Pallet expansion member

Abstract

To provide a pallet expansion member which can be easily mounted on a pallet, is lightweight, and has a compact size as compared with the pallet.SOLUTION: A pallet expansion member 1 is attached to the side of a rectangular pallet 10 on whose upper surface cargo is placed to expand the loading area of the pallet 10 and comprises: a body 2 made of foamed resin; and a support part 3 molded integrally with the body 2. The body 2 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape, with the length of its longer side being substantially equal to the length of one side of the pallet, and its height being substantially equal to the height of the pallet. Two support parts 3 are provided so as to project into the side of the body 2 that comes into contact with the pallet 10 and are shaped to be inserted into the fork insertion openings 11 of the pallet 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pallet expansion member that is attached to a pallet used when transporting cargo with a forklift, and expands the loading area of ​​the pallet. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, when transporting goods with a forklift, the goods are placed on a flat pallet and the pallet is lifted by the forklift. Pallets are made of various materials such as wood, metal, and resin, but resin pallets are more widely used because they are stronger than wooden pallets and lighter than metal pallets.

[0003] Depending on the size of the goods to be placed on the pallet and the loading specifications, a pallet with a larger loading area may be required. However, a pallet is a large component with a side length exceeding 1m, and for example, in the case of a plastic pallet, the molds and the like used to manufacture it are also large. Therefore, when manufacturing pallets of various sizes, there is a risk of production efficiency decreasing due to the need to prepare multiple types of large molds.

[0004] In response to this, a pallet attachment is known that can expand the area of ​​the loading surface of a pallet by attaching synthetic resin panels to each of the four sides of the pallet (see Patent Document 1).Also known is a flat pallet loading area expander that has a loading section that is larger in area than the top surface of the pallet and a support section provided on the underside of the part of the loading section that protrudes from the pallet (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-119418 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-126590 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the pallet attachment described in Patent Document 1 is configured to be welded to a resin pallet, and once the pallet attachment is attached, the pallet can only be used in a pattern that expands the loading area. In addition, the pallet attachment has a notch formed to correspond to the fork insertion port of the pallet, so it cannot ensure sufficient strength and the expansion area is limited. Moreover, since the pallet attachment is also made of synthetic resin, it has a certain weight, and when attached to the pallet, the overall weight increases. In addition, the flat pallet loading area expansion member described in Patent Document 2 is a member that is larger than the pallet, and if it is not used, it requires a very large storage space and the manufacturing cost increases depending on the size.

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a pallet expansion member that can increase the loading area of ​​a pallet, can be easily attached to the pallet, is lightweight, and has a compact size compared to the pallet itself. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention is a pallet expansion member that is attached to the side of a rectangular pallet on which cargo is placed on top to expand the loading area of ​​the pallet, and is characterized in that it comprises a main body made of foamed resin and a support part molded integrally with the main body, the main body being approximately rectangular in shape, the length of its long side being approximately equal to the length of one side of the pallet and its height being approximately equal to the height of the pallet, and two support parts are provided on the side of the main body that abuts the pallet and are shaped to be inserted into the fork insertion ports of the pallet.

[0009] In the above-mentioned pallet expansion member, it is preferable that the protruding length of the support portion from the main body portion is longer than the length of the short side of the main body portion.

[0010] In the above-mentioned pallet expansion member, it is preferable that the area of ​​the protruding end face of the support portion is slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the fork insertion port of the pallet, and that the support portion has a cutout portion extending from the protruding end face to the side of the support member.

[0011] In the above-mentioned pallet expansion member, it is preferable that the support portion has a claw portion that protrudes from its upper surface and engages with a recess within the fork insertion port of the pallet.

[0012] In the above-mentioned pallet expansion member, it is preferable that the main body portion has a die punch hole that penetrates toward the claw portion when viewed from the side. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the pallet expansion member of the present invention, the support part can be easily attached to the pallet by inserting it into the fork insertion port of the pallet. In addition, since the pallet expansion member is made of foamed resin, it is lighter than resins such as non-foamed plastics, and since it is attached to the side of the pallet, it can be made compact in size compared to the pallet itself. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A is a perspective view showing a pallet expansion member according to one embodiment of the present invention attached to a pallet, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the pallet expansion member removed from the pallet. [Diagram 2] 2A is a plan view of the pallet expansion member attached to a pallet, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A is a perspective view mainly showing the front of the pallet expansion member, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view mainly showing the back of the pallet expansion member. [Figure 4](a) is a plan view of the pallet expansion member, (b) is the right side view, (c) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to (a), (d) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to (b), (e) is a front view, (f) is a rear view, and (g) is a bottom view. [Diagram 5] Enlarged view of area B in Figure 2(c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A pallet expansion member according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The pallet expansion member of this embodiment is attached to a pallet used for managing and transporting cargo using a forklift, a handlift, etc. at a logistics site, etc., and expands the loading area of ​​the pallet.

