Air pallet with endless belt interface

In an air pallet for movement of a load relative to an underlying generally planar fixed support surface, said air pallet comprising a generally rigid, generally planar backing member for supporting said load thereon and underlying said load, means including a plenum chamber intermediate of said backing member and said support surface for jacking said load and creating a frictionless air film beneath said backing member and said load, the improvement comprising:

• an endless belt operatively mounted to said backing member for movement in loop form and having a lower run interposed between said air film and said support surface, whereby said belt lower run contacts said underlying support surface during movement of said air pallet across the same to take up the wear and said belt flexes to ride over and conform to the shape of the obstacle confronted by said air pallet during movement across said support surface,
• said means for jacking said load and creating said air film comprising a rigid, imperforate, downwardly open, inner box frame member fixedly mounted to said backing member and spaced therefrom, a thin flexible sheet underlying said box frame member being edge sealed to said box frame member to define a plenum chamber therebetween, said thin flexible sheet including a plurality of closely spaced small diameter perforations within the center of said sheet corresponding to a footprint of the load for creation of an air film between a perforated portion of the thin flexible sheet and the lower run of said endless belt with a nonperforated portion between the sealed edge and the perforations to facilitate jacking of the load, pillowing of the thin flexible sheet and for facilitating ballooning of the thin flexible sheet,
• and said backing member further comprising means for rotatably mounting said endless belt with said endless belt including an upper run passing over the top of the box frame member;
• whereby, the plenum chamber is fully sealed except for the escape of low pressure air through the plurality of closely spaced, small diameter perforations within the center of the sheet corresponding to the footprint of the load to maximize flexure of the thin flexible sheet and the underlying lower run of the endless belt as the air pallet moves over and conforms to the shape of the obstacle confronted by the air pallet during movement across the support surface,
• and wherein by increasing the air pressure within the plenum chamber, the nonperforated portion of the thin flexible sheet between the sealed edge and the perforations permits the thin flexible sheet to balloon with further jacking of the load to a point where the load can be pivoted about a center point of the thin flexible sheet and the underlying lower run of the endless belt with ease, providing high maneuverability to the air pallet.