Pallet and packaging system

Abstract

To provide a pallet capable of preventing a stacking surface of a top plate from sinking, also ensuring flexural rigidity of the top plate itself, and stably loading a packaged cargo.SOLUTION: A pallet comprises: a corrugated cardboard top plate which becomes a stacking surface of a cargo; and a column member which has an opening part into which a fork member of a cargo handling device can be inserted, and supports the top plate. The top plate is a corrugated cardboard sheet piled up for two stages, and is prepared in such a manner that a middle core inserting direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet being in a stacking surface side forms an angle to an opening direction of the column member. Moreover, between the top plate and the column member, a reinforcing sheet is prepared so as to enhance the flexural rigidity of the top plate. Thus, the pallet can prevent the stacking surface of the top plate from sinking, also ensure the flexural rigidity of the top plate itself, and stably load a packaged cargo.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pallet and a packaging system.

Background Art

[0002] A pallet used in logistics forms part of a unit load form that stacks a collection of multiple packaged goods and enables the handling and distribution of these packaged goods in a collective unit using transportation equipment. In particular, a cardboard pallet is made of a material with excellent recyclability, and has the advantage of being able to reduce the environmental load compared to other plastic, metal, and wooden pallets.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional cardboard pallet 100, the top plate 110 of the pallet is composed of a cardboard flat plate having the same size as the outer shape size of the pallet, and the through-hole direction L of the hollow portion of the core 26 of the cardboard flat plate is arranged parallel or perpendicular to the opening direction D between the support members 116 of the pallet.

[0004] However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer box ridge line 32 of the packaged goods 30 loaded on the top plate 110 does not coincide with the vertex-through line 28 where the wavy vertex of the core 26 is located, and there is a portion that is not supported. As shown in FIG. 3, when the surface liner 22 of the top plate 110 is deformed (depressed), the packaged goods 30 are not stably supported on the installation surface, and an unexpected load may act, causing a decrease in the strength of the outer box of the packaged goods 30.

[0005] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a cardboard pallet in which the four corners of a cardboard cut into a square shape are bent and fixed to the back side in a triangular shape, and leg members are attached thereto at appropriate intervals.

[0006] In this cardboard pallet, since the through direction of the core of the cardboard that is the top plate is inclined with respect to the opening direction between the leg members of the pallet, it is considered effective in preventing the deformation (depression) of the surface liner of the top plate.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, as shown in FIG. 4, when the passing direction L of the core 26 of the cardboard flat plate that is the top plate 110 is inclined with respect to the opening direction D between the support members 116, the bending rigidity of the entire top plate decreases this time. Therefore, depending on the loading weight of the packaged goods 30, a non-negligible bending deformation (deflection) may occur on the loading surface of the top plate 110, and there is a risk that the packaged goods 30 will not be stably supported.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a pallet that can prevent the depression of the loading surface of the top plate, ensure the bending rigidity of the top plate itself, and stably load the packaged goods.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The above problems are solved by a pallet characterized by including a cardboard top plate that serves as a loading surface for goods, a support member that has an opening into which a fork member of a handling device can be inserted and supports the top plate, comprising the top plate is a two-layer stacked cardboard sheet, and the passing direction of the core of the cardboard sheet on the loading surface side is provided to form an angle of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the opening direction of the support member, and a reinforcing sheet for increasing the bending rigidity of the top plate is provided between the top plate and the support member In the pallet, the corrugated sheet constituting the top plate is double-sided corrugated cardboard, and the layer with a lower core height is set on the side where the goods are to be loaded.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] In the pallet of the present invention, since the passing direction of the core of the cardboard sheet on the loading surface side of the top plate is provided to form an angle with respect to the opening direction of the support member, the outer packing boxes of the goods can be supported at a plurality of locations by the core. In addition, since a reinforcing sheet for increasing the bending rigidity of the top plate is provided, the bending deformation (deflection) occurring on the loading surface of the top plate can be made relatively small. Therefore, the packaged goods can be stably loaded on the installation surface, so that the risk of a decrease in the strength of the outer packing box of the packaged goods can be eliminated, and the transportation quality can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] (Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a pallet according to an embodiment of the present invention. This pallet 1 includes a corrugated cardboard top plate 10 that serves as a loading surface for packaged goods, and support members 16 that support the top plate 10. Further, the support member 16 has an opening 16a into which a fork member of a handling device such as a forklift can be inserted.

