Metal pallet

Abstract

A pallet includes a metal base connected to a metal platform. The base includes a plurality of upwardly extending integral base legs formed from a metal material of the base. The platform is vertically spaced from the metal base and includes a plurality of downwardly extending integral platform legs, formed from a metal material of the platform. The platform legs align with and connect to corresponding base legs.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/504,556, filed Sep. 19, 2003, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The present invention relates to pallets for supporting freight, goods or other materials. More particularly, the invention relates to a pallet made of metal having integral legs. The invention, however, is also amenable to other applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventionally, pallets have been made from wood. Wood pallets are heavy and subject to warpage, splintering and splitting. Furthermore, wood pallets are not fire proof. To overcome the disadvantages found in wood pallets, pallets have been also made from plastic. Plastic pallets require a large amount of resin to be made such that they are of sufficient strength to support freight and goods. Furthermore, plastic pallets are also not fireproof.

Metal pallets have been made to overcome the shortcomings of wood and plastic pallets. Known metal pallets are manufactured as welded metal sections or metal pipe constructions or of deep-drawn components and metal sections. Typically, the welded metal constructions have a very high weight and are difficult and complicated to manufacture. Known metal pallets having deep-drawn legs are manufactured where the deep-drawn leg is substantially equal to the height of the pallet. Such a construction is difficult to manufacture, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,718 where three separate draws are required to form the deep-drawn legs so that they have a sufficient height to allow the forks of a conventional fork lift to enter underneath the top panel of the pallet.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a metal pallet that overcomes the disadvantages of both wood and plastic pallets. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a metal pallet which does not require separate and complicated draw operations to form the legs of the pallet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A pallet, according to an embodiment of the invention, includes a metal base connected to a metal platform. The base includes a plurality of upwardly extending integral base legs formed from a metal material of the base. The platform is vertically spaced from the metal base and includes a plurality of downwardly extending integral platform legs, formed from a metal material of the platform. The platform legs align with and connect to corresponding base legs.

A method for manufacturing a metal pallet includes the following steps: providing a first metal sheet to form a base; forming a plurality of base legs out of a material of the base; providing a second metal sheet to form a platform; forming a plurality of platform legs out of a material of the platform; and connecting the base to the platform by attaching a base leg to a corresponding platform leg.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a metal pallet, for use with a forklift, includes a metal lower deck and a metal upper deck. The metal lower deck includes a plurality of spaced first supports integrally formed with and extending upwardly out of a plane of the lower deck. The upper deck includes a plurality of spaced second supports integrally formed with and extending downwardly out of a plane of the upper deck. The second supports define depressions in the upper deck at each second support. The first supports connect to the second supports to define fork receiving regions beneath the upper deck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a pallet and a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a platform of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom plan view of an opening in the platform of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the platform of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a base of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-section of the base of FIG. 6 taken at Line 7-7;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the base of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a pallet according to another embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A metal pallet 10 generally includes a platform 12 that attaches to a base 14. The platform 12 can also be referred to as a top panel or upper deck and the base 14 can also be referred to as a bottom panel or lower deck. The platform 12 and the base 14 can be rectangular in configuration, similar to the configuration of the conventional pallet. Without departing from the scope of the invention, however, the upper deck and lower deck can also have another suitable geometric configuration such as square, round, trapezoidal or oval. Each panel can be made from a suitable conventional metal. In a preferred embodiment, the metal can comprise galvanized steel.

As seen in FIG. 1, the platform 12 is vertically spaced from the base 14 to allow forks from a conventional forklift (not shown) to be inserted between the platform 12 and the base 14. As more clearly seen in FIG. 2, four corner legs or supports 16 are integral with and depend downwardly from a support surface 18 (FIG. 1). The support surface 18 generally is the surface of the platform 12 upon which cargo and other freight will be supported by the pallet 10. Four medial side legs or supports 22 also extend downwardly from the support surface 18. The medial side legs 22 are aligned along the periphery of the platform 12 centered between respective sets of corner legs 16. A centrally located leg or support 24 also extends downwardly away from the support surface 18. Spacing between the legs can range from about 11″ to about 15″ and the spacing can be different at different locations.

