Abstract: A divider for use in handling quantities of yarn spools arranged in layers. The divider includes a main body generally planar polygonal portion and a skirt portion extending around the periphery of the main body portion and formed into a series of circumferentially spaced, arcuate, inwardly opening scallops with each scallop having a curvature substantially matching the curvature of the yarn spools so that, with a layer of spools positioned on the main body portion and the skirt upstanding from the main body portion, each scallop may compliantly engage the outer periphery of an individual outer spool of the spool layer. Each scallop is connected to the main body portion by a strap extending from the main body portion to the scallop and the scallops are connected together to form a continuous circumferential band.

Abstract: A container including a rigid plastic pallet and a tubular sleeve positioned in upstanding fashion on the pallet to form the container. The pallet includes a platform portion adapted to receive a lower edge of the tubular sleeve and a plurality of peripherally spaced hollow legs downstanding from the platform portion and each including a bottom wall. The bottom wall of each leg has an outboard upper level portion and an inboard lower level portion. The upper level portion of each leg has an upper face sized to receive a seat section of the lower edge of the upstanding sleeve and a lower face sized to seat a section of an upper edge of the tubular sleeve of a lower container in a stack of containers. The inboard lower level portions are sized to fit within the upper edge of the lower container sleeve to maintain successive sleeves in a stack of containers in alignment and insure that compressive loading in the sleeves in transferred downwardly to the support surface for the stack.

Abstract: A plastic reinforcing clip for use with a container of the type including a corrugated sleeve adapted to be removably attached to a plastic pallet or base member by the use of sliding latch members coacting with circular apertures in the lower peripheral edge portion of the sleeve. The reinforcing clip structure is formed of a single piece of molded plastic material and includes an outer annular planar portion, an inner annular planar portion, an outer cup-shaped liner portion, an inner cup-shaped liner portion, and a central hinge portion. In use, the central hinge portion is positioned under and along the lower edge of the sleeve beneath an aperture in the sleeve and the inner and outer planar portions are swung upwardly about live hinges provided between the hinge portion and the inner and outer planar portions. As the inner and outer planar portions are swung upwardly and inwardly, the cup-shaped liner portions enter the slot from the inner and outer faces of the sleeve.

Abstract: A divider for use in handling quantities of yarn spools arranged in layers. The divider includes a main body generally planar polygonal portion and a skirt portion extending around the periphery of the main body portion and formed into a series of circumferentially spaced, arcuate, inwardly opening scallops with each scallop having a curvature substantially matching the curvature of the yarn spools so that, with a layer of spools positioned on the main body portion and the skirt upstanding from the main body portion, each scallop may compliantly engage the outer periphery of an individual outer spool of the spool layer. Each scallop is connected to the main body portion by a strap extending from the main body portion to the scallop and the scallops are connected together to form a continuous circumferential band.

Abstract: A container including a rigid plastic pallet having a platform portion defining a central discharge port, a tubular cardboard sleeve supported at a lower edge thereof on the pallet, and a flexible plastic liner positioned within the sleeve. The liner includes an upper portion of uniform cross-sectional configuration conforming to the cross-sectional configuration of the sleeve and a lower portion of downwardly and inwardly tapering configuration terminating in a bottom liner opening positioned proximate the pallet discharge port.

Abstract: A container including a rigid plastic pallet and a tubular sleeve positioned in upstanding fashion on the pallet to form the container. The pallet includes a platform portion adapted to receive a lower edge of the tubular sleeve and a plurality of peripherally spaced hollow legs downstanding from the platform portion and each including a bottom wall. The bottom wall of each leg has an outboard upper level portion and an inboard lower level portion. The upper level portion of each leg has an upper face sized to receive a seat section of the lower edge of the upstanding sleeve and a lower face sized to seat a section of an upper edge of the tubular sleeve of a lower container in a stack of containers. The inboard lower level portions are sized to fit within the upper edge of the lower container sleeve to maintain successive sleeves in a stack of containers in alignment and insure that compressive loading in the sleeves in transferred downwardly to the support surface for the stack.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for handling mass produced articles utilizing a rack including a base structure and spaced left and right leaf assemblies. Each leaf assembly includes a plurality of leaf sections positioned in serial relation along the base between the base ends with each leaf section hinged at a lower edge thereof to the base along a lateral hinge axis in generally parallel spaced relation to the hinge axes of adjacent leaf sections. The left and right leaf assemblies are spaced laterally to define a central corridor therebetween extending between the base ends to allow movement of a worker carrying an article down the corridor. The spaced left and right leaf assemblies define a plurality of leaf sets with each set including a leaf section from the left leaf assembly and a corresponding, aligned leaf section from the right leaf assembly.

