Divisible Pallet with Offset Notch Perforations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional divisible pallets with tear strips are costly and time-consuming to manufacture, and the separation mechanism can be complex and dangerous, making them unsuitable for small loads and requiring additional handling precautions.
Innovation Solution
A divisible cardboard pallet design featuring pre-cut lines with offset notches and perforations in the crosspieces, allowing for easy separation into smaller half-pallets without tools, ensuring rigidity during handling and easy cutting, using corrugated cardboard with perpendicular notches and perforations for enhanced strength and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a tear strip is integrated in the tray to enable division of the pallet, then the pallet can be separated into half-pallets, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-cutting two parallel lines of notches in the tray during manufacturing, creating a pre-prepared separation path that requires no additional components like tear strips. The notches are offset relative to each other, forming a zigzag pattern that guides the separation while maintaining structural integrity during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tray structure by creating two parallel lines of notches that divide the tray into sections, allowing clean separation into half-pallets. The crosspieces are also segmented with perforations aligned with the notches, enabling modular division without requiring the tray to be completely broken apart.
2Ease of operation
If the pallet is designed to be easily separated, then the separation mechanism becomes simple and safe, but the structural strength and resistance during handling may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-cut notches are designed to maintain structural strength during normal handling while enabling easy separation when needed. The offset arrangement of notches creates a zigzag pattern that distributes stress and prevents premature breaking, while still providing a clear separation path when force is applied.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses corrugated cardboard as a composite material that provides both strength for handling and flexibility for separation. The corrugation structure inherent in the cardboard works in conjunction with the pre-cut notches to maintain rigidity during normal use while allowing clean separation along the notched lines.
3Ease of operation
If pre-cut lines with notches are used for division, then tool-free cutting is enabled, but the tray may become too fragile and prone to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-cut notches are designed with specific spacing and offset patterns that guide the separation process while maintaining structural integrity. The two parallel lines of notches work together to create a controlled separation path that prevents random breaking while enabling tool-free division when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes parameters such as notch spacing, notch depth, and offset distance between the two parallel lines to achieve the right balance between ease of separation and structural strength. The corrugation direction relative to the notches is also optimized to maximize both strength and separability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The pallet (2) has a plate (4) made of corrugated cardboard or double-double paperboard, and a set of cross-pieces (6) forming supports. The plate includes a set of parallel precut lines (16, 18), each including a set of notches distributed along the lines. One of the notches and lines are shifted with regard to another line, and a set of projections of the latter line is arranged in overlapping manner with the notches of the latter line. An independent claim is also included for a method for manufacturing a pallet.