TWI775873B - Dismantlable pallet - Google Patents

Abstract

Dismantlable pallet comprising a plurality of skids and a plurality of crossbars, where the skids comprise anchoring elements, both rigid stops and flexible stops, which help secure the crossbars on the skids, together with tongue and groove joints present at the edges of the crossbars which are inserted in each other to form a solid and sturdy union and a complete load surface. The pallet can also include a rod joined to the bottom part of the skids which joins these and increases the sturdiness of the assembly, facilitating the use thereof in roller lines.

Description

Detachable Pallet

As the title of the invention indicates, the present invention relates to a detachable pallet comprising a series of pillow blocks and a series of cross bars which, by virtue of their geometry and press joints, do not require any other elements or additions things can be firmly connected.

No screws or any other accessories are required to attach the crossbar to the pillow block. Rather, the shape of the parts enables them to be firmly connected.

The technical field of the invention is transportable structures.

Pallets have been used for a long time to carry goods. However, these pallets must travel many times without load during use, making recycling sometimes uneconomical due to their bulk.

It is also not easy to sell new pallets over long distances, since the transport between the manufacturer and the first user is also carried out without load.

To assist in the transport of larger quantities of pallets in a single transport unit, such as a truck or container, demountable pallets have been envisaged so that the pallets can be dismantled after their load-bearing function on the transporter has been completed. to save space.

Detachable pallets also facilitate replacement of damaged pallet components; in non-detachable pallets, when a component is broken, the pallet is generally unusable, resulting in economic and environmental costs.

Prior art for removable pallets includes the following.

Spanish Patent No. ES245986 relates to a removable pallet which requires longitudinal elements to be interconnected at the top or bottom to strengthen the assembly, thereby increasing the number of parts used in the assembly.

The Spanish Patent No. ES1018770U relates to a detachable pallet, the parts of which are interconnected by a series of projections through cross bars, thus requiring these connecting elements and longitudinal and transverse parts to make up the structure.

Spanish Patent No. ES1033284U relates to a removable pallet, the parts of which are interconnected by means of a sandwich-type configuration, wherein the central part is provided with protrusions to engage holes formed in the outer parts. There are certain process problems with this solution, the basic corollary being that the protrusions have to be attached to the slats at the rear step; and the shipping problem, due to the presence of the protrusions that make the pallets disassembled during shipping hinder the optimization of space.

Spanish Patent No. ES1018770U relates to a detachable pallet consisting of a horizontal platform provided with grooves in the form of tabs, which must be deformable to a vertical position, limiting the use of this technology The material of the solution.

European Patent No. EP0516681 (published in Spain as ES2093698) relates to a detachable pallet consisting of two hollow metal pillow blocks facing each other, the opposite sides of which are provided with a series of openings, which can be arranged The rails below them are inserted and secured, the rails having grooves with a configuration and shape that allow them to be secured against the inner vertical walls of the pillow blocks.

US Patent No. US2007/0221537 relates to a three-dimensional structure, which consists of a plurality of parts which are mutually assembled, wherein the parts are made of cardboard or corrugated paper, or at least filled with several layers of cardboard or corrugated paper. Implementation of this patent requires several different kinds of components. Furthermore, the assembly creates protrusions in the structure that hinder its handling and storage.

US Pat. No. 8,113,129 relates to a pallet consisting of several parts, pillow blocks and cross-bars, each of which comprises two parts which, when connected, hold the part so that the part intersects and is held by the part. The proposed assembly creates protrusions that hinder the handling and storage of the pallet.

U.S. Patent No. US2009/0298015 relates to a detachable pallet consisting of several parts, longitudinal beams and cross bars which, when assembled, are crossed to form a stack by the additional reinforced pressure of the bars passing longitudinally through the parts plate. The patent requires a wide variety of components and rods, and the protrusions created by the bonding method hinder the handling and storage of the pallet.

The applicant's Spanish patent P20133046 relates to a pallet consisting of a series of pillows and crossbars, wherein the pillows arranged in pairs opposite each other tightly grip the pillows accommodated in the longitudinal beams The crossbar part in the recess, resulting in a solid structure.