Abstract: A first mold is provided having a first molding surface including a flat primary surface area, a plurality of spaced leg areas within the primary surface area, and a plurality of pin holes in the primary surface area positioned between the leg areas; and a second mold is provided having a second molding surface including a flat primary surface area, a plurality of leg areas in the primary surface area corresponding to the leg areas in the primary surface area of the first molding surface, and a plurality of spaced knitting surfaces relieved from the general plain of the primary surface area, positioned between the leg areas, and corresponding to respective pin holes in the primary surface area of the first molding surface. A first plastic sheet is thermoformed to the first molding surface to conform the first plastic sheet to the primary surface area and the leg areas of the first molding surface and position the sheet in overlying relation to the pin holes.

Abstract: A twin sheet pallet including an upper sheet thermoformed to define a planar main body portion and a plurality of legs extending downwardly from the main body portion, and a lower sheet thermoformed to define a planar main body portion and a plurality of legs extending downwardly from the lower sheet main body portion. The upper sheet is positioned in overlying relation to the lower sheet with each upper sheet leg nestingly received in and fused to a respective lower sheet leg and the upper sheet main body portion spaced above the lower sheet main body portion to define a twin sheet platform structure. The lower sheet further includes a tower structure extending upwardly from the lower sheet main body portion in surrounding relation to each upper sheet leg.

Abstract: A pair of plastic sheets is loaded directly into a pair of clamping frames. The sheets are then moved in the clamping frames into an oven where the sheets are heated, whereafter the sheets are transferred to a hot forming station where the sheets are formed into a pallet. This pallet is then transferred to a cold forming station where further processing of the pallet takes place, and then to an unloading station where the finished pallet is removed and a new set of plastic sheets is loaded into the clamping frames. At the hot forming station the sheets are delivered in side by side relation with one sheet overlying a female mold and the other sheet underlying a male mold, the sheets are molded respectively and simultaneously to the male and female molds, the female mold is shifted laterally to a position underlying the male mold, and the molds are brought together to fuse selected portions of the sheets together to form the twin sheet pallet.

Abstract: A plastic pallet comprising a generally planar platform structure defining an upper face, providing an article support surface, and an underface; a generally planar base structure defining a lower pallet support face and an upper face; and a plurality of hollow legs of closed box configuration positioned between the platform and base structures and each including an upper wall structure fused to the underface of the platform structure and a lower wall structure fused to the upper face of the base structure. The platform structure and base structure are each of twin sheet configuration and each includes an upper sheet and a lower sheet selectively fused together to form the respective structure. Pockets are provided in the lower sheet of the platform structure to receive the upper ends of the box legs and pockets are provided in the upper sheet of the base structure to receive the lower ends of the box legs.

Abstract: A plastic pallet and a method of shrink-wrapping an article onto the platform structure of the pallet. The pallet includes a plurality of legs and a planar platform structure supported by the legs and formed of upper and lower thermoformed sheets of plastic selectively fused together. The upper and lower sheets are maintained in vertically spaced parallel relation in a central portion of the platform structure and peripheral edges of the upper and lower sheets are fused together to define a downwardly extending peripheral lip defining a downwardly opening groove extending around the periphery of the platform structure outboard of the legs. The peripheral lip improves the stiffness and the side impact resistance of the platform structure and the groove facilitates the shrink-wrapping of an article onto the pallet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming twin sheet hollow plastic articles such as plastic pallets. A pair of plastic sheets is delivered directly from an extruder and loaded directly into a pair of clamping frames. The sheets are then moved in the clamping frames into an oven where the sheets are heated, whereafter the sheets are transferred to a hot forming station where the sheets are formed into a pallet. This pallet is then transferred to a cold forming station where further processing of the pallet takes place, and then to an unloading station where the finished pallet is removed and a new set of plastic sheets from the extruder is loaded into the clamping frames.

