US20110232539A1

US20110232539A1 - Monolithic pallet

Info

Publication number: US20110232539A1
Application number: US13/053,027
Authority: US
Inventors: Gregory G. Broerman; David J. Jochem; David Y. O'Nan; Robert J. Smith
Original assignee: Berry Plastics Corp
Current assignee: Berry Global Inc
Priority date: 2010-03-25
Filing date: 2011-03-21
Publication date: 2011-09-29

Abstract

A pallet includes a deck and a frame coupled to the deck to support the deck. The frame includes four sides and each side is formed to include a pair of apertures that are configured to receive a pair of forks included in a fork truck therein.

Description

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/317,600, filed Mar. 25, 2010, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a carrier for goods, and particularly to a pallet. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a pallet made of plastics material.

SUMMARY

A pallet in accordance with the present disclosure includes a deck and a frame coupled to the deck to support the deck. The deck is configured to receive goods thereon for storage and/or transportation. The frame is formed to include a pair of apertures that are configured to receive a pair of forks included in a fork truck.
In illustrative embodiments, a pallet includes a top wall arranged to face in an upward direction and an exterior side wall arranged to extend around the top wall. The exterior side wall is formed to include a pair of spaced-apart fork-receiving apertures that open into a cavity formed in the pallet. The top wall is formed to include a pair of spaced-apart apertures that also open into the cavity.
In illustrative embodiments, the pallet further includes a partition that is arranged to divide each cavity into an upper chamber that communicates with one of the apertures formed in the top wall and a lower chamber that communicates with one of the fork-receiving apertures. The upper chamber is configured to receive a portion of a second pallet therein when the second pallet is stacked on the first pallet. The lower chamber is configured to receive a fork included in a fork truck therein. The partition is configured to provide means for separating the upper and lower chambers to cause the fork of the fork truck to be received into the lower chamber when the fork extends through the fork-receiving aperture without contacting the portion of the second pallet located in the upper chamber.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:

FIGS. 1-11 show a first embodiment of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure, FIGS. 12-21 show another embodiment of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure, and FIGS. 22-23 show yet another embodiment of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure showing that the monolithic pallet has four sides and each side is formed to include a pair of fork-receiving apertures so that a pair of forks included in a fork truck may be inserted into any side of the pallet to pick up one of the monolithic pallets as suggested in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11 and suggesting that the monolithic pallet is configured to nest with other neighboring pallets as shown, for example, in FIGS. 7 and 11;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 1 showing that the monolithic pallet includes an outer rectangular frame and an inner deck that includes an inner cross-shaped frame and four perforated plates;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 2 showing that a first side of the monolithic pallet includes, from left to right, a first corner, a first outer section that is formed to include a first pair of fork-receiving apertures, and a second corner;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the monolithic pallet of FIGS. 2-4 showing that a second side of the monolithic pallet includes, from left to right, the second corner, a second outer section including a second pair of fork-receiving apertures, and a third corner;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken about line 6-6 of FIG. 1 showing a fork included in a fork truck being guided through a fork-receiving aperture into a fork-receiving passageway by a floor plate included in the first outer section and suggesting that as the fork moves through the fork-receiving passageway, the fork enters another fork-receiving aperture formed in a second inner lift unit of the inner cross-shaped frame so that a load placed on the monolithic pallet is supported during lifting of the pallet as shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a stack of six nested pallets in accordance with the present disclosure showing that the stack of six nested pallets may be separated by a fork truck into two separate stacks of three nested pallets as a result of the fork truck being able to access any pair of fork-receiving apertures even when the monolithic pallets are nested with other neighboring monolithic pallets as suggested in FIG. 11;

FIGS. 8-10 are a series of views showing an illustrative injection-molding process used to form the monolithic pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a two-part injection mold used to make the monolithic pallet of FIG. 1 showing the two-part injection mold in a closed position prior to injection of a plastics material into the mold to form a monolithic pallet;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing the two-part injection mold during injection of the plastics material into the mold;

FIG. 10 is view similar to FIGS. 8 and 9 showing the two-part injection mold in an open position after the plastics material has been injected into the mold and the plastics material has set to produce a monolithic pallet;

FIG. 11 is a partial side elevation view of a stack of nested monolithic pallets, with portions broken away, showing that each monolithic pallet is configured to nest within another neighboring monolithic pallet so that the maximum number of monolithic pallets may be included in a stack and suggesting that a fork (shown in phantom) is capable of entering each fork-receiving aperture even while the monolithic pallet is nested between two neighboring monolithic pallets.

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure showing that the monolithic pallet has four sides and each side is formed to include a pair of fork-receiving apertures so that a pair of forks included in a fork truck may be inserted into any side of the pallet to pick up the monolithic pallets;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 12 showing that the monolithic pallet includes an outer rectangular frame and an inner deck that includes an inner cross-shaped frame and four perforated plates;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 15 showing a pair of forks included in a fork lift have been inserted into a first side of the monolithic pallet and each fork is arranged to extend through an outer lift unit included in the outer rectangular frame and an inner lift unit included the inner cross-shaped frame and suggesting that a pair of forks (shown in phantom) may be inserted into any of the sides of the monolithic pallet;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16 showing that a pair of forks have been inserted into a fourth side of the monolithic pallet;

FIG. 18 in an enlarged partial perspective view of a stack of two nested monolithic pallets showing a first corner of each monolithic pallet in the stack;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken about line 19-19 of FIG. 18 showing that a first corner included in a bottom neighboring monolithic pallet is configured to receive and support a first corner included in a top neighboring monolithic pallet and showing that an outer lift unit of the bottom monolithic pallet is configured to receive an outer lift unit of the top monolithic pallet without obstructing the fork-receiving aperture formed in the outer lift unit of the bottom monolithic pallet;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a stack of two nested monolithic pallets showing a center structure included in each monolithic pallet in the stack;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken about line 21-21 of FIG. 20 showing that a center structure included in a bottom neighboring monolithic pallet is configured to receive and support a center structure of a top neighboring monolithic pallet;