[0016] As shown in Figs. 1(a)(b) and 2(a) to (c), the pallet 10 is a rectangular resin pallet on which cargo is placed. In this embodiment, a general-purpose resin pallet having a substantially square shape in plan view and a length of one side of 1100 mm is used as the pallet 10. The pallet 10 is mainly composed of an upper plate, a lower plate, and four side plates, and a pair of fork insertion ports 11 is provided on each of the four side plates. A lattice-like rib structure is formed on the inner surfaces of the upper plate and the lower plate for strength reinforcement. In addition, the upper plate and the lower plate are provided with a plurality of openings for ensuring ventilation.

[0017] The pallet expansion member 1 is attached to each of two opposing side surfaces of the pallet 10. The pallet expansion member 1 comprises a plate-shaped main body 2 made of foamed resin, and a pair of support parts 3 integrally molded with the main body 2. The material constituting the main body 2 and the support parts 3 is a foamed synthetic resin, for example, a polyolefin resin such as polystyrene, polyethylene, or polypropylene, and in this embodiment, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is used.

[0018] 3(a)(b) and 4(a) to (g), the main body 2 is a member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an upper surface 21 that constitutes a surface continuous with the loading surface (upper surface) of the pallet 10 when attached to the pallet 10, a lower surface 22 that is continuous with the bottom surface of the pallet 10, a side surface 23 that abuts against the side surface of the pallet 10, a side surface 24 that serves as an outer surface, and two end surfaces 25, 26. In the explanation of the pallet expansion member 1, the lower left direction shown in Fig. 3(a) is regarded as the front, and the directions in Figs. 4(a) to (g) are also equivalent to this.

[0019] The main body 2 has a generally rectangular prism shape, and the length (width) of the long side of the main body 2 is generally equal to the width of the pallet 10, for example, 1100 mm. The height of the main body 2 is generally equal to the height of the pallet 10, for example, 150 mm. The length of the short side of the main body 2 (L1 in FIG. 4(a)) is, for example, 75 mm. The longer the length L1 of the short side of the main body 2, the larger the loading area of ​​the pallet 10 can be, but if it is too long, the pallet extension member 1 will be easily detached from the pallet 10 due to the load applied to the end. For this reason, it is preferable that the length L1 of the short side of the main body 2 is within 120 mm.

[0020] The two support parts 3 are provided on the side surface 23 (the front surface shown in FIG. 3(a)) of the main body 2 that contacts the pallet 10, and are shaped to be inserted into the fork insertion opening 11 of the pallet 10. The protruding length (L2 in FIG. 4(a)) of the support parts 3 from the main body 2 is longer than the length (L1) of the short side of the main body 2, and is set to, for example, 125 mm. This allows the pallet expansion member 1 to be stably held on the pallet 10. The longer the protruding length L2 of the support parts 3, the more stably the pallet expansion member 1 can be held on the pallet 10. However, the protruding length L2 of the support parts 3 needs to be limited to a length (L3 in FIG. 2(b)) that does not reach the orthogonal fork insertion hole. Therefore, the protruding length L2 of the support parts 3 is preferably within 150 mm.

[0021] The support part 3 has rectangular upper surface 31 and lower surface 32 that are long in the longitudinal direction of the main body part 2, side surfaces 33, 34 connecting them, and a protruding end surface 35 that protrudes most from the main body part 2. The area of ​​the protruding end surface 35 of the support part 3 is slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the fork insertion port 11 of the pallet 10, and a notch portion 36 is provided from the protruding end surface 35 to the side surfaces 33, 34 of the support part 3. By providing the notch portion 36, the protruding end of the support part 3 can be contracted by elastic deformation, and even if the area of ​​the protruding end surface 35 is slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the fork insertion port 11 of the pallet 10, the support part 3 can be inserted into the fork insertion port 11, and since the restoring force presses the inside of the fork insertion port 11, the support part 3 is firmly held in the fork insertion port 11. In addition, in a typical plastic pallet, the outermost part of the fork insertion port has a larger diameter to make it easier to insert the tips of the forks of a forklift, and the diameter tapers inward (see FIG. 2(c)). The minimum diameter of the fork insertion port 11 mentioned above refers to the diameter at the point where the diameter tapers down.

[0022] The support part 3 has a claw part 37 that protrudes from the upper surface 31 and engages with a recess in the fork insertion opening 11 of the pallet 10. As shown in Fig. 5, the claw part 37 engages with the recess in the fork insertion opening 11, making it difficult for the support part 3 to come out of the fork insertion opening 11 and enabling the pallet expansion member 1 to be held on the pallet 10 more stably.

