Shipping pallet and/or deck useful for such

Abstract

A single deck pallet comprising a deck having a top for supporting a load and a bottom, at least four sides, the at least four sides comprising a first pair of opposed sides and a second pair of opposed sides. A plurality of intermediate spaced apart beams of the deck extending between (and preferably to) at least a first pair of opposed sides. A plurality of distributed primary props dependent from the deck and projecting below the bottom of the deck to aid in supporting the pallet on a surface. At least one beam extends between adjacent primary props and the primary props are horizontally spaced apart from each other and from said at least one beam so as to allow a tine of a forklift to pass in a linear direction parallel to the at least one beam between adjacent primary props to reach at least partially under and bear on the bottom of the deck and bear on the at least one beam.

1 . A nestable pallet comprising
 a. a deck able to carry a load and be lifted by tines of a forklift, the deck comprising
 i. a square or rectangular shaped perimeter, at each of the four perimeter edges of the deck there is provided a respective hollow roll formed sheet metal perimeter beam of constant U-shaped cross section that, when viewed in cross section, has (a) a trough of the U-shape presented at the outer most part of the perimeter of deck and (b) top and bottom walls of the U-shape extending inwardly from the trough, wherein the trough of the perimeter beam is of a single ply of said sheet metal and the top and bottom walls are each of two plies of said sheet metal, 
 ii. a top panel located on top of and supported by the beams, 
   b. a plurality of props extending downwardly from the top panel and each defining a depression at the top panel, the props arranged to stably support the pallet on ground and wherein each depression can at least partially receive a prop of an identical deck from above to allow the pallet to nest with such an identical deck in a stacked manner.   
     
     
         2 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the height of the perimeter beam(s) defines substantially the thickness of the deck. 
     
     
         3 . The pallet as claimed in  1  wherein the sheet metal is no thicker than 1 mm thick. 
     
     
         4 . A nestable pallet comprising
 a. deck able to carry a load and be lifted by tines of a forklift the deck comprising
 i. a square or rectangular shaped perimeter wherein a grid of intermediate hollow beams is provided of at least two first sets of hollow beams extending between a first pair of opposed sides of the deck and of two second sets of hollow beams extending between a second pair of opposed sides of the deck, the beams roll-formed from sheet metal that defines a quadrilateral cross sectional wall profile of the beams, at least one of the first and second set of beams defining the bottom of the deck at where fork lift times are able to engage the beams to lift the deck wherein the profile of the bottom of the at least one of said first and second set of beams to receive the tines comprises of (a) both a single ply of said sheet metal defining part of the quadrilateral shaped wall profile and (b) a double ply of said sheet metal defining a flange extending into the interior of the at least one of said first and second set of beams to receive the tines, 
 ii. a top panel located on top of and supported by the first and second set of beams, 
   b. a plurality of props extending downwardly from the top panel and each defining a depression at the top panel, the props arranged to ensure that the pallet can be stably supported on ground and wherein each depression can at least partially receive a prop of an identical deck from above to allow the pallet to nest in a stacked manner with such an identical deck.   
     
     
         5 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the height of the beam(s) defines substantially the thickness of the deck. 
     
     
         6 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the props are integrally formed as part of a top panel. 
     
     
         7 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the deck that is 1000×1200 mm pallet the deck weighs around 17 kg. 
     
     
         8 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1  the perimeter beams are no more than 0.78 kgs/m length. 
     
     
         9 . A single deck nestable pallet comprising:
 a deck having a top panel for supporting a load and a bottom, at least four sides, the at least four sides comprising a first pair of opposed sides and a second pair of opposed sides, there being provided a plurality of intermediate spaced apart beams of the deck extending between and to at least a first pair of opposed sides,   a plurality of discretely distributed primary props dependent from the deck and projecting below the bottom of the deck to aid in supporting the pallet on a surface,   where two of said beams extend between adjacent primary props,   wherein the primary props are horizontally spaced apart from each other and from said two beams so as to allow a tine of a forklift to pass in a linear direction parallel to the two beams between adjacent primary props to reach at least partially under and bear on the bottom of the deck and to so always bear on at least one of said two beams,   wherein each primary prop extends downwardly from the top panel and each defining a depression at the top panel, each depression to at least partially receive a prop of an identical deck from above to allow the pallet to nest in a stacked manner with such an identical deck, and   wherein, each of the two beams are roll-formed from sheet metal that defines a quadrilateral cross sectional wall profile of each beam and wherein the profile of the bottom of each beams and at where the tines come to bear comprises of (a) both a single ply of said sheet metal defining part of the quadrilateral shaped wall profile and (b) a double ply of said sheet metal defining a flange extending into the interior of each beam.   
     
     
         10 . A single deck nestable pallet capable of being edge supported by spaced apart parallel rails of a storage rack, the single deck nestable pallet comprising
 a deck having a top panel for supporting a load and a bottom, and at least four sides, the at least four sides comprising a first pair of opposed sides and a second pair of opposed sides,   a plurality of discretely distributed primary props dependent from the deck and projecting below the bottom of the deck to support the pallet on a surface,   a plurality of discrete secondary props for supporting the pallet on the rails of a rack, each secondary prop projecting below the bottom of the deck and being provided intermediate of a primary prop and an associated at least one of the four sides of the deck to elevate the bottom of the deck above the racks so as to accommodate the passage of a forklift tine between a rail of the rack and the deck of the pallet, and   wherein the both the primary props and secondary props are spaced apart so as to allow two tines of a forklift to pass between both the primary props and secondary props to come to bear on the bottom of the deck,   wherein each primary prop extends downwardly from the top panel and each define a depression at the top panel, each depression to at least partially receive a prop of an identical deck from above to allow the pallet to nest in a stacked manner with such an identical deck.   
     
     
         11 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the width of the deck between the first pair of opposed sides is greater than the gap between the two spaced apart parallel rails of the storage rack upon which the pallet may be supported on the secondary props. 
     
     
         12 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the plurality of primary props are spaced inwardly adjacent and along the first pair of opposed sides, so as to allow the primary props to sit intermediate of the rails of a storage rack. 
     
     
         13 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the primary props provided along each of the first pair of opposed sides are spaced apart between the first pair of opposed sides such that said primary props may sit intermediate of the rails of a storage rack. 
     
     
         14 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the primary props provided along each of the first pair of opposed sides are spaced apart so as to prevent either of the first pair of opposed sides from falling off the rails of the storage rack due to a lateral movement of the pallet relative to the rails when the pallet is supported on the rails by the secondary props. 
     
     
         15 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the primary props provided adjacent each of the first pair of opposed sides are spaced between the first pair of opposed sides such that, when the rack is supported on the rails by the secondary props, the primary props adjacent each of the first pair of opposed sides engage with the rails to substantially prevent movement of the pallet lateral of the rails. 
     
     
         16 . A system of a pallet rack comprising spaced apart parallel rails and a single deck nestable pallet as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the single deck nestable pallet is able to be supported on both
 a) the rails of the pallet rack on the plurality of secondary props, the opposed sides of the pallet being substantially parallel with the rails of the rack, and 
 b) the opposed ends of the deck, the opposed ends of the pallet being substantially parallel with the rails of the rack.