The applicant's European Patent No. EP14741117.7 relates to another structure provided with pillow blocks and cross bars which can be assembled and disassembled without the need for screws or adhesives, wherein the cross bars are all the same and change their positions to access the In slots or grooves in the pillow blocks, and wherein the pillow blocks are arranged to face in alternating directions, such that the crossbars are secured in the grooves when the pillow blocks are aligned.

US Patent No. US4077334 relates to a pallet consisting of aluminum pillow blocks and cross bars, which are joined to each other by pressure bonding. Due to the mechanical form of the pallet, it is impossible to obtain a complete bearing plane, and it is necessary to have a gap between the cross bars to be able to assemble and disassemble, because the cross bars will deform laterally when the pressure is adjusted. Another problem with this type of pallet is that the pressing or clamping action is performed by the side of the crossbar, which is a long piece and can be easily relieved of the pressure by use or tapping, rendering it unusable. Furthermore, it cannot be made of plastic, because of the cost and production constraints of the material, aluminum is required, and it is not recommended for outdoor storage or for shipping.

US Patent No. 3,878,796 relates to a plastic pallet comprising parts, pillows and crossbars, which are engaged by sliding the crossbars on the longitudinal beams, since the crossbars have a cross-section complementary to the holes provided in the pillows. The mechanism of this patent requires space between the bars.

None of the patents discussed above allow for the creation of structures with complete surfaces as some applications require, nor can they be assembled easily and quickly part by part without undue effort, nor can they exhibit desirable strength in two aspects: The strength of the pallet to remain assembled when struck; and the strength of each component not to deform or become ineffective when struck and impacted during normal use.

To overcome the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a detachable pallet constructed of a plurality of rails with an integral bearing surface that does not require screws or additional elements to secure the combination of components.

Having a full load bearing surface is important for certain industrial uses and can be dismantled into small parts, ideal for shipping without a load.

In addition, the absence of screws or other bonding materials makes it easier to replace and recycle damaged parts; unlike other pallets, replacing damaged parts requires replacing the entire pallet, resulting in economic and environmental costs.

Furthermore, it is cheaper to return the pallets to the original company because the pallets are dismantled and take up less space.

A pallet like the one proposed in this paper also has the advantage that the damaged part(s) can be easily repaired and replaced; unlike other types of pallets, the entire pallet must be replaced when one part is damaged.

Although manufacturing in plastic without compromising its strength and sturdiness means a further advantage, the pallet can be made of any medium durometer material due to its mechanism.

Furthermore, the simplicity of its incorporation makes assembly and disassembly particularly easy.

The pallet is composed of pillow blocks and horizontal bars.

The term "pillow" herein refers to each of the members in the form of beams that make up the bottom structure of the pallet to support the load bearing surface of the pallet.

"Cross-bar" refers to each of the components that form the load-bearing surface of the pallet and are placed vertically on the pillows and joined.

Each pillow block is provided with a plurality of anchoring elements on its upper portion, the anchoring elements including one or more rigid stops and one or more flexible stops.

The rails have a shape that allows one of their larger sides to be caught by the rigid stop of the pillow, while the other larger side is held by either flexible stop, by pressure, or It is fixed by its shape by means of other cross bars.

Once the rails (except the outer rails) are installed, their sides touch each other, resulting in a complete bearing surface.

The rigid stop is used in this way to prevent the crossbar from moving beyond a certain point and vertical movement, while a flexible stop or adjacent crossbar prevents the crossbar from moving backwards and from the rigid stop Pieces fall off.

Each crossbar is fixed on its larger side in this way. One of the larger sides terminates in a rigid stop and is secured by an opening in its bottom, while the other larger side may terminate in another crossbar or a flexible stop.

In one possible embodiment, referred to as embodiment A, each crossbar is snapped on one of its larger sides by a rigid stop and fixed on the other larger side by a flexible stop , thereby creating a load-bearing surface for the pallet.

In another embodiment, referred to as embodiment B, all the crossbars forming the surface of the pallet are arranged in the same direction, and each crossbar is caught by a rigid stop on one larger side and the other larger The large side is clamped by adjacent crossbars (except for the last crossbar that secures the assembly by the pressure of the attached flexible stop), creating a load bearing surface for the pallet.

In another embodiment, referred to as embodiment C, a portion of the crossbar is configured in one direction and another portion of the crossbar is configured in the opposite direction. The mechanical operation of each of the crossbar members or sets of crossbars is as shown in Example B.

