TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an attachment for mounting of a foldable pallet surround or pallet superstructure on a loading pallet. The present invention also relates to a loading pallet comprising a plurality of these attachments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many different types of attachments for mounting of a foldable pallet surround or pallet superstructure on a loading pallet are previously known. These prior art attachments however, do not operate in a satisfactory manner. They do not provide optimum support to the pallet surround or pallet superstructure and they do not permit optimum stable stacking of several loading pallets on top of each other neither after the pallet surrounds or pallet superstructures have been collapsed nor when the pallet surrounds or pallet superstructures are still erected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment as defined above, which eliminates the drawbacks of prior art attachments and which will give sufficient stable support to pallet surrounds and pallet superstructures as well as to superjacent loading pallets irrespective of whether the pallet surrounds or pallet superstructures have been collapsed or not before stacking loading pallets on top of each other.

The above object is achieved according to the present invention by providing an attachment comprising a bracket which is adapted for fixed or releasable mounting on the loading pallet, said bracket being configured with at least one upwardly open recess, and an attachment member which from above is insertable into the upwardly open recess in the bracket, said attachment member being configured to permit fixed or releasable connection thereto of a mounting member of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure, such that said pallet surround or pallet superstructure can be folded together on top of the loading pallet and such that an upper part of the attachment member is exposed after folding together of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure, said upper part of the attachment member thereby defining a support or mounting portion for another loading pallet when loading pallets are stacked on top of each other. Thereby, the attachment provides a stable support to a pallet surround or a pallet superstructure and to a superjacent loading pallet without applying loads onto the collapsed pallet surround or pallet superstructure.

By providing the bracket with at least one downwardly open recess, and configuring the upper part of the attachment member for, after exposure, insertion into said downwardly open recess in a bracket on said other loading pallet, a stable connection is achieved between two loading pallets stacked on top of each other.

Furthermore, the downwardly open recess in the bracket can be used when placing a loading pallet on top of an erected pallet surround or pallet superstructure.

Loading pallets provided with attachments defined above are universal in use, alone or stacked on top of each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a loading pallet provided with attachments according to the invention and with four pair-wise interconnected mounting members of a pallet superstructure mounted in the attachments and held in erected positions. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an attachment and a part of a mounting member in erected position.

Fig. 3 is another schematic perspective view of the situation according to fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the attachment and the mounting member with the mounting member displaced a first distance for folding thereof.

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the attachment and the mounting member with the mounting member displaced a second distance for folding thereof.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the attachment and the associated mounting member as well as an opposite mounting member after folding of the mounting members. Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a loading pallet of fig. 1 after folding of the mounting members.

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of two loading pallets with folded mounting members and stacked on top of each other by means of the attachments.

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of two loading pallets with erected mounting members and stacked on top of each other by means of the attachments.

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a bracket forming part of the attachment accor- ding to the invention.

Fig. 11 is another schematic perspective view of the bracket of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is schematic perspective view of an attachment member forming part of the attachment according to the invention.

Fig. 13 is another schematic perspective view of the attachment member of fig. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The attachment 1 according to the present invention is adapted for mounting of a foldable pallet surround or pallet superstructure on a loading pallet 2. The loading pallet 2 is in the illustrated embodiment made of a metal or metal alloy or any other metallic composition and it is rectangular, but may alternatively be made of any other material and have a square or any other suitable shape. In the drawings, the foldable pallet surround or pallet superstructure is illustrated by mounting members 3 in the form of upright standing bars which are pair-wise interconnected by means of two cross bars 4. The cross bars 4 extend in the longitudinal direction of the loading pallet 2. The pallet surround or pallet superstructure however, may be constructed in any other suitable way with mounting members as defined and illustrated in the drawings, e.g. with mounting members without cross bars. The mounting members 3 are each mounted in an attachment 1 according to the invention. Accordingly, one attachment 1 is in the illustrated embodiment located in each corner of the loading pallet 2. Holes are provided in the loading pallet 2 for accommodating the attachments 1. A collar 5 is mounted around each hole in order to strengthen the construction and give support to the attachment 1. In the illustrated embodiment, these holes are found on the upper side of upper profiles defining the loading surface of the loading pallet 2.

Each attachment 1 comprises a bracket 6 which is adapted for fixed or releasable mounting on the loading pallet 2. This bracket 6 is configured with at least one upwardly open recess 7. An attachment member 8 is from above insertable into the upwardly open recess 7 in the bracket 6. The attachment member 8 is configured to permit fixed or releasable connection thereto of the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure. This fixed or releasable connection of the mounting member 3 to the attachment member 8 must be realized such that said pallet surround or pallet super- structure can be folded together on top of the loading pallet 2 (see fig. 7 and 8) and such that an upper part 8a of the attachment member is exposed after folding together of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure (see fig. 6 and 7). The upper part 8a of the attachment member 8 defines thereby a support or mounting portion for another, superjacent loading pallet when loading pallets are stacked on top of each other (see fig. 8).