As more clearly seen in FIG. 1, the legs in this embodiment are formed by depressing the metal platform 12 such that depressions are formed that define the legs. The platform 12 includes four corner depressions 26 that correspond to the four corner legs 16. Four medial depressions 28 correspond to the medial legs 22 and one central depression 32 corresponds to the central leg 24.

The shape of the depression, and therefore the shape of the leg, is dependent upon the position of the depression on the platform. As more clearly seen in FIG. 3, each corner depression 26 has a somewhat one-quarter circle shape. Two sides of each corner depression 26 are substantially parallel to a corresponding peripheral side of the platform 12 and substantially perpendicular to one another. A rounded corner joins adjacent ends of the perpendicular sides an arc-shaped portion joins distal ends of the sides. The medial depressions 28 each have a somewhat D-shaped configuration. Each medial depression 28 includes a side that is substantially parallel to a corresponding peripheral edge of the platform 12 and an arc-shaped portion that connects to each end of the side of the medial depression. The central depression 32 has a substantially circular configuration. Of course, the depressions can take other suitable shapes as may be desired.

When forming the depressions, in one preferred embodiment, the depressions are created by way a deep-draw stamping process. Such a process is known to one skilled in the art and therefore need not be described with particularity. As more clearly seen in FIG. 5, the corner legs 16 are drawn and/or stamped forming a substantially vertical side wall 34, as oriented when the pallet is in its normally used orientation not that of FIG. 5, and a substantially horizontal base wall 36. Likewise, the medial depressions 22 include a substantially vertical side wall 38 and a substantially horizontal base wall 42. Similarly, the central depression 32 also includes a substantially vertical side wall and a substantially horizontal base wall, even though these are not visible in the Figures. The horizontal base walls 36 and 42 facilitate attachment of the platform 12 to the legs of the base 14, which will be described in more detail below.

Since the legs or supports of the platform 12 are created by forming depressions in the platform, weep holes 44 are provided at the bottom of each depression so that any liquid that may collect in the corresponding depression can drain through the weep hole. Similarly, weep holes can also be provided in the support surface 18 or elsewhere on the platform 12 to allow any liquid that accumulates on the support surface to drain through the surface.

The platform 12 can also include corrugations formed in the support surface 18. The corrugations 48, in this embodiment, run diagonally across the platform 12 to provide stiffness to the support surface 18. The corrugations can have a depth of about ½ of an inch and a width of about ½ of an inch and be formed to depend downwardly from the support surface 18. Alternatively, the corrugations could protrude upwardly from the support surface. In addition to the corrugations 48, upwardly extending dimples 50 can be formed in the platform 12. The dimples 50 can inhibit and/or minimize the shifting of items placed on the platform 12. The dimples can also serve to space a bottom surface of a package or other objects supported by the pallet 10 from the support surface 18. This may be advantageous if there is any liquid on the support surface 18, for example, rain, to prevent the bottom surface of the item from getting wet. In other words, the dimples may prove useful to prevent skidding of an item supported on the platform 12 or a worker's shoe as he walks across the pallet.

The platform 12 of the pallet also includes a plurality of hand hold openings 52. The openings 52 can be substantially elliptical in shape and can have a height that is approximately four inches and a width that is approximately two inches. The opening 52 can serve as a grip area for a worker's hand for safe efficient handling of the platform 12 as well as the entire pallet 10. As more clearly seen in FIG. 4, longitudinal rolled sections 54 can be located on an underside of the support surface 18 at the longitudinal edges of the hand openings 52. Similarly, lateral rolled sections 56 are also located adjacent lateral edges of the hand openings 52. The rolled edges 54, 56 are provided for safer handling of the platform 12 and the pallet 10. Similarly, the outer exposed edges of the platform 12 can also include rolled edges 58 that are similar to the rolled edges 54, 56 described with reference to FIG. 4. Accordingly, the exposed edges of the platform 14 can be rolled.

