Pallet-less brick
AssigneeBall Corporation
InventorDaniel Gage
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pallet-less brick is provided that allows for materials to be transported without the use of straps or pallets, which makes the transportation and subsequent use of the materials more efficient and more environmentally friendly. The pallet-less brick can have a generally planar body with a series of protrusions and recesses extending in different directions. A protrusion extending in one direction can be received in a recess of an adjacent brick, such that the bricks are stackable without the use of straps or pallets. Similarly, a second protrusion and recess combination fulfill a similar function, and the multiple protrusions and recesses secure stacked pallets in at least two directions.
Claims20
A pallet-less brick for transporting aggregate materials, comprising:
- a planar body extending in a first direction and a second direction;
- at least one protrusion extending from an upper surface of said planar body and extending in said first direction;
- and
- at least one recess extending into an opposing lower surface of said planar body and extending in said first direction, wherein said at least one recess is aligned with said at least one protrusion in said second direction, wherein said pallet-less brick is configured to selectively engage a second pallet-less brick in a stable manner.
A method of forming a pallet-less brick out of an aggregate material for stacking multiple pallet-less bricks, comprising:
- providing a formation device at a forming platform, said formation device having a first die and a second die, wherein said first die has a recess configured to form a protrusion, and said second die has a protrusion configured to form a recess;
- transporting scrap material to said formation device and said forming platform;
- accumulating a predetermined mass of said scrap material in said formation device;
- forming a pallet-less brick by compressing said scrap material between said dies of said formation device, wherein said pallet-less brick has a protrusion and a recess;
- and
- transporting said pallet-less brick from said formation device and said forming platform, wherein said protrusion of said pallet-less brick is configured to selectively engage and nest in a recess of another pallet-less brick.
An apparatus for forming a pallet-less brick out of an aggregate material, comprising:
- a staging platform configured to receive an aggregate formable material;
- a first forming die and a second forming die positioned proximate to said staging platform, wherein each of said first forming die and said second forming die have a predetermined geometric shape, and said predetermined geometric shapes of said forming dies are arranged in an opposing orientation;
- an actuator interconnected to at least one of said first forming die and said second forming die;
- and
- a control unit in operable communication with said actuator, wherein said control unit is configured to receive an input and then activate said actuator to drive said first forming die toward said second forming die, compress said aggregate formable material between said first forming die and said second forming die, and create a pallet-less brick.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.