PT1553025E - Reinforcement for pallet skids - Google Patents

Abstract

The reinforcement is conceived for pallets in which, both its loading platform (3) and its lower skids (2) are made of cardboard. The reinforcement consists of a grooved profile (1), cross-sectionally "U"-shaped, the middle branch of which presents an amplitude that complies with the width of the skids (2), the length of which coincides with that of the actual pallet and the side branches of which present a considerable less height that that of the skids (2). The reinforcement, of laminated cardboard, extends along the whole length of the pallet body, both, when its skids also do so, or when the skids are discontinuous. <IMAGE>

Description

EPIREGE DESCRIPTION: &quot; REINFORCEMENT FOR PALLET ROADS &quot;

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a reinforcement which has been specially designed for support pallets incorporated in pallets in order to suitably distance the loading platform from the support plane so as to allow the insertion of the forks of a door pallets or pallet trucks. The present invention is specifically for carton pallets and the purpose thereof is to strengthen their pallets by increasing their bending force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of carton pallets is becoming more and more widespread due to both environmental and economic reasons, since carton is a material made from recycled or non-recycled but always recyclable fibers.

Cardboard pallets offer several advantages over original wood pallets, which focus mainly on weight and recycling capacity, and other additional conditions intervene in their increasing use, such as requirements imposed by several countries requiring fumigation against wood pallets prior to the use of wood pallets, for example in Australia and the United States. 1

As is known, the most critical aspect of each carton pallet lies in the fact that the pallets which are located underneath the pallet's loading surface or pallet and which, as previously noted, are intended to facilitate access with a door pallet or stacker from two or four sides of the pallet.

In order to obtain these pallets, one of the most common solutions is to manufacture carton cylinders, made from the spiral winding of this material, these cylinders accommodating, in an aligned form, inside a prismatic and rectangular envelope, said cartons being continuous or depending on the access that is provided to the pallet truck or stacker.

In any case, this solution, which offers great compression strength, presents an important limitation in terms of bending force, this problem being more pronounced on the pallets that have access from its four sides, and especially when the pallet was placed on a shelf with only two support points.

Further, EP 0878405 discloses a pallet made of cellular pulp traversed by recesses to form hollow stud-like feet. In addition, the hollow feet may be externally reinforced with a &quot; U &quot; profile, fabricated from the same cellular pulp, which improves stiffness and wear resistance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The reinforcement proposed by the invention, applicable to pallets such as those previously indicated, or any other type of structure, such as tubular or other cylinders, considerably increases the bending force of the pallet, the pallet holding its benefits 2 intact from the point of view of lightness and recyclability.

In order to achieve this, and in a more specific way, said reinforcement consists of a &quot; U &quot; shaped profile based on laminated carton in which multiple sheets of carton are joined by adhesive bonding or by means of hot melt thanks to the layer of plastic polymer with which each sheet of carton can be provided. The thickness of said profile may be between 2 and 10 mm, depending on the characteristics of the pallet, from the point of view of its use, and its extension should cooperate with the extension of the pallet of the pallet for which it is intended, and its height will be about 10 to 20 mm, so that this reduced height makes it possible for a pallet holder or a stacker to penetrate the pallet side when the pallet is discontinued for that purpose. The reinforcement is preferably bonded to the pallet by adhesives either through its intermediate section or through its side or vertical sections, applying additional pressure on the pallet and reinforcement both in the vertical and transverse directions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In addition to the description of this document, and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, according to a practical example of the invention, a set of drawings is included, forming an integral part of said description, in which, by way of illustration and not limiting, the following has been shown: Figure 1 shows, in a perspective view, the pallet pallet reinforcement, manufactured according to the subject of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a transverse, schematic and partial detail of the reinforcing laminar structure of the previous figure. Figure 3 shows the reinforcement of the previous figures, suitably coupled to the pallets, specifically a pallet having exclusive accessibility through two of its sides. Figure 4 shows a representation similar to that of the previous figure but corresponding to a pallet with access through its four sides.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Viewed from the above figures, and more specifically Figure 1, it can be seen how the reinforcement proposed by the invention consists of a cross-sectional profile in the form of &quot; U &quot; (1), the average section of which corresponds to the current reference (1), having a longitudinal extension that coincides with the pallets (2) of the pallet (3) for which it is used, while the side sections (4) thereof have a height a range of 10 and 20 mm, ie slightly lower than the height of the pallets 2 of the pallet 3, which, when enveloping a pallet 3 'with discontinuous pallets 2', in which, in principle, the accessibility is defined by the four flanges or sides of the pallets on the profile (1), enables openings (5) to be established between the pallet (3 ') and the loading platform (3'), the apertures having an amplitude excessively sufficient to allow the pallet or pallet stacker arms. Said profile (1) having a wall thickness between 2 and 10 mm is obtained in the same way as a laminated carton, as is especially noted in detail in Figure 2, based on a plurality of carton sheets (6) which can be bonded by adhesive bonding, or by heat melting, thanks to a plastic polymeric layer which can provide each sheet of paperboard (6).

By means of the laminar structure for the profile (1), a high mechanical bending force thereof is achieved, which is transmitted to the pallets of the pallet and, consequently, to the latter as a whole, which is especially appropriate in the case of pallets as shown in Figure 4, in which the reinforcement acts as a bridge for the different segments (2 ') of the pallet at its lower level, constituting a connection parallel to that of the current loading platform (3') but without a negative repercussion on the possibility of access to the arms of the pallet truck or pallet truck, through the present discontinuous pallets, thanks to the reduced height of the reinforcement, which leaves the openings (5) free for the passage of said arms.

As can be understood from the foregoing description, the reinforcement proposed by the invention is applicable to the pallets (3) having any type of structure and configuration for their pallets (2-2 ').

Lisbon, October 24, 2007 5

Claims (3)

A reinforcement for pallet pallets (2), wherein the pallet is made of carton, produced with recycled and virgin fibers, which are both recyclable, and wherein the pallet or, of any structure, is continuous or discontinuous, depending on the access that is required on the two or four sides of the pallet, when inserting the fork of a pallet cart or hand pallet truck, characterized by having a profile in &quot; u &quot; (1) made of laminated board, which can be adapted and fixed to each stage (2) of a continuous or discontinuous construction. A pallet bed reinforcement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the height of the vertical walls (4) of the &quot; U &quot; (1) which is between 10 and 20 mm in order to allow the introduction of a fork from a pallet truck or hand truck, through the corresponding openings between the &quot; U &quot; shaped profile and the upper blade (3) of the pallet, in case the construction of the pallets (2) is discontinued. A pallet bed reinforcement according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall thickness of the &quot; U &quot; (1), which can be between 2 and 10 mm, and the carton layers (6) forming the wall, which are joined by means of glue or thermal melt, thanks to the polymer layer in each layer of carton . Lisbon, October 24, 2007 1