BACKGROUND

The invention relates to packaging, more specifically to packaging elements or packages, adapted for automotive glass.

A pallet is a flat transport structure, which supports items in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or a crane. The pallet enables importing, exporting or transporting automotive glass for long distances.

Automotive glass is often curved vertically and/or horizontally. A pallet apparatus for transporting the automotive glass is often a wooden pallet that allows the glass to be packed substantially vertically. The pallet has a horizontal base where the bottom edge of the vertical glass rests. The glass leans against a first vertical wall having an inclined plane for the glass. Multiple glasses may be transported spaced apart, pressed against each other or having soft support elements between consecutive glasses. Examples of automotive glasses are windshields, rear windows and side windows.

The pallet apparatus is usually a rigid structure that is not assigned for reuse. Usually the automotive glass is transported to one direction only, as it is fitted into a car at the destination. Shape of the pallet apparatus makes transporting empty pallet apparatuses uneconomical. Rigid pallet apparatuses are optimized for glass transport. Glasses are fragile objects that require specially purposed pallets - without the glass payload, transporting empty pallet apparatuses could cost about the same as the pallets having full load of glass. Therefore the pallet apparatuses are usually discarded at the destination. Although the pallet apparatuses are often made of wood and are as such recyclable, the lack of reusability wastes a lot of resources. SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that will be further described below in the detailed description. This summary is intended to neither identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

A pallet apparatus for transportation of automotive glass is disclosed herein. The pallet apparatus is foldable into two positions; a support position and a storage position. In the support position a first vertical wall stands on a horizontal base, providing support for the glass to be transported. The first vertical wall may be supported by the adjacent second vertical wall and/or the third vertical wall. In the storage position the first vertical wall is folded down into the level of the horizontal base. Other walls and a top of the pallet apparatus may be placed on top of the horizontal base and the folded-down first vertical wall, thereby producing a flat structure in the storage position.

The pallet apparatus is in one embodiment made of wood. The horizontal base and the first vertical wall comprise longitudinal beams that are parallel in the storage position. In the storage position, length of the pallet apparatus is less than 2,48 metres. The pallet apparatus is rigid in the flat storage position, enabling easy transportation and stacking of multiple pallet apparatuses.

The pallet apparatus has four vertical walls, wherein the assembly from the storage position to the support position comprises supporting the first vertical wall into consecutive vertical walls, the second vertical wall and the third vertical wall. The second vertical wall and the third vertical wall comprise locking blocks to secure at least temporarily the wall structure. The horizontal base comprises slots for the second vertical wall and the third vertical wall for mounting them in an upright position. The foldable pallet apparatus is reusable, as the storage position enables economical transport for the empty pallet apparatuses. The cost per transported pallet apparatus reduces significantly as they can be fitted transversely into a truck load. Transporting the reusable pallet apparatuses in storage position may be done by readily available loading equipment. Truck loading and unloading from the side is fast and easy. In one embodiment the pallet apparatuses in storage position are transported transversely inside an intermodal container.

Many of the attendant features will be more readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all the disadvantages of known pallet apparatuses or automotive glass supports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present description will be better understood from the following detailed description read in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically one exemplary embodiment of a pallet apparatus, fully assembled, in a support position;

FIG. 2 illustrates schematically the same embodiment in a storage position;

FIG. 3 illustrates schematically the same embodiment having the walls and a top separated;

FIG. 4 illustrates schematically the same embodiment, wherein a first vertical wall is folded in parallel with a horizontal base and other elements are slightly separated;

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically one exemplary embodiment of a second vertical wall the a third vertical wall being installed into the horizontal base;

FIG. 6 illustrates schematically one exemplary embodiment of the pallet apparatus showing the locking blocks; FIG. 7a illustrates schematically one exemplary embodiment of the locking blocks;

FIG. 7b illustrates schematically one alternative exemplary embodiment of the locking blocks; and

FIG. 7c illustrates schematically one alternative exemplary embodiment of the locking blocks.

Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts in the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. However, the same or any equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.

