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US-12623810-B2 - Plastic pallet

US12623810B2US 12623810 B2US12623810 B2US 12623810B2US-12623810-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure refers to a pallet made of plastics that includes a pallet body and a plurality of support feet, the pallet body having a length (l), a width (w) and a height (h 1 ), the height (h 1 ) extending between an imaginary lower plane (p 2 ) and an imaginary upper plane (p 1 ), wherein the pallet body comprises several body parts being arranged alternately in the upper plane (p 1 ) and the lower plane (p 2 ) along the direction of the width (w), thereby forming grooves extending in the direction of the length (l), wherein at least in one of the grooves several ribs extending in direction of the width (w) are arranged.

Inventors

  • HOLGER WOCH
  • Marco Schuler
  • Ulrich Erb

Assignees

  • Motherson Innovations Company Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230727
Priority Date
20220729

Claims (14)

  1. 1 . A pallet made of plastics comprising, a pallet body and a plurality of support feet, the pallet body having a length (l), a width (w) and a height (h 1 ), the height (h 1 ) extending between an imaginary lower plane (p 2 ) and an imaginary upper plane (p 1 ), wherein the pallet body comprises several body parts being arranged alternately in the upper plane (p 1 ) and the lower plane (p 2 ) along the direction of the width (w), thereby forming grooves extending in the direction of the length (l) wherein at least in one of the grooves several ribs extending in direction of the width (w) are arranged, a circumferential rim projecting above the upper plane (p 1 ), wherein a channel is arranged between the pallet body and the circumferential rim, the channel being open to the upper plane (p 1 ) and extending from the lower plane (p 2 ) to the upper plane (p 1 ), and wherein at least one locking projection protrudes in the channel for fastening a pallet wall or a pallet ring.
  2. 2 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein in all of the grooves being open in the upper plane (p 1 ) and/or all of the grooves being open in the lower plane (p 2 ) several ribs extending in direction of the width (w) are arranged.
  3. 3 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves extend between the support feet or over the entire length (l) of the pallet body.
  4. 4 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the length (l) is longer that the width (w).
  5. 5 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the support feet are protruding from the lower plane (p 2 ) and are extending through the pallet body up to the upper plane (p 1 ).
  6. 6 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein each of the support feet comprises an outer tube and at least one inner tube especially extending over the entire height (h 2 ) of the support feet, the inner tube being arranged within the outer tube and being connected to the outer tube via connecting ribs.
  7. 7 . The pallet according to claim 6 , wherein the outer tube has a rectangular cross section and the at least one inner tube has a circular cross section.
  8. 8 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential rim comprises at least in sections a wave-like-structure.
  9. 9 . The pallet according to claim 1 , further comprising an inner rim arranged between the pallet body and the channel extending over at least part of the circumference of the pallet body.
  10. 10 . The pallet according to claim 9 , wherein the inner rim extends at least around the corners of the pallet body.
  11. 11 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential rim, the upper side of the pallet body and the lower side of the pallet body comprise recesses.
  12. 12 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet is injection-molded.
  13. 13 . The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein multiple locking projections are arranged within the channel.
  14. 14 . The pallet according to claim 13 , wherein the locking projections are increased in multiples of 2.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the priority of European Patent Application Serial No. EP22187931.5 filed Jul. 29, 2022, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure refers to a pallet especially for use in logistics, for example for storing and transport of containers. For the storage and transfer of goods it is well-known to use pallets comprising a pallet body and a plurality of support feet. Containers comprising the goods can be placed on the pallets. The pallets can be transferred for example using a forklift. Therefore, the pallets usually have standardized dimensions regarding length and width. Furthermore, the support feet usually are arranged at the pallet body in such a way that the forklift can place the forks between the feet to lift the pallet. Different types of pallets are shown in DE 10 2015 215 098 A1, WO 2021/181266 A1, US 2011 0132801 A1, EP 3 354 586 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,003 A, WO 2006/130191 A1, EP 3 592 653 A1, DE 10 2009 038 963 B4 and DE 10 2012 221 843 A1. The pallets have to be designed to be able to carry specific loads. It is known to produce pallets using wood or plastics. If made of plastics, underneath the feet skids are arranged to achieve the necessary stiffness. Further, it is desirable that the pallets are suitable for storage in a high rack storage area in which they are placed on two tracks being arranged in parallel and supporting the pallet at two edges being arranged opposite only. For pallets suitable for storage in a high rack storage area it is known to include metal parts to achieve the necessary stiffness. This involves use of additional materials and process to achieve the desired result which takes time and is expensive. It is one task of one embodiment of the present disclosure to propose a pellet made of plastics being suitable for use in a high rack storage area. It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved pallet to obviate prior art shortcomings and to provide a pallet made of plastics being suitable for use in high rack storage area that fulfills desired characteristics and features as set forth below. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, a pallet is disclosed, which includes a pallet body and a plurality of support feet, the pallet body having a length, a width and a height, the height extending between an imaginary lower plane and an imaginary upper plane, wherein the pallet body compasses several body parts being arranged alternately in the upper plane and the lower plane along the direction of the width, thereby forming grooves extending in the direction of the length, wherein at least in one of the grooves several ribs extending in direction of the width are arranged. Further advantageous embodiments are subject to the dependent claims. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a pallet made of plastics comprises a pallet body and a plurality of support feet, the pallet body having a length, a width and a height, the height extending between an imaginary lower plane and an imaginary upper plane, wherein the pallet body comprises several body parts being arranged alternately in the upper plane and the lower plane along the direction of the width, thereby forming grooves extending in the direction of the length, wherein at least in one of the grooves several ribs extending in direction of the width are arranged. Body parts being arranged alternately in the upper plane and the lower plane along the direction of the width, thereby forming grooves extending in the direction of the length, with other words provide a pallet body having at least one cross section parallel to the width of the pallet body comprising the form of a square signal. In such a structure, the grooves open alternately to the upper plane and the lower plane along the direction of the width. Such a structure can provide a light weight but stiff structure, especially when bending in direction of the length. The arrangement of several ribs extending in direction of the width in at least one of the grooves provides rigidity when bending in direction of the width. The specific structure of the pallet enables to provide a pallet being made of plastics without the necessity of including further supporting or reinforcing metal elements. The pallet can be produced of plastics in its entirety. Further, the specific structure of the pallet enables to provide a pallet being made of plastics without the necessity of providing skids underneath the support feet and therefore a pallet being made of plastics being suitable for use in a high rack storage area. According to one embodiment, in all of the grooves being open in the upper plane and/or all of the grooves being open in the lower plane several ribs extending in direction of the width are arranged, especially to enhance rigidity.