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a monolithic pallet in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 23 is a bottom view of the monolithic pallet of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A first embodiment of a monolithic pallet 10 in accordance with present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 1-7 and 11. Several monolithic pallets 10 may be stacked on top of each other to establish a stack 26 of nested monolithic pallets as suggested in FIG. 1 and shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. Another embodiment of a monolithic pallet 1010 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 12-21. Still yet another embodiment of a monolithic pallet 2010 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. An illustrative injection-molding process used to form a monolithic pallet is shown in FIGS. 8-10. A feature common to monolithic pallets 10, 1010, and 2010 is that forks 20, 22 included in a fork truck 24 are able to access any pair of fork-receiving apertures formed in monolithic pallets 10, 1010, and 2010 even when monolithic pallets 10, 1010, and 2010 are nested between other neighboring monolithic pallets as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.
Pallet 10, in accordance with the present disclosure, cooperates with a second pallet 10B to establish a stack 26 of pallets as suggested, for example, in FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 7. First pallet 10 is arranged to set on and be supported by ground 60 underlying first pallet 10. Second pallet 10B is stacked on first pallet 10. Second pallet 10B includes a platform 25 and a first lift-unit anchor 70 arranged to extend downwardly away from platform 25 toward first pallet 10 as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. First pallet 10 is formed to include a first cavity 27 as illustrated in FIG. 1.
First pallet 10 illustratively includes a top wall 32, an exterior side wall 34, and a first partition 31 as shown in FIG. 1. Top wall 32 is arranged to face toward an underside 64 of the second pallet 10B. Top wall 32 is formed to include a first anchor-receiving aperture 23 that is arranged to open into first cavity 27 to admit first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B therein as shown in FIG. 7. Exterior side wall 34 is arranged to extend around top wall 32 of first pallet 10 and is formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture 116 that is arranged to open into first cavity 27 to admit a first fork 20 included in a fork truck 24 as shown in FIG. 1.
First partition 31 is arranged to divide first cavity 27 into a first upper chamber 27U communicating with first anchor-receiving aperture 23 and a first lower chamber 27L communicating with first fork-receiving aperture 116. First upper chamber 27U is configured to receive first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B therein as suggested in FIG. 1. First lower chamber 27L is configured to receive first fork 20 therein. First partition 31 is configured to provide means for separating upper and lower chambers 27U, 27L to cause first fork 20 to be received into first lower chamber 27L when first fork 20 extends through first fork-receiving aperture 116 without contacting first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B located in first upper chamber 27U.
Platform 25 of second pallet 10 illustratively includes an inner deck 30 and an outer frame 28 as shown in FIG. 2. Outer frame 28 is coupled to inner deck 30 to extend around inner deck 30. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, inner deck 30 and outer frame 28 cooperate to establish a support surface 21 arranged to face upwardly away from first pallet 10. As an example, support surface 21 is adapted to support goods thereon during transport or storages of pallet 10.
Outer frame 28 includes first, second, third, and fourth corners 41, 42, 43, and 44 and a lift-unit register 72 as shown in FIG. 2. Corners 41, 42, 43, 44 are spaced-apart from one another so as to define four sides 11, 12, 13, and 14 of pallet 10. As an example, first lift-unit register 72 is positioned to lie between and is arranged to interconnect first second corners 41, 42. First lift-unit anchor 70 is coupled to first lift-unit register 72 and is arranged to extend downwardly away from the first lift-unit anchor 70 toward first pallet 10 through first anchor-receiving aperture 23 and into the first upper chamber 27U as shown in FIG. 7. Sides 11, 12, 13, and 14 cooperate to establish exterior wall 34 which has a rectangular shape.
First lift unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10 includes an anchor-perimeter wall 76 and a floor 78 as shown in FIG. 1. Floor 78 is coupled to anchor-perimeter wall 76 and is positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation below platform 25. Floor 78 is arranged to lie in first upper chamber 27U of first pallet 10 and is arranged to mate with first partition 31 of first pallet 10 to cause second pallet 10B to be supported by first pallet 10 there below as shown in FIG. 7.
Anchor-perimeter wall 76 is arranged to extend upwardly away from floor 78 of second pallet 10B as shown in FIG. 1. Anchor-perimeter wall 76 includes an outer wall 82 formed to include first fork-receiving aperture 116 and an inner wall 80 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to outer wall 82. Inner wall 80 is formed to include a second fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into first lower chamber 27L to allow first fork 20 to extend through, in series, first fork-receiving aperture 116, first lower chamber 27L, and the second fork-receiving aperture. Anchor-perimeter wall 76 further includes a first side wall 84 and second side wall 86. First side wall 84 is arranged to interconnect inner and outer walls 80, 82. Second side wall 86 is positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to first side wall 84 and is arranged to interconnect inner and outer walls 80, 82 as suggested in FIG. 1.
First lift-unit anchor 70 further includes a support tab 29 that is appended to first side wall 84 as shown in FIG. 1. Support tab 29 is arranged to extend away from first side wall 84 toward second side wall 86 while lying partly in upper chamber 27U when pallets 10, 10B are arranged in stack 26.
As shown in FIG. 7, stack 26 further includes a third pallet 10C that is stacked on second pallet 10B to cause second pallet 10B to be located between third pallet 10C and first pallet 10A. Second pallet 10B is formed to include first cavity 27 and includes first partition 31 that is arranged to extend into first cavity 27 to cause first cavity 27 to be divided into first upper chamber 27U and first lower chamber 27L. Platform 25 of second pallet 10B is formed to include first anchor-receiving aperture 23 that is arranged to open into first upper chamber 27U to admit first lift-unit anchor 70 of third pallet 10C therein. First lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B is formed to include first fork-receiving aperture 116 arranged to open into first lower chamber 27L to admit first fork 20 fork truck 24. First partition 31 is configured to provide means for separating upper and lower chambers 27U, 27L to cause first fork 20 to be received into first lower chamber 27L of second pallet 10B when first fork 20 extends through first fork-receiving aperture 116 of second pallet 10B without contacting first lift-unit anchor 70 of third pallet 10C and top wall 32 of first pallet 10 as suggested in FIG. 7.
First lift unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B includes anchor-perimeter wall 76, floor 78, and support tab 29. Floor 78 is coupled to anchor-perimeter wall 76 and positioned to lie in first upper chamber 27U of first pallet 10 when second pallet 10B is stacked on first pallet 10. Support tab 29 is coupled floor 78 and to anchor-perimeter wall 76 of second pallet 10B and is arranged to extend upwardly into first lower chamber 27L formed in second pallet 10B. First lift-unit anchor 70 of third pallet 10C includes anchor-perimeter wall 76 and floor 78 that is coupled to anchor-perimeter wall 76. Floor 78 of third pallet 10C is positioned to lie in first upper chamber 27U of second pallet 10B. Partition 31 of second pallet 10B is formed in response to mating support tab 29 included in first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B with floor 78 included in first lift-unit anchor 70 of third pallet 10C as shown in FIG. 11.
First side 11 of first pallet 10 includes first corner 41, second corner 42, and an outer section 51. Second corner 42 is spaced-apart from first corner 41 and outer section 51 is arranged to lie between and interconnect first and second corners 41, 42. First cavity 27, first anchor-receiving aperture 23, and first fork-receiving aperture 116 are formed in outer section 51 between first and second corners 41, 42. As illustrated in FIG. 2, outer section 51 is formed to include a second cavity 227 that is spaced-apart from first cavity 27 of first pallet 10. Second cavity 227 is illustratively positioned to lie between first cavity 27 and second corner 42. Outer section 51 is also formed to include a second anchor receiving aperture 223 that is arranged to open into second cavity 227 and a second fork-receiving aperture 118 that is arranged to open into second cavity 227 to admit a second fork 22 included in fork truck 24.
First pallet 10 further includes a second partition 229 that is arranged to divide second cavity 227 into second upper chamber and second lower chamber. Second upper chamber communicates with second anchor-receiving aperture 223. Second lower chamber communicates with second fork-receiving aperture 118. Second partition 229 is configured provide means for separating the upper and lower chambers of second cavity 227 to cause second fork 22 to be received into the second lower chamber when second fork 22 extends through second fork-receiving aperture 118 without contacting a second lift-unit anchor 270 included in second pallet 10B located in the second upper chamber.