[0023] Of the side surface 23 of the main body 2 that abuts against the pallet 10, a lightening recess 27 is provided in a location where the support portion 3 is not provided (see FIG. 3(a)). In addition, a lightening hole 28 is also provided from the outer side surface 24 of the main body 2, and a part of this lightening hole 28 reaches the support portion 3 (see FIG. 4(c)). By providing these lightening recesses 27 and lightening holes 28, the pallet expansion member 1 can be made lighter and the amount of resin raw material used for the pallet expansion member 1 can be reduced.

[0024] Further, the main body 2 has a die punch hole 29 penetrating toward the claw portion 37 in a side view (see FIG. 3(b)). This die punch hole 29 is continuous with the upper surface recess 38 on the upper surface of the support portion 3. In order to form the cutout portion 36, the lightening recess 27, and the lightening hole 28, the pallet expansion member 1 requires the use of a die on the main body 2 side and a die on the support portion 3 side, and the dies must be connected and separated in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 4(c)(d). However, in this case, the protruding direction of the claw portion 37 is perpendicular to the die punch direction. Therefore, by providing the die punch hole 29 penetrating the main body 2, the claw portion 37 protruding from the upper surface 31 of the support portion 3 can be molded.

[0025] By mounting the pallet expansion member 1 configured as described above on the pallet 10, the loading area of ​​the pallet 10 can be increased by the area of ​​the upper surface of the main body 2. As shown in the above embodiment, when two pallet expansion members 1, each having a short side length L1 of 75 mm of the main body 2, are mounted on a pallet 10 that is 1100 mm square, the loading area of ​​the pallet 10 can be increased by 14%.

[0026] Also, the pallet expansion member 1 can be easily attached to the pallet 10 by inserting the support parts 3 into the fork insertion openings of the pallet 10. Furthermore, the pallet expansion member 1 does not have any cutouts that communicate with the fork insertion openings 11 of the pallet 10, and instead blocks two sides of the fork insertion opening 11, but since there are no cutouts, it is easier to ensure strength and the expansion area can be made larger.

[0027] In addition, since the pallet expansion member 1 is made of foamed resin, it is lighter than non-foamed plastic or other resins, and the weight increase when attached to the pallet 10 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the pallet expansion member 1 is attached to the side of the pallet 10, rather than being placed on the top surface of the pallet 10, the size of the pallet expansion member 1 can be made more compact than the pallet 10 itself. Note that the larger the main body 2 of the pallet expansion member 1 is, the larger the expansion area can be, but considering stability, the length L1 of the short side of the main body 2 needs to be shorter than the protruding length L2 of the support part 3 from the main body 2, so there is a limit to how large the main body 2 can be. Therefore, in reality, the size of one pallet expansion member 1 is a fraction of the size of the pallet 10.

[0028] The pallet expansion member according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, the claw portion 37 is provided only on the upper surface side of the support portion 3, but the claw portion 37 may be provided on both the upper and lower surfaces of the support portion 3. In this case, the pallet expansion member 1 can be attached to the pallet 10 more firmly, but the pallet expansion member 1 becomes difficult to remove from the pallet 10. Therefore, when the pallet expansion member 1 is permanently attached to the pallet 10, it is preferable to use a configuration in which the claw portion 37 is provided on both sides of the upper surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1 Pallet extension member 10 Palettes 11 Fork socket 2 Main unit 29 Die punch hole 3 Support part 35 Projecting end surface 36 Cutout 37 Claw part L1 Length of the short side of the main body L2 Protruding length of support part

Claims

1. A pallet expansion member that is attached to the side of a rectangular pallet on which cargo is placed to expand the loading area of ​​the pallet, The device includes a body portion made of foamed resin and a support portion integrally molded with the body portion, The main body is substantially rectangular, the length of its long side being substantially equal to the length of one side of the pallet, and the height being substantially equal to the height of the pallet. This pallet expansion member is characterized in that the support portions are provided in two protruding positions on the side of the main body that contacts the pallet, and are shaped to be inserted into the fork insertion ports of the pallet.

2. An expansion member for a pallet as described in claim 1, characterized in that the protruding length of the support portion from the main body portion is longer than the length of the short side of the main body portion.

3. An expansion member for a pallet as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the area of ​​the protruding end face of the support portion is slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the fork insertion port of the pallet, and the support portion has a cutout portion extending from the protruding end face to the side of the support portion.

4. The pallet expansion member according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support portion has a claw portion that protrudes from an upper surface thereof and engages with a recess within a fork insertion port of the pallet.

5. The pallet expansion member according to claim 4, characterized in that the main body portion has a die hole extending therethrough toward the claw portion when viewed from the side.

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