US2702682A - Pallet - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 22, 1955 K. K. NEWSOM PALLET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1951 l/VVE/VTOR K/TOHE/VER K. NEW-90M Y B We f EW H/S ATTORNEYS United States Patent PALLET Kitchener K. Newsom, San Francisco, Calif.

Application April 23, 1951, Serial No. 222,409

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-120) My invention relates to pallets and more particularly to pallets of the type employed in facilitating the movement of freight in shipping.-

Prior art pallets of the type to which the present invention relates are generally constructed of wood planking of substantial thickness, and accordingly embody substantial weight; e. g., in the order of 110 to 125 pounds apiece. Inasmuch as each such device, when used, travels with its load of freight to the destination thereof, it can readily be appreciated that the freight and shipping charges are greatly increased by their use. Aside from this, the initial cost of such pallets is sufiiciently high to render it uneconomical to discard them at their points of destination, though additional expense is entailed in returning them to their points of origin.

Among the objects of the present invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved pallet;

(2) To provide a novel and improved pallet of exceedingly light weight, yet one which is adequate to handle heavy loads;

(3) To provide a novel and improved pallet capable of being manufactured so cheaply as to economically permit of it being discarded at its point of destination;

(4) To provide a novel and improved pallet capable of being shipped to its origin of use in a knockdown condition and requiring but a minimum of unskilled labor to set it up for use.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of the same taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a pallet embodying the features of my invention in its preferred form;

Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view from the underside of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in section through the device of Figure l, and illustrating the same in partial knockdown condition for shipping purposes; and

Figure 4 is a three-dimensional view of my invention in modified form, adapted for use with a sling in loading freight on board ship.

Referring to the drawings for details of my 1nvent1on in its preferred form, the same comprises a platform 1 having a plurality of strips 3 of foldable material affixed at points on such platform defining a substantially symmetrical pattern. Each of such strips is preferably scored on both sides alternately at spaced intervals to permlt accordion plaiting of such strips, to provide a leg 5 for such platform composed of a number of superposed layers of such material, following which the same may be tacked in position to the platform as by driving a nail 7 therethrough and clinching the same. The leg material may be formed of such material as heavy paper, fiberboard, corrugated cardboard or the like, and when the various folds or layers are fixedly secured in the manner indicated, the compression is such that the legs become sufliciently impervious to moisture as to adequately support heavy loads and otherwise withstand the rigors of a one-way trip to the point of destination of such loads.

While the legs are in elfect composed of a series of layers of material, and could be built up of separate layers of such material, I prefer forming them by the strip method previously described, inasmuch as it facilitates the packaging and shipping of such pallets in knockdown condition to the purchaser, the strip material being folded fiat against the bottom of the platform which permits the pallet being stacked with others in knockdown condition in a minimum of space.

2,702,682 Patented Feb. 22, 1955 See The platform may be formed of a sheet of plywood, Masonite or the like, though I find the same may be more economically fabricated by first constructing a frame 9 out of wood slats or the like, and applying thereto a sheet 11 of material such as fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, or some equivalent cheap material.

In forming the frame, I prefer to do so by connecting a plurality of parallel disposed slats 13 by a plurality of cross slats 15 nailed or stapled to the parallel slats at their points of crossover or intersection. When the frame is thus to be fabricated, each strip of leg material is preferably affixed at the same time, by inserting one end thereof between a parallel disposed slat and a cross slat at their point of intersection, thereby not only offering a firm grip on the strip material while shipping pallets in their knockdown condition, but also anchoring the finished legs more firmly, to thereby enable them to better withstand the rough usage encountered in the handling of freight shipments.

Regarding pallets for use in the shipping of freight by boat, I prefer to make these in slightly modified form by utilizing cross slats 15 of such length as to extend beyond the outermost of the parallel slats so as to provide in the finished pallet, parallel overhanging edges 17 for engagement by the loops 19 of a sling conventionally gmployed in transferring of freight between a dock and oat.

A pallet constructed in accordance with the above, weighs on the order of 14 pounds, thus offering a reduction in weight on the order of 800% over prior art devices.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of my invention, that the same fulfills all the objects of my invention, and while I have illustrated and described the same in considerable detail, it is apparent that the same is subject to alteration and modification without departing from the underlying principles involved, and I accordingly do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details so illustrated and described except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lightweight pallet in knockdown condition, comprising a platform, said platform including a frame involving a plurality of parallel disposed slats connected by a plurality of cross slats, and a sheet of top material applied to said frame and aflixed thereto; a plurality of strips of material; and means afiixing said strips at one end thereof to said frame at locations defining a substantially symmetrical pattern, each of said strips being foldable to permit accordion plaiting of such strip and tacking of the same in its plaited condition to form a leg for such pallet.

2. A lightweight pallet in knockdown condition, comprising a platform, said platform including a frame involving a plurality of parallel disposed slats connected by a plurality of cross slats extending at each end beyond the outermost of said parallel slats, and a sheet of top material applied to said frame and aflixed thereto; a plurality of strips of material; and means aflixing said strips at one end thereof to said frame between parallel slats and cross slats at points of intersection defining a. substantially symmetrical pattern, each of said strips being transversely scored at spaced intervals to permit accordion plaiting of such strip and tacking of the same in its plaited condition to form a leg for such pallet.

3. A lightweight pallet comprising a platform, said platform including a frame involving a plurality of parallel disposed slats connected by a plurality of cross slats, and a sheet of top material applied to said frame and affixed thereto; and a plurality of legs distributed over said frame in substantially a symmetrical pattern, each of said legs including a strip of material having one end thereof anchored between a parallel slat and a cross slat at a point of intersection of said slats, such strip being accordion plaited to form a plurality of layers of said strip material over such point of intersection, and means tacking said strip in plaited condition to said platform.

4. A lightweight pallet comprising a platform, said platform including a frame involving a plurality of parallel disposed slats connected by a plurality of cross slats extending at each end beyond the outermost of said parallel slats, and a sheet of top material applied to said frame and aflixed thereto; and a plurality of legs distributed over said frame in substantially a symmetrical pattern, each of said legs including a strip of material having one end thereof anchored between a parallel slat and a cross slat at a point of intersection of said slats, such strip being accordion plaited to form a plurality of layers of said strip material over such point of intersection, and means tacking said strip in plaited condition to said platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Beaman Apr. 5, 1932 Dorsey May 13, 1947 Cahners June 29, 1948 Farrell Nov. 27, 1951 Norrefeldt et al. Dec. 9, 1952

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