Monolithic pallet 10 in accordance with the present disclosure includes first side 11, second side 12, third side 13, and fourth side 14 as shown, for example in FIG. 1. Each side 11, 12, 13, and 14 is formed to include pair of fork-receiving apertures 16, 18 that are configured to receive forks 20, 22 included in fork truck 24. As a result of each side 11, 12, 13, and 14 being formed to include fork-receiving apertures 16, 18, fork truck 24 is able to pick up monolithic pallet 10 from any side 11, 12, 13, and 14. As suggested in FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 11, monolithic pallet 10 is configured to nest with other neighboring monolithic pallets to establish a stack 26 of monolithic pallets.
As shown, for example, in FIGS. 1 and 2, monolithic pallet 10 includes outer rectangular frame 28 and inner deck 30. Illustratively, inner deck 30 includes an inner cross-shaped frame 36 and four perforated plates 38A, 38B, 38C, and 38D arranged to extend between inner cross-shaped frame 36 and outer rectangular frame 28 as shown in FIG. 2.
Outer rectangular frame 28 includes, in series, first corner 41, a first outer section 51, second corner 42, a second outer section 52, third corner 43, a third outer section 53, fourth corner 44, and a fourth outer section 54 as shown in FIG. 2. First corner 41, first outer section 51, and second corner 42 cooperate to establish first side 11 as illustrated in FIG. 4. First outer section 51 is formed to include outer fork-receiving apertures 116, 118. As shown in FIG. 1, forks 20, 22 may pass through first pair of outer fork-receiving apertures 116, 118 when fork truck 24 is picking up monolithic pallet 10.
Second corner 42, second outer section 52, and third corner 43 cooperate to establish second side 12 as shown in FIG. 5. Second outer section 52 includes a first outer lift unit 521 and a second outer lift unit 522 as shown in FIG. 2. A first fork-receiving aperture 216 is formed in first outer lift unit 521 and a second fork-receiving aperture 218 is formed in second outer lift unit 521. Illustratively, second pair of fork-receiving apertures 216, 218 are configured to receive forks 20, 22 when fork truck 24 is picking up monolithic pallet 10 from second side 12.
Third corner 43, third outer section 53, and fourth corner 44 cooperate to establish third side 13 as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2. Third outer section 53 includes a first outer lift unit 531 and a second outer lift unit 532 as shown in FIG. 2. A first fork-receiving aperture 316 is formed in first outer lift unit 531 and a second fork-receiving aperture 318 is formed in second outer lift unit 531. Illustratively, third pair of fork-receiving apertures 316, 318 are configured to receive forks 20, 22 when fork truck 24 is picking up monolithic pallet 10 from third side 13.
Fourth corner 44, fourth outer section 54, and first corner 41 cooperate to establish fourth side 14 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Fourth outer section 54 includes a first outer lift unit 541 and a second outer lift unit 542 as shown in FIG. 2. A first fork-receiving aperture 416 is formed in first outer lift unit 541 and a second fork-receiving aperture 418 is formed in second outer lift unit 542. Illustratively, fourth pair of fork-receiving apertures 416, 418 are configured to receive forks 20, 22 when fork truck 24 is picking up monolithic pallet 10 from fourth side 14.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each corner 41, 42, 43, and 44 is substantially the same, and thus, only corner 41 will be discussed in detail. Corner 41 illustratively includes a corner anchor 40 and a corner register 46 as suggested in FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 11, corner register 46 is coupled to corner anchor 40 to locate corner anchor 40 between corner register 46 and ground 60.
Corner anchor 40 is configured illustratively to do two things. First, corner anchor 40 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 10 relative to every other monolithic pallet when arranged in stack 26. Second, corner anchor 40 is used to support corner register 46 when a load is placed on pallet 10.
As shown in FIG. 11, corner anchor 40 of top neighboring monolithic pallet 10E is configured to engage corner register 46 of bottom neighboring pallet 10D. Corner register 46 is formed to include an anchor-receiving space 58 which is configured to receive corner anchor 40 therein. As shown in FIG. 2, corner register 46 is also formed to include a corner-insert slot 220 that is configured to receive a separate corner insert (not shown). When four corner inserts are placed into each corner-insert slot 220 of corner register 46, a pallet container (not shown) is establish which may receive directly goods therein, thus minimizing the need for additional packaging.
Each corner anchor 40 illustratively includes a corner-perimeter wall 48, a corner floor 50, and a floor-support unit 56. As suggested in FIG. 1, corner-perimeter wall 48 is appended to corner floor 50 to define a corner-support space 62 therebetween. Floor-support unit 56 is arranged to interconnect corner-perimeter wall 48 and corner floor 50 and is arranged to lie within corner-support space 62. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, floor-support unit 56 of corner 41 is cross shaped. Corner floor 50, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, is formed to include four drain holes 222A, 222B, 222C, and 222D that are configured to allow dirt, water, or other materials in corner-support space 62 to pass there through.
When monolithic pallet 10 is positioned to lie on ground 60, as when used to support product, corner floor 50 is arranged to lie in confronting relation with ground 60. When monolithic pallet 10 is arranged in stack 26, corner floor 50 of top pallet 10E is supported on floor-support unit 56 of bottom pallet 10D as shown in FIG. 11.
As suggested in FIG. 1, each outer section 51, 52, 53, and 54 of monolithic pallet 10 is substantially the same, and thus, only first outer section 51 will be discussed in detail. First outer section 51 includes a first outer lift unit 511, a second outer lift unit 512, a pair of lift- mount tabs 65, 66, a first pair of corner mount tabs 67A, 68A, and a second pair of corner- mount tabs 67B, 68B. Illustratively, first outer lift unit 511 is positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to second outer lift unit 512 to locate lift- mount tabs 65, 66 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 4, first outer lift unit 511 is coupled to second outer lift unit 512 by lift- mount tabs 65, 66 extending therebetween. First outer lift unit 511 is coupled to first corner 41 by first pair of corner- mount tabs 67A, 68A extending therebetween. Similarly, second outer lift unit 512 is coupled to second corner 42 by second pair of corner- mount tabs 67B, 68B extending therebetween as shown in FIG. 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, first outer lift unit 511 is substantially the same as second outer lift unit 512, and thus, only first outer lift unit 511 will be discussed in detail. First outer lift unit 511 is adapted to receive first fork 20 of fork truck 24 and second outer lift unit 512 is adapted to receive second fork 22. Illustratively, first outer lift unit 511 includes lift-unit anchor 70 and lift-unit register 72. As suggested in FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 11, lift-unit register 72 is coupled to lift unit anchor 70 to locate lift-unit anchor 70 between lift-unit register 72 and ground 60.
Illustratively, lift-unit anchor 70 is configured to do two things. First, lift-unit anchor 70 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 10 relative to every other monolithic pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Second, lift-unit anchor 70 is used to support lift-unit register 72 when a load is placed on monolithic pallet 10. As shown in FIG. 11, lift-unit anchor 70 of top neighboring monolithic pallet 10E is configured to engage lift-unit register 72 of bottom neighboring pallet 10D when arranged in stack 26. Lift-unit register 72 is formed to include an anchor-receiving space 74 which is configured to receive lift-unit anchor 70 therein.
Each lift-unit anchor 70 includes an anchor-perimeter wall 76 and a floor 78. Anchor-perimeter wall 76 illustratively includes an inner wall 80, an outer wall 82 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to inner wall 80, a first side wall 84, and a second side wall 86 positioned to lie spaced-apart relation to first side wall 84. As shown in FIG. 5, floor 78 is coupled to walls 80, 82, 84, and 86.
As suggested in FIG. 6, lift-unit register 72, floor 78, inner and outer walls 80, 82, and first and second side walls 84, 86 cooperate to define a cavity 27 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 11, first outer fork-receiving aperture 116 is formed in outer wall 82 and configured to open into cavity 27. Similarly, a first inner fork-receiving aperture is formed in inner wall 80 and configured to open into cavity 27. First inner and outer fork-receiving apertures are aligned in collinear relation to define a first outer fork-receiving passageway 1090 extending between inner and outer walls 80, 82.
First and second side walls 84, 86 included in anchor-perimeter wall 76 of lift-unit anchor 70 each include a side-wall plate 92 and a support tab 29. Side-wall plate 92 extends between floor 78 and lift-unit register 72. Support tab 29 is coupled to side-wall plate 92 and arranged to extend toward the opposite side wall and toward first outer fork-receiving passageway 1090. As an example, when monolithic pallet 10 is positioned to lie on ground 60, as when used to support product, floor 78 of lift-unit anchor 70 is arranged to lie in confronting relation with ground 60. When monolithic pallet 10 is arranged in stack 26, floor 78 of top pallet 10B is supported on support tabs 29 of bottom pallet 10 and cooperates to establish a partition 31 as shown in FIG. 11.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, monolithic pallet 10 includes inner cross-shaped frame 36 and outer rectangular frame 28. Illustratively, inner cross-shaped frame 36, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, includes a center structure 96, a first inner lift unit 101, a second inner lift unit 102, a third inner lift unit 103, and a fourth inner lift unit 104. As shown in FIG. 2, center structure 96 is positioned to lie about midway between first side 11 and opposite third side 13 and about midway between second side 12 and opposite fourth side 14. First inner lift unit 101 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 96 toward first side 11. Second inner lift unit 102 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 96 toward second side 12. Third inner lift unit 103 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 96 toward third side 13. Fourth inner lift unit 104 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 96 toward fourth side 14.
