Stackable Pallet System

Abstract

A stackable pallet system for holding items has a stand and stackable pallets. The stand has a top end, a bottom end, and sides. Vertical corner pieces on the stand are connected to one another at intersections of the sides of the stand, and each corner piece has a toe disposed at the top end of the stand. The stackable pallets can stack one on top of the other and can stack on the stand. The stackable pallets each have a top end, a bottom end, and sides and each have corner pieces connected to one another at intersections of the sides. Similar to the stand, each corner piece of the pallets has a toe disposed at the top end and defining a receptacle at the bottom end. When stacking pallets, the receptacle of each corner piece on a top one of the stackable pallets can receive or fit on the toe of a corresponding one of the corner pieces on a bottom one of the stackable pallets. To stack on the stand, the receptacle of each corner piece on the bottom one of the stackable pallets can receive or fit the toe of a corresponding one of the corner pieces on the stand. To help move the stacked pallets, the stand can have casters or wheels.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appl. 61/758,405, filed 30-Jan.-2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Pallets are used in a number of industries to hold items for various purposes. For example, pallets hold items for shipping and storage before the particular items are individually distributed. In a machine shop, factory, or other work environment, pallets can hold items during the process of assembly, manufacture, and eventual transport. Although pallets are very useful, they can be hard to move or handle, especially in environments where a forklift or other device is not readily available or accessible. What is needed is a way to store items on pallets in a way that can meet the needs of a user.

The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A stackable pallet system for holding items includes a stand and a plurality of stackable pallets. The stackable pallets are stackable one on top of the other and on the stand. Each of the stackable pallets has a top, a bottom, and sides, and each has vertical supports connected to one another along the sides. One or more of the vertical supports has a top connector disposed at the top of the stackable pallet and has a bottom connector at the bottom of the stackable pallet. The bottom connector on a top one of the stackable pallets is adapted to engage the top connector of a corresponding one of the vertical supports on a bottom one of the stackable pallets.

The stand similarly has a top, a bottom, and sides and has vertical supports connected to one another along the sides of the stand. One or more of these vertical supports has a top connector disposed at the top of the stand. The top connector on the top of the stand can engage the bottom connector of a corresponding one of the vertical pieces on the pallet stacked on the stand.

At least one lock can removably affixes stacked ones of the vertical supports to another, and the stand can include casters disposed on a bottom of the stand. The top connector can be a toe disposed on a top end of the vertical support, and the bottom connector can be a receptacle disposed in a bottom end of the vertical support. When vertical supports are stacked together, the receptacle receives the toe inserted therein. In a particular implementation, the toe includes a cap having edges attached to the top end of the vertical support, where the cap has a central portion extending from the edges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates stackable pallets of a pallet system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a first side of one of the stackable pallets in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B illustrates a second side of the stackable pallet in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C illustrates a reverse arrangement of toe and receptacles for the disclosed stackable pallets.

FIG. 3A illustrate an isolated perspective view of a toe for the stackable pallet system of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B illustrates the toe of FIG. 3A disposed on a top end of a vertical corner piece of a stackable pallet.

FIG. 4 illustrates a particular arrangement of stackable pallets on a stand of the disclosed system.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate perspective views of other types of stackable pallets for the disclosed system.

FIGS. 5C-5D illustrates embodiments of hinged or removable sidewalls for the disclosed stackable pallets.

FIG. 6 illustrates another particular arrangement of stackable pallets on a stand.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate types of locking mechanisms for the stackable pallets of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

FIG. 1 illustrates stackable pallets 20 of a pallet system 10 according to the present disclosure. The pallet system 10 holds any of a variety of items on the stackable pallets 20 which can be moved and stacked on top of one another for storage, transport, and use. The stackable pallets 20 each have a top end 21, a bottom end 25, and sides 22a-d and each have vertical corner pieces or supports 26 connected to one another at intersections of the sides 22a-d. Each corner piece 26 has a top connector or toe 30 disposed at a top end and has a bottom connector or receptacle 28 at a bottom end. To stack the pallets 20, the bottom connector 28 engages the top connector 30. In particular, the receptacle 28 of each corner piece 26 on a top one of the stackable pallets 20 is adapted to receive or fit on the toe 30 of a corresponding one of the corner pieces 26 on a bottom one of the stackable pallets 20.