In the type of embodiment C, the pillow block may have a pair of rigid stops, that is, with a lower recess facing each end of the pillow block, such that the crossbar set and pillow block meet at the stops opposite each other Each set of crossbars reaches the end(s) of the pillow block or has a rigid stop at the end of the pillow block and a flexible stop in the center of the pillow block.

In any embodiment, the rails abut against each other, creating a complete load bearing surface, and together contribute to the stabilization of the assembly.

In order to assemble the aforementioned pallets, the components must have the following properties.

The upper part of the pillow block part is provided to the pillow block with a series of anchoring elements, with rigid stops and flexible stops.

The generic term "anchoring element" for the pillow generally refers to both rigid and flexible stops.

The "rigid stop" is the anchoring element of the pillow block, whatever its shape, which restricts the movement of the crossbar in the longitudinal and vertical directions of the pillow block.

For this purpose, the rigid stop has a shape including a lower recess, such as an inverted L-shape or another shape having such a feature.

"Flexible stop" An anchoring element of the bolster block, whatever its shape, consists of a deformable element that is flexed by the pressure exerted when the crossbar is installed, and returns to the In its initial position, it enters this recess and holds the crossbar against the pillow block.

For this purpose, the flexible stop may have a barb shape, or any other shape that allows the operation.

Any shape of the diagonal plane in the area of contact with the crossbar is represented by the barbs in this assembly operation.

The rigid and flexible stops are aligned and arranged longitudinally on the upper portion of each pillow in a standard fashion.

The distribution and number of rigid and flexible stops will depend on the type of embodiment desired.

The pillow blocks also have grooves on their sides through the block body, which grooves can be inserted by extensions of transport and stacking implements such as forklifts. In order to prevent the groove from weakening the structure, the bottom of the groove is sealed by a reinforcement.

The pillow block is preferably hollow to reduce its weight and includes internal ribs that provide the required strength of the pillow block.

The pillow block can be made of two parts, an upper part and a lower part, which are connected to each other to reduce the manufacturing cost and simplify the demoulding.

The crossbar is a flat member that can be embedded on the pillow block and is perpendicular to the pillow block, comprising elements complementary to rigid and flexible stops provided on the pillow block.

There are two types of rails: inner rails and outer rails.

An "inner crossbar" is a crossbar that is placed between two other crossbars of any form and is in close contact with each other.

The "outer rail" is the first and last rail in the bearing surface, so one of the larger sides (outer side) is exposed, while the inner side abuts the adjacent rail (usually the inner rail).

The larger side of the inner rail has recesses, referred to as anchoring recesses, that can be used to anchor the inner rail to rigid or flexible stops.

Similarly, the inner rails also have on their larger sides a tongue-and-groove structure complementary to the tongue-and-groove structure of the adjacent rails.

The outer crossbar has the tongue and groove only on one of its larger sides, in particular on the inner side, while the outer side has smooth edges and no tongue and groove joints, but has anchoring recesses.

The tongue-and-groove joints of the transverse rods can be complementary to the adjacent transverse rods, so that the inner transverse rods are mutually embedded by the tongue-and-groove joints.

In this way, the cross bars of the assembled pallets are tightly connected, arranged adjacent to each other and connected to each other by tongue and groove joints.

The rails may include tabs in the form of lips to assist in securing the load bearing.

The tabs of the inner crossbar are located on, in particular protrude from, its short side and are referred to as side tabs.

The tab of the outer crossbar is located on the larger side of its outer side, in particular protrudes from this outer side, and is called the front tab.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer and inner rails are hollow to reduce their weight and have internal ribs to increase the rigidity of the assembly.

The upper and lower surfaces of the crossbar may have holes or weft threads to reduce its weight, and in the proposed embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the crossbar have a bottom plate, which means a series of longitudinal holes and covered longitudinal The zones are staggered in the form of a grid.

The detachable pallet may also include bottom rods disposed vertically on and connected to the pillow block to increase the rigidity of the assembly and the use of the pallet in roller lines.

The embodiments described below are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the invention in any way, as there are various possible embodiments as shown in the description section and the invention provides other unmentioned configurations of available technical solutions.