Center structure 96 illustratively includes a center anchor 98 and a center-anchor register 100. As suggested in FIGS. 1-3, center-anchor register 100 is coupled to center anchor 98 to locate center anchor 98 between center-anchor register 100 and ground 60. As an example, center anchor 98 is configured to two things. First, center anchor 98 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 10 relative to every other monolithic pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Second, center anchor 98 is used to support center-anchor register 100 when a load is placed on monolithic pallet 10.
Center anchor 98 of top neighboring monolithic pallet 10 is configured to engage center-anchor register 100 of bottom neighboring pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Center-anchor register 100 is formed to include a center-anchor receiving space 106 which is configured to receive center anchor 98 therein.
Center anchor 98 illustratively includes a center floor 224 and a center-floor support unit 110 (cross shaped). As shown in FIG. 2, center-floor support unit 110 is coupled to center floor 224, arranged to extend toward center-anchor register 100, and arranged to interconnect first, second, third, and fourth inner lift units 101, 102, 103, 104. Center floor 224 and inner lift units 101, 102, 103, 104 cooperate to define an interior space 228 and center-floor support unit 110 is arranged to lie therein. Center floor 224 is formed to include a series of four apertures 230A, 230B, 230C, and 230D as shown in FIG. 3. As an example, apertures 230A, 230B, 230C, and 230D are used to allow dirt, water, other materials within interior space 228 to pass through apertures 230A, 230B, 230C, and 230D.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, first perforated plate 38A included in inner deck 30 is positioned to lie between first inner lift unit 101, fourth inner lift unit 104, first outer lift unit 511 of first outer section 51 included in first side 11, and second outer lift unit 512 of fourth outer section 54 included in fourth side 14. Second perforated plate 38B is positioned to lie between second inner lift unit 102, third inner lift unit 103, second outer lift unit 512 of first outer section 51 included in first side 11, and first outer lift unit 511 of second outer section 52 included in second side 12. Third perforated plate 38C is positioned to lie between third inner lift unit 103, fourth inner lift unit 104, second outer lift unit 512 of second outer section 52 included in second side 12, and first outer lift unit 511 of third outer section 53 included in third side 13. Fourth perforated plate 38D is positioned to lie between fourth inner lift unit 104, first inner lift unit 101, second outer lift unit 512 of third outer section 53 included in third side 13, and first outer lift unit 511 of fourth outer section 54 included in fourth side 14.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, first perforated plate 38A is substantially the same as second, third, and fourth perforated plates 38B, 38C, and 38D, and thus only first perforated plate 38A will be discussed in detail. As an example, first perforated plate 38A includes a rectangular border portion 182 and a pattern 184 of apertures 185 formed in plate 38 to allow water, dirt, or other items to pass through apertures 185 as well as minimize a weight of monolithic pallet 10.
Inner cross-shaped frame 36 of inner deck 30 also includes first, second, third, and fourth inner lift units 101, 102, 103, and 104. As an example, first and third inner lift units 101, 103 are used in cooperation with first and second outer lift units 511, 512 of second outer section 52 included in second side 12 to lift monolithic pallet 10 as suggested in FIGS. 6 and 7. As an example, first and third inner lift units 101, 103 are arranged in spaced-apart relation to one another to locate center structure 96 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 3, first inner lift unit 101 interconnects first outer section 51 of first side 11 to center structure 96 by a first pair of inner mount tabs 112A, 114A extending between first inner lift unit 101 and first outer section 51. Similarly, third inner lift unit 103 interconnects third outer section 53 of third side 13 to center structure 96 by a third pair of inner mount tabs 112C, 114C extending between third inner lift unit 103 and third outer section 53 as shown, for example, in FIG. 3.
As suggested in FIG. 7, first inner lift unit 101 is adapted to receive first fork 20 after first fork 20 passes through first outer lift unit 511 of second outer section 52 and third inner lift unit 103 is adapted to receive second fork 22 of fork truck 24 after second fork 22 passes through second outer lift unit 512 included in second outer section 52. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, first and third inner lift units 101 and 103 are substantially the same only first inner lift unit 101 will be discussed in detail. First inner lift unit 101 includes an inner lift-unit anchor 120 and an inner lift-unit register 122. As suggested in FIGS. 2 and 5, inner lift-unit register 122 is coupled to inner lift-unit anchor 120 to locate inner lift-unit anchor 120 between inner lift-unit register 122 and ground 60.
As an example, inner lift-unit anchor 120 is configured to do two things. First, inner lift-unit anchor 120 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 10 relative to every other neighboring monolithic pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Second, inner lift-unit anchor 120 is used to support inner lift-unit register 122 when a load is placed on pallet 10. As an illustration, inner lift-unit anchor 120 of top neighboring monolithic pallet 10 is configured to engage inner lift-unit register 122 of bottom neighboring pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Inner lift-unit register 122 is formed to include an inner anchor-receiving space 153 which is configured to receive inner lift-unit anchor 120 therein.
As shown in FIG. 3, each inner lift-unit anchor 120 included in first and third inner lift units 101, 103 includes a perimeter wall 124 and a floor 126. Perimeter wall 124 includes a first wall 128, a second wall 130 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to first wall 128, a first side wall 132, and a second side wall 134 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to opposite first side wall 132. Floor 126 is coupled to walls 280, 130, 132, and 134 to extend therebetween.
As an example, inner lift-unit register 122, floor 126, first and second walls 128, 130 and first and second side walls 132, 134 cooperate to define a cavity 27I as suggested in FIG. 1. First wall 128 is formed to include a first inner fork-receiving aperture 136 that is configured to open into cavity 27I. Second wall 130 is formed to include a second inner fork-receiving aperture 138 that is configured to open into cavity 27I. First and second inner fork-receiving apertures 136, 138 are aligned in collinear relation to define a first inner fork-receiving passageway 1140 extending therebetween. As an example, first outer fork-receiving passageway 1090 of second outer section 52 is aligned in collinear relation with first inner fork-receiving passageway 140 so that first fork 20 of fork truck 24 may move completely into monolithic pallet 10 as suggested in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, first side wall 132 is a side-wall plate 142 that interconnects inner lift-unit register 122 and floor 126. Side-wall plate 142 is also coupled to a center-floor support unit 110 (cross shaped) included in center structure 96. Second side wall 134 includes a side-wall plate 144 and a support tab 146. Side-wall plate 144 is arranged to interconnect inner lift-unit register 122 and floor 126 as well as to extend between first and second walls 128, 130 and a support tab 146. Support tab 146 is coupled to side-wall plate 144 and is arranged to extend toward opposite first side wall 132. As an example, when monolithic pallet 10 is positioned to lie on ground 60, as when used to support product, floor 126 of inner lift-unit anchor 120 is arranged to lie in confronting relation with ground 60. When monolithic pallet 10 is arranged in stack 26, floor 126 of upper pallet 10B is supported on support tabs 146 of bottom pallet 10 as suggested in FIG. 1.
Second and fourth inner lift units 102, 104 are used in cooperation with first and second outer lift units 511, 512 of first outer section 51 included in first side 11 to lift monolithic pallet 10 as shown in FIG. 11. Alternately, second and fourth inner lift units 102, 104 are used in cooperation with first and second outer lift units 511, 512 of third outer section 53 included in third side 13. As another example, second and fourth inner lift units 102, 104 are arranged in spaced-apart relation to one another to locate center structure 96 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 3, second inner lift unit 102 interconnects second outer section 52 of second side 12 to center structure 96 by a second pair of inner mount tabs 112B, 114B extending between second inner lift unit 102 and second outer section 52. Similarly, fourth inner lift unit 104 interconnects fourth outer section 54 of fourth side 14 to center structure 96 by a fourth pair of inner mount tabs 112D, 114D extending between fourth inner lift unit 104 and fourth outer section 54.