In general, the pallet 20 can be composed of any suitable materials, such as metal, wood, plastic, or the like, depending on the durability required and the items to be held. As shown, the pallets 20 can have four sides 22a-d, although other configurations of three or more sides can be used. Additionally, the vertical pieces 26 need not be specifically at the corners of the sides 22a-d.

The corner pieces 26 are structural in nature and, therefore, can be constructed in a manner to support a significant amount of weight. In fact, the weight of items on the pallet's surface 24 and from other pallets 20 stacked above transfers to the corner pieces 26, which can stably support the load. The corner pieces 26 in one particular implementation can be hollow square tubing composed of metal and can be 2-inches wide. The receptacle 28, then, of the corner piece 26 can be the open, hollow ends of the tubing used. Of course, the pieces 26 can be cylindrical, solid, or other shape.

The pallet 20 can be rectangular, square, triangular, round, oval, or any other shape. The current configuration shown is rectangular. In overall size, one configuration of the rectangular pallet 20 can be 17-in. high, 36-in. wide along the short sides 22a-b, and 44-in. along the long sides 22c-d. The bottom ends of the corner pieces 26 can extend about 3-in. below the lower edge of the sides 22a-d, while the top end and toe 30 can extend about 2-in. above the upper end of the sides 22a-d. Of course, other sizes can be used depending on the items to be held with the pallet 20.

As also shown, the bottom end 25 of the pallets 20 has a rack surface 24 for placing and holding items thereon. The rack surface 24 depicted here is latticed metal mesh, but another other suitable surfaces can be used, such as a flat surface, sheet metal, lateral slats, bars, etc.

The sides 22a-d of the pallet 20 may also have surfaces or sidewalls 23. For example, FIG. 2A shows a long side 22c-d of a stackable pallet 22. The side 22c-d has a sidewall 23 constructed by cross members or slats 23a-b on upper and lower edges of a metal mesh 23c. Any number of other constructions can be used for the sidewall 23. The benefit of using the mesh 23c is that the items held on the pallet's rack surface 24 can be seen through the mesh 23c. The slats 23a-b and mesh 23c connect between adjoining corner pieces 26 to form the sidewall 23 on the side 22c-d of the pallet 20. The slats 23a-b can be L-shaped bars that form a bottom edge to support the rack surface 24 and that form a side edge to help hold items on the rack surface 24.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a short side 22a-b of the stackable pallet 20 shows how the rack surface 24 may be supported underneath by one or more crossbeams 27 that extend between lower slats 23b. The need, size, and number of crossbeams 27 depends on how much support is needed for the items to be held on the pallet 20. The crossbeam 27 can be a 2-in. by 3-in. hollow beam composed of metal or the like.

As mentioned above, each corner piece 26 of the disclosed pallets 20 has a toe 30 disposed on a top end thereof. Although it is not strictly necessary that each corner piece 26 has a toe 30, it is preferred that they do for adequate support. As shown in FIG. 3A, the toe 30 can be a nesting cap having edges 32 that surround an extended central portion 34. As shown in FIG. 3B, the edges 32 attached by welding or the like to the top end of the corner pieces 26 so that the extended central portion 34 extends beyond the top end. The extended portion 34 can be square in shape and can be about 1-in. wide for use with corner pieces 26 that are 2-in. square tubing.

As will be appreciated, various other types of toes can be used. Moreover, instead of having the toe 30 for the top connector at the top end and having the receptacle 28 for the bottom connector at the bottom end of the corner pieces 26, the reverse arrangement could be used as shown in FIG. 2C. As such, reference to top and bottom here and in the claims is merely meant to be illustrative for the purposes of understanding.