[0013] The top plate 10 of the present embodiment is composed of at least a two-layer stacked (double structure) corrugated cardboard sheet 20. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the corrugated cardboard sheet 20 has a surface liner 22, a back liner 24, and a core 26 having a corrugated structure sandwiched between the upper and lower liners. Further, the direction of the hollow portion of the corrugated structure in the core 26 is referred to as the hollow portion passing direction (passing direction) L.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 5, in the top plate 10 of the present embodiment, the hollow portion passing direction L of the core 26 of the corrugated cardboard sheet 20 on the loading surface side of the packaged goods 30 is provided at an angle (tilted) with respect to the opening direction D of the support member 16.

[0015] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer box ridge line 32 of the packaged goods 30 to be loaded coincides (intersects) with the vertex passing line 28 where the vertex of the center core 26 is located at multiple points, and the center core 26 can stably support the load of the packaged goods 30. Therefore, deformation (depression) of the surface liner 22 of the top plate 10 can be prevented.

[0016] Furthermore, in the pallet 1 of the present embodiment, a reinforcing sheet 14 for increasing the bending rigidity of the top plate 10 (that is, the two-layer corrugated cardboard sheet 20) is provided between the top plate 10 and the support member 16 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the bending deformation (deflection) occurring on the loading surface of the top plate 10 can be made relatively small.

[0017] In this way, the pallet 1 of the present embodiment can prevent the depression of the loading surface of the top plate 10 and ensure the bending rigidity of the top plate 10 itself, so that the packaged goods 30 can be stably loaded and the transportation quality can be improved.

[0018] Subsequently, the advantageous configuration of the top plate 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0019] (Through direction of the center core) The corrugated cardboard sheet 20 on the loading surface side of the packaged goods 30 is provided such that the through direction L of the cavity of the center core 26 forms an angle clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the opening direction D of the support member 16.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 8 as an example, the angle is such that the vertex passing line 28 where the wavy vertex of the center core 26 is located forms an angle of at least about 4 degrees with the outer box ridge line 32 of the packaged goods 30 loaded on the top plate 10, so that one intersection point (fulcrum) can be provided. Therefore, on the top plate 10, it is desirable that the through direction L of the center core 26 of the corrugated cardboard sheet 20 on the loading surface side forms an angle of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the opening direction D of the support member 16.

[0021] Note that in Fig. 8, assuming that one side of the general outer packing box is about 150 mm and the distance between the centers 26 of the corrugated sheets 20 (distance between the wavy vertices) is 10 mm, it is calculated that an angle of about 4° is formed as a condition for the intersection of one side of the outer packing box and the vertex alignment line 28 where the wavy vertices of the center 26 are located.

[0022] (Two - layer stacking / two - layer structure) Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a two - layer top plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. As the two - layer top plate 10, a configuration in which one corrugated sheet 20 is bent and overlapped can be used.

[0023] When manufacturing the two - layer top plate 10, if the through - direction L of the center 26 is cut out so as to be 5 to 85 degrees, for example, as shown in Fig. 10, there will be many unused parts (material loss, yield loss) shown in white, that is, a large amount of waste will occur. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 11, by bending one corrugated sheet and overlapping the bent portion 20a on the original corrugated sheet 20, the two - layer top plate 10 is manufactured. Thereby, the material loss can be eliminated.

[0024] (Bending process) Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the bending process of the top plate (corrugated sheet). The bent portion 20a (see Fig. 11) of the corrugated sheet 20 can be bent by (a) ruled - line processing or (b) half - cut processing.

[0025] In the case of bending by ruled - line processing, since the cross - section of the corrugated sheet 20 is not exposed at the bent portion, the intrusion of moisture etc. can be prevented. On the other hand, in the case of bending by half - cut processing, the bending operation becomes simpler and the manufacturing efficiency of the pallet can be improved.

[0026] (Loading surface of goods) Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the loading surface of goods on the top plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the top plate 10 having a configuration in which one corrugated sheet 20 is bent and overlapped, it is desirable that the surface formed by the bent portion 20a (see Fig. 11) be the loading surface of the packaged goods 30.

