Loading pallet
A loading pallet does not require a special forklift or a large space, thereby enabling to reduce the commodity distribution cost. The loading pallet is formed of a top plate for loading the product thereon, a bottom plate for supporting the top plate thereon, and a connection unit for connecting the top plate and bottom plate in an attachable/detachable manner. The top plate, bottom plate, and connection unit are preferably made of either steel, corrugated boards, or plastic. The connection unit can extend when inserting a fork of a forklift, without requiring a special forklift, and since the connection unit shrinks when the fork is withdrawn, the loading pallet needs only a small space for storage.
This invention relates to a loading pallet for loading products thereon and transporting the products or changing the locations of the products with use of a forklift.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONLoading pallets for a forklift are widely used today. Typically, such a loading pallet is made of lumber and is formed by assembling the lumber plates in a grid-like manner. These loading pallets have an advantage of easy manufacturing, as well as low manufacturing cost and easy handling. However, since its size is large, a pile of loading pallets have to occupy a large space. Thus, there is a disadvantage of inefficiency in commodity distribution due to high storage cost and transportation cost. Further, in the case of international commodity distribution, there is a problem involving quarantine issues since mold or insect pests tend to be parasitic on such lumber plates.
Therefore, in order to eliminate such drawbacks explained above, a sheet pallet has been proposed as disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-312662. The sheet pallet is a pallet in a sheet form which is made of paper or synthetic resin. The sheet pallet has an advantage of a comparatively low physical distribution cost since it does not occupy a large space, and there are no quarantine issues since there is no damage resulting from mold or insect pests.
However, the sheet pallet requires a special operation for transporting the products such as gripping the tabs and pulling it onto the forklift. Namely, the sheet pallet involves inconveniences since a special forklift having a push-pull apparatus is required. In addition, even if a special forklift is used, there is a disadvantage of requiring special skills of an operator since the operation is complicated. Further, when the product is loaded and unloaded, there is a problem of damaging the surface of the product when inserting the fork.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a loading pallet that is easy to handle without requiring a special forklift.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a loading pallet which does not need a large space, thus enabling to decrease the commodity distribution cost.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a loading pallet which is immune from quarantine issues such as mold and insect parasite.
In order to solve the above problems, the loading pallet in the present invention is comprised of a top plate for loading the product thereon, a bottom plate for supporting the top plate thereon, and a connection unit for connecting the top plate and bottom plate in an attachable/detachable manner. The top plate, bottom plate, and connection unit are preferably made of either steel, corrugated boards, or plastic.
The top plate of the loading pallet is formed by placing a plurality of first plate-like members at a predetermined distance therebetween, and a plurality of second plate-like members perpendicularly placed on the first plate-like members at a predetermined distance therebetween, where they are bonded together in a form of a grid. The bottom plate is formed similar to the top plate, and is preferably placed upside down.
The connection unit is preferably formed of a space retainer attached to the bottom side of the top plate, and a bending elastic member for connecting the space retainer and a top surface of the bottom plate as well as for connecting a bottom surface of the top plate and the top surface of the bottom. Alternatively, the connection unit is preferably formed of a hollow top block attached to the bottom surface of the top plate, a hollow bottom block having a shape identical to that of the top block and is formed on a top surface of the bottom plate, and a connection member for connecting the top block and the bottom block in such a way that the top block and the bottom block can be attached or detached from one another.
Further, the plate-like members formed on the top plate and the bottom plate of the loading pallet are preferably bent to form a hollow square column at each side thereof. Further, the connecting member is preferably a hinge or a pin that allows the top block and the bottom block to attach or detach from one another.
By connecting the top plate and bottom plate so that they can attach or detach from one another, the following effects can be achieved. First, when storing the loading pallet by itself or with products loaded thereon, the connection units remain retracted, which makes the thickness (height) of the loading pallet small, hence occupying a small space, thereby enabling to reduce the commodity distribution cost. Further, when transporting the loading pallet, the space between the top plate and the bottom plate will be enlarged in response to the fork inserted therein, hence allowing easy transportation without having to use a special forklift unlike the case of the sheet pallet.
When the top plate, the bottom plate, and the connection unit are made of steel, the pallet with high durability can be achieved. When forming the loading pallet by corrugated boards or plastic, the weight of the loading pallet can be reduced, thereby achieving the cost reduction. In the case of the corrugated boards, particularly, they can be easily disposed of by burning them, which reduces the burden on the environment.
Further, by forming the top plates and bottom plates in a grid shape, the weight of the loading pallet can be reduced than those constructed from one piece of a plate, while it can achieve a sufficient strength.