As suggested in FIG. 1, fourth inner lift unit 104 is adapted to receive first fork 20 after first fork 20 passes through first outer lift unit 511 of first outer section 51 and second inner lift unit 102 is adapted to receive second fork 22 of fork truck 24 after second fork 22 passes through second outer lift unit 512 included in first outer section 51. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, second and fourth inner lift units 102 and 104 are substantially the same, and only second inner lift unit 102 will be discussed in detail. Second inner lift unit 102 includes an inner lift-unit anchor 148 and an inner lift-unit register 150. As suggested in FIGS. 2 and 5, inner lift-unit register 150 is coupled to inner lift-unit anchor 148 to locate inner lift-unit anchor 148 between inner lift-unit register 150 and ground 60.
As an example, inner lift-unit anchor 148 is configured to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 10 relative to every other neighboring monolithic pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26 and to support inner lift-unit register 150 when a load is placed on pallet 10. As an illustration, inner lift-unit anchor 148 of top neighboring monolithic pallet 10 is configured to engage inner lift-unit register 150 of bottom neighboring pallet 10 when arranged in stack 26. Inner lift-unit register 150 is formed to include an anchor-receiving space 152 which is configured to receive inner lift-unit anchor 148 therein.
Each inner lift-unit anchor 148 included in second and fourth inner lift units 102, 104 include a perimeter wall 154 and a floor 156. Perimeter wall 154 includes a first wall 158, a second wall 160 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to first wall 158, a first side wall 162, and a second side wall 164 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to opposite first side wall 162. Floor 156 is coupled to walls 158, 160, 162, and 164 to extend therebetween.
As an example, inner lift-unit register 150, floor 156, first and second walls 158, 160 and first and second side walls 162, 164 cooperate to define an interior cavity. First wall 158 is formed to include a first inner fork-receiving aperture 166 that is configured to open into interior cavity. Second wall 160 is formed to include a second inner fork-receiving aperture 168 that is configured to open into an interior cavity. First and second inner fork-receiving apertures 166, 168 are aligned in collinear relation to define a first inner fork-receiving passageway 1170 extending between first and second walls 158, 160. As an example, a second outer fork-receiving passageway 91 included in first section 51 is aligned in collinear relation with first inner fork-receiving passageway 1170 so that first fork 20 included in fork truck 24 may move completely into monolithic pallet 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, first side wall 162 includes a side-wall plate 172 and a floor-support tab 176. Side-wall plate 172 interconnects inner lift-unit register 150 and floor 156. Side-wall plate 172 also extends as extending between first and second walls 158, 160. Side-wall plate 172 is also coupled to center-floor support unit 110 of center structure 96. Second side wall 164 includes a side-wall plate 178 that interconnects inner lift-unit register 150 and floor 156. Side-wall plate 178 extends between first and second walls 158, 160 and a floor-support tab 180. Floor- support tabs 176, 180 are coupled to associated side- wall plates 172, 178 and are arranged to extend toward opposite side walls 162, 164. As an example, when monolithic pallet 10 is positioned to lie on ground 60, as when used to support product, floor 156 of inner lift-unit anchor 148 is arranged to lie in confronting relation with ground 60. When monolithic pallet 10 is arranged in stack 26, floor 156 of top pallet 10 is supported on floor- support tabs 176, 180 of bottom pallet.
As shown in FIGS. 8-10, monolithic pallet 10 is formed using an injection mold 186 in an illustrative injection-molding process. Injection mold 186 includes an upper male mold core 188 and a lower female mold core 190. Injection mold 186 is movable between a closed position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and an opened position as shown in FIG. 10. Upper male mold core 188 and lower female mold core 190 cooperate to define a pallet cavity 192 therebetween when injection mold 186 is in the closed position.
Illustratively, upper male mold core 188 is coupled in fluid communication to a plastics-material injector 194 provided for injecting plastics material 196 into pallet cavity 192 as shown in FIG. 8. During the injection-molding process, injection mold 186 begins in a closed position as shown in FIG. 8. Next, plastics-material injector 194 moves plastics material 196 through a channel 198 coupled to upper male mold core 188 and into pallet cavity 192 as shown in FIG. 9. Finally, injection mold 186 moves from the closed position to the opened position after plastics material 196 within pallet cavity 192 has solidified so that monolithic pallet 10 is formed. The illustrative injection-molding process is accomplished without the use of insert molding techniques.
As an example, monolithic pallet 10 is made from plastics material 196. Plastics materials may be polypropylene, high density polyethylene, or any other suitable material. Illustratively, the plastics material may be virgin material or the plastics material may be recycled or scrap plastics material, thus minimizing waste during manufacture of other articles made using plastics material. The one-piece design of monolithic pallet 10 also minimizes damage to goods placed on pallet 10 as a result of nails or other couplers used to assemble pallets being minimized, thus blocking snagging of goods on protruding nails.
In one illustrative arrangement, monolithic pallet 10 may be arranged to lie on ground 60 so that product may be placed on monolithic pallet 10 for storage or shipment. In another illustrative arrangement, monolithic pallet 10 may be arranged in stack 26 with other monolithic pallets as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. When monolithic pallet 10 is arranged in stack 26, the pallets may be removed from the stack by a user (not shown) or by fork truck 24. A user removes one monolithic pallet at a time by removing the top-most monolithic pallet 10 from stack 26.
Fork truck 24 illustratively separates stack 26 of monolithic pallets 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F into two separate stacks 26U and 26L as shown in FIG. 7. Fork truck 24 begins the separation process by inserting forks 20 and 22 into associated outer fork-receiving apertures 116, 118 included in first outer section 51 of first side 11. As a result of monolithic pallet 10D being nested between neighboring monolithic pallets 10E (above) and 10C (below), a stacked fork-entry distance 200 is defined between a bottom side 204 of lift-unit register 72 included in first outer section 51 of monolithic pallet 10D and a top side 206 of lift-unit register 72 included in first outer section 51 of monolithic pallet 10C as shown in FIG. 11. Comparatively, an un-stacked fork-entry distance 208 is defined between bottom side 204 of lift-unit register 72 included in first outer section 51 of monolithic pallet 10 and top surface 260 of ground 60 as shown in FIG. 6. As an example, un-stacked fork-entry distance 208 is relatively larger than stacked fork-entry distance 200.
As shown in FIG. 11, illustrative stack 26 of monolithic pallets 10, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F has a stacked height 210. Illustratively, monolithic pallets 10, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F each have a pallet height 212. As shown in FIG. 11, monolithic pallet 10E is arranged to nest within monolithic pallet 10D a nesting distance 214. As an example, nesting distance 214 and pallet height 212 establish a nesting ratio of about 1:7. As a result of the nesting ratio being about 1:7, seven nested monolithic pallets 10 may be positioned in the same space as six monolithic pallets 10 arranged in a non nesting stack (not shown).
As illustrated in FIGS. 12-21, another embodiment of a monolithic pallet 1010 in accordance with the present disclosure includes a first side 1011, a second side 1012, a third side 1013, and a fourth side 1014. Each side 1011, 1012, 1013, and 1014 is formed to include a pair of fork-receiving apertures 1016, 1018 that are configured to receive forks 20, 22 included in fork truck 24. As a result of each side 1011, 1012, 1013, and 1014 being formed to include fork-receiving apertures 1016, 1018, fork truck 24 is able to pick up monolithic pallet 1010 from any side 1011, 1012, 1013, and 1014 as suggested, for example, in FIGS. 16 and 17. Monolithic pallet 1010 is configured to nest with other neighboring monolithic pallets to establish a stack 1026 of monolithic pallets as suggested in FIGS. 18-21.
Monolithic pallet 1010 includes an outer rectangular frame 1028 and an inner deck 1030 as shown in FIGS. 12-15. Illustratively, inner deck 1030 includes an inner cross-shaped frame 1036 and four perforated plates 1038A, 1038B, 1038C, and 1038D arranged to extend between inner cross-shaped frame 1036 and outer rectangular frame 1028 as shown in FIGS. 12-15.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, outer rectangular frame 1028 includes, in series, a first corner 1041, a first outer section 1051, a second corner 1042, a second outer section 1052, a third corner 1043, a third outer section 1053, a fourth corner 1044, and a fourth outer section 1054. As illustrated in FIG. 14, first corner 1041, first outer section 1051, and second corner 1042 cooperate to establish first side 1011. First outer section 1051 is formed to include a first pair of outer fork-receiving apertures 1116, 1118. As shown in FIG. 16, the pair of forks 20, 22 may pass through first pair of outer fork-receiving apertures 1116, 1118 when fork truck 24 is picking up monolithic pallet 1010.