[0027] The bent portion 20a of the cardboard sheet 20 is adhered to the original cardboard sheet 20 with an ordinary adhesive or the like. If this bent portion 20a is on the side opposite to the loading surface of the packaged goods 30, as shown in FIG. 14, in the bending action of the top plate 10 due to the load, a force F t acts to peel off the adhered portion of the bent portion 20a, and there is a risk that the adhered portion will peel off.

[0028] On the other hand, if the bent portion 20a is on the loading surface side, as shown in FIG. 15, in the bending action due to the load, a force F c acts to peel off the adhered portion of the bent portion 20a. However, on the other hand, since the respective bent portions 20a abut against each other, it is difficult for the adhered portion to peel off. Therefore, on the top plate 10, it is advantageous that the surface formed by the bent portion 20a of the cardboard sheet 20 is the loading surface of the packaged goods 30.

[0029] (Cardboard sheet constituting the top plate) Next, the cardboard sheet 20 used for the top plate 10 will be described. For the two-layer structure top plate 10, it is desirable to use a double-sided cardboard sheet or a double double-sided cardboard sheet.

[0030] In the case of a double-sided cardboard sheet, by adopting a cardboard sheet with a high density of the core (a short distance between the core vertices) such as the B flute standard, as shown in FIG. 16, a large number of intersections (fulcrums) with the outer packing box ridge line 32 of the packaged goods 30 can be provided. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the depression of the loading surface of the top plate 10.

[0031] On the other hand, in the case of a double double-sided cardboard sheet, as shown in FIG. 17, by increasing the thickness and thereby increasing the bending rigidity, the bending rigidity of the top plate itself can be effectively ensured. Also, by making the low-height layer 34 of the two-layer structure on the loading surface side of the packaged goods 30, the density of the core becomes large (the distance between the core vertices is short), and therefore, it is also possible to effectively prevent the depression of the loading surface of the top plate 10.

[0032] Furthermore, it is desirable to use a corrugated cardboard sheet 20 for the top plate 10, and by using a reinforced core material in the core, the load support strength of the corrugated core structure can be further increased.

[0033] (Other configurations of the top plate) The top plate 10 may be formed by folding the corrugated cardboard sheet 20 into a rectangular shape and folding it in half (see Fig. 18), and arranging at least two of them side by side on the same plane (see Fig. 19). In this configuration, since one side of each corrugated cardboard sheet 20 constituting the top plate 10 becomes shorter, the bending rigidity can be further increased.

[0034] Subsequently, the advantageous configuration of the reinforcing sheet 14 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0035] The reinforcing sheet 14 (see Fig. 5) provided between the top plate 10 and the support member 16 can be formed of a corrugated cardboard sheet. And, for example, as shown in Fig. 20, it is desirable that the through direction L of the core 26 of the reinforcing sheet 14 intersects with the through direction L of the core 26 of the corrugated cardboard sheet 20 (two-layer stacked top plate 10).

[0036] As a result, the composite body of the top plate 10 and the reinforcing sheet 14 has high rigidity against bending actions in different multi-directions M1, M2, and M3, and it becomes difficult to bend in that direction. In particular, by providing the through direction L of the core 26 of the reinforcing sheet 14 in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction D of the support member 16, the bending rigidity of the top plate 10 itself can be reliably ensured.

[0037] Also, by providing a plurality of reinforcing sheets 14, the bending rigidity of the top plate 10 itself can be ensured higher.

[0038] Subsequently, other advantageous configurations will be described.

[0039] The support member 16 can be composed of a laminated member made of corrugated cardboard. Also, as shown in Fig. 21, it may be composed of a tubular member 36 made of paper tube base paper. In either case, since it is lightweight and has high rigidity, the pallet can be stably placed on the ground.

[0040] Further, a bottom plate 40 may be provided on the bottom surface of the support member 16 (see FIG. 13) to enhance the rigidity of the entire pallet. Further, the pallet 1 of the present embodiment (particularly, the top plate 10 and the reinforcing sheet 14) may be provided on a separate wooden pallet or a plastic pallet to form a composite material pallet having a highly rigid top plate.