Further, when forming the connection unit with the space retainer attached to the bottom side of the top plate and the bending elastic member for connecting the space retainer and the top side of the bottom plate, where either the bottom side of the top plate or the top side of the bottom plate or both can be attached or detached from one another, a sufficient space can be formed between the top plate and bottom plate when inserting the fork due to the existence of the space retainer. Further, by the resilient expansion and contraction of the bending elastic member that goes along with the insertion and withdrawal of the fork, a gentle and smooth approach and retreat between the top plate and bottom plate can be achieved without applying any damage to the loaded product.
Further, by constructing the connection unit with a hollow block, a sufficient space can be established between the top plate and the bottom plate when inserting the fork, and the loading pallet can be light in weight while maintaining the sufficient strength.
By having the plate-like member constructed with hollow square columns on both sides of the flat plate, the strength can be increased in comparison to a simple flat plate, and further, the loading pallet can be light in weight by having the square columns hollowed out.
By using the connecting member as a hinge or a pin and attaching it to the hollow block of the connection, a loading pallet with an easy construction and high durability, as well as able to freely attach and detach from one another can be accomplished.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are enlarged front views showing an example of structure of the connection unit incorporated in the loading pallet shown in
The embodiments of this invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Each of the plate-like members 13, as shown in
The top plate 11, as shown in
The connection unit 14, as shown in
The top block 14a and the bottom block 14b are metal plates folded in the shape of the letter U, and as shown in
When the connection unit 14 is properly spaced and bonded to the plate-like members 13 in the inner side of the top plate 11a and the bottom plate 12, the fork of the forklift can be inserted through any of the four directions of the loading pallet 10. Then, when the fork is inserted, as shown in
As explained above, when the plate-like members 13 formed between the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 12 are properly spaced, the fork of the forklift can be inserted through any of the four directions of the loading pallet 10. Then, as the fork is inserted, the upper block 15a and the lower block 15b are separated from one another in the axial direction of the pin 15c established within the upper and lower blocks 15a and 15b. Therefore, during the transportation by the forklift, the loading pallet 10 can be used while the connection unit 14 is extended, hence a special forklift will not be required. Also, when the fork is removed, the loading pallet 10 shrinks as the upper block 15a and the lower block 15b contact with one another. Thus, the loading pallet 10 needs only a small space when it is not used or when the fork is not inserted.
The connection unit 23 is comprised of a space retainer 23a having a square shape and bonded to a bottom surface of the top plate 21, and a bending elastic member 23b for connecting the bottom of the space retainer 23a and a top surface of the bottom plate 22 as well as for connecting a bottom surface of the top plate 21 and the top surface of the bottom plate 22. The bending elastic member 23b is formed either by bending a corrugated board or plastic board in several locations or by a bending plate spring, and has flexible return characteristics by itself.
When the product is loaded, the bending elastic member 23b of the loading pallet 20 shrinks due to the weight of the product. However, due to the restored elasticity retained in the material of the bending elastic member 23b as well as the thickness of the space retainer 23a, the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22 will not contact with one another. An opening 24 which is large enough for the fork of the forklift can be inserted therethrough is retained as shown in
Then, as shown in
Although only preferred embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing the spirit and intended scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A loading pallet, comprising:
- a top plate for loading a product thereon;
- a bottom plate under the top plate for supporting the top plate; and
- a connection unit for connecting the top plate and the bottom plate in an attachable/detachable manner.
2. A loading pallet as defined in claim 1, wherein the top plate, the bottom plate, and the connection unit are made of either steel, corrugated boards, or plastic.
3. A loading pallet as defined in claim 2, wherein the top plate is formed in a grid by placing a plurality of first plate-like members at a predetermined constant space between one another and a plurality of second plate-like members perpendicularly placed on the first plate-like members with a predetermined constant in between one another, wherein the first and second plate-like members are bonded to one another, and wherein the bottom plate is comprised identically to the top plate and is placed upside down with respect to the top plate.
4. A loading pallet as defined in claim 1, wherein the connection unit is comprised of a space retainer attached to a bottom of the top plate, and a bending elastic member for connecting the space retainer and a top of the bottom plate together where either the bottom of the top plate or the top of the bottom plate or both are connected in an attachable/detachable manner.
5. A loading pallet as defined in claim 1, wherein the connection unit is comprised of a hollow top block attached to a bottom of the, top plate, a bottom block having a structure identical to the top block but is place upside down and attached to a top of the bottom plate, and a connecting member for connecting the top block and the bottom block in an attachable/detachable manner.
6. A loading pallet as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the plate-like members constituting the top plate and the bottom plate is established with a hollow square column on both longitudinal ends of a flat plate.
7. A loading pallet as defined in claim 6, wherein the connecting member is formed of a hinge.
8. A loading pallet as defined in claim 6, wherein the connecting member is formed of a pin, wherein the pin is slidably engaged with the top block and the bottom block that face one another.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 22, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 14, 2006
Inventor: Yuko Shimada (Kochi-shi)
Application Number: 11/386,390
International Classification: B65D 19/00 (20060101);