As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15, each of first and third outer section 1051 and 1053 are substantially the same, and thus, only first outer section 1051 will be discussed in detail. First outer section 1051 includes a first outer lift unit 1511, a second outer lift unit 1512, an outer stack structure 1513, and a pair of corner- mount tabs 1067, 1068. As shown in FIG. 15, outer stack structure 1512 is arranged to interconnect first and second outer lift units 1511 and 1512. First corner-mount tab 1067 is arrange to interconnect first outer lift unit 1511 and first corner 1041. Second corner-mount tab 1068 is arranged to interconnect second outer lift unit 1512 and second corner 1042.
Second and fourth outer sections 1052 and 1054 are substantially the same as suggested in FIGS. 13 and 15, and thus, only second outer section 1052 will be discussed in detail. Second outer section 1052 includes a first outer lift unit 1521, a second outer lift unit 1522, an outer stack structure 1522, and a pair of corner- mount tabs 1067, 1068. As shown in FIG. 15, outer stack structure 1522 is arranged to interconnect first and second outer lift units 1521 and 1522. First corner-mount tab 1067 is arrange to interconnect first outer lift unit 1511 and second corner 1042. Second corner-mount tab 1068 is arranged to interconnect second outer lift unit 1512 and third corner 1043.
As shown in FIGS. 12-15, monolithic pallet 1010 includes inner cross-shaped frame 1036 and outer rectangular frame 1028. Illustratively, inner cross-shaped frame 1036, as shown in FIGS. 12-15, includes a center structure 1096, a first inner lift structure 1101, a second inner lift structure 1102, a third inner lift structure 1103, and a fourth inner lift structure 1104. First inner lift structure 1101 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 1096 toward first side 1011. Second inner lift structure 1102 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 1096 toward second side 1012. Third inner lift structure 1103 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 1096 toward third side 1013. Fourth inner lift structure 1104 is arranged to extend outwardly from center structure 1096 toward fourth side 1014.
Illustratively, first and third inner lift structures 1101, 1103 are used in cooperation with first and second outer lift structures 1521, 1522 of second outer section 1052 included in second side 1012 to lift monolithic pallet 1010 as suggested in FIG. 16. As an example, first and third inner lift structures 1101, 1103 are arranged in spaced-apart relation to one another to locate center structure 1096 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 15, first inner lift structure 1101 is interconnected with first outer lift unit 1053 of first side 1011 by a first pair of inner mount tabs 1112A, 1112B. First inner lift structure 1101 is interconnected with center structure 1096 by a second pair of inner mount tabs 1114A, 1114B. Similarly, third inner lift structure 1103 interconnects third outer section 1053 of third side 13 and center structure 1096 like first inner lift structure 1101.
As suggested in FIG. 16, fourth inner lift structure 1104 is adapted to receive first fork 20 after first fork 20 passes through first outer lift unit 1511 of first outer section 1051 and second inner lift structure 1102 is adapted to receive second fork 22 of fork truck 24 after second fork 22 passes through second outer lift unit 1512 included in first outer section 1051. As shown in FIG. 17, third inner lift structure 1103 is adapted to receive first fork 20 after first fork 20 passes through first outer lift unit 1541 of fourth outer section 1054 and first inner lift structure 1101 is adapted to receive second fork 22 of fork truck 24 after second fork 22 passes through second outer lift unit 1542 included in fourth outer section 1054.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, first, second, third, and fourth inner lift structures 1101, 1102, 1103, and 1104 are substantially the same and only first inner lift structure 1101 will be discussed in detail. First inner lift structure 1101 illustratively includes a first inner lift unit 1101A and a second inner lift unit 1101B positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to first inner lift unit 1101A as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. As suggested in FIG. 14, each inner lift unit 1101A, 1101B is formed to include a pair of inner-fork receiving apertures 1106, 1108 opening into an inner fork-receiving passageway 1109. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 17, both inner lift units 1101A, 1101B are arranged so that inner fork-receiving passageway 1109A of first inner lift unit 1101A is arranged in collinear relation with inner fork-receiving passageway 1109B of second inner lift unit 1101B so that fork 20, 22 may pass through first outer lift unit 1521 of outer second section 1052 of second side 1012.
As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, two monolithic pallets 1010A, 1010B may be stacked one on top of another to establish a stack 1026. Illustratively, monolithic pallet 1010B is supported by underlying monolithic pallet 1010A. Each corner 1041, 1042, 1043, and 1044 included in monolithic pallet 1010 includes a corner anchor 1040 and a corner register 46. As suggested in FIG. 19, corner register 1046A of monolithic pallet 1010A is coupled to corner anchor 1040A to locate corner anchor 1040A between corner register 1046A and ground 60. Corner anchor 1040 is configured to do two things. First, corner anchor 1040 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 1010B relative to monolithic pallet 1010A when arranged in stack 1026. Second, corner anchor 1040 is used to support corner register 1046 when a load is placed on monolithic pallet 1010.
As shown in FIG. 19, corner anchor 1040B of top neighboring monolithic pallet 1010B is configured to engage corner register 1046A of bottom neighboring pallet 1010A. Corner register 1046 is formed to include an anchor-receiving space 1058 which is configured to receive corner anchor 1040 therein as suggested in FIG. 18. Each corner anchor 1040 illustratively includes a corner-perimeter wall 1048, a corner floor 1050, and a floor-support unit 1056. As suggested in FIG. 19, corner perimeter wall 1048 is appended to corner floor 1050 to define a corner-support space 1062 therebetween. Floor-support unit 1056 is arranged to interconnect corner-perimeter wall 1048 and corner floor 1050 and is arranged to lie within corner-support space 1062. As shown in FIG. 19, for example, floor-support unit 1056 of corner 1041 is a single tab extending between two walls of corner-perimeter wall 1048. Corner floor 1050, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, is formed to include two drain holes 1222A and 1222B that are configured to allow dirt, water, or other materials in corner-support space 1062 to pass there through.
As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, center structure 1096B of monolithic pallet 1010B is supported by center structure 1096A of underlying monolithic pallet 1010A when monolithic pallets 1010A, 1010B are arranged in stack 1026. Center structure 1096 of monolithic pallet 1010 illustratively includes a center anchor 1098 and a center-anchor register 1100. As suggested in FIGS. 20 and 21, center-anchor register 1100 is coupled to center anchor 1098 to locate center anchor 1098 between center-anchor register 1100 and ground 60. As an example, center anchor 1098 is configured to two things. First, center anchor 1098 is used to minimize movement of each monolithic pallet 1010 relative to every other monolithic pallet 1010 when arranged in stack 1026. Second, center anchor 1098 is used to support center-anchor register 1100 when a load is placed on monolithic pallet 1010.
As illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, center anchor 1098B of top neighboring monolithic pallet 1010B is configured to engage center-anchor register 1100A of bottom neighboring monolithic pallet 1010A. The nesting of center anchor 1098B within center-anchor register 1100A when arranged in stack 1026. As an example, center-anchor register is formed to include a center-anchor receiving space 1107 which is configured to receive center anchor 1098.
Center anchor 1098 illustratively includes a center floor 1224 and a center-floor support unit 1111. As shown in FIG. 21, center-floor support unit 1111 is coupled to center floor 1224, arranged to extend toward center-anchor register 1100, and arranged to interconnect first, second, third, and fourth inner lift structures 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104. Center floor 1224 and inner lift structures 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104 cooperate to define an interior space 1228 and center-floor support unit 1111 is arranged to lie therein.
As an example, center-floor support unit 1111 includes a first pair of support tabs 1121, 1122, a second pair of support tabs 1131, 1132, and a support pillar 1124. Illustratively support tabs 1121, 1122, 1131, 1132 and support pillar 1124 are appended to center floor 1125 and arranged to extend toward center-anchor register 1100. First pair of support tabs 1121, 1122 are positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to each other to locate second pair of support tabs 1131, 1132 and support pillar 1124 therebetween. First pair of support tabs 1121, 1122 are arranged to extend between first inner lift structure 1101 and third inner lift unit structure 1103. Second pair of support tabs 1131, 1132 are positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to each other to locate support pillar 1124 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 13, second pair of support tabs 1131, 1132 are arranged to interconnect support pillar 1124 to first and third inner lift structures 1101, 1103.