[0041] (Verification Test No. 1) A comparative verification was conducted on how much the problem of the load-bearing surface of the top plate being sunken by the outer packing box loaded on the top plate and the buckling strength of the outer packing box being reduced due to the instability of the support of the outer packing box caused by the difference in the passing direction of the core (hollow part of the corrugated structure) of the top plate was improved. Specifically, using a predetermined pallet configuration, a compression test was performed by changing the angle formed between the passing direction of the core of the top plate of the pallet and the ridge line of the outer packing box into two types, and the buckling strength of the outer packing box was measured. Materials Used: Outer packing box (JIS Z0201A type), material (K liner, A flute) Pallet top plate (AB flute top plate member), material (K liner, straight configuration of reinforced core material) Conditions: 1. "0° Specification": The angle formed between the passing direction of the core and the ridge line of the outer packing box is 0° (see FIG. 2). 2. "45° Specification": The angle formed between the passing direction of the core and the ridge line of the outer packing box is 45° (see FIG. 7). Results As shown in Table 1, the "45° Specification" showed an approximately 12% increase in strength compared to the "0° Specification".

[0042]

Table 1

[0043] (Verification Test No. 2) A comparative verification test was conducted on how much difference in rigidity occurs when the passing direction L of the core is provided perpendicular to the opening direction D of the support member 16 (Condition 1) and when it is provided inclined with respect to the opening direction D of the support member 16 (Condition 2; see FIG. 22). The materials used are the same as those in (Verification Test No. 1).

[0044] As a result, the bending strength of (Condition 2) showed a strength reduction of approximately 10% compared to the bending strength of (Condition 1).

[0045] From Verification Tests 1 and 2, it can be seen that while tilting the through direction L of the center of the top plate has the effect of preventing the depression of the loading surface of the top plate, it reduces the bending rigidity of the top plate itself.

[0046] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail using the embodiments and advantageous configurations. The pallet of the present embodiment is specifically intended to be used for loading an image forming apparatus and / or its peripheral devices in a packaging system that enables the handling and distribution of the image forming apparatus and / or its peripheral devices. However, it is not limited thereto and can also be widely used generally. Also, the above embodiments are examples and can be used with various modifications without departing from the gist.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0047] 1 Pallet 10, 110 Top Plate 14 Reinforcing Sheet 16, 116 Support Member 16a Opening 20 Corrugated Sheet 20a Bent Portion 22 Surface Liner 24 Back Liner 26 Core 28 Vertex Through Line 30 Packaged Goods 36 Cylindrical Member 32 Outer Packing Box Ridge Line 40 Bottom Plate 100 Corrugated Pallet D Opening Direction L (Hollow Portion) Through Direction

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0048]

Patent Document 1

Claims

1. A cardboard top plate serving as a loading surface for goods, a support member having an opening into which a fork member of a handling device can be inserted and supporting the top plate, comprising: The top plate is a two-layer stacked cardboard sheet, and the longitudinal direction of the core of the cardboard sheet on the loading surface side forms an angle of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the opening direction of the support member. In a pallet in which a reinforcing sheet for increasing the bending rigidity of the top plate is provided between the top plate and the support member, The cardboard sheet constituting the top plate is double-sided cardboard, and the layer with a lower core height is on the loading surface side of the goods. The pallet is characterized in that.

2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the top plate is formed by folding and overlapping a single cardboard sheet.

3. The pallet according to claim 2, wherein the cardboard sheet is bent by ruled line processing or half-cutting processing.

4. In the top plate, the bent portion of the cardboard sheet serves as the loading surface for the goods. The pallet according to claim 2 or 3 is characterized in that.

5. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the top plate is formed by folding a cardboard sheet into a rectangular shape and arranging at least two of them side by side on the same plane.

6. The cardboard sheet constituting the top plate has a reinforced core material. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is characterized in that.

7. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longitudinal direction of the core of the reinforcing sheet intersects the longitudinal direction of the core of the top plate.

8. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the longitudinal direction of the core of the reinforcing sheet is perpendicular to the opening direction of the support member.

9. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by having a plurality of the reinforcing sheets.

10. The pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the support member is composed of a laminated member made of cardboard or a cylindrical member made of paper tube base paper.

11. The pallet according to claim 10, characterized in that a bottom plate is provided on the bottom surface of the support member.

12. A pallet characterized in that the top plate and the reinforcing sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are provided on a separate pallet.

13. The pallet according to claim 12, wherein the separate pallet is made of wood or plastic.

14. A packaging system that uses the pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 13 for loading an image forming apparatus.

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