Pallets having multi-purpose nubs

Abstract

A pallet filled with foam includes foam injection holes selectively positioned at lower base surfaces of the pallet. Nubs extend downwardly from said injection holes to seal the holes. In additional embodiment, said nubs engage recesses at the top of a like pallet, to inhibit shifting of stacked pallets.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/654,767, filed Feb. 18, 2005, entitled “Pallet Having Multi-Purpose Nubs”, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to pallets made of plastic, metals or the like, used for transporting miscellaneous industrial and commercial goods by means of forklift devices and the like.

BACKGROUND

As described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,237, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference, a molded plastic pallet has certain interior portions filled with plastic foam. For example, the columns (also called feet), which support the frame that holds the deck that carries goods, may be filed with foam polyurethane. In one way of constructing the pallet, the foam is injected into cavities of a part previously formed by injection molding of polyethylene or polypropylene. An opening is required to do that, to restore the surface properties and to protect the foam from possible infiltration of foreign substances. Typically, the foam is injected at one end of a cavity, so the foam flows within the cavity in a predictable way, to simultaneously expel air or other gas in the cavity from a vent hole at the other end of the cavity. There is room the art for improvements with regard to sealing pallet foam injection holes.

SUMMARY

The presently disclosed pallet having multi-purpose nubs provides an improved mechanism for foam injected pallet portion, including improved sealing of pallets and improved stabilizing of stacked pallets. In one embodiment, multiple holes that are provided for injection of foam are strategically placed at the bottoms of the columns or feet of the pallet. Nubs are inserted therein to act as a seal and to serve as footrest pads. In additional embodiments, the nubs are configured such that they will engage pockets on the top surface of a like pallet, such that the pallets resist shifting when stacked.

The above-described and other features will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the accompanying FIGURES, which are meant to be exemplary and not limiting:

FIG. 1 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary pallet including a hollow interior portion and a nub extending from a foam injection hole;

FIG. 2 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary pallet including a hollow interior portion having a recess and a nub extending from a foam injection hole provided in the recess; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial cross-section view of stacked exemplary pallets including lower nubs and upper recesses.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE

The presently described nubs are useful with regard to pallets constructed in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,237 to Moore, Jr. et al. or more generally with any molded plastic or metal pallet.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a vertical cross section of an exemplary pallet 20 is illustrated. An exemplary foot column 24 is illustrated as a hollow molded structural plastic or a metal part. Plastic or metal deck 34 is attached to the foot 34. Foam plastic 26 has been injected through molded hole 42. Gas within the hollow has escaped through vent hole 38. For convenience of illustration, vent 38 is shown in the same plane as the fill hole 42. However, the fill hole 42 and the vent 38 may be laterally spaced apart so foam call flow laterally in the hollow. The vent hole 38 is illustrated as being sealed by a flat strip, for example, an anti-skid surfaced strip. A nub 28 is inserted into, and seals, fill hole 42. The bottom of the nub 28 extends beyond the lower surface 30 of foot 24, to serve as a wear and support pad for the foot.

When the nub 28 comprises a compatible plastic, it may be spin-welded in place. Alternately, the nub 28 may be pressed or glued into place. The nub can also be made of a plastic which has an inherent greater toughness and wear resistance than the material of the frame 24, but which for cost or other properties would not be suitable for an entire frame. The nub comprise other materials or may have other shapes than the straight shank with head configuration, such as is illustrated in the FIGURES.

Referring now to FIG. 2, another exemplary embodiment illustrates nub 28 of exemplary pallet 20B positioned within a recess 44 at the bottom of foot 24B, such that the bottom surface of the head of the nub 28 is either flush with the bottom surface 30 of the foot 24B, or at a higher elevation within the recess 44. Thus, the bearing area of the pallet foot is not decreased by the presence of the nub 28 relative to the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1. The top surface of another pallet may also have a complementary shape, e.g., where a gap exists between the bottom surface 30 of the foot 24B and the nub 28, a recess may be provided in the upper surface of a second pallet to accommodate the bottom surfaces 30 of the foot 24B or the head of the nub 28.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary pallet 20A is illustrated as stacked on a like pallet 20A. In this exemplary embodiment, the bottoms of columns 24A are interconnected by base rails 46. The top surface of the column, which may be a separate frame element, has a recess 32. The recess is shaped and positioned to receive the downwardly protruding part of nub 28 of a like pallet. Engagement of the combination of recess 32 and nub 28 inhibits stacked up pallets from sliding sideways.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.

Claims

1. A pallet comprising:

At least one hollow interior portion filled with injected foam, wherein said at least one foam injection hole is selectively positioned at a bottom surface of said hollow interior portion; and

at least one nub provided in said at least one foam injection hole to seal said hole, such that said at least one nub projects downwardly from said at least one foam injection hole.

2. A pallet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one nub projects below other portions of said pallet.

3. A pallet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one foam injection hole is provided in a recess on a bottom surface of said hollow interior portion, and said nub projects downwardly from said at least one foam injection hole.

4. A pallet in accordance with claim 3, wherein a top portion of said head of said nub is flush with portions of the bottom portion of said hollow interior portion surrounding said recess.

5. A pallet in accordance with claim 2, wherein an upper portion of said pallet includes a recess configured to surround a head portion of a nub having a protruding geometry corresponding to the protruding geometry said at least one nub provided in said at least one foam injection hole.

6. A pallet in accordance with claim 3, wherein an upper portion of said pallet includes a recess configured to engage portions of said at least one nub and hollow interior portion projecting below said at least one foam injection hole.

7. A pallet in accordance with claim 1, wherein a vent hole is provided on an upper surface of said hollow interior portion, and wherein said vent hole is covered by a non-slip seal configured to engage a nub or other portion of a pallet stacked thereon.

8. A pallet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hollow interior portion comprises a molded plastic.