As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, support tabs 1121A, 1122A, 1131A, 1132A and support pillar 1124A of bottom monolithic pallet 1010A support center floor 1125B of top monolithic pallet 1010B. As illustrated in FIG. 21, support pillar 1124B is arranged to extend between center floor 1125B and a product-receiving plane 1128B defined by an upper surface 1130 of inner deck 1030 so that product placed in a center of monolithic pallet 1010 may be supported. Support pillar 1124 is formed to include pillar-stacking space 1134 as shown in FIG. 14. Center floor 1125 is formed to include a pillar-stacking aperture 1136 opening into pillar-stacking space 1134. As suggested in FIG. 21, pillar-stacking space and aperture 1134B, 1136B of top monolithic pallet 1010B cooperate to permit support pillar 1124A of bottom monolithic pallet 1010A to nest within support pillar 1124B of top monolithic pallet 1010B. Center floor 1224 is further formed to include a series of four apertures 1230A, 1230B, 1230C, and 1230D as shown in FIG. 15. As an example, apertures 1230A, 1230B, 1230C, and 1230D are used to allow dirt, water, other materials within interior space 1228 to pass through apertures 1230A, 1230B, 1230C, and 1230D.
As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, another embodiment of a monolithic pallet 2010 includes a first side 2011, a second side 2012, a third side 2013, and a fourth side 2014. First side 2011 includes a first corner 2041, a first outer section 2051, and a second corner 2042. Second side 2012 includes second corner 2042, a second outer section 2052, and a third corner 2043. Third side 2013 includes third corner 2043, a third outer section 2053, and a fourth corner 2044. Fourth side 2014 includes fourth corner 2044, a fourth section 2054, and first corner 2041.
Outer sections 2051 and 2053 are substantially the same, and thus only first outer section 2051 will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 23, first outer section 2051 includes a first outer lift unit 2511, a second outer lift unit 2512, a lift-mount tab 2065, a first corner-mount tab 2067, and a second corner-mount tab 2068. Illustratively, first outer lift unit 2511 is positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to second outer lift unit 2512 to locate lift-mount tab 65 therebetween. First outer lift unit 2511 is coupled to second outer lift unit 2512 by lift-mount tab 65 extending therebetween. First outer lift unit 2511 is coupled to first corner 2041 by first corner-mount tab 67 extending therebetween. Similarly, second outer lift unit 2512 is coupled to second corner 2042 by second corner-mount tab 68 as shown in FIG. 23.
As shown in FIG. 22, first outer lift unit 2511 of first outer section 2051 is substantially the same as second outer lift unit 2512, and thus, only first outer lift unit 2511 will be discussed in detail. First outer lift unit 2511 is formed to include cavity 2027 and a fork-receiving aperture 2116 that is configured to open into cavity 2027. Fork-receiving aperture 2116 is adapted to receive first fork 20 included in fork truck 24. As shown in FIG. 4, outer fork-receiving aperture 116 of monolithic pallet 10 is configured to have a fork-entry width 132. As suggested in FIG. 22, fork-receiving aperture 2116 of monolithic pallet 2010 is configured to have a fork-entry width 2132. As an example, fork-entry width 2132 is relatively similar to fork-entry width 132. As suggested in FIG. 22, first outer lift unit 2511 includes a pair of support tabs 2029A, 2029B that extend into cavity 2027 and are configured to support a neighboring top monolithic pallet 2010 that has been nested with bottom monolithic pallet 2010.
Outer sections 2052 and 2054 are substantially the same, and thus only first outer section 2051 will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 23, second outer section 2052 includes a first outer lift unit 2521, a second outer lift unit 2522, a pair lift- mount tabs 2651 and 2652, a first pair of corner- mount tabs 2671, 2672, and a second pair of corner mount tabs 2681, 2682. Illustratively, first outer lift unit 2521 is positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to second outer lift unit 2522 to locate lift- mount tabs 2651, 2652 therebetween. First outer lift unit 2521 is coupled to second outer lift unit 2522 by lift- mount tabs 2651, 2652 extending between outer lift units 2521, 2522. First outer lift unit 2521 is coupled to second corner 2042 by first corner- mount tabs 2671, 2672 extending between first outer lift unit 2521 and corner 2042. Similarly, second outer lift unit 2522 is coupled to third corner 2043 by second corner- mount tabs 2681, 2682 as shown in FIG. 23.
As shown in FIG. 22, outer lift unit 2521 of second outer section 2052 is substantially the same as second outer lift unit 2522, and thus, only first outer lift unit 2521 will be discussed in detail. First outer lift unit 2521 is formed to include a cavity 2027 and a fork-receiving aperture 2216 that is configured to open into cavity 2027. Fork-receiving aperture 2216 is adapted to receive first fork 20 included in fork truck 24. As shown in FIG. 5, fork-receiving aperture 216 of monolithic pallet 10 is configured to have a fork-entry width 232. As suggested in FIG. 22, fork-receiving aperture 2216 of monolithic pallet 2010 is configured to have a fork-entry width 2232. As an example, fork-entry width 2232 is relatively larger than fork-entry width 232 so that difficulty of placing fork 22 into fork-receiving aperture 2216 is minimized.
As suggested in FIG. 22, first outer lift unit 2521 includes a support tab 2029 that is configured to extend into cavity 2027 away from second outer lift unit 2522. Support tab 2029 is configured to support a neighboring top monolithic pallet 2010 that has been nested with bottom monolithic pallet 2010.
Stack 26 of pallets 10 illustratively comprises first pallet 10, second pallet 10B, and third pallet 10C as shown in FIG. 7. Second pallet 10B is stacked on first pallet 10 and third pallet 10C is stacked on second pallet 10B to locate second pallet 10B between first and third pallets 10 and 10C.
First pallet 10 includes inner deck 30, first lift-unit register 72, and first lift-unit anchor 70. First lift-unit register 72 is coupled to inner deck 30 and is formed to include first anchor-receiving aperture 23 arranged to open into first upper chamber 27U formed in first lift-unit register 72. First lift-unit anchor 70 is coupled to first lift-unit register 72 to extend downwardly between first lift-unit register 72 and ground 60 underlying first pallet 10 as shown in FIG. 7. First lift-unit anchor 70 is formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture 116 that is arranged to open into first lower chamber 27L formed in first lift-unit anchor 70.
Second pallet 10B illustratively includes inner deck 30, outer frame 28, and first lift-unit anchor 70 as show in FIG. 1. Inner deck 30 is adapted to support goods thereon for transport and storage. Outer frame 28 is appended to inner deck 30 and arranged to extend around inner deck 30. First lift-unit anchor 70 is coupled to outer frame 28 to extend downwardly from outer frame 28 toward first lift-unit register 72 of first pallet 10. First lift-unit anchor 70 is arranged to extend through first anchor-receiving aperture 23 to mate with first lift-unit register 72 of first pallet 10 to cause unintended movement of second pallet 10B relative to first pallet 10 to be minimized. First lift unit anchor 70 is formed to include first fork-receiving aperture 116 that is arranged to open into first lower chamber 27L formed in first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B. First lower chamber 27L of second pallet 10B lies in first upper chamber 27U of first pallet 10.
Second pallet 10B further includes an inner lift-unit anchor 120 positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B. Inner lift-unit anchor 120 is positioned to lie below inner deck 30 of second pallet 10B. Inner lift-unit anchor 120 is coupled to inner deck 30 of second pallet 10B to extend downwardly away from inner deck 30 of second pallet 10B toward inner deck 30 of first pallet 10 to cause inner deck 30 of second pallet 10B to be supported by inner deck 30 of first pallet 10.
Inner lift-unit anchor 120 of second pallet 10B is formed to include a first inner cavity 127 and a first inner fork-receiving aperture as shown in FIG. 1. First inner fork-receiving aperture is arranged to open into first inner cavity 127 to cause first fork 20 included in fork truck 24 to be admitted into first inner cavity 127 after passing through first fork-receiving aperture 116 and first lower chamber 27L of first lift-unit anchor 70 of second pallet 10B. As shown in FIG. 7, first inner fork-receiving aperture and first fork-receiving aperture 116 are arranged to lie in collinear relation to one another to cause a fork-travel passageway 116P to be established therebetween.
Monolithic pallets 10, 1010, and 2010 are formed as one piece to minimize locations for dirt, water, and bacteria to collect so that cleanliness and sanitation associated with monolithic pallets 10, 1010, 2010 is maximized. Similarly, the plastics material of monolithic pallets 10, 1010, 2010 minimizes opportunities for insect infestation, thus minimizing costs and processes associated with insect treatment and prevention of insect infestation. A Remote Frequency Identification (RFID) tag may also be included in monolithic pallet 10, 1010, 2010 so that tracking and identification problems of monolithic pallets are minimized.
Monolithic pallet 10 also includes floors 50 and 78 included in outer rectangular frame 28 and floors 126, 156, and 224 included in inner deck 30 to maximize stability of monolithic pallet 10 when monolithic pallet 10 is arranged to rest on another loaded monolithic pallet 10. Floors 50, 78, 126, 156, and 224 also cooperate to provide a pallet-contact area that maximizes load distribution on monolithic pallet 10. As suggested in FIG. 5, floors 50, 78, 126, 156, and 224 are configured so that monolithic pallet 10 may nest with neighboring monolithic pallets 10 and allow forks 20, 22 of fork truck 24 to access fork-receiving aperture of any pallet in stack 24 as shown in FIG. 11. Monolithic pallet 1010, as suggested in FIGS. 14 and 15, is configured to provide a relatively larger pallet-contact area.

