Collapsible reusable pallet

Abstract

A pallet for supportively carrying and transporting goods as a unit load in a stable efficient manner is disclosed. The pallet can be configured as a rigid or easily disassemblable compact collapsed structure. Interlocking frame members form an upper planar surface with one or more gap or void areas. A sheet of flexible material operatively secured to the frame is tautly stretched to overlie the void areas and forms a structural part of the upper planar surface to counteract downward load forces applied to the fabric over the pallet surface void areas. The sheet material preferably comprises woven polypropylene material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pallet configured to rest upon a lower support surface and to support a load having a maximum load weight, comprising:
 (a) a frame having a plurality of interconnected first and second frame members oriented generally perpendicularly to one another with at least some of said first and said second frame members having coplanar upper surfaces cooperatively defining a planar upper deck surface with at least one void or gap region in said planar deck surface;   (b) a continuous sheet of material overlying said deck surface, secured to and tautly stretched between at least two of said frame members and overlying said at least one void or gap region in said plane, to provide upward support forces to counteract downward forces applied to said sheet material by a load placed on and carried by said upper deck surface and engaging said sheet material above said at least one void or gap region; wherein the strength of said sheet upward support forces is at least equal to or greater than downward load forces that could be produced by said load and having said maximum load weight; and   (c) spaced leg members operatively connected to said frame so as to support said upper deck surface in spaced relationship above said lower support surface, to enable pallet lifting arms to be inserted between said leg members and under said upper deck to lift said pallet above said lower support surface.   
     
     
         2 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second frame members are arranged and configured in interlocking manner. 
     
     
         3 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second frame members comprise wood. 
     
     
         4 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second frame members are detachably secured to one another such that said pallet can be disassembled and compacted for transport or storage, and reassembled for operative use. 
     
     
         5 . The pallet of  claim 4 , wherein the volume of the compacted disassembled pallet is at least 20 percent less than that of the assembled pallet. 
     
     
         6 . The pallet of  claim 5 , wherein the volume of the compacted disassembled pallet is at least 40 percent less than that of the assembled pallet. 
     
     
         7 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said upper deck surface has a plurality of void or gap regions, and wherein said sheet material overlies said plurality of void or gap regions. 
     
     
         8 . The pallet of  claim 7 , wherein said sheet material comprises a plurality of sheets of material which collectively overlie said plurality of void or gap regions. 
     
     
         9 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said sheet material overlies substantially the entire planar upper deck surface. 
     
     
         10 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said sheet material comprises a woven fabric material. 
     
     
         11 . The pallet of  claim 10 , wherein said woven fabric sheet material comprises polypropylene material. 
     
     
         12 . The pallet of  claim 1 , wherein said sheet material has a working load strength ratio compared to said maximum load weight, of greater than or equal to 2:1. 
     
     
         13 . The pallet of  claim 12 , wherein said sheet material has a working load strength ratio compared to said maximum load weight, of greater than or equal to 5:1. 
     
     
         14 . The pallet of  claim 11 , wherein said sheet material has a fabric weight equal to or greater than 5 ounces per square yard. 
     
     
         15 . The pallet of  claim 11 , wherein opposed longitudinal edges of said stretched sheet material are folded over and hot fused to a bottom surface of said sheet material. 
     
     
         16 . The pallet of  claim 1 , further comprising load centering devices operatively secured to said pallet and extending upwardly above the upper planar surface of the deck along opposed edges of the pallet deck surface, to assist in positioning and centering containers on said upper deck surface. 
     
     
         17 . A pallet for supporting a load contained within a container having a bottom surface defining an outer peripheral footprint pattern, comprising:
 (a) a pallet frame structure defining a planar upper deck surface for supporting said container and contained load, said upper deck surface having an outer peripheral footprint dimensioned larger than that of said container footprint such that said deck surface is capable of fully supportively engaging the bottom surface of said container; and   (b) container centering devices operatively secured along opposed outer edges of said deck surface peripheral footprint and rising above said planar upper deck surface, arranged and configured to engage and apply centering forces to sides of said container during placement of the container onto said deck surface, to assist in positioning said container on said upper deck surface so that the bottom of the container does not extend beyond the outer peripheral footprint of said pallet upper deck surface.   
     
     
         18 . The pallet of  claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of spaced leg portions operatively connected to or forming a part of said pallet frame structure, arranged and configured to support said upper deck surface in spaced relationship above a lower support surface, to enable pallet lifting arms to be inserted between said spaced leg portions and below said upper deck to lift said pallet above said lower support surface; and wherein at least some of said container centering devices are aligned with said leg portions, so as not to interfere with lifting operations of the pallet. 
     
     
         19 . A collapsible pallet for supporting a load, comprising:
 (a) a plurality of longitudinal frame members, oriented in parallel spaced relationship to one another and having coplanar upper portions;   (b) a plurality of lateral frame members operatively connected to said longitudinal frame members, oriented in parallel spaced relationship to one another and generally perpendicular to said longitudinal frame members, said lateral frame members having upper surfaces that are coplanar with said coplanar upper portions of said longitudinal frame members and cooperatively form therewith a planar upper deck surface;   (c) said longitudinal and said lateral frame members being rigidly, but detachably secured to one another, so as to form one or more gaps or voids in the planar upper deck surface; and   (d) at least one flexible sheet of material overlying said planar deck upper surface, tautly secured to opposed ones of said lateral frame members and arranged and configured to overlie and span across at least one of said gaps or voids in the planar upper deck surface to strengthen said upper deck surface; said sheet material having a strength sufficient to counteract downward forces applied to said sheet material by a load placed upon the sheet material overlying said gap or void in said upper deck surface.   
     
     
         20 . The pallet of  claim 19 , wherein said longitudinal and lateral frame members are detachable from one another in a manner such that when detached, they can be compacted for transport and storage and readily reassembled into an operative pallet. 
     
     
         21 . The pallet of  claim 19 , wherein said sheet material comprises polypropylene fabric configured to span across substantially the entire planar upper deck surface of said pallet.