US2828007A - Combined package and skid - Google Patents

Description

March 25,1958 0. w. FOSS v 2,828,007

COMBINED PACKAGE AND SKID Filed June 2. 1954 3,30 E I 2 J 2 34" I 2 I Wfiw IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent COMBINED PACKAGE AND SKID Orlando W. Foss, Melrose, Mass.

Application June 2, 1954, Serial No. 433,917

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) The present invention relates to skids or pallets.

A skid or pallet, designed for such service as the packaging of paperboard sheets, metal sheets or other articles, usually comprises a wooden frame with parts spaced sufficiently to accommodate a fork truck. The wooden pallet is expensive and the return transportation is costly. It has also been proposed to make a disposable pallet out of paperboard with legs of rolled-up paper, but it has been found to have insufiicient strength and is frequently more costly than the service justifies.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and rugged shipping pallet which is readily transportable in return shipment and which is capable of substantially unlimited repeat usage.

With this object in view the present invention comprises reinforced separate metal corner pieces which may be arranged at the corners of the sheets or other articles to be shipped. A separate center supporting or reinforcing structure may also be provided. In other respects the invention comprises the subject matter hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of, the corner pieces and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a complete package, shown turned over on its side for clarity of description.

The complete package shown in Fig. 2 comprises the stack of sheets 4 which may be paperboard, for example, although the invention is equally adaptable to metal sheets, or in fact to a box or carton or other article of regular shape. The stack is supported on four corner pieces 6, each of which as shown in Fig. 1 comprises two angle irons 8 and 10 joined at the corners. Each angle iron at its end is supplied with a downwardly extending bracket 12 to which is attached a foot 14. A similar bracket 16 and foot 18 are preferably arranged at the corner of the piece. The various parts are preferably welded together. As shown in Fig. 2 the four corner pieces 6 are arranged at the corners of the stack, the bottom sheet of the stack resting on the horizontal portion of each angle iron while the vertical portions 20 position and are positioned by the stack of sheets. Thus each corner piece 6 engages the bottom and two sides of the package.

The entire assembly is held together by binding means, preferably of conventional metal strapping 22. As shown in Fig. 2 four straps are preferably provided, each passing between the feet 14 and 18 of two of the cornea pieces. The strapping is secured by'me'ans of the conventional fasteners 24.

When the material to be transported is of weak structural character a center support is preferably provided. This support, as shown in Fig. 2, preferably consists of a cross 26 formed of two intersecting channel irons 28 and 30. A foot is supported on an angle iron bracket 34 to come to substantially the same level as the feet 14 and 18. The arms of the cross are engaged and bound by the strapping 22. 1

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the entrance of the usual lifting fork of a fork truck. Alternatively, the fork may enter the central portion of the package when the corner pieces are sufliciently separated, as for example, on the long side of the package shown in Fig. 2.

For return shipment the corner pieces 6 may be conveniently stacked and bound together. The center piece 26, if used, may be tied thereto. The return shipment is elfifieicted more conveniently than with the conventional s Since the parts are of metal, they are of exceptional strength. Furthermore, as compared with the conventional wooden skid, they have the advantage that the parts will accommodate a wide range of sizes, Whereas the wooden skid must be made to size for each package.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a package with a skid, the skid comprising four corner pieces each having a horizontal The feet 14 and 18 are separated sufliciently to permit portion underlying the bottom of the package at a corner thereof and each having two vertical surfaces engaging two sidesof the package, each corner piece having three depending spaced brackets at the two ends and corner thereof, each bracket having a foot, the three feet on each corner piece being spaced from one another, and a plurality of flexible binding means surrounding the package and securing the corner pieces thereto, each of said binding means passing between the brackets at an end 'and corner of each of two corner pieces and engaging the underside of the horizontal portions of said corner pieces.

2. The combination of a package with a skid, the skid comprising fourcorner pieces each having a horizontal portion underlying the bottom -of the package at a corner thereof and each having two vertical surfaces engaging two sides of the package, each corner piece having three depending spaced brackets at the two ends and corner thereof, each bracket having at foot, central supporting means for the package having a foot secured thereto, the three feet on each corner piece being spaced from one another, and a plurality of flexible binding means surrounding the package and securing the corner pieces and central supporting means thereto, each of said binding means passing between the brackets at an end and corner of each of two corner pieces and engaging the underside of the central supporting means and the horizontal portions of said corner pieces.

3. The combination of a package with a skid, the skid comprising four corner pieces each having a horizontal portion underlying the bottom of the package at a corner thereof and each having two vertical surfaces engaging two sides of the package, each corner piece having three depending spaced brackets at the two ends and corner thereof, each bracket having a foot, central supporting means for the package comprising a cross-like member having arms to engage the bottom of the package, the three feet on each corner piece being spaced from one another, and a plurality of flexible binding means surrounding the package and securing the corner pieces and central supporting means thereto, each of said binding means passing between the brackets at an end and corner of each of two corner pieces and engaging the underside.

of an arm of the central supporting means and the horizontal portions of said corner pieces.

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