With reference back to FIG. 1, the base 14 also includes a plurality of corner legs or supports 76 that attach to the corner legs 16 of the platform 12. Similar to the corner legs 16 of the platform 12, the corner legs 76 of the base 14 extend upwardly from a base surface 78, which can be described as the surface of the base that rests on a surface, e.g., ground or floor, that supports the pallet 10. The base 14 also includes a plurality of medial legs or supports 82 that attach to the medial legs 22 of the platform. Also, the base 14 includes a central leg or support 84 (FIG. 2) that attaches to the central leg 24 of the platform 12. The legs 16, 22 and 24 of the platform 12 can attach to the legs 76, 82 and 84 of the base 14 via spot-welding, conventional fasteners or any other conventional manner. The space between the joined legs defines fork receiving regions for a conventional fork lift.

The legs of the base 14 are formed in a similar manner as the legs of the platform 12. The corner legs 76 are formed by a plurality of corner depressions 86 (FIG. 2). Similarly, medial depressions 88 and a central depression 92 form the medial legs 82 and the central leg 84 respectively. The depressions 86, 88 and 92 that form the lower legs can be similarly shaped to the corresponding depressions 26, 28 and 32 that form the upper legs. With reference to FIG. 8, upon forming the corner depressions 86 a vertical side wall 94 is formed extending from the base surface 78 to define a side wall of the corner leg 76. Also, a horizontal end wall 96 is formed when making the corner depression 86 to form the corner leg 76. Each horizontal end wall 96 of each corner leg 76 attaches to a corresponding horizontal end wall 36 for a corresponding corner leg 16 of the platform 12. The corresponding horizontal end walls 96 and 36 provide a large area over which force can be transferred from the platform 12 into the base 14. Also, the horizontal end walls 36 and 96 provide a large area for attaching the legs or supports to each other.

With continued reference to FIG. 8, medial depressions 88 also form vertical side walls 98 and a horizontal end wall 102. Each horizontal base wall 102 of each medial leg 82 attaches to a corresponding horizontal base wall 42 for a medial leg 22 of the platform 12. Similarly, the central depression 92 forms a vertical side wall and a horizontal end wall that is not visible in the attached drawings.

Each depression 86, 88 and 92 includes a weep hole 104 that corresponds to and can align with the weep hole 44 in each depression 26, 28 and 32 of the platform 12 to allow any liquid that collects in the upper depressions to drain.

By forming the legs 16, 22 and 24 of the platform 12 and the legs 76, 82 and 84 of the base 14 and then attaching the legs of the platform to the legs of the base, complicated deep draw operations, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,718, can be avoided. This is the case because the legs of the base need only be one-half the height of the pallet (a standard pallet being about 5″-6″ in height) where the legs of the platform are one-half the height of the pallet. One or several deep draw stamping operation(s) need not be made for the entire height of the pallet, or even a majority thereof. Rather, only two relatively shallower drawing operations are needed, one for the platform and one for the base. This significantly simplifies the manufacture of the pallet according to the present invention, in relation to conventional metal pallets. As a result, the cost of manufacture is also decreased. In alternative embodiments, the height of the legs of the platform can equal a dimension d, and the height of the legs of the base can equal a dimension d₂ and d₁+d₂ can equal between 5″-6″. In one particular embodiment, d₁+d₂=5.6″ and d₁=d₂; however, many other alternatives are contemplated.

The legs 16, 22 and 24 of the platform 12 have been described as attaching to corresponding legs 76, 82 and 84 of the base; however, each platform leg need not attach to a base leg and vice versa. In some embodiments of the invention, it may be desirable to attach only a few platform legs to a few base legs while leaving other legs unattached. In other alternative embodiments of the invention, more platform legs can be provided than base legs and vice versa. As indicated above, numerous configurations are available without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, while a base and a platform of the same general size have been described, it is conceivable that two platforms could be attached to a single, larger base in a side-by-side manner if desired. Alternatively, two bases could be attached to a single, larger in size, platform, if so desired.

