A novel cardboard pallet

Abstract

The invention relates to a cardboard-based pallet (10) which has recyclable properties and is lighter than wooden pallets, and which allows more products to be carried per unit weight with these properties.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] A NOVEL CARDBOARD PALLET

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The invention relates to a cardboard-based pallet which has recyclable properties and is lighter than wooden pallets, and which allows more products to be carried per unit weight with these properties.

[0005] PRIOR ART

[0006] A pallet is a flat, rigid, and often rectangular platform that is generally used to carry, store, and transport loads. Pallets are widely used to facilitate carrying materials, organize storage areas, and optimize transportation operations. Pallets are generally manufactured from wood, plastic, metal, or cardboard.

[0007] The main properties required from pallets, especially for use in transportation operations, are that they are manufactured from materials that have low weight and production costs, that are durable, and that have high hygiene properties.

[0008] Pallets are expected to be particularly low in weight. The reason being that the weight of the loaded products and carrying conditions thereof are very important in transportation operations. Also, the high weight of the pallets that will perform the carrying operations is an undesirable parameter for transportation operations. For this reason, pallets are expected to carry a high amount of products compared to their weight.

[0009] Pallets are also expected to be manufactured from durable materials in order to carry high amounts of load. Therefore, the most important parameter for pallets is the amount of load they carry per unit weight.

[0010] Due to such expected properties, pallets are generally manufactured from wood-based materials. However, wooden materials also have disadvantages such as having high weights, low hygiene properties due to moisture and water sensitivity, technical problems in recycling, and high production costs. Depending on the developing technology, the use of cardboard-based materials as raw materials in the manufacture of pallets is becoming widespread. Cardboard materials are lighter than wooden materials and durable enough to carry more material compared to their weight. In addition, since it is easily recyclable, its production costs can be lower than wooden materials. Furthermore, cardboard materials have higher microorganism resistance than wooden materials.

[0011] Due to such properties, it is becoming common to use cardboard-based materials as raw materials in pallet manufacturing instead of wooden materials. However, many cardboard-based materials are known in the art and are used in various technical applications. For this reason, research and development processes must be carried out in order to use cardboard-based materials with the most suitable properties for the relevant technical field in pallet manufacturing.

[0012] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In the manufacture of pallets, cardboard-based materials are becoming more commonly used than wooden materials. Different cardboard materials in many different technical fields can be used as raw materials in manufacturing for many different functions. The object of the present invention is the research and development of a cardboard-based material suitable for the production of pallets.

[0014] Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to introduce a cardboardbased pallet for carrying or storing materials of high weights per unit weight for the relevant technical field.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to introduce a cardboard-based pallet with high recyclable properties for the relevant technical field. In this way, it is possible to obtain a cardboard-based pallet which can reduce production costs.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to introduce a cardboard-based pallet that is resistant to microorganisms and has low water and moisture sensitivity, especially compared to wooden pallets.

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows the cross-sectional view of the pallet (10) of the invention from the front.

[0018] Figure 2 shows the view of the pallet (10) of the invention from the bottom, showing all main elements.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCES

[0020] 10 Pallet

[0021] 11 Cardboard Panel

[0022] 111 Panel Top Layer

[0023] 112 Panel Bottom Layer

[0024] 113 Panel Interlayer

[0025] 12 Leg

[0026] 121 Leg Top Layer

[0027] 122 Leg Bottom Layer

[0028] 123 Leg Interlayer

[0029] 13 Support Base

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] In this detailed description, the subject of the invention relates to a cardboard-based pallet (10), and is described only with the examples that will not create any limiting effect for a better understanding of the subject.

[0032] The representative view of the palette (10) of the invention is given in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1 , there are two main elements consisting the palette (10). These elements are a cardboard panel (11) that forms the surface for carrying and storing the load, and at least one leg (12) to suspend the weight of this panel and disconnect it from the ground.

