Stackable Pallets With Identical Foot Spacing For Mixed Width Logistics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pallet designs do not accommodate varying delivery space requirements, as they are either too narrow for tight spaces or too wide for certain products, and they lack efficient stacking solutions for different widths.
Innovation Solution
The design of two pallets with different widths but identical foot spacing, where one pallet has a recessed foot wall and the other has a wider deck with inwardly spaced foot walls, allowing them to be stacked together for stability and reduced height when empty.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a narrow pallet is used, then the pallet can fit tight delivery spaces, but it cannot accommodate wider product requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet system is segmented into two distinct width variants (narrow and wide) that share identical foot spacing and stacking interfaces. This segmentation allows each pallet type to be optimized for specific product categories while maintaining system-wide compatibility through standardized foot dimensions and stacking geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
Both narrow and wide pallets are designed with universal stacking interfaces through standardized foot spacing and identical foot wall protrusion dimensions. This universality enables different width pallets to interstack efficiently, creating a multi-functional system that handles both space-constrained and product-volume requirements within a single pallet family.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different width pallets are used, then delivery space requirements are met, but stacking efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
While the overall pallet width varies between narrow and wide versions, the critical local dimensions at the foot walls are kept identical. The foot wall protrusion distance, opening size, and stacking interface geometry are maintained as consistent local qualities across both pallet types, ensuring efficient interstacking despite global width differences.
Solution Approach 2:
The pallet design allows parameter changes in deck width while maintaining constant parameters for foot spacing, foot wall protrusion, and stacking interface dimensions. This selective parameter modification enables width adaptation for different delivery scenarios without compromising stacking efficiency, as the stacking-critical parameters remain unchanged.
3Area of stationary object
If a wider pallet is used, then more product can be accommodated, but it cannot fit tight delivery spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet line is segmented into narrow and wide width variants, each with optimized deck area for specific product categories. The narrow pallet serves tight delivery spaces with reduced deck area, while the wide pallet provides expanded product support area, yet both maintain identical foot dimensions and stacking interfaces for system compatibility.
4Stability of the object's composition
If pallets are designed for stable stacking, then stacking height is reduced, but design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stacking stability is achieved through optimized parameter values for foot wall protrusion distance and opening dimensions. By carefully selecting these parameters, the design enables stable interstacking of different width pallets without requiring complex structural features, maintaining relative design simplicity while achieving the stability goal.
Data Source
AI summary
A first pallet includes a deck and a peripheral wall extending downward from a periphery of the deck. A plurality of feet extend downward from the deck. Each of the feet includes a foot wall defining its periphery. An outer portion of each foot wall is coterminous with the peripheral wall of the deck. The deck includes an opening aligned with each of the plurality of feet. A second, wider pallet may be used with the first pallet. The second pallet may be stacked on the first pallet and vice versa. In the second pallet, the outer portion of the wall of each of the feet is spaced inward from the peripheral wall of the deck, such that the deck of the second pallet is wider than the deck of the first pallet, but the spacing and size of the feet of both decks are identical.