Although the present examples are described and illustrated herein as being implemented in transporting windshields in a pallet apparatus, they are provided as an example and not a limitation. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present examples are suitable for application in a variety of different types of glass products or other fragile and substantially flat products. Examples of automotive glass are windows for passenger cars, trucks, tractors, heavy duty vehicles, working machines or other terrain vehicles.

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically one exemplary embodiment of a pallet apparatus in a support position. FIG. 2 illustrates schematically the same embodiment in a storage position. FIG. 3 illustrates the same embodiment of the pallet apparatus having the walls and a top separated.

In the support position the pallet apparatus is configured to receive items and support during transport automotive glass or other similar flat and fragile items. In the storage position the pallet apparatus may be stored or transported in flat orientation, without any payload. The storage position enables economic reuse and recycling for the pallet apparatus.

A horizontal base 10 comprises elements found in traditional pallets, for example means for receiving a forklift fork. The horizontal base 10 has at least two longitudinal base beams 15 configured to support the horizontal base 10 and to allow sufficient space for the forks to be positioned below the pallet apparatus. The longitudinal base beams 15 also provide structural rigidity to the pallet apparatus. The present exemplary embodiment comprises four longitudinal base beams 15, 16; a pair of outer longitudinal base beams 15 and a pair of inner longitudinal base beams 16.

The horizontal base 10 comprises a rectangular shape with a first edge 11 , a second edge 12, a third edge 13 and a fourth edge 14. When the pallet apparatus is fully assembled, a second vertical wall 22 is connected to the second edge 12, a third vertical wall 23 is connected to the third edge 13 and a fourth vertical wall 14 is connected to the fourth edge 24.

In the support position and during loading/unloading the pallet apparatus, the first vertical wall 21 provides a vertical support plane for the automotive glass standing on the horizontal base 10. The automotive glass, such as windshields, may lean against the first vertical wall 21 . The first vertical wall 21 , when supported by the second vertical wall 22 and the third vertical wall 23, with a fourth vertical wall 24 not yet installed, allows robotic arms to load and unload the automotive glass to/from the pallet apparatus. The automotive glass may lean against the first vertical wall 21 when released from the robotic arm. The pallet apparatus may be kept open without the fourth vertical wall 24 and the top 15 during loading and unloading the pallet apparatus.

The first vertical wall 21 is connected to the horizontal base 10 by at least one hinge 17. The first vertical wall 21 comprises four longitudinal support beams 30, 31. In the present example the longitudinal base beams 15, 16 are connected by a set of hinges 17 to the longitudinal support beams 30, 31 of the first vertical wall 21 . The outer longitudinal support beams 30 are connected by the hinge 17 to the outer longitudinal base beams 15. The inner longitudinal support beams 31 are connected by the hinges 17 to the outer longitudinal base beams 16. All hinges 17 reside at the same axis.

The first vertical wall 21 is configured to fold along the hinges 17 between the support position and the storage position. In the storage position, the first vertical wall 21 has been folded down along the hinges 17 to the flat position as illustrated in FIG. 2; as a parallel extension to the horizontal base 10. The first vertical wall 21 is longitudinally parallel and in the same plane as the horizontal base 10. The storage position is substantially flat, enabling multiple pallet apparatuses to be stacked on top of each other. In the storage position the pallet apparatuses do not consume unnecessary space, and as a consequence, reusing the pallet apparatuses becomes economically viable.