[0033] If preferred, the number of legs (12) is at least four. Four legs (12) are positioned at each corner of the cardboard panel (11), ensuring that the pallet (10) has the necessary design for even load distribution. In another preferred embodiment, the pallet (10) comprises at least one leg (12) positioned also in the middle of the cardboard panel (11). Again, if preferred, the number of legs (12) can be two or three to be positioned in the middle section.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the number of legs (12) can be 9, as shown in Figure 2. Thus, further homogenization of the load distribution for the pallet (10) can be achieved. The technical solutions and advantages the number of legs (12) will provide in the relevant technical field are known. The scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the number and positions of the legs (12) to be included in the pallet (10) of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to Figure 1 , the pallet (10) contains at least one cardboard panel (11). Said cardboard panel (11) contains at least one panel top layer (111), at least one panel bottom layer (112), and at least one panel interlayer (113).

[0036] At least one panel interlayer (113) is assembled to be located between at least one panel bottom layer (112) and at least one panel top layer (111) to form the cardboard panel (11 ). In this invention, the process of assembly is not detailed and the scope of protection of the invention cannot be limited by this technical teaching.

[0037] One of the innovative aspects of the invention is that the panel interlayer (113) is manufactured from corrugated cardboard. Corrugated cardboard, as is known in the art, consists of a wave-layered structure obtained by combining two carton cardboards. While one of these cardboards is flat, the cardboard that will be placed on top is wavy (curved). This curve can be formed in various ways and corrugated cardboard with different structures can be obtained.

[0038] As is known in the art, one of the most important parameters for pallets (10) is the amount of load they carry per unit weight. In order to achieve this, experts have conducted various studies to manufacture pallets (10) from low-weight materials.

[0039] In the studies, the inventors of the present invention compared the pallets made of paper honeycomb cardboards, which are frequently used in the art, to the pallets (10) comprising the panel interlayer (113) manufactured from the corrugated cardboard of the present invention, in terms of their weight. In the studies, while the weight of the panel manufactured from 800 * 1200 mm paper honeycomb was 5.4 kg; the weight of the cardboard panel (11) comprising the panel interlayer (113) manufactured from corrugated cardboard was 3.9 kg. Accordingly, the difference of 1.5 kg shows that cardboard panels (11) manufactured from corrugated cardboard are 38% lighter than panels manufactured from paper honeycombs. It is a well-known fact that cardboard panels (11) manufactured from corrugated cardboard can be lighter than panels manufactured from wood.

[0040] Another important point is that the pallet (10) of the present invention is intended to be manufactured from durable materials. For this, the cardboard panel (11) comprising the panel interlayer (113) manufactured from corrugated cardboard is also expected to be durable. Corrugated cardboards have a multi-layer structure. The wave layer present in the corrugated cardboards ensures that they have a more durable design than other cardboard types. The wave layer increases the flexibility and bending performance of the cardboard and ensures that it can act elastically against the loads placed on top. This property also provides a great advantage compared to wooden materials. As a result, it has been determined that using corrugated cardboards as raw materials in the production of pallets (10), compared to other cardboard-based raw materials, offers technical solutions and advantages due to its design which increases strength and the fact that this design does not result in high weight. Based on these technical teachings, the inventors of the present invention argue that the panel interlayer (113) comprised in the cardboard panel (11) should consist of corrugated cardboard.

[0041] As a technical teaching, it has been noted that the wave layer contained in the corrugated cardboards contributes to the parameter of carrying more load per unit weight for manufacturing cardboard panels (11). Based on this, the inventors of the present invention have determined that the form of the wave layer in the corrugated cardboard will also affect the carrying and storage performance of the final product pallet (10). The inventors of the present invention have determined that in a preferred embodiment, the waveform within the corrugated cardboard should be in the B waveform. Corrugated cardboard in the B waveform has a more frequent number of grooves. Although this frequency brings a certain amount of weight increase, it will provide a higher increase in the ratio of load amount per unit weight more as it provides a higher amount of payload amount value. While the corrugated cardboard contains 332 grooves per m2in B waveform; the C waveform contains 252 grooves. As a result, the inventors of the present invention present the technical teaching that using corrugated cardboards in B waveform as panel interlayer (113) in manufacturing cardboard panels (11 ) will achieve a higher rate of load carrying capacity per unit.

