Knock-down pallet and stringer attaching mechanism

An interlock arrangement for attaching an interlocking two members, each member comprising:

• an interlocking region including two generally parallel sides;
• a web extending between and being generally perpendicular to the two generally parallel sides;
• a slot extending through said web in a direction generally parallel to said two sides;
• at least one raised interlocking ridge on each side of the web between the slot and one of said two sides;
• and
• at least one interlock in the arrangement, the interlock comprising a pair of spaced, generally parallel walls extending away from the web in a direction generally perpendicular to the web and parallel to said two sides such that the pair of walls will receive a portion of the web of another member, and an indent on each wall to fit over a raised interlocking ridge of another member.

A knock-down pallet, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of first stringers, each having a support surface and a plurality of appropriately spaced attaching and interlocking areas, each attaching and interlocking area including:
• (i) a slot projecting upwardly from the lower surface of said first stringer toward the support surface,
• (ii) at least one ridge located on each side of said first stringer at each attaching area, said ridge located adjacent and essentially perpendicular to said slot, and
• (iii) at least one guidelock support surface located on each side of said first stringer projecting outwardly from said first stringer and being adjacent and perpendicular to said slot,
• said guidelock support surface containing at least one indented ridge gripper, said ridge gripper corresponding to said ridge and placed so that when the receiving slots of a first stringer and a second stringer are brought together, said ridge gripper engages a ridge on a second stringer;
• and
• (b) a plurality of second stringers, each having a support surface and a plurality of appropriately spaced attaching and interlocking areas, each attaching and interlocking area including:
• (i) a slot projecting downwardly from the top surface thereof,
• (ii) at least one ridge located on each side of said second stringer adjacent and essentially perpendicular to said slot therein,
• (iii) at least one guide surface located on each side of said second stringer projecting outwardly from said second stringer and being adjacent and perpendicular to said slot therein, said guidesurface containing at least one indented ridge gripper corresponding to said ridge and placed so that when the receiving slots of a second stringer and a first stringer are brought together, a ridge gripper of a second stringer engages a ridge on a first stringer,
• (iv) a plurality of spaced interlocked areas for receiving a plurality of support slats,
• (c) a plurality of support slats, each having a support area of support surface and spaced interlocked areas to snap into corresponding areas in the second stringers, and
• wherein the slats are attached to said second stringers by snap-together attaching means including an attaching guidepost containing at least one upraised ridge, said attaching guidepost being below the support surface of said pallet, and a corresponding attaching area in the lower surface of said slats, said area comprising a ridge gripper to snap over the ridge on said support guide, so that the support surface of said slats lies in the plane of the support surface of said first an second stringers.