US2700520A - Spacing and supporting facilities for pallets and the like - Google Patents

Description

L. F. SKUBIC Jan. 25, 1955 SPACING AND SUPPORTING FACILITIES FOR 'PALLETS AND THE LIKE Filed April 21. 1951 IN V EN TOR. r5/fzza'c 4 United States Patent SPACING AND SUPPORTING FACILITIES FOR PALLETS AND THE LIKE Leroy F. Skubic, Beverly Shores, Ind.

Application April 21, 1951, Serial No. 222,234

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-120) My invention relates to spacing and supporting means for storage platforms and the like and has reference more particularly to socket members which may be attached to conventional type pallets and to bevel-ended spacing posts adapted to engage said socket members.

In the storing of crushable and irregularly shaped objects, it is desirable to employ storage platforms or pallets which may be supported at a predetermined height by means of spacing posts on which successive pallets may also be superposed at selected levels. In this connecion, it is particularly important that the platforms be readily installable on and removable from their supports so that a fork lift truck, for example, can l ft the top pallet of a multiple-level stack therefrom Without disturbing the remainder of the stack.

Such facilities are disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 27,006, now Patent No. 2,621,879, of Eugene T. Lundeen for Quick Assembly Multiple Shelf or Platform Structure and Parts Therefor, and also In my copending application Serial No. 196,386 for Pallet Spacing and Supporting Means, and while such facihties have been found to have highly flexible application to storage problems, the facilities of the present invention are more readily incorporable in existing conventional type pallets, and also permit use of wood posts or supports ll'lstead of steel.

The principal objects of my invention are to enable simple and convenient conversion of conven tlonal type pallets and the like to stackable platforms wh ch may be spaced apart at successive levels; to accomphsh thls by designing a simple type of socket which may be attached quite readily to any ordinary pallet; to prov de such sockets which will utilize as spacers standard size lumber, such as two-by-fours, which may be sawed readily to the desired lengths and which will be engaged securely when seated in such sockets; to design sockets of this type which leave the entire surface of the pallet unobstructed so as not to interfere with usable storage space; to provide such facilities wherein, owing to wedgelike insertion of the supports in the sockets, the supports tend to be both self-tightening and self-aligning therein; and to provide such sockets which do not project either above or below the respective surfaces of the pallet so that a pallet so equipped may rest flat on a floor, these and other objects being accomplished as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a perspective v1ew of two pallets n1 stacked, superposed relation having spacing and supporting means embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of a socket and cooperating spacing posts embodying my invention, with portions broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view of a spacmg post assembly showing a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 4 shows the spacing post assembly of Fig. 3 1n folded position;

Fig. 5 shows a modified form of socket embodying my invention; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical end view of stacked pallets utilizing the modified form of socket shown in Fig. 5.

riet'erring now to the drawing, the socket member of my invention is designated generally by thereference numeral 10 and comprises a metallic shell composed of oppositely disposedside walls 11 and a connectingouter wall 12, each of saidside walls 11 being provided with anoutturned mounting flange 13. Anoblique plate 14 2,700,520 7 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 is interposed between the respective side walls, 11 and secured thereto, such as by welding 15 along its respective edges to theside walls 11. In a preferred form theplate 14 meets theouter wall 12 at an angle of 30 degrees. The exact angle is not critical so far as my invention is concerned but it is important, in practice, that a uniform angle be adapted and adhered to for the sake of standardization. I have found that a satisfactory secket for general use. may be made of A2, inch steel p ate.

Thesocket 10 may be provided with an inner wall 12a corresponding to theouter wall 12 so as to fully enclose theoblique plate 14 onfour sides. This is shown in the modified form ofsocket 10 in Fig. 5, but it is not considered necessary as thesocket 10 would normally be applied against a flat surface, such as themarginal stringer 16 of a pallet, which would serve as an inner Wall of thesocket 10.

A plurality of sockets. 10 may be attached toconventional type pallets 17 along opposite sides and adjacent the corners thereof. For thepurpose of showing the manner in which sockets embodying my invention are used, I have shown a conventional 3-stringer type ofwooden pallet 17 withlengthwise stringers 16 and trans- .verse slats 18 secured thereto both above and below to form top and bottom platform surfaces.

Asocket 10 is attached near each end of bothmarginal stringers 16 so that there is asocket 10 adjacent each corner of thepallet 17. Thesockets 10 may be secured to thestringers 16 by means ofbolts 19 extending therethrough and engaged by nuts (not shown) or they may be held in place by means of screws. In the case of a metallic pallet, for example, thesockets 10 could be bolted or otherwise secured thereto in any known manner such as by welding.

In a preferred form, the overall height of thesocket 10 is approximately 5% inches; the inside thickness is 1 inches, which is ,4 of an inch greater than the standard thickness of a 2 x 4 board; and the inside width is 3 inches or A of an inch greater than the standard width of a 2 x 4. in this form, thesockets 10 are adapted to be used with lengths of 2 x 4 which serve as the upright spacing supports 20. The slightly larger dimensions of thesockets 10 permit convenient insertion and removal of thesupports 20 yet retain said supports in relatively firm upstanding position. Where other standard lumber is to be used assupports 20, thesockets 10 would be of substantially the same shape and the dimensions thereof would be about A of an inch larger than the corresponding width and thickness of thesupports 20.

Thesockets 10 are installed an equal distance apart on the sides of thepallets 17 and in the same position so far as theoblique plate 14 is concerned so that, as shown in the drawing, for example, the lower edge of theplate 14 is toward theouter wall 12 of thesocket 10.