The detachable pallet has a plurality of pillow blocks (1), specifically three; and a plurality of cross bars (2), specifically six, of which four are inner cross bars (3), Two are outer crossbars (6), although this number may vary in other embodiments.

The upper part of the pillow block includes several anchoring elements, in particular six rigid stops (8) and one flexible stop (9), although the total number of each type may vary in other embodiments.

The rigid stop includes an inverted L-shape creating a lower recess adapted to snap the anchor recess of a crossbar therein to hold the crossbar in place.

The flexible stopper (9) has a barb profile and deformable barbs (17), so that during the assembly operation, the crossbar is pushed vertically down to the flexible stopper barbs (17), The barbs are bent to allow the passage of the crossbar and return to their original position, ie enter the anchoring recesses and hold the crossbar in place, when embedded in the corresponding anchoring recesses (13).

In the examples herein, the pallets are assembled as follows.

The pillow blocks (1) are placed parallel to each other in the same direction and at the correct distance.

Install the first crossbar, i.e. place the outer crossbar (6) against the rigid stop (8) at the end of the pillow block, insert the rigid stop into the anchoring recess (13) on the outside (18) of the outer crossbar ).

With the rigid stop inserted into the outer anchoring recess (13), the crossbar will rest on the pillow block.

The inner side of the outer crossbar is in contact with the next rigid stop, which does not have a recess at the part of the contact.

The next crossbar (in this case the inner crossbar) is inserted into the rigid stops, anchors the crossbar to the rigid stops and abuts the outer crossbar so that it is adjacent to the It is held by the tongue and groove joint (5) of the complementary two crossbars.

Repeat this with each installed crossbar in favor of retaining the previously installed crossbar.

Finally, another outer crossbar with a tongue-and-groove joint on the inside is fastened to assist in securing the previously installed crossbar, while its outside pushes against the barbs of the flexible stops of each pillow block at this end ( 17), bend the barbs and allow the crossbar to slide until the barbs in the forced position coincide with the anchoring recesses (13) on the outside of the outer crossbar to be secured, and return to their natural position to enter the Anchoring the recess, and securing the rail and all other rails by closing the assembly.

In this way a complete load bearing surface is achieved without separation between the crossbars.

Each pillow passes through two grooves (10) of suitable size for insertion of extensions of transport and stacking implements such as stackers.

The bottom of these grooves is closed by a bottom plate (12) to increase the firmness of the pillow block and can be used on a roller line.

The pillow block is hollow to reduce weight and has internal ribs to increase its firmness.

The outer crossbar (6) and the inner crossbar (3) are hollow and form a complete bearing surface, however weft threads may be present to reduce the weight of the assembly.

This surface is limited by outer tabs, which may be front tabs (14) and side tabs (16). These tabs allow the carrier to be secured against sliding.

There are no structural differences between the crossbars, and the crossbars are interchangeable. However, for use, handling and safety reasons, the outer crossbar (6) has smooth edges (7).

The pallet can also be combined with a series of rods (11) at its bottom, which are connected through the shape of the bottom of the pillow block, so as to improve the sturdiness of the assembly and facilitate the pallet to be used on a roller line or other irregular surfaces , to avoid obstacles.

1‧‧‧Pillow block 2‧‧‧Cross bar 3‧‧‧Inner cross bar 4‧‧‧Side tabs5‧‧‧Tongue and groove joint6‧‧‧Outer cross bar 7‧‧‧Smooth edge8‧‧‧ Rigid Stop 9‧‧‧Flexible Stop 10‧‧‧Groove 11‧‧‧Rod 12‧‧‧Bottom Plate 13‧‧‧Anchor Recess 14‧‧‧Front Tab 15‧‧‧Recess 16 ‧‧‧Side tab 17‧‧‧Barb 18‧‧‧Outer side 19‧‧‧Inner side 20‧‧‧Recess