As noted previously, the stackable pallets 20 can be stacked one on top of another for the purposes of storage, transport, and use. A particular arrangement of stackable pallets 20 for the system 10 illustrated in FIG. 4 has a stand 40 on which the stackable pallets 20 can stack. The stand 40 is similar to the stackable pallets 20 having a top end 41, a bottom end 45, and sides 42. Vertical corner pieces or supports 46 are connected to one another at intersections of the sides 42 of the stand 40, and each corner piece 46 has a top connector or toe 48 disposed at its top end.

During use, the stackable pallets 20 can stack one on top of the other on the stand 40. In particular, the receptacle 28 of each corner piece 26 on the bottom one of the stackable pallets 20 receives or fits on the toe 48 of a corresponding one of the corner pieces 46 on the stand 40. Then, additional stackable pallets 20 can stack thereon as described previously. Finally, the entire stack can be moved about on a floor using casters 44, wheels, or the like disposed on the bottom end 45 of the stand 40, preferably at the corner pieces 46.

Previous embodiments of the stackable pallets 20 have had sidewalls enclosing all the sides 22a-d of the pallet 20. This is not strictly necessary because other embodiments of pallets 20 may have fewer closed sidewalls. In FIG. 5A, for example, the stackable pallet 20 has three sides 22b-d enclosed with sidewalls 23, but has one open side 22a allowing items to be inserted and removed from the rack surface 24 through that opened side 22a. In another example of FIG. 5B, a stackable pallet 20 has four open sides 22a-d.

In still other embodiments, one or more sidewalls 23 may be removable or may be openable on a side 22 of the pallet 20. In one example shown in FIG. 5C, a sidewall 23 can be affixed by hinges 50, fasteners, or the like to one of the sides 22a-d of the pallet 20 in FIG. 5A. In another example shown in FIG. 5D, a sidewall 23 can have end tubes 52 that slide on adjacent corner pieces 26 to form a removable sidewall 23 on a side 22a-d of the pallet 20 in FIG. 5B. These and other configurations are possible.

As shown in FIG. 6, the various types of stackable pallets 20 can be stacked one on top of the other as before and can be used on a stand 40. In FIG. 6, for example, the system 10 has a bottom most pallet 20A with four enclosed sides stacked on the stand 40. The next stacked pallet 20B has one open side, and the top pallet 20C has all four open sides. Moreover, the embodiment of the top pallet 20C depicted in FIG. 6 has two rack surfaces 24 disposed between the corner pieces 26. These and other configurations of pallets 20 can be stacked in any desirable order on the stand 40.

Filling and emptying the stacked pallets 20 in FIGS. 4 and 6 can be performed as expected, depending on whether a given pallet 20 has open sides or not or has to be filled or emptied when another pallet is not stacked on top of it. When it is desired to move the stacked pallets 20 by lifting it on a truck, shelf, or the like with a forklift or other device, the forks can fit under the bottom end of the lower most pallet 20 to lift all of the pallets 20 while leaving the stand 40 in place. The stacked pallets 20 can be tied together with tie rods disposed longitudinally thereabout to hold the stack together if desired.

In addition, the various stacked pallets 20 can be locked together and can be locked to the stand 40 using any of a number of locking mechanisms or fasteners. As shown in FIG. 7A, for example, one locking mechanism 60 for the stackable pallets 20 can use a c-clamp 62, clip, or the like that fits in cross-holes in the corner pieces 26 between stacked pallets 40. Fasteners 64, such as butterfly nuts or the like, can then thread onto the free ends of the c-clamp 62 to affix the two corner pieces 26 together. A similar mechanism can be used on one or more of the other corner pieces 26 between the stacked pallets 20.

As shown in FIG. 7B, another locking mechanism 70 for the stackable pallets 20 can use a bolt 72 that fits in cross-holes in the corner piece 26 at the receptacle 28 and that fits in a cross-hole 31 in the toe 30 between stacked pallets 40. Here in FIG. 7B, the toe 30 is depicted as an extended bar, but other shapes can be used. A fastener 64, such as butterfly nuts or the like, can then thread onto the free end of the bolt 72 to affix the toe 30 inside the receptacle 28. A similar mechanism can be used on one or more of the other corner pieces 26 between the stacked pallets 20.