In order to provide optimum support to said other, superjacent loading pallet 2, the bracket 6 is further configured with at least one downwardly open recess 9. The upper part 8a of the attachment member 8 is then configured, after exposure, for insertion into said downwardly open recess 9 in a bracket 6 on said superjacent loading pallet 2.

The upwardly open recess 7 and the downwardly open recess 9 in the bracket 6 are in the illustrated embodiment located in line with each other. Thereby, it is ensured that connection to the bracket 6 of a mounting member 3 from above (through an attachment member 8), i.e. of a mounting member of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure for the loading pallet 2 provided with said bracket, as well as connection of mounting members from below, i.e. of mounting members of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure for the loading pallet located under the loading pallet provided with said bracket, is always reliable and safe as long as the loading pallets have the same size and shape and attachments located at the same places.

The upwardly open recess 7 and the downwardly open recess 9 may be separate recesses. In the illustrated embodiment however, the upwardly open recess 7 and the downwardly open recess 9 are integral with each other, defining a hole extending through the bracket 6. Thereby, the manufacture of brackets 6 with properly located recesses 7, 9 can be much facilitated. In order to prevent mounting members 3 from sliding through the through-hole, the upwardly open recess 7 and the downwardly open recess 9 are separated by an interior stop member in the through-hole. With separate recesses 7, 9, no such separate interior stop member is required. Alternatively, as in the illustrated embodiment, the upwardly open recess 7 and the downwardly open recess 9 can have cross-sectional areas of different size. The restriction 10 of the cross-sectional area at the transition between the two integral recesses 7, 9 will then function as a stop member.

The bracket 6 is configured with means for locking the attachment member 8 to said bracket. In the illustrated embodiment, this means comprises a bolt, screw 1 1 or similar, which extends through holes (not shown) in the part 6a of the bracket 6 defining the recesses 7, 9 therein and through holes (not shown) in line therewith in the attachment member 8 when said attachment member is inserted into said bracket.

The bracket 6 is also adapted for fixed or releasable mounting in a space 12 defined by a base member 13 of the loading pallet 2. In the illustrated embodiment, each bracket 6 is located in a space 12 in a profile 13a forming part of the base member 13 and extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the loading pallet 2. These profiles 13a with the brackets 6 may alternatively extend in the longitudinal direction of the loading pallet 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the brackets 6 are found in the profiles 13a at the short sides of the loading pallet 2. In the illustrated embodiment, each bracket 6 is configured with a mounting plate 6b for fixed mounting of the bracket on the loading pallet 2, i.e. in the space 12 in a profile 13a. The bracket 6 however, can also be mounted on the loading pallet 2 for easy removal thereof from said loading pallet, e.g. being press fit into the space 12 in the profile 13a, or mounted on the loading pallet on any other suitable location. The attachment member 8 is configured in any suitable manner for receiving the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure therein, i.e. for insertion of the mounting member into the attachment member. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment member 8 comprises to this end a substantially U-shaped member with elongated plate-like shanks 14 and a web 15 connecting said plate-like shanks at one end thereof (see fig. 12 and 13). Thereby, the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure can be received between said plate-like shanks 14. The plate-like shanks 14 are configured with means for displaceable locking of said mounting member 3 thereto. In the illustrated embodiment, the plate-like shanks 14 are each configured with, i.e. these means are defined by an elongated hole 16, extending in the longitudinal direction of the shank, and with a recess 17 which is open at the free, upper end 8a of the plate-like shank, such that locking means (e.g. bolts, screws etc.) 18 and 19 respectively, on the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure can cooperate with, e.g. protrude into said hole and said recess for displaceable locking of said mounting member to the plate-like shanks of the attachment member 8. The elongated hole 16 and the recess 17 in each plate-like shank 14 of the attachment member 8 cooperates each with one locking means 18 and 19 respectively, on the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure. The length of the elongated holes 16 in the plate-like shanks 14 of the attachment member 8 is greater than that of the recesses 17, such that the locking means 19 cooperating with the recesses in the plate-like shanks can be displaced out of cooperation therewith for folding of the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet super-structure. Folding of the mounting members 3 then occurs around the locking means 18 cooperating with the elongated holes 16 in the plate-like shanks 14 of the attachment member 8. In the illustrated embodiment, where the loading pallet 2 is rectangular or square and comprises four attachments 1 , one in each corner thereof, and where two opposite pairs of attachments each carry two interconnected mounting members 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure, as described above, the elongated hole 16 in each plate-like shank 14 of the attachment member 8 has such length that the mounting member 3 of the pallet surround or pallet superstructure can be displaced up and above the loading pallet as well as above an opposite mounting member after folding thereof. This is illustrated in fig. 6 and 7, but is true also when the mounting members 3 are not interconnected, i.e. when two opposite mounting members on two opposite sides of the loading pallet are folded on top of each other. The displacement of the locking means 18 in the elongated holes 16 and of the locking means 19 in the recesses 17 and out of the recesses is in the illustrated embodiment about 100mm for one pair of interconnected mounting members 3 (see fig. 4) and about 140mm for the other pair of interconnected mounting members (see fig. 5). The range of displacement however, is of course dependent on the dimensions of the various members and parts of the loading pallet 2 and the pallet surround or pallet superstructure.