Abstract: A plastic pallet having an upper platform and a plurality of plastic legs attached to and extending downward from the underside thereof. The plastic legs comprise upper and lower molded plastic sheets. The upper sheet comprises a generally planar top panel and a skirt extending downwardly from the periphery thereof and having a distal edge defining an annular bonding surface. The top panel further has a hollow conical boss extending downwardly therefrom and including an annular sidewall portion and a bottom wall portion at the lower end thereof. The lower sheet is identical to the upper sheet but is rotated to an inverted position such that a skirt and hollow boss extend upwardly from a lower panel, the distal edge of the skirt defining an annular bonding surface and the hollow boss having an annular side wall portion and a top wall portion at the upper end thereof.

Abstract: A panel structure including four plastic sheets arranged in layered relationship and including an upper sheet, a lower sheet, an upper intermediate sheet positioned beneath the upper sheet, and a lower intermediate sheet positioned between the upper intermediate sheet and the lower sheet. The upper intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced downwardly extending bosses opening in the upper face of the upper intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and a lower end. The lower intermediate sheet includes a planar main body portion and a plurality of spaced upwardly extending bosses opening in the lower face of the lower intermediate sheet and each including an annular side wall and an upper end.

Abstract: A method of utilizing a male mold and a complementary female mold to thermoform first and second plastic sheets and thereafter fuse the sheets together to form a twin sheet plastic article.

Abstract: A plastic pallet including an upper plastic platform structure defining a load receiving surface and a lower plastic base structure defining the pallet support surface. The platform structure and the base structure are interconnected by leg or strut structures which coact with the platform structure and the base structure to define tunnels for the entry of material handling equipment. A series of upper beams are provided in the platform structure, a corresponding series of lower beams are provided in the base structure, and the struts interconnecting the platform structure and base structure serve to interconnect a respective upper beam with a respective lower beam so as to form of series of trusses within the pallet and optimize the rigidity of the pallet.

Abstract: A twin sheet plastic panel structure, a twin sheet plastic pallet utilizing the panel structure, and a methodology for forming the panel structure and pallet. The panel structure is formed by thermoforming an upper plastic sheet to include rows of hollow bosses extending downwardly from the main body of the sheet; thermoforming a lower plastic sheet to include rows of hollow bosses extending upwardly from the main body portion of the sheet; and bringing the sheets together while still in a heated flowable state to position the bosses of the upper sheet in intermeshing relation to the bosses of the lower sheet so that the annular side wall portions of the upper and lower bosses fuse together, the bottom walls of the upper sheet bosses are fused to the upper surface of the main body portion of the lower sheet, and the upper walls of the lower sheet bosses are fused to the lower surface of the main body portion of the upper sheet to form a series of parallel rigid column structures between the sheets.

Abstract: A twin sheet plastic panel structure, a twin sheet plastic pallet utilizing the panel structure, and a methodology for forming the panel structure and pallet. The panel structure is formed by thermoforming an upper plastic sheet to include rows of hollow bosses extending downwardly from the main body of the sheet; thermoforming a lower plastic sheet to include rows of hollow bosses extending upwardly from the main body portion of the sheet; and bringing the sheets together while still in a heated flowable state to position the bosses of the upper sheet in intermeshing relation to the bosses of the lower sheet so that the annular side wall portions of the upper and lower bosses fuse together, the bottom walls of the upper sheet bosses are fused to the upper surface of the main body portion of the lower sheet, and the upper walls of the lower sheet bosses are fused to the lower surface of the main body portion of the upper sheet to form a series of parallel rigid column structures between the sheets.

Abstract: A reusable plastic base serves as a pallet which may be lifted by the forks of a forklift truck. A sleeve is removably attached to the base and forms the sidewalls of the container. In the preferred embodiment, the sleeve is made of corrugated material having slots formed along its lower edge. The slots are adapted to coact with latch members slidably mounted in the base to releasably secure the pallet to the sleeve. The base is preferably designed with a peripheral groove lying substantially at floor level to receive the edge of the sleeve. Compressive loads applied to the container are transferred to the sleeve directly to the floor, thereby minimizing deformation of peripheral portions of the base.