The base 14 has a cruciform configuration in that the base includes four large openings 106 that are centrally located within each quadrant of the base 14. These openings reduce the amount of material used to make the base 14 as well as the overall weight of the pallet 10. The large openings 106 also allow wheels located on the forks of a typical hand lift truck to drop to the floor after entering the pallet. In one embodiment, the openings 106 can have a combined area of about one-third the total area of the base 14, thus reducing the overall weight of the pallet and the amount of material required to produce the pallet. With reference to FIG. 7, rolled sections 108 are situated on the lateral sides of each opening 106 and are similar to the rolled sections 54 and 56 of the platform 12.

The base also includes corrugations 112 in the embodiment depicted. The corrugation patterns are ladder-shaped in that two longitudinal members 114 extend between adjacent base legs while a plurality of rung members 116 interconnect the two longitudinal members. The ladder-shaped design accommodates standard 2″ spaced skate wheel rollers. For example, in the embodiment depicted in the figures, the ring members 116 of the ladder configuration can be spaced approximately 2″ apart from one another. Of course, other known corrugation patterns can also be employed.

Referring back to FIG. 1, cover plates 120 can be provided to cover the depressions 26, 28 and 32 formed by the top legs 16, 22 and 24. These cover plates can be fastened to the top plate via spot welding, or in other conventional ways. A shallow recess 122 is formed in the support surface 18 around each larger depression 26, 28 and 32 to receive the cover plates 120. In the depicted embodiment, these shallow depressions 122 each have the same configuration, irrespective of whether the shallow recess surrounds a corner depression 26, a medial depression 28, or a central depression 32. This allows one design for a cover plate 120 to fit over different shaped depressions. In this particular embodiment, the shallow recess 122 has a substantially square-shaped configuration having rounded corners. Of course, other known designs could be used as well. The recess 122 has a depth that is substantially equal to the thickness of the plate 120 that it will receive so that the cover plate 120 is flush with the support surface 18.

In an alternative embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, like components will be represented by like numerals having a primed (′) suffix and new components will be referred to with new numerals. A plate 130 covers a plurality of depressions that define the legs. In this embodiment, the recess (not visible in FIG. 9) that receives the plate 130 has a similar configuration to the plate and also has a depth that is substantially equal to the plate so that the plate sits substantially flush with a support surface 18′ of the platform 12′. The plate 130 can also include alignment protrusions 132 formed to facilitate stacking of the pallets 10′.

In the alternative embodiment depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10, a base 14′ can include a plurality of corrugations 134 that are formed diagonally similar to the corrugations 48 in the platform 12 of the first embodiment. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10, the corrugations 134 formed in the base 14′ can be disposed in an opposite diagonal direction than corrugations 48′ on the platform 12′. Thus, the top corrugations 48′ can be oriented substantially perpendicular to the bottom corrugations 132.

A pallet according to the present invention is advantageous from the standpoint of being fireproof because it is all metal, easily cleaned, reusable, and thus environmentally friendly (unlike wooden pallets). The pallet is also fully rackable and can be stackable by defining suitable locators in the in the platform 12. Because the pallet is made of metal, it does not absorb contaminants. It can also be permanently stamped for identification with a company's logo or mark.

Since the pallet is made of metal, during manufacture, its size, weight and dimensional tolerance can be very consistent throughout a production run. Moreover, its weight is substantially lower than the weight of a comparable wood pallet. Also, the pallet is compatible with major industries' conveyor systems, including skateboard rollers and pallet staging brakes or dogs. Additionally, the pallet allows for entry of a fork lift at all four sides of the pallet.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other constructions without departing from such principles. Rather, it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations as come within the scope of the appended claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising:

a metal base defining a base surface including a plurality of upwardly extending integral base legs formed from a metal material of the base; and

a metal platform defining a support surface vertically spaced from the base surface, the metal platform including a plurality of downwardly extending integral platform legs formed from a metal material of the platform and aligned with and connected to corresponding base legs.