The upright spacing supports 20 may be cut from standard 2 x 4 lumber as explained and the respective ends are beveled or chamfered to correspond to the angle at which theoblique plate 14 is mounted in thesocket 10. Thus, in the preferred form, each beveled or chamferedface 21 would form an angle of 30 de rees with the adjacent side at the tip. Thebeveled face 21 at one end of asupport 20 would be parallel to theface 21 at the other end, as' shown in the drawing. Thus when asupport 20 is inserted in asocket 10 with its lowerbeveled face 21 facing inwardly toward thepallet 17, the upperbeveled face 21 would face outwardly and be adapted to receive acorresponding socket 10 of thepallet 17 thereabove. Preferably thebeveled face 21 does not form a knife edge with the adjoining side but terminates in a trim or ledge 21a. This design serves the double purpose of strengthening the ends of the spacing supports 20 and of permittingsuch supports 20, when hearing weight, to wedge to the maximum depth in thesockets 10. The wedging effect tends both to align thesupports 20 vertically with respect to thesockets 10 in which they are installed and also to tighten thesupports 20 therein so as to give greater security and rigidity to multi-level stacks of pallets. With this arrangement, it has been found that the bottom posts or supports 20 in a multi-level stack of pallets will bear a total load from five to six thousand 3 pounds. Thelateral edges 22 of thebeveled faces 20 may be beveled as shown in Fig; 2 to clear thewelding 15 along the edges of theoblique plate 14 in order to insureflat face 21 toplate 14 engagement, although this is optional.

Whencorresponding supports 20 of uniform length have been inserted upright in the upper portions of the four respective corner sockets as shown in Fig. l, asecond pallet 17 withsimilar sockets 10 may be mounted thereabove by lowering theupper pallet 17 so that the beveledupper faces 21 of thesupports 20 enter the lower sides of therespective sockets 10 and become engaged thereby. Thus it will be understood that eachsupport 20 rests on the top side of theoblique plate 14 in thesocket 10 of thelower pallet 17 and is engaged upwardly against the under side of theoblique plate 14 in thesocket 10 of theupper pallet 17. Thus thesockets 10 enable convenient telescopic engagement of the upper andlower supports 20 in a manner which permits both dependable, secure support and quick, convenient assembly and ms assembly.

A modified form of supporting unit is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 wherein twosupports 23 are beveled at their lower ends in the same way as the supports 20 for telescopic engagement in the upper openings ofsockets 10. The upper ends of thesupports 23 are connected to atransverse member 24, which may also be made of 2 X 4 lumber stock, by; means of a hinge arrangement comprising a pair ofgu'sets 25. Agusset 25 is attached to each side of the trnsverse member 24 by means of a pair ofbolts 26 which project through therespective gussets 25 and intervningtransverse member 24 and are secured thereto by means of nuts on the threaded ends of saidbolts 26. Thesupports 23 may be attached to therespective gussets 25 in substantially the same manner. When two such supporting units as shown in Fig. 3 are mounted in oppositely disposedsockets 10 on apallet 17 so equipped, any

similar fiat pallet can be supported thereon and lifted therefrom without installation ofsockets 10 or other special equipment.

For storage purposes, the supporting units of Fig. 3 may be folded conveniently as shown in Fig. 4 by removing thebolt 26 nearest thetransverse member 24 in onesupport 23 and furthest therefrom in the other, and therem aining bolt 26 in each pair ofgussets 25 serves as a hinge on which thesupport 23 may be pivoted to permit folding the respective supports 23 against thetransverse member 24 as shown in Fig. 4. Thesupports 23 may, of course, be hinged to thetransverse member 24 in any other way such as by means of conventional hinges.

Similarly, across bar 27 may be employed as shown in Fig, 1.Such cross bar 27 may be made of a suitable length of 2 X 4 lumber and provided at each of its respective ends, and on the same side thereof, with ametal cap 28 having rectangular, downwardly disposed opening adapted to engage the unoer end of avertical support 20.Such metal caps 20 are preferably provided with inverted V-plates therein as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, corresponding to thebeveled ends 21 of thesupports 20 and engageable therewith. Across bar 27 may be placed on a pair of oppositely disposedsupports 20 as shown in Fig. 1 to form a brid e member, two such bridge members being adapted to support apallet 17 or other flat platform or article thereon.

As shown in Fig. 5, thesockets 10 may be provided with U-shaped hooks orprojections 29 on the outer face of theouter wall 12 and when two adjoining pallet stacks are assembled as shown in Fig. 6 and spaced pallet-width apart, additional conventional type pallets, not equipped withsockets 10, may be supported thereby.

While I have shown and described my invention in preferred and modified forms, I am aware that many other variations of my invention may be designed and employed without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the a pended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting structure for stackable pallets comprising, in combination, a double-ended socket having a side wall and a pair of opposed end walls with means for'attaching the latter perpendicularly to a flat vertical surface on a pallet, an abutment plate interposed between said end walls, said abutment plate being disposed in substantially perpendicular relation to said end walls and in oblique relation to said side Wall, upper and lower supporting posts, facing ends of said supporting posts being complementally chamfered at an angle corresponding to the angle of said abutment relative to said side wall, said chamfered ends of said supporting post being adapted for wedging engagement in opposite ends of said socket and against opposite sides of said obliquely disposed abutment plate.

2. A socket for securing upright posts to storage pallets and the like, said socket comprising, in combination, a pair of substantially parallel opposed walls, a depending intervening wall joining a corresponding edge of each said opposed wall, and an oblique plate interposed between said opposed walls, said oblique late being disposed at an oblique angle relative to said intervening wall so as to define an N-shaped cross section in said socket when the same is secured with said opposed walls against a relatively flat surface, said socket being thereby adapted to receive in either end thereof the ends of supporting posts chamfered at an angle corresponding substantially to the angle between said oblique plate and said intervening wall which post ends bear respectively against opposite sides of said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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