[0042] Accordingly, the pallet (10) of the present invention contains a cardboard panel (11 ). The cardboard panel (11) contains at least one panel interlayer (113) comprising corrugated cardboard in B waveform, located between at least one panel bottom layer (112) and at least one panel top layer (111).

[0043] As mentioned, the cardboard panel (11) contains at least one panel top layer (111 ). At least one of the surface paper cardboard-based materials referred to as kraft, gray board, testliner is used as said panel top layer (111 ). The panel top layer (111 ) is located to contribute to the strength values of the pallet (10) by ensuring that the amount of load to be loaded on the cardboard panel (11 ) is compensated and distributed evenly. For this reason, it is manufactured using one of the kraft, gray board, or testliner components. As is known, these raw materials consist of cellulose materials with long and strong fibers.

[0044] The cardboard panel (11) contains at least one panel bottom layer (112). At least one of the surface paper cardboard-based materials referred to as kraft, gray board, testliner is used as said panel bottom layer (112). The panel bottom layer (112) is located to contribute to the strength values of the pallet in order to carry the loads of the cardboard panel (11) to the legs and to ensure even distribution of the loads. For this reason, it is manufactured using one of the kraft, gray board, or testliner components.

[0045] The panel interlayer (113) contained in the cardboard panel (11) can also be prevented from being damaged by loads and the external atmosphere by the panel top layer (111 ) and the panel bottom layer (112) acting as a coating.

[0046] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the pallet (10) contains at least one leg (12). Each leg (12) on the pallet (10) is similarly configured to the cardboard panel (11 ) element. Accordingly, at least one leg interlayer (123) is assembled to be located between at least one leg bottom layer (122) and at least one leg top layer (121) to form the legs (12). In this invention, the process of assembly is not detailed and the scope of protection of the invention cannot be limited by this technical teaching.

[0047] In this invention, the purposes of configuring the legs (12) as specified are the same as those of obtaining the cardboard panel (11). After introducing the technical solutions and advantages of using corrugated cardboards with B waveform as panel interlayer (113), the inventors of the present invention applied similar configurations in the manufacture of legs (12) to impart similar properties.

[0048] The leg (12) contains at least one leg interlayer (123) comprising corrugated cardboard in B waveform, located between at least one leg bottom layer (122) and at least one leg top layer (121 ).

[0049] As mentioned, the leg (12) contains at least one leg top layer (121). At least one of the kraft, gray board, testliner cardboard-based materials is used as said leg top layer (121 ). The top leg layer (121) is located to contribute to the strength values of the pallet (10) by carrying the load from the cardboard panel (11) and distancing the cardboard panel (11 ) from the ground. For this reason, it is manufactured using one of the kraft, gray board, or testliner components.

[0050] The leg (12) contains at least one leg bottom layer (122). At least one of the kraft, gray board, testliner cardboard-based materials is used as said leg bottom layer (122). The leg bottom layer (122) is located to give the load of the cardboard panel (11) to the ground evenly and to contribute to the strength values of the pallet (10) such that it prevents the deterioration of the pallet (10) form due to load. For this reason, it is manufactured using one of the kraft, gray board, or testliner components.

[0051] The leg interlayer (123) contained in the leg (12) can also be prevented from being damaged by loads and the external atmosphere by the leg top layer (121 ) and the leg bottom layer (122) acting as a coating.

[0052] If preferred, corrugated cardboards used as raw materials in the manufacture of leg interlayer (123) and panel interlayer (113) can be obtained from 100% recycled materials. In this way, it can be ensured that production costs are further reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to convert corrugated cardboards that are in waste condition into value-added products.