Claims

1. A stack of pallets comprising

a first pallet arranged to set on and be supported by ground underlying the first pallet and

a second pallet stacked on the first pallet, the second pallet including a platform and a first lift-unit anchor arranged to extend downwardly away from the platform toward the first pallet,

wherein the first pallet is formed to include a first cavity and the first pallet includes

a top wall arranged to face toward an underside of the second pallet, the top wall is formed to include a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first cavity to admit the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet therein,

an exterior side wall arranged to extend around the top wall of the first pallet, the exterior side wall is formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first cavity to admit a first fork included in a fork truck, and

a first partition arranged to divide the first cavity into a first upper chamber communicating with the first anchor-receiving aperture and a first lower chamber communicating with the first fork-receiving aperture, the first upper chamber is configured to receive the first lift unit anchor of the second pallet therein, the first lower chamber is configured to receive the first fork of the fork truck therein, and the first partition is configured to provide means for separating the upper and lower chambers to cause the first fork of the fork truck to be received into the first lower chamber when the first fork extends through the first fork-receiving aperture without contacting the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet located in the first upper chamber.

2. The stack of claim 1, wherein the platform of the second pallet includes an inner deck and an outer frame coupled to the inner deck to extend around the inner deck and the inner deck and the outer frame cooperate to establish a support surface arranged to face upwardly away from the first pallet and adapted to support goods thereon.

3. The stack of claim 2, wherein the outer frame of the second pallet includes first, second, third, and fourth corners spaced-apart from one another so as to define four sides of the second pallet and a first lift-unit register positioned to lie between and arranged to interconnect the first second corners.

4. The stack of claim 3, wherein the first lift-unit anchor is coupled to the first lift-unit register and arranged to extend downwardly away from the first lift-unit anchor toward the first pallet through the first anchor-receiving aperture and into the first upper chamber.

5. The stack of claim 1, wherein the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet includes an anchor-perimeter wall and a floor coupled to the anchor-perimeter wall and positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation below the platform, the floor is arranged to lie in the first upper chamber of the first pallet and is arranged to mate with the first partition of the first pallet to cause the second pallet to be supported by the first pallet there below.

6. The stack of claim 5, wherein the anchor-perimeter wall is arranged to extend upwardly away from the floor of the second pallet and the anchor-perimeter wall includes an outer wall formed to include the first fork-receiving aperture, an inner wall positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to the outer wall and formed to include a second fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first lower chamber to allow the first fork to extend through, in series, the first fork-receiving aperture, the first lower chamber, and the second fork-receiving aperture, a first side wall arranged to interconnect the inner and outer walls, and a second side wall positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first side wall and arranged to interconnect the inner and outer walls.

7. The stack of claim 6, wherein the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet further includes a support tab appended to the first side wall and arranged to extend away from the first side wall toward the second side wall while laying in the upper chamber of the first pallet.

8. The stack of claim 1, further comprising a third pallet stacked on the second pallet to cause the second pallet to be located between the third pallet and the first pallet, the second pallet is formed to include a first cavity, the second pallet includes a first partition arranged to extend into the first cavity to cause the first cavity to be divided into a first upper chamber and a first lower chamber, the platform of the second pallet is formed to include a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first upper chamber to admit a first lift unit anchor of the third pallet therein, the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet is formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first lower chamber to admit the first fork of the fork truck, and the first partition is configured to provide means for separating the upper and lower chambers to cause the first fork of the fork truck to be received into the first lower chamber of the second pallet when the first fork extends through the first fork-receiving aperture of the second pallet without contacting the first lift-unit anchor of the third pallet and the top wall of the first pallet.

9. The stack of claim 8, wherein the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet includes an anchor-perimeter wall, a floor coupled to the anchor-perimeter wall and positioned to lie in the first upper chamber of the first pallet when the second pallet is stacked on the first pallet, and a support tab coupled the floor and to the anchor-perimeter wall to extend upwardly into the first lower chamber formed in the second pallet.

10. The stack of claim 9, wherein the first lift-unit anchor of the third pallet includes an anchor-perimeter wall and a floor coupled to the anchor-perimeter wall and the floor is positioned to lie in the first upper chamber of the second pallet.

11. The stack of claim 10, wherein the first partition of the second pallet is formed in response to mating the support tab included in the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet with the floor included in the first lift-unit anchor of the third pallet.

12. The stack of claim 1, wherein the first pallet includes, in series, a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side, and the first, second, third, and fourth sides cooperate to establish an exterior wall of the second pallet and has a rectangular shape.

13. The stack of claim 12, wherein the first side of the first pallet includes a first corner, a second corner positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first corner, and an outer section arranged to lie between and to interconnect the first and the second corners, and the first cavity, the first anchor-receiving aperture, and the first fork-receiving aperture are formed in the outer section between the first and the second corners.

14. The stack of claim 13, wherein the outer section is formed to include a second cavity spaced-apart from the first cavity of the first pallet and arranged to lie between the first cavity of the first pallet and the second corner.

15. The stack of claim 14, wherein the outer section is formed to include a second anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the second cavity to admit a second lift-unit anchor included in the second pallet and a second fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the second cavity to admit a second fork included in the fork truck.

16. The stack of claim 15, wherein the first pallet further includes a second partition arranged to divide the second cavity into a second upper chamber communicating with the second anchor-receiving aperture and a second lower chamber communicating with the second fork-receiving aperture and the second partition is configured to provide means for separating the upper and lower chambers of the second cavity to cause the second fork of the fork truck to be received into the second lower chamber when the second fork extends through the second fork-receiving aperture without contacting the second lift-unit anchor of the second pallet located in the second upper chamber.

17. The stack of claim 1, wherein the first pallet and the second pallet are each monolithic.

18. A stack of pallets comprising

a first pallet including an inner deck, a first lift-unit register coupled to the inner deck and formed to include a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into a first upper chamber formed in the first lift-unit register, and a first lift-unit anchor coupled to the first lift-unit register to extend downwardly between the first lift-unit register and ground underlying the first pallet, the first lift-unit anchor is formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into a first lower chamber formed in the first lift-unit anchor,

a second pallet stacked on the first pallet, and

a third pallet stacked on the second pallet to locate the second pallet between the first and the third pallets,

wherein the second pallet includes

an inner deck adapted to support goods thereon for transport and storage,

an outer frame appended to the inner deck and arranged to extend around the inner deck, and

a first lift-unit anchor coupled to the outer frame to extend downwardly from the outer frame toward the first lift-unit register of the first pallet, the first lift-unit anchor is arranged to extend through the first anchor-receiving aperture to mate with the first lift-unit register of the first pallet to cause unintended movement of the second pallet relative to the first pallet to be minimized and formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into a first lower chamber formed in the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet, and the first lower chamber of the second pallet lies in the first upper chamber of the first pallet.

19. The stack of claim 18, wherein the inner deck of the second pallet and the outer frame of the second pallet cooperate to establish a top wall arranged to face toward an underside of the third pallet.

20. The stack of claim 19, wherein the second pallet further includes an inner lift-unit anchor positioned to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet below the inner deck of the second pallet, the inner lift-unit anchor is coupled to the inner deck of the second pallet to extend downwardly away from the inner deck of the second pallet toward the inner deck of the first pallet to cause the inner deck of the second pallet to be supported by the inner deck of the first pallet.

21. The stack of claim 20, wherein the inner lift-unit anchor of the second pallet is formed to include a first inner cavity and a first inner fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first inner cavity to cause a first fork included in a fork truck to be admitted into the first inner cavity after passing through the first fork-receiving aperture and first lower chamber of the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet.

22. The stack of claim 21, wherein the first inner fork-receiving aperture and the first fork-receiving aperture are arranged to lie in collinear relation to one another to cause a fork-travel passageway to be established.

23. The stack of claim 18, wherein the first pallet, the second pallet, and the third pallet are each monolithic.

24. A stack of pallets comprising

a first pallet formed to include a cavity, the first pallet including a platform formed to include a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the first cavity and a first lift-unit anchor coupled to the platform and arranged to extend downwardly between the platform and ground underlying the first pallet to support the platform in spaced-apart relation above the ground,

a second pallet stacked on the first pallet, the second pallet being formed to include a cavity and a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the cavity of the second pallet, and the second pallet including a platform and a first lift-unit anchor arranged to extend downwardly away from the platform of the second pallet through the first anchor-receiving aperture of the first pallet, and

a third pallet stacked on the second pallet, the third pallet being formed to include a cavity and a first anchor-receiving aperture arranged to open into the cavity of the third pallet, and the third pallet including a platform and a first lift-unit anchor arranged to extend downwardly away from the platform of the third pallet through the first anchor-receiving aperture of the second pallet,

wherein the first lift-unit anchor of the second pallet includes an anchor-perimeter wall formed to include a first fork-receiving aperture arranged to open into the cavity of the second pallet, a floor coupled to the anchor-perimeter wall in spaced-apart relation to the platform of the second pallet, the anchor-perimeter wall is arranged to extend between and interconnect the floor and the platform of the second pallet, and a first partition configured to provide means for separating the first cavity of the second pallet into a first upper chamber configured to communicate with the first anchor-receiving aperture formed in the platform of the second pallet so that the first lift-unit anchor of the third pallet is positioned to lie in the first upper chamber of the second pallet and a first lower chamber configured to communicate with the first fork-receiving aperture formed in the anchor-perimeter wall so that a first fork of a fork truck is received through the first fork-receiving aperture into the first lower chamber when the first fork extends through the first fork-receiving aperture without contacting the first lift-unit anchor of the third pallet and the platform of the first pallet.