One-way lightweight pallet

Abstract

A pallet comprising a flat top member (1) having depending sides (2, 3, 4, 5,) and a base member comprising eight generally triangular elements (6 to 13, 30 to 33, 40 to 47) each formed from closely packed elements of single-face corrugated paperboard in which the corrugations are perpendicular to the top member (1), and forklift openings (14 to 29) formed in the edges of the base elements. In another form the pallet is formed from a single winding of single-face corrugated paperboard to define a central square opening 52, a pair of opposed generally triangular openings 53, 54, a pair of opposed truncated triangular openings 55, 56 at 90.degree. to the triangular openings 53, 54, a further pair of larger truncated triangular openings 57, 58 located at 45.degree. to the preceding pair, a further pair of slightly larger truncated triangular openings 59, 60 at 90.degree. to the preceding pair, two further opposed pairs of larger triangular openings 61, 62, 63, 64 at 45.degree. to each of the preceding openings 59, 60, and triangular opening 65, 66, 67 and 68 at the corners of the pallet defined by a square peripheral element 51 of the wound corrugated board, the foregoing openings defining load bearing beam members which intersect the direction of support of the pallet by the forks of the fork lift truck which are inserted between feet 69, 70 and 71 adhesively secured to the pallet body. Being made from corrugated board, the pallet is lighter and cheaper than wooden pallets and may be easily recycled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.