Pallet and pallet package

A plastic pallet including:

• a planar platform structure;
• and
• a plurality of legs positioned in circumferentially spaced relation around the periphery of the platform structure, extending downwardly from the platform structure, and each including an outboard surface;
• the planar platform structure being supported by the legs and formed of upper and lower thermoformed sheets of plastic selectively fused together to form a central platform structure, wherein the upper and lower sheets are maintained in vertically spaced parallel relation, and a peripheral platform structure, wherein peripheral edges of the upper and lower sheets are fused together to define a downwardly extending peripheral lip defining a downwardly opening groove extending around the periphery of the platform structure outside of the legs and in outwardly spaced relation to the outboard surfaces of the legs.

A method of forming a plastic pallet of the type including a platform structure and a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs extending downwardly from the platform structure, the method comprising:

• thermoforming upper and lower plastic sheets;
• selectively fusing central main body portions of the sheets together to form a central platform structure for the pallet;
• providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs extending downwardly from the platform structure and each including an outboard surface;
• and
• fusing peripheral edge portions of the sheets together to form a downwardly extending peripheral lip defining a downwardly opening groove proximate the periphery of the platform structure outside of the legs and in outwardly spaced relation to the outboard surfaces of the legs.

A method of packaging an article comprising:

• forming a pallet by thermoforming upper and lower plastic sheets, selectively fusing central main body portions of the sheets together to form a platform structure, providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs extending downwardly from the platform structure and each including an outboard surface, and fusing peripheral edge portions of the sheets together to form a downwardly extending peripheral lip defining a downwardly opening groove proximate the periphery of the platform structure outside of the legs and in outwardly spaced relation to the outboard surfaces of the legs;
• placing the article on the platform structure;
• and
• shrink-wrapping the article on the platform structure, utilizing a plastic film sheet, by placing the film sheet in covering relation over the article and tucking a lower edge of the film sheet into the downwardly opening groove.