Pallet with floor clearance

Abstract

A pallet may include a deck having a load carrying surface and a lower surface, and at least two spaced apart support legs. The legs may have one or more passages formed therethrough at a level beneath the lower surface of the deck to enable receipt of packaging material through the legs and beneath the deck to facilitate securing an object to the deck. The legs and deck may be made out of plastic materials, and may be formed in one-piece or in separate pieces connected together by complementary and mated connection features. The deck may include a plurality of friction elements adapted to engage an object on the deck to, for example, reduce slippage of the object relative to the deck.

1 . A pallet, comprising:
 a deck having a load carrying surface and a lower surface; and   at least two spaced apart support legs each coupled to the deck, the legs being spaced apart to enable receipt of a cart between the legs and having one or more passages formed through the legs at a level beneath the lower surface of the deck to enable receipt of packaging material through the legs and beneath the deck to facilitate securing an object to the deck.   
   
   
       2 . The pallet of  claim 1  wherein the legs are formed in one-piece with the deck out of a plastic material, and the passages are openings formed through the legs. 
   
   
       3 . The pallet of  claim 1  which also includes at least one catch formed in at least one of the legs or the deck, the catches providing a location upon which packaging material may be anchored relative to the deck. 
   
   
       4 . The pallet of  claim 3  wherein said at least one catch includes a slot formed in at least one of the legs or the deck. 
   
   
       5 . The pallet of  claim 1  wherein the deck includes at least one projection and at least one leg includes at least one socket sized to receive said at least one projection of an adjacent pallet when one pallet is stacked upon another pallet with the legs of one pallet disposed on the deck of another pallet. 
   
   
       6 . The pallet of  claim 5  wherein each leg includes at least one socket and the deck includes a like number and arrangement of projections. 
   
   
       7 . The pallet of  claim 1  which also includes a plurality of spaced apart seats formed in the load carrying surface of the deck, and a friction element disposed in each seat and having a surface engageable by an object on the load carrying surface of the deck. 
   
   
       8 . The pallet of  claim 7  wherein the friction elements are releasably received in the seats so that the friction elements may be removed from the deck. 
   
   
       9 . The pallet of  claim 7  wherein said surface of the friction elements are formed of a material having a hardness that is less than the hardness of the material of the deck. 
   
   
       10 . The pallet of  claim 7  wherein at least one seat includes at least two openings therethrough and a friction element disposed in said at least one seat includes a separate post extending into each opening. 
   
   
       11 . The pallet of  claim 10  wherein at least one post includes a head with one or more outwardly extending flanges defining a portion of the head that is larger than both the cross-sectional size of the post and the cross-sectional size of the opening in which said at least one post is received, and said head is pushed through the opening in assembly so that the flange overlies the opening and retains the friction element in the seat. 
   
   
       12 . The pallet of  claim 1  wherein the deck includes a stop surface adjacent to the lower surface that defines a minimum clearance between the deck and the ground, and the stop surface is arranged to engage a portion of a cart inserted between the legs to limit lateral movement of the pallet relative to the cart. 
   
   
       13 . The pallet of  claim 12  wherein more than one stop surface is provided extending from the lower surface and a space is provided between the stop surfaces. 
   
   
       14 . The pallet of  claim 1  wherein the legs are not formed in one piece with the deck and are coupled to the deck by interlocking fingers and flanges. 
   
   
       15 . A pallet, comprising:
 a deck having a load carrying surface, a lower surface, at least one stop surface extending from the lower surface to define a minimum clearance between the deck and the ground when the pallet is on the ground, and at least one friction element removably carried by the deck and having an upper surface engageable by an object on the load carrying surface of the deck; and   at least two spaced apart support legs each coupled to the deck and having one or more passages formed through the legs at a level beneath the lower surface of the deck to enable receipt of packaging material through the legs and beneath the deck to facilitate securing an object to the deck.   
   
   
       16 . The pallet of  claim 15  wherein the deck includes a separate seat for each friction element and a plurality of friction elements are provided spaced apart along the load carrying surface of the deck. 
   
   
       17 . The pallet of  claim 15  which also includes at least one catch formed in at least one of the legs or the deck, the catches providing a location upon which packaging material may be anchored relative to the deck. 
   
   
       18 . The pallet of  claim 17  wherein said at least one catch includes a slot formed in at least one of the legs or the deck. 
   
   
       19 . The pallet of  claim 15  wherein the deck includes at least one projection and at least one leg includes at least one socket sized to receive said at least one projection of an adjacent pallet when one pallet is stacked upon another pallet with the legs of one pallet disposed on the deck of another pallet. 
   
   
       20 . The pallet of  claim 19  wherein each leg includes at least one socket and the deck includes a like number and arrangement of projections.