Thus, in summary, when a loading pallet 2 has been in use with a pallet surround or pallet superstructure comprising mounting members 3 of a suitable type connected to attachments 1 according to the present invention in the loading pallet, and the pallet surround or pallet superstructure shall be folded down onto the upper surface of the loading pallet for storage or transport stacked on top of another similar loading pallet, the first pair of interconnected mounting members are displaced by lifting them upwards such that the locking means 18, 19 move upwards in the elongated hole 16 and in the recess 17 respectively, in the plate-like shanks 14 of the attachment member 8 and until the locking means 19 in the recess 17 comes out of engagement therewith. Then, the mounting members 3 are folded down onto the loading pallet 2. The same procedure is thereafter performed with the opposite pair of interconnected mounting members 3, which are folded down onto the first pair of mounting members. The positions according to fig. 6 and 7 are taken.

If another loading pallet 2 shall be placed on top of the loading pallet 2 with the pallet surround or pallet superstructure folded down, then said other loading pallet is located such that the exposed upper parts 8a of the attachment members 8 of the attachments 1 of the lower loading pallet move into engagement with the downwardly open recess 9 in the bracket 6 of the attachments of the upper loading pallet. In this way, several loading pallets 2 can be stacked on top of each other.

It is, as mentioned above, also possible to use the attachments 1 according to the present invention for stacking another loading pallet 2 on top of an erected pallet surround or pallet superstructure on a lower loading pallet 2. Then said other loading pallet 2 is located such that the mounting members 3 of the lower loading pallet 2 move into engagement with the downwardly open recess 9 in the bracket 6 of the attachments of the upper loading pallet. In this way, several loading pallets 2 can be stacked on top of the erected pallet surround pr pallet superstructure on an underlying loading pallet 2.

The mounting member 3 is, as mentioned above, fixedly or releasably connected to the associated attachment member 8 of the attachment 1 and so is the attachment member to the bracket 6 of the attachment. For displacement of the mounting member 3, said mounting member is, in the illustrated embodiment, at the lower end thereof configured with a recess 3a such that the mounting member can be inserted into the upwardly open recess 7 in the bracket 6 and moved all the way down therein to the stop member 10 without being obstructed by the means 1 1 for locking the attachment member 8 to the bracket. If the loading pallet 2 shall be used without a pallet surround or pallet superstructure, the attachment member 8 is removed from the bracket 6, such that a substantially level top surface is obtained on the loading pallet. It is obvious to a skilled person that the attachment according to the present invention can be modified within the scope of the subsequent claims without departing from the idea and purpose of the invention. Thus, the loading pallet may be manufactured of other materials than metals, that the loading pallet may have other shapes than a rectangular or square shape and that the loading pallets may comprise various numbers of different profiles in different sizes and different arrangements. The location of the attachments 1 according to the invention may vary as long as their intended function is maintained. Furthermore, the bracket 6 and attachment member 8 of the attachments 1 may be shaped otherwise than shown in the drawings, the bracket 6 may e.g. be round or rectangular instead of square as in the illustrated embodiment and may have more than one upwardly open recess 7 and more than one downwardly open recess 9 and the recesses may be shaped otherwise than in the illustrated embodiment. The attachment member 8 of each attachment 1 is shaped correspondingly in order to fit into the bracket 6 and to accommodate a mounting member 3 of a suitable construction for the foldable pallet surround or pallet superstructure. It should further be noted that the web 15 of the attachment member 8 preferab- ly is thicker than shown in fig. 12 and 13, such that there is material for configuring the web with holes for the locking means 1 1 for locking the attachment member 8 to the bracket 6.