All-in-one plastic pallet

Abstract

An all-in-one plastic pallet is constructed as one, unitary piece of plastic material. The all-in-one plastic pallet is lightweight and is less expensive to manufacture than a typical wood pallet. The particular construction and configuration of the all-in-one plastic pallet makes the pallet nestable with other pallets of like construction, rackable for storage of the all-in-one plastic pallet in a conventional pallet storage rack, and stackable on top of products supported on a pallet of like construction without causing damage to the products.

1 . A pallet comprising:
 a top perimeter surface on a top of the pallet, the top perimeter surface having a rectangular configuration, the top perimeter surface is a flat surface positioned in a single plane, the top perimeter surface is an outermost surface on the top of the pallet, the top perimeter surface is a topmost surface on the pallet, the top perimeter surface being a continuous surface that extends completely around a perimeter of the top of the pallet;   a bottom perimeter surface on a bottom of the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface having a rectangular configuration, the bottom perimeter surface is a flat surface positioned in a single plane, the bottom perimeter surface is an outermost surface on the bottom of the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface is a bottommost surface on the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface being a continuous surface that extends completely around a perimeter of the bottom of the pallet;   the pallet having a vertical height dimension between the top perimeter surface and the bottom perimeter surface, the vertical height dimension being larger than a height dimension of a blade of a forklift;   a first central surface on the bottom of the pallet, the first central surface having opposite ends that intersect the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet on opposite sides of the pallet, the first central surface being a solid surface having an elongate, rectangular configuration that extends across the bottom of the pallet from one side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet to an opposite side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet, the first central surface is a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the bottom perimeter surface;   a second central surface on the bottom of the pallet, the second central surface having opposite ends that intersect the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet on opposite sides of the pallet, the second central surface being a solid surface having an elongate, rectangular configuration that extends across the bottom of the pallet from one side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet to the opposite side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet, the second central surface is a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the bottom perimeter surface; and,   the top perimeter surface and the bottom perimeter surface being integrally formed as a single piece of plastic material.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The pallet of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the top perimeter surface and the bottom perimeter surface being parallel,   
     
     
         4 . The pallet of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a perimeter channel in the top of the pallet, the perimeter channel extending from the top perimeter surface into an interior of the pallet, the perimeter channel extending completely around the top of the pallet.   
     
     
         5 . The pallet of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 the perimeter channel having a rectangular configuration; and,   to enable nesting the pallet on to a second pallet having a like construction, the rectangular configuration of the bottom perimeter surface is dimensioned to be received in a perimeter channel recessed into a top surface of the second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         6 . The pallet of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 the perimeter channel being positioned inside the top perimeter surface and adjacent the top perimeter surface.   
     
     
         7 . The pallet of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a first platform surface on the top of the pallet, the first platform surface being adjacent the perimeter channel and positioned inside the perimeter channel; and,   a first chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the first chamber being a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into the interior of the pallet, to enable nesting the pallet on to the second pallet having a like construction, the first chamber is dimensioned to receive in the first chamber a first platform surface of the second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         8 . The pallet of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 the first platform surface being a flat surface positioned in a single plane with the top perimeter surface.   
     
     
         9 . The pallet of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a second platform surface on the top of the pallet, the second platform surface being adjacent the perimeter channel and positioned inside the perimeter channel; and,   a second chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the second chamber being a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into the interior of the pallet, to enable nesting the pallet on to the second pallet having a like construction, the second chamber is dimensioned to receive in the second chamber a second platform surface on the second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         10 . The pallet of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 the second platform surface being a flat surface positioned in the single plane with the top perimeter surface.   
     
     
         11 . The pallet of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a center ridge surface on the top of the pallet, the center ridge surface being positioned on the top of the pallet between the first platform surface and the second platform surface; and,   a third chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the third chamber is a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into the interior of the pallet, to enable nesting the pallet on to the second pallet having a like construction, the third chamber is dimensioned to receive in the third chamber the center ridge surface of the second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         12 . The pallet of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 the center ridge surface being a flat surface positioned in the single plane with the top perimeter surface.   
     