When one or more of the corner pieces 26 of stacked pallets 20 are affixed together with the locking mechanisms 60 and 70 in the manner described, the stack of pallets 20 can have improved stability. Although not shown, locking mechanisms such as the c-clamp device 60 and bolt device 70 of FIGS. 7A-7B can be used at the junction of the stand's corner pieces 46 and those corner pieces 26 of the pallet 20 stacked thereon.

The foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the Applicants. It will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosure that features described above in accordance with any embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter can be utilized, either alone or in combination, with any other described feature, in any other embodiment or aspect of the disclosed subject matter.

In exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein, the Applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended claims. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A pallet system for holding items, the system comprising:

a plurality of stackable pallets being stackable one on top of the other, the stackable pallets each having a top, a bottom, sides and vertical supports,

one or more of the vertical supports having a top connector disposed at the top of the stackable pallet and having a bottom connector disposed at the bottom of the stackable pallet,

the bottom connector on a top one of the stackable pallets adapted to engage the top connector of a corresponding one of the vertical supports on a bottom one of the stackable pallets.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each stackable pallet comprises at least one rack surface disposed across the stackable pallet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the stackable pallets comprises a first of the at least one rack surfaces disposed above a second of the at least one rack surfaces.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a first of the stackable pallets comprises one or more sidewalls covering one or more of the sides of the first stackable pallet and connected across adjoining ones of the vertical supports.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more sidewalls comprises hinges disposed on an edge of the at least one sidewall and connected to the bottom of the first stackable pallet.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more sidewalls comprises edges removably connected to the adjoining ones of the vertical supports.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the first stackable pallet has three of the sidewalls covering three of four of the sides of the first stackable pallet.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one lock removably affixing one of the vertical supports disposed at the top one of the stackable pallets to another of the vertical supports disposed at the bottom one of the stackable pallets.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a stand on which the stackable pallets are stackable.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the stand comprises vertical supports connected to one another along sides of the stand, one or more of the vertical supports having a top connector disposed at a top of the stand, wherein each top connector on the one or more vertical supports is adapted to engage the bottom connector of a corresponding one of the vertical supports on the stackable pallet stacked on the stand.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the stand comprises casters disposed on a bottom of the stand.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the stackable pallets each have four of the sides and four of the vertical supports disposed at intersections of the four sides.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the top connector comprises a toe disposed on a top end of the vertical support.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the toe comprises a cap having edges attached to the top end of the vertical support, the cap having a central portion extending from the edges.

15. The system of claim of claim 13, wherein the bottom connector comprises a receptacle disposed in a bottom end of the vertical support, the receptacle receiving the toe inserted therein.

16. A stackable pallet system for holding items, the system comprising:

a stand having a top, a bottom, sides, and first vertical supports, one or more of the first vertical supports having a top connector disposed at the top of the stand; and

a plurality of stackable pallets being stackable one on top of the other and on the stand, the stackable pallets each having a top, a bottom, sides, and second vertical supports, one or more of the second vertical supports having a top connector disposed at the top of the stackable pallet and having a bottom connector at the bottom of the stackable pallet,

the bottom connector on a top one of the stackable pallets adapted to engage the top connector either of the stand or a corresponding one of the second vertical supports on a bottom one of the stackable pallets.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the top connector comprises a toe disposed on a top end of the first or second vertical support; and wherein the bottom connector comprises a receptacle disposed in a bottom end of the second vertical support, the receptacle receiving the toe inserted therein.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the toe comprises a cap having edges attached to the top end of the vertical support, the cap having a central portion extending from the edges.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising at least one lock removably affixing stacked ones of the first or second vertical supports to one another.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the stand comprises casters disposed on a bottom of the stand.