2. The pallet of claim 1, further comprising a weld joint between each base leg and a-corresponding platform leg.

3. The pallet of claim 1, wherein each base leg includes an end surface that abuts a corresponding end surface of a platform leg.

4. The pallet of claim 3, wherein the end surface of each base leg is welded to the end surface of each platform leg.

5. The pallet of claim 3, wherein the end surface of each platform leg includes a weep hole formed therein.

6. The pallet of claim 1, wherein a height of each base leg is approximately equal to a height of each platform leg.

7. The pallet of claim 1, wherein a height of at least one of the base legs added to a height of a corresponding platform leg is equal to about 5.6 inches.

8. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the metal platform includes a plurality of depressions formed by and corresponding to the platform legs, the pallet further comprising a plate connected to the platform for covering at least one of the depressions.

9. The pallet of claim 8, wherein the plate covers more than one depression.

10. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the connected base legs and the platform legs are laterally spaced from one another such that a conventional forklift can enter a space defined between the connected base legs and platform legs from at least two adjacent sides of the pallet.

11. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the platform includes a plurality of openings dimensioned to receive a person's hand.

12. The pallet of claim 11, wherein the platform includes a rolled edge adjacent each opening.

13. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the base includes a plurality of corrugations formed in the base.

14. A method of manufacturing a metal pallet comprising:

forming a metal base having a first surface;

forming a plurality of base legs out of material of the base, wherein the base legs extend upwardly from the first surface;

forming a metal platform having a second surface;

forming a plurality of platform legs out of material of the platform, wherein the platform legs extend downwardly from the second surface; and

connecting the base to the platform by attaching a base leg to a corresponding platform leg.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of forming the base legs further comprises forming a plurality of depressions in the base.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of forming the platform legs further comprises forming a plurality of depressions in the platform.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of attaching at least one plate to the platform to cover at least one of the plurality of depressions in the platform.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of forming a shallow recess in the platform dimensioned to receive the plate.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of forming a plurality of base legs comprises deep draw stamping depressions to form the base legs.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of forming rolled edges on exposed edges of the base and the platform.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing hand openings in the platform.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of forming a corrugation pattern in the base.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of forming platform legs further comprises forming the platform legs having a depth d1, where d1 is less than a distance that the base is spaced from the platform when a base leg is attached to a corresponding platform leg.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of forming base legs further comprises forming the base legs having a depth d2, wherein d2+d1 equals about 5.6 inches.

25. A metal pallet, for use with a fork lift, comprising:

a metal lower deck comprising a plurality of spaced first supports integrally formed with and extending upwardly out of a plane of said lower deck;

a metal upper deck comprising a plurality of spaced second supports integrally formed with and extending downwardly out of a plane of said upper deck, defining depressions in said upper deck at each second support;

wherein said first supports are connected to said second supports to define therebetween fork receiving regions beneath said upper deck.

26. The pallet of claim 25 wherein each of said first and second supports is hollow and includes a side wall and an end wall.

27. The pallet of claim 25 wherein each first support is connected to a respective second support by a weld joint.

28. The pallet of claim 25 wherein the pallet is generally rectangular with nine supports between said upper and lower decks, one support being located at each corner of the pallet, a central support and one support being located medially of each side of the pallet, the supports defining two fork receiving regions for forks entering from each side of the pallet.

29. The pallet of claim 25 wherein said lower deck comprises:

a perimeter;

a cruciform central region; and

four apertures defined between said central region and said perimeter.

30. The pallet of claim 25 wherein said upper deck comprises a set of first corrugations for stiffening said upper deck.

31. The pallet of claim 30 wherein said lower deck comprises a set of second corrugations for stiffening said lower deck.

32. The pallet of claim 31 wherein said first corrugations are different from said second corrugations.

33. The pallet of claim 25 wherein each of said first and second supports has a height of about 2.4 inches.

34. The pallet of claim 33 wherein a spacing between adjacent first and second supports that are connected to one another is approximately 12 inches.

35. The pallet of claim 25 further comprising a hand hold opening located in said upper deck.

36. The pallet of claim 25 further comprising dimples formed in said upper deck.