     
         13 . A pallet comprising:
 a top perimeter surface on a top of the pallet, the top perimeter surface having a rectangular configuration, the top perimeter surface is a flat surface positioned in a single plane, the top perimeter surface is an outermost surface on the top of the pallet, the top perimeter surface is a topmost surface on the pallet, the top perimeter surface being a continuous surface that extends completely around a perimeter of the top of the pallet;   a perimeter channel extending from the top perimeter surface into an interior of the pallet, the perimeter channel having a rectangular configuration, the perimeter channel extending completely around the top of the pallet;   a bottom perimeter surface on a bottom of the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface having a rectangular configuration, the bottom perimeter surface is a flat surface positioned in a single plane, the bottom perimeter surface is an outermost surface on the bottom of the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface is a bottommost surface on the pallet, the bottom perimeter surface being a continuous surface that extends completely around a perimeter of the bottom of the pallet, the rectangular configuration of the bottom perimeter surface being dimensioned to be received in a perimeter channel recessed into a top surface of a second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet;   a first central surface on the bottom of the pallet, the first central surface having opposite ends that intersect the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet on opposite sides of the pallet, the first central surface being a solid surface having an elongate, rectangular configuration that extends across the bottom of the pallet from one side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet to an opposite side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet, the first central surface is a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the bottom perimeter surface;   a second central surface on the bottom of the pallet, the second central surface having opposite ends that intersect the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet on opposite sides of the pallet, the second central surface being a solid surface having an elongate, rectangular configuration that extends across the bottom of the pallet from one side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet to the opposite side of the bottom perimeter surface of the pallet, the second central surface is a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the bottom perimeter surface.   
     
     
         14 . The pallet of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 the pallet consisting of a single unit of plastic material.   
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The pallet of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 the perimeter channel being positioned inside the top perimeter surface and adjacent the top perimeter surface.   
     
     
         18 . The pallet of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a first platform surface on the top of the pallet, the first platform surface being adjacent the perimeter channel and positioned inside of the perimeter channel, the first platform surface being a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the top perimeter surface; and,   a first chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the first chamber being a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into an interior of the pallet, the first chamber being dimensioned to receive in the first chamber a first platform surface of a second pallet on which the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         19 . The pallet of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a second platform surface on the top of the pallet, the second platform surface being a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the top perimeter surface, the second platform surface being adjacent the perimeter channel and positioned inside the perimeter channel; and,   a second chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the second chamber being a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into the interior of the pallet, the second chamber being dimensioned to receive in the second chamber a second platform surface of a second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         20 . The pallet of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a center ridge surface on the top of the pallet, the center ridge surface being a flat surface positioned in the single plane of the top perimeter surface, the center ridge surface being positioned on the top of the pallet between the first platform surface and the second platform surface; and,   a third chamber in the bottom of the pallet, the third chamber being a hollow void that extends from the bottom perimeter surface into the interior of the pallet, the third chamber being dimensioned to receive in the third chamber the center ridge surface of a second pallet when the pallet is stacked on top of the second pallet.   
     
     
         21 . The pallet of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the bottom perimeter surface, the first central surface and the second central surface on the bottom of the pallet together form a planar surface that is configured for positioning on and engaging on a three-dimensional arrangement of products supported on a second pallet of like construction without causing damage to the products.   
     
     
         22 . The pallet of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 the bottom perimeter surface, the first central surface and the second central surface on the bottom of the pallet together form a planar surface that is configured for positioning on and engaging on a three-dimensional arrangement of products supported on a second pallet of like construction without causing damage to the products.   
     
     
         23 . The pallet of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 the top perimeter surface, the first platform surface, the second platform surface and the central ridge surface together form a planar support surface having a surface area that is configured for supporting products arranged in a three-dimensional arrangement on the planar support surface.