[0053] The pallet (10) of the invention contains at least one support base (13). Said support base (13) is shown in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 2, the number of support bases (13) can be more than one. The support base(s) (13) ensure that the legs (12) are fixed and that the cardboard panel (11) remains stable above the ground with even load distribution. In a preferred embodiment, the support base(s) (13) are manufactured from at least one of the gray cardboard and kraft cover papers.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the support base (13) consists of a structure obtained by using gray board at a value between 70% to 90%, kraft cover paper at a value between 10% to 15%, and glue at a value between 5% to 15% by weight.

[0055] In another preferred embodiment, the support base (13) can contain corrugated cardboard as a component. While the support base (13) contains corrugated cardboard as an interlayer; there may be at least one top layer and at least one bottom layer located adjacent to the top and bottom parts of this interlayer. This support base (13) structure may be similar to the cardboard panel (11) element, the other element of the invention. Compared to the support base (13) which is the other possible embodiment of the invention, the support base (13) configured in this way allows the strength values for the final product pallet (10) to be increased.

[0056] The pallet (10) of the present invention is made entirely of cardboard-based materials. The cardboard panel (11) and the leg(s) (12) consist of three-layered structures and the interlayers are made of B waveform corrugated cardboard, and this allows the pallets (10) to have a higher load carrying capacity per unit weight. In addition to the cardboard-based pallets known in the art (10), the inventors of the present invention provide advanced technical teachings on the characterization of corrugated cartons.

[0057] The manufacture of the interlayers contained in the cardboard panel (11) and the leg(s) (12) from corrugated cardboards in particular in B waveforms makes it possible to obtain pallets (10) with additional mechanical and elasticity properties thanks to the waveform of the corrugated cardboards. Since cardboard-based raw materials which can be used in the production of corrugated cardboard and other elements are materials with recyclable properties, their use as raw materials reduces production costs. The components preferred as raw materials in corrugated cardboard and other elements are less sensitive to water and moisture than other paper-based pallets and wooden pallets. Accordingly, it may be possible that the pallet (10) of the invention is a material with high resistance to microorganisms. The scope of protection of the invention is specified in the appended claims and cannot be limited to what is described for illustrative purposes in this detailed description. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can produce similar embodiments in the light of what is explained above, without deviating from the main theme of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A cardboard-based pallet (10), characterized in that it comprises the following,- at least one cardboard panel (11) that carries and stores the loads located thereon, said cardboard panel (11) contains at least one panel top layer (111), at least one panel bottom layer (112), and at least one panel interlayer (113) located between these layers, comprising as a component a corrugated cardboard in B waveform,- at least one leg (12) to suspend the weight of the cardboard panel (11) and to disconnect it from the ground, said leg (12) contains at least one leg top layer (121), at least one leg bottom layer (122), and at least one leg interlayer (123) located between these layers, comprising as a component a corrugated cardboard in B waveform, which allow it to carry more load per unit weight.

2. A pallet (10) according to claim 1 , characterized in that said panel top layer (111) contains a material selected from the group of kraft, gray board, or testliner cardboard-based materials.

3. A pallet (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said panel bottom layer (112) contains a material selected from the group of kraft, gray board, or testliner cardboard-based materials.

4. A pallet (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said panel interlayer (113) contains 332 grooves per m2.

5. A pallet (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said leg top layer (121) contains a material selected from the group of kraft, gray board or testliner cardboard-based materials.

6. A pallet (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said leg bottom layer (122) contains a material selected from the group of kraft, gray board, or testliner cardboard-based materials.

7. A pallet (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one support base (13) ensuring that the legs (12) are fixed and that the cardboard panel (11) part of the pallet remains in stable form above the ground with even load distribution.

8. A pallet (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that said support base (13) contains at least one of the gray board and kraft cover papers.

9. A pallet (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that the support base (13) contains gray board at a value between 70% to 90%, kraft cover paper at a value between 10% to 15%, and glue at a value between 5% to 15% by weight.

10. A pallet (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the support base (13) contains corrugated cardboard as the interlayer and comprises at least one top layer and at least one bottom layer located adjacent to the top and bottom parts of this interlayer.

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