Pallet with impact guards
AssigneeNextreme, LLC
InventorScott Arthur William Muirhead
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pallet structure that resists damage sustained by prior art pallets in pooled pallet distribution includes a deck and a base separated by opposed block structures spaced to accommodate fork tines, pallet jacks and other pallet moving equipment. The block structures are inset from the boundary established by the outer dimensions of the pallet. Impact guards protect the block structures against impacts that could pierce the walls of the block structures allowing foreign materials to enter an interior space of the deck, base or block structure. The impact guards surround the block structures preventing impacts from all sides. The exterior surfaces of the impact guards, at the four pallet corners, form a continuous vertical wall which extends from the top of the deck to bottom of the base.
Claims23
A pallet comprising:
- a plastic deck having a top surface and a bottom surface with four sides and corners there between,
- a plastic base,
- said deck and base being supported by opposed block structures formed integral with said deck and said base,
- said block structures having at their opposed ends fastening elements for joining said deck to said base to define open spaces between said deck and said base,
- said block structures being inset from said four sides and extending between said deck and said base with open spaces between block structures to allow for the entry between said deck and said base of fork tines, pallet jacks and pallet moving equipment,
- plastic impact guards surrounding said block structures for preventing the fork tines, pallet jacks and pallet moving equipment from piercing a wall of said block structures, and
- said impact guards having exterior surfaces offset from inset block structures to form a continuous outer wall extending from the bottom surface of said deck to the top surface of said base at said four corners.
A pallet comprising:
- a plastic deck spaced apart from a plastic base by opposed inset block structures formed integral with said plastic deck and said plastic base,
- said block structures having at their opposed ends fastening elements extending between said plastic deck and said plastic base for joining said deck to said base and defining open spaces therebetween to allow the entry of fork tines, pallet jacks and pallet moving equipment,
- said block structures having a double wall construction comprising a first exterior wall and a second interior wall,
- plastic impact guards surrounding said block structures and extending from the bottom surface of said deck to the top surface of said base to prevent shifting of said impact guards relative to said deck and said base, and
- said impact guards being fabricated of plastic material to prevent the tines, jacks and equipment from piercing said exterior wall of said block structures to thereby prevent entry of foreign material into an interior space between said first exterior wall and said second interior wall.
A pallet comprising:
- a plastic deck spaced apart from a plastic base by opposed inset block structures formed integral with said plastic deck and said plastic base,
- said inset block structures having at their opposed ends fastening elements extending between said deck and said base for joining said deck to said base and defining open spaces therebetween to allow the entry of fork tines, pallet jacks and pallet moving equipment between said plastic deck and said plastic base,
- at least one of said plastic deck and said plastic base includes a compartment extending into an interior space of a block structure,
- plastic impact guards surrounding said block structures and preventing the tines, jacks and equipment from piercing a wall of said compartment to allow entry of a foreign material into said interior space, and
- said impact guards extending from the bottom surface of said deck to the top surface of said base to prevent shifting of said impact guards relative to said deck and said base when contacted by fork tines, pallet jacks, and pallet moving equipment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.