flaps 22 as in the
previously described embodiment. Additionally, the first sheet
defines reinforcing flaps 26 at the locations of the two openings
50 (FIG. 2) between adjacent flaps 22. These reinforcing flaps are
folded 180 degrees relative to the top deck so as to contact the
top deck and are secured to the top deck (e.g., by staples or glue)
to form a double-layer edge portion adjacent each of the openings
50. These double-layer edge portions are substantially
more-resistant to tearing by the load-stabilizing bands, relative
to a single-layer edge portion as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and
2.
[0035] In a further (non-illustrated) embodiment, there are
overlapping flaps 22, 32 and reinforcing flaps 26 on all four sides
of the pallet.
[0036] The invention is not limited to four-way-entry pallets such
as the pallet 10 described above. FIG. 4 illustrates, in exploded
view, an alternative pallet 110 comprising a two-way-entry pallet,
and FIG. 5 shows the pallet as assembled. The pallet 110 includes a
first sheet 120, a second sheet 130, and spacers 140. The first
sheet defines a single first flap 122 at each of two opposite sides
of the top deck 120A, and the second sheet defines a single second
flap 132 at each of two opposite sides of the bottom deck 130A.
Each first flap 122 overlaps the corresponding second flap 132 and
is secured thereto such as by staples or glue. A forklift can enter
the pallet 110 from either of the two sides not having the flaps
122, 132. It will also be apparent that, while not so illustrated
in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two-way-entry pallet 110 could also include
reinforcing flaps at the two open sides, similar to the embodiment
of FIG. 3.
[0037] The pallets 10 and 110 described thus far can be denoted as
"two-piece" designs, in that the top deck 120A and the bottom deck
130A are respectively formed by two separate pieces 120 and 130 of
sheet material. The present application, however, also relates to
what can be denoted as a "one-piece" design such as illustrated in
FIGS. 6 and 7. The pallet 210 illustrated in those figures
comprises a single piece of sheet material that is folded in a
generally C-shaped fashion so as to define a first sheet 220 and a
second sheet 230 constituting respective portions of the single
sheet. The first sheet 220 defines the top deck 220A and the second
sheet 230 defines the bottom deck 230A in a manner similar to the
previously described embodiments. Spacers 240 are disposed between
and secured to the sheets 220 and 230. A first flap 222 extends
from the top deck 220A and a second flap 232 extends from the
bottom deck 230A are one side of the pallet. By virtue of the
C-folded configuration of the single sheet, the pallet 210 has a
side wall 223 that extends between and connects the top deck 120A
to the bottom deck 130A at an opposite side of the pallet. The
first flap 222 overlaps with the second flap 232 and these flaps
are secured together such as by staples or glue.
[0038] The one-piece pallet 210 is a two-way-entry pallet, since
the side wall 223 and the flaps 222, 232 extend continuously along
each of the opposite sides of the pallet. It will be apparent,
however, that the one-piece pallet design described above could be
modified to be a four-way-entry pallet, simply by providing three
spaced flaps as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, instead of
single continuous flaps 222, 232, and by providing cutouts or flaps
in the side wall 223 to define tine-receiving openings. Where flaps
are provided in the side wall 223, those flaps could be used to
form double-layer reinforcing regions at the openings, and
reinforcing flaps could also be provided at the opposite side of
the pallet, similar to what is depicted in FIG. 3.
[0039] In any of the pallets described above, the bottom deck
optionally can include openings to allow the wheels of a pallet
jack to engage the floor.
[0040] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions
set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to
which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings
presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated
drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are
not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that
modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included
within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms
are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive
sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
* * * * *