# US 9,751,657 B2 · Material handling pallet > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,657 B2 - Document ID: US9751657B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/030,444 - Filed: 2014-11-12 - Published: 2016-09-22 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-13 - Assignees: Palac Industries Inc. - Applicants: Palac Industries Inc. - Inventors: Christian Cote; Andre Tanguay - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751657B2 ## CPC - B65D 19/0095: {and each contact surface having a stringer-like shape} - B65D 19/385: {Frames, corner posts or pallet converters, e.g. for facilitating stacking of charged pallets} - B65D 2519/00024: Metal - B65D 2519/00059: Metal - B65D 2519/00094: Metal - B65D 2519/00273: made of more than one piece - B65D 2519/00293: made of more than one piece - B65D 2519/00308: grid type, e.g. perforated plate - B65D 2519/00323: made of more than one piece - B65D 2519/00333: contact surface having a stringer-like shape - B65D 2519/00373: whereby at least one spacer is made of one piece - B65D 2519/00562: chemical connection, e.g. glued, welded, sealed - B65D 2519/00835: Integral - B65D 2519/0094: nestable - B65D 2519/00955: stackable - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES ## Abstract A metal pallet (10) has a deck (12), a base (14) and a plurality of beams (16) therebetween. The deck (12), the base (14) and the beams (16) may be formed from lightweight sheet metal. The metal sheets are folded into the desired shape to respectively form the beams (16), and panels (18, 22) and slats (20, 32) for the deck (12) and the base (14). The panels (18, 22) and the slats (20, 32) are corrugated and the opposed side edges thereof may be folded upon themselves to provide for robust multi-ply edge constructions. Different types of corrugations may be provided over the panels (18, 22) and the slats (20, 32) to locally reinforce the pallet (10). The bottom portion of the beams (16) may be plastically deformed to create arched opening (58) to permit side entry of pallet handling equipment. The plastically deformed regions (60) of the beams (16) may be configured to improve the mechanical properties of the beam while providing maximal clearance for pallet handling equipment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A metal pallet comprising a deck mounted on a plurality of laterally spaced-apart beams, at least peripheral ones of said beams having a one-piece sheet metal body including a pair of legs extending upwardly from a bottom end, the legs defining therebetween a hollow internal volume, the one-piece sheet metal body having at least one die formed portion protruding into said hollow internal volume between longitudinally opposed ends of the one-piece sheet metal body, each of said at least one die formed portion defining an arched opening across the one-piece sheet metal body, wherein the deck has at least one corrugated metal panel having two different types of corrugations, wherein the at least one corrugated metal panel has a first type of corrugations along a side area thereof and a second type of corrugations in a central area thereof, the second type of corrugations having a greater pitch than the first type of corrugations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein the die formed portion has main and secondary portions, the main portion projecting further into the internal volume than the secondary portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The metal pallet defined in claim 2, wherein the main portion includes a central arch, the secondary portion including first and second lateral arches respectively disposed on opposed sides of the central arch. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The metal pallet defined in claim 3, wherein the central arch extends upwardly to a height which is equal to or less than a height of the legs, the first and second lateral arches having a height which is less than the legs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein the one-piece sheet metal body has a V-shaped cross-section, and wherein the bottom end provides a flat land between adjacent ones of the at least one die formed portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein spaced-apart transversal corrugated slats are mounted to said flat lands of said beams to form a base of the metal pallet. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one die formed portion comprises two longitudinally spaced-apart die formed portions in said one-piece sheet metal body, said two longitudinally spaced-apart formed portion leaving a flat land therebetween at the bottom end of the one-piece sheet metal body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one corrugated metal panel comprises a front panel and a rear panel, and wherein the deck further comprises a central corrugated slat disposed between the front and the rear panels, the central corrugated slat having a corrugation profile similar to the first type of corrugations of the front and rear panels. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein the opposed longitudinal edge portions of the at least one corrugated metal panel have a multi-ply construction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The metal pallet defined in claim 6, wherein the corrugated slats forming the base of the pallet have downwardly sloping longitudinal sides extending between longitudinally spaced-apart mounting flanges. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The metal pallet defined in claim 10, wherein the downwardly sloping longitudinal sides have a multi-ply construction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein an anti-skid surface treatment is applied on the top facing surface of the at least one corrugated panel, the anti-skid surface treatment comprising a set of embossments protruding upwardly from top webs of the corrugations. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The metal pallet defined in claim 1, wherein the deck comprises at least one transversal corrugated top panel, wherein the pallet has a base mounted to an underside of the plurality of laterally spaced-apart beams, the base including transversal corrugated bottom slats, and wherein the downwardly projecting ridges of the corrugations of the bottom slats are configured to fit in corresponding troughs of the corrugations of the at least one transversal corrugated top panel, thereby allowing similar pallets to be stacked in a nesting engagement.