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a pallet showing the pillow block (1) and rail (2), with the inner rail (3) and its side tabs (4) and tongue and groove joints (5) visible in comparison On the large side; the outside crossbar (6) has no tongue and groove joints and has a smooth edge (7); the pillow includes anchoring elements on the upper part of the body, showing rigid stops (8) and flexible stops A moving piece (9); the body of the pillow block has a groove (10), which is suitable for inserting the end of the stacker into it, so as to facilitate transportation and moving; the bottom of these grooves is sealed by a bottom plate (12) , which increases the robustness of the assembly and allows it to be used on roller lines; Figure 2 shows an exploded view of another possible embodiment, wherein the central part has two opposite flexible stops (9), making it Be a C-type embodiment, with two sets of crossbars facing each other in opposite directions; this figure shows the bar (11) at the point where it connects the pallet structure, especially in the lower part of the pillow block; this optional The rib increases the rigidity of the assembly and facilitates the use of the pallet on the roller line; Figure 3 shows an example of a pillow block, showing more clearly that each rigid stop (8) has a recess (20), and a flexible The flexible stopper (9), in this case in the shape of a hook or half-hook, shows a deformable element in the upper part of the flexible stopper, in this case the barbs (17) can The rod bends under the pressure exerted by it and then returns to its position; Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a pillow block, in this case made of two parts, an upper part and a lower part, with two opposite each other in the upper central part flexible stops (9) of the pallet, and a plurality of rigid stops (8) in each of the two longitudinal halves of the pallet; this figure also shows the internal ribs of the pallet; (19) The outer crossbar (6) seen, presenting the anchoring recess (13), the tongue and groove joint (5) on the inner larger side, the tab; in this case the front tab (14) ), smooth edges (7) and recesses (15) reduce the weight of the crossbar; Figure 6 shows the outer crossbar from the side of the outer edge showing the front tab (14), smooth edge (7) and the outer anchoring recesses (13); Figure 7 shows an inner crossbar (3) with side tabs (16), anchoring recesses (13) and tongue and groove joints (5); Figure 8 shows the assembled stack The board type, in which each piece of pillow consists of two parts permanently joined, has its main advantage in the manufacturing stage; this pallet has bars at its bottom; it can be seen that the bars are pressed against each other on their sides, creating a The complete load bearing surface; and Figure 9 shows the pallet installed in another possible embodiment; it can be seen that the rails are pressed against each other on their sides, creating a complete load bearing surface.

1‧‧‧Pillow

2‧‧‧Bar

3‧‧‧Inner crossbar

4‧‧‧Side tab

5‧‧‧Tongue and groove joint

6‧‧‧Outer crossbar

7‧‧‧Smooth edges

8‧‧‧Rigid stop

9‧‧‧Flexible stop

10‧‧‧grooves

12‧‧‧Bottom

Claims (10)

A detachable pallet, comprising a plurality of pillow blocks (1) and a plurality of cross bars (2), characterized in that the detachable pallet comprises: a plurality of pillow blocks (1), including: a plurality of anchors Elements, said anchoring elements being a rigid stopper (8) and a flexible stopper (9), wherein the rigid stopper has a lower recess (20), and the flexible stopper comprises a deformable element ; a series of grooves (10), transversely through the body of the pillow block; a complete bearing surface, comprising: a plurality of crossbars, arranged in close proximity to each other, including outer crossbars (6) and inner crossbars Rods (3), wherein each crossbar has an anchoring recess (13) on its larger side, and wherein the inner crossbar has a plurality of tongue and groove joints on its larger side, the inner crossbars The plurality of tongue and groove joints on each of the larger sides of the (5), the plurality of tongue-and-groove joints on the inner side of each of the outer crossbars include at least one male tongue-and-groove joint and at least one female tongue-and-groove joint, wherein the tongue-and-groove joint (5) of one crossbar is connected to the The tongue-and-groove joints (5) of adjacent cross-bars are complementary, and wherein the adjacent cross-bars are embedded in each other through the tongue-and-groove joint. Detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the rigid stop (8) and the flexible stop (9) are located on the upper part of the pillow block (1). The removable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the rigid stop (8) comprises an inverted L-shape. Detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the deformable element of the flexible stop (9) is a barb (17). The removable pallet of claim 1, wherein the bearing surface includes outer tabs including side tabs (16) and front tabs (14). The detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the detachable pallet further comprises a rod (11) connected to the bottom of the pillow block (1). The detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein each pillow block is made of two parts, an upper part and a lower part. Detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the outer crossbar (6) has smooth edges (7). Detachable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the rigid stop (8) and the flexible stop (9) are aligned with each other. The removable pallet according to claim 1, wherein the groove (10) is closed on the bottom by a bottom plate (12).

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