US2888221A - Pallets - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1959 R. E.CONNELLY 2,888,221

PALLETS Filed Jan. 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ff 1 11 v I A w ,4,

i e; 10M -ze INVENTOR.

Robe/'1 formed/y BY I ATTORNE/Z May 26, 1959 R. E. CONNELLY PALLETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. '7, 1957 if g Robert 5. an??? ToRA/Ey United States Patent PALLETS Robert E. Connelly, Wynnewood, Pa.

Application January 7, 1957, Serial No. 632,831

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-120) My invention relates to improvements in load support pallets, and more particularly to those pallets made from paper board which are designed in the nature of a load bearing platform for use with a fork lift truck.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a pasteboard pallet of light weight construction which will support a heavy load.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pallet which is strong and rigid and inexpensive to manufacture, to ship, and to use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a knockdown pallet which can be quickly and easily assembled.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a pallet which can be discarded after a single use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pallet which can be strengthened by the addition of at least one additional platform.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same Fig. l is a bottom view of the pallet;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the platform showing the cutout portion which forms the tabs;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the top of the platform showing a leg attached thereto;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a modified form of my invention showing two platforms and legs;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the platform showing a leg attached thereto;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the ntuneral 10 indicates the pallet generally which comprises a square platform 11 preferably made of corrugated paperboard and a plurality of legs 12. The legs 12 are preferably made of a tubular paperboard construction and are equally spaced on the underside of platform 11 so as to distribute the load carried on the upper surface of the platform 11 equally and thereby eliminate any stress or strain on any one particular portion of the pallet. The legs 12 are of a height sufiicient to permit a fork pick truck (not shown) to easily position its fork under the platform 11 prior to moving said pallet.

The platform 11 is provided with a series of equally spaced cutout portions generally indicated at 13 aligned with the legs 12. Said cutout portions 13 are of substantially circular configuration and are formed by cutting a pair of opposed arc-shaped cuts as at 14 and 15 (at opposite ends of said cutout portions 13) and cutting a diagonal cut as at 16 from opposite ends of said arcshaped cuts 14 and 15 (see Fig. 2). The cutting of the platform at 14, 15 and 16 provides tabs 17 and 18. The tabs 17 and 18 are scored as at 19 and 20, respectively,

for apurpose to be explained hereinafter. The tabs .17 and 18 are then folde'din a .idownwarddirection on opposed andparallelfold lines comprising their bases 21 and 22 andare attached to the inner. surface of the leg 12 by any suitable means such as the staples .23. As will'be readily seen in'Eig. :3, the tab 18.is approximately equal to the innerdiameter of thelegs 12.

The score lines 19 and 20 which extend diagonally across the tabs 17 and 18 enables said tabsto bend slightly inward so as to better conform to the inner vsurface of the legs 12and therebyprovide a. stronger connection.

In operation, the pallet is shipped in knock-down form. The cuts 14, 15 and 16 are made prior to shipping thereby forming the tabs 17 and 18. These tabs are not bent, and the platforms remain flat and can be shipped and stored with a minimum of effort and space. The legs 12 are shipped pre-formed. When assembling the pallet, it is only necessary to bend down the tabs 17 and 18 as at 21 and 22 and place a leg 12 over each series of tabs, securing the tabs to the legs in any suitable manner such as by staple 23. The pallet is now ready for use.

If a stronger pallet is desired for a heavier job (see Figs. 5-7), it is merely necessary to add a second platform 11a above and at right angles to said first platform 11. The tabs 24 and 25 provided by platform 11:: are, therefore, ofiset relative to tabs 17 and 18 and are then fastened to the inner surface of the legs 12 between the tabs 17 and 18, and in the same manner. Since the tabs 17 and 18 of platform 11 are on opposite sides of the cutout portions 13, and tabs 24 and 25 of platform 11a are identically constructed, it will be readily seen that when the second platform, 11a, is placed on the first platform, 11, at right angles thereto that each of said tabs 17, 18, 24 and 25 will be positioned against a portion of the inner surface of the leg 12 (see Fig. 6). Also, the corrugations of the platforms 11 and 11a will be running cross-wise to each other. This feature gives the pallet even greater strength.

It is understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A pallet comprising a platform of sheet material and a plurality of spaced supporting legs below said platform, tabs of platform material integral with said plat form, said tabs being downwardly struck sections of platform stock defining a hole in said platform substantially complementary to the interior of said leg, at least one tab extending into each leg with a space on at least one side thereof to accommodate at least another like tab, means securing at least one tab to its leg to connect the latter to said platform, a second platform substantially identical to said first mentioned platform, said second platform being parallel with and overlying at right angles said first mentioned platform, said second platform having tabs of platform material integral with said second platform, said tabs being downwardly struck sections of said second platform stock defining a hole in said second platform substantially complementary to the interior of said leg, at least one tab extending through the adjacent hole in said first platform and into each leg in offset relation to the corresponding tab of said first platform, said last named tab being received in one of said spaces and means securing said tabs of said second platform to said legs to anchor said second platform to said first platform.

2. A pallet comprising a platform of sheet material and a plurality of spaced supporting legs below said platform, a plurality of pairs of opposed tabs adjacent said supporting legs, said tabs being downwardly struck sec- 2,sss,2a1

3 tions of platform stock defining a hole in said platform substantially complementary to the interior of said leg, each tab being equal to approximately one-half the area of the hole, each pair of tabs extending into its adjacent leg with space on either side thereof to accommodate a second pair of tabs, means securing each pair of tabs to its leg to connect the latter to said platform, a second platform substantially identical to said first mentioned platform, said second platform being parallel with and overlying at right angles said first mentioned platform, said second platform having a plurality of pairs of opposed downwardly depending integral tabs defining holes in said second platform substantially complementary to the interior of a leg, each tab being equal to approximately one-half the area of its hole, each pair of tabs of said 15 2 70 0 9 4 second platform extending through the adjacent holes in said first platform and into each leg in offset relation to the corresponding tabs of said first platform, and means securing said tabs of said second platform to said legs to anchor said second platform to said first platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 742,022 Hahn Oct. 20, 1903 1,931,458 Lang Oct. 17, 1933 2,507,588 Brandon et al. May 16, 1950 2,594,287 Budd Apr. 29, 1952 2,691,499 Watts Oct. 12, 1954 2,696,356 Baumann Dec. 7, 1954 Whalley Apr. 12, 1955

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