FIG. 4 illustrates another angle of the same embodiment, with the first vertical wall 21 in horizontal position; and the other vertical walls 22, 23, 24 and the top 25 disconnected. FIG. 5 illustrates the same embodiment showing only the horizontal base 10, the second vertical wall 22 and the third vertical wall 23. The second vertical wall 22 comprises a second vertical extension 42 at the bottom portion and the third vertical wall 23 comprises a third vertical extension 43 at the bottom portion. The horizontal base 10 comprises a second vertical slot 45 configured to receive the vertical extension 42 of the second vertical wall 22 and a third vertical slot 44 configured to receive the vertical extension 43 of the third vertical wall 23. In this example the vertical extensions 42, 43 are ends of the wood plank that form part of the vertical frame for the vertical walls 22, 23. The third vertical slot 44 of the horizontal base 10 is formed by a plank wood body facing a middle portion of the horizontal base 10 and a plywood plank 46 facing outside the third edge 13 of the horizontal base 10, at a distance from the plank wood body. Similar structure for the second vertical slot 45 may be arranged to the other side of the horizontal base 10 - a plank wood body facing a middle portion of the horizontal base 10 and a plywood plank 46 facing outside the second edge 12 of the horizontal base 10, at a distance from the plank wood body. The distance between the plywood plank 46 and the plank wood body may be constructed by plank wood block arranged to the middle of the plywood plank 46 and the plank wood body. Said plank wood body may be shorter than the plywood plank, forming a slot for the vertical extensions 42, 43. The fourth vertical wall 24 comprises a fourth vertical extension at the bottom portion and the horizontal base 10 comprises a fourth vertical slot configured to receive the fourth vertical extension. The front portion of the horizontal base 10 may comprise similar plywood plank 46 as the sides, forming the slots to both ends, for receiving the fourth vertical extensions. The fourth vertical extensions may be the bottom ends of the vertical plank wood body members.

The top 25 is configured to be positioned on top of the four vertical walls 21 , 22, 23, 24. In one embodiment, at least portion of the four vertical walls 21 , 22, 23, 24 comprise an indent 35 to accommodate the top 35 to the same vertical plane as each wall. With the indent the vertical installation of the top will be flush for the cargo handling equipment. The forklift, truck or any other lifting equipment could get caught to protruding parts. The indent 35 may be arranged by cutting a block of wood from the vertical walls 21 , 22, 23, 24. In one embodiment the top 25 is configured to surround top portions of the first vertical wall 21 , the second vertical wall 22, the third vertical wall 23 and the fourth vertical wall 24. The top 25 may secure the vertical walls 21 , 22, 23, 24 into the pallet apparatus.

FIG. 6 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the pallet apparatus without the end boards fitted to the second vertical wall 22. The visualisation shows how the vertical locking system operates. The first vertical edge of the first vertical wall 21 comprises at least one first locking block 61 comprising a shape configured to resist at least one horizontal movement against the second vertical wall 22. The second vertical wall 22 comprises in one embodiment a corresponding shape or block 71 to hinder the movement. The second vertical edge of the first vertical wall 21 comprises at least one second locking block 62 comprising a shape configured to resist at least one horizontal movement against the third vertical wall 23. The second vertical wall 22 comprises in one embodiment a corresponding shape or block 72 to hinder the movement. In the present example the embodiment has two pair of locking blocks per vertical corner. The upper locking block may be fitted by slightly bending the second vertical wall 22 or the third vertical wall 23 outwards before adjusting the upper pair of locking blocks 61 , 71 or 62, 72 into contact. In one embodiment, in the storage position length of the pallet apparatus is less than 2,48 metres. In one embodiment, in the storage position length of the pallet apparatus is less than 2,45 metres. In the storage position the pallet apparatus fits transversely in a truck load. In one embodiment the pallet apparatus is configured to fit transversely in the truck load. In one embodiment the pallet apparatus is configured to fit transversely in an intermodal container. The pallet apparatus may be lifted by a truck loader, using the fork fitting into the horizontal base 10. In one embodiment the fork fits between the longitudinal support beams 23, 24 of the first vertical wall 21 .

Throughout this document, “longitudinal” is defined as the direction of the lowest support beams, allowing the forks to be inserted beneath the pallet apparatus for lifting the pallet apparatus. This direction also defines the length of the pallet apparatus. Width of the pallet apparatus may be even more than the length - the length is defined by the side loading of the truck load and/or the truck bed. The width of the pallet apparatus may differ as pallet apparatuses may be designed according to the product it is intended to carry. The automotive glass may be wide, even several metres, so the pallet apparatus may be equally wide. The width of the pallet apparatus may be increased by increasing the number of longitudinal beams to the horizontal base and to the first vertical wall 21.

In one embodiment, the pallet apparatus is made of wood. In one exemplary embodiment the horizontal base 10, any of the vertical walls 21 , 22, 23, 24 or the top 25 may be manufactured by a robotic jig, configured to automatically cut and join wood planks at a predefined length and position. Wooden pallet apparatus is simple to recycle with the established recycling devices found at most industrial facilities. Alternatively, or is addition, that pallet apparatus may be made of plastic, metal or composite materials. Some components of the pallet apparatus may be made of different materials. For example, hinges may be made of metal.

FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b and FIG. 7c illustrate three alternative embodiments of the locking blocks 61 , 62, 63, 64. The locking blocks 61 , 62, 63, 64 may be made of plank wood or plywood, wherein they are easy and economical to manufacture by using only straight cuts. In one embodiment the locking block 61 , 62, 63, 64 may be a shape configured to resist vertical movement against the interleaving beam. In one embodiment the locking block 61 , 62, 63, 64 may comprise a nudge with a matching shape. In one embodiment the locking block 61 , 62, 63,

64 is made of metal or plastic.

In one embodiment the pallet apparatus comprises locking means 65 to further secure the pallet apparatus during transport or during the loading/unloading phase. In one embodiment the locking means 65 comprises a bar that may be pushed through two interleaved elements, such as the second vertical wall 22 and the fourth vertical wall 24. The bar may be a threaded bolt. In the present example the bar has not threads, instead the bar is secured by a securing pin made of wire that travels around the beams. The locking means 65 may be manually or automatically installed into the pallet apparatus. The locking means

65 may secure the pallet apparatus to either support position or storage position. In the storage position multiple pallet apparatuses may be stacked and transported economically.

A pallet apparatus for transportation of automotive glass is disclosed herein. The pallet apparatus comprises a horizontal base, configured to receive a forklift fork, comprising a rectangular shape with a first edge, a second edge, a third edge and a fourth edge; a first vertical wall, connected to the horizontal base at the first edge, configured for supporting the automotive glass standing on the horizontal base; a second vertical wall connected to the second edge adjacent to the first vertical wall; and a third vertical wall connected to the third edge adjacent to the first vertical wall and opposite to the second vertical wall. The first vertical wall is connected to the horizontal base by at least one hinge, wherein the first vertical wall is configured to fold along the hinge between a support position and a storage position. The second vertical wall comprises a second vertical extension at the bottom portion. The third vertical wall comprises a third vertical extension at the bottom portion. The horizontal base comprises a second vertical slot configured to receive the vertical extension of the second wall and a third vertical slot configured to receive the vertical extension of the third vertical wall. The first vertical edge of the first vertical wall comprises at least one first locking block comprising a shape configured to resist at least one horizontal movement against the second vertical wall. The second vertical edge of the first vertical wall comprises at least one second locking block comprising a shape configured to resist at least one horizontal movement against the third vertical wall. In one embodiment, the pallet apparatus comprises a fourth vertical wall having a fourth vertical extension at the bottom portion; and the horizontal base comprises a fourth vertical slot configured to receive the fourth vertical extension. In one embodiment, in the storage position, the first vertical wall is longitudinally parallel and in the same plane as the horizontal base, and length of the pallet apparatus is less than 2,48 metres. In one embodiment, the pallet apparatus is made of wood. In one embodiment, the second vertical slot of the horizontal base is formed by a plank wood body facing a middle portion of the horizontal base and a plywood plank facing outside the second edge of the horizontal base, at a distance from the plank wood body. In one embodiment, the third vertical slot of the horizontal base is formed by a plank wood body facing a middle portion of the horizontal base and a plywood plank facing outside the third edge of the horizontal base, at a distance from the plank wood body. In one embodiment, the pallet apparatus comprises a top configured to surround top portions of the first vertical wall, the second vertical wall, the third vertical wall and the fourth vertical wall. In one embodiment, the top portions of the first vertical wall, the second vertical wall, the third vertical wall and the fourth vertical wall comprise an indent to accommodate the top to the same vertical plane as each wall.

Any range or device value given herein may be extended or altered without losing the effect sought.

Although at least a portion of the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims. It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages. It will further be understood that any reference to ‘an’ item refers to one or more of those items.

The steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from any of the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other examples described to form further examples without losing the effect sought.

The term ‘comprising’ is used herein to mean including the method blocks or elements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and a method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements.

It will be understood that the above description is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification.