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 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 from and 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 thereby elevating the bottom of the deck above the rack when said pallet is supported on the rails of the rack by said secondary props, each secondary prop providing a gap that extends between the bottom of the deck and a portion of the secondary prop that is configured to be in contact with one of the rails when said pallet is supported on the rails of the rack by said secondary props, thereby also causing the gap to extend between the bottom of the deck and said one of the rails, the gap configured to accommodate the passage of a forklift tine between said one of the rails of the rack and the bottom of the deck of the pallet and then to lift the pallet by engaging the bottom of the deck, and   wherein both the primary props and secondary props are spaced apart 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 primary depression at the top panel, each primary depression being of a sufficient size 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.   
     
     
         2 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the width of the deck between the first pair of opposed sides is greater than a gap between the two spaced apart parallel rails of the storage rack upon which the pallet may be supported on the secondary props. 
     
     
         3 . A system of a pallet rack comprising spaced apart parallel rails and a single deck nestable pallet as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the single deck nestable pallet is able to be supported on both
 a) the rails of the pallet rack by the plurality of secondary props of the pallet, the opposed sides of the pallet being substantially parallel with the rails of the rack, and 
 b) the opposed sides of the deck, the opposed sides of the pallet being substantially parallel with the rails of the rack. 
 
     
     
         4 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of discretely distributed primary props are spaced inwardly adjacent and along each of the first pair of opposed sides and/or each of the second pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         5 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least some of the plurality of primary props are spaced inwardly adjacent and along the first pair of opposed sides, so as to allow at least some of the primary props to sit intermediate of the rails of a storage rack. 
     
     
         6 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least some of 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. 
     
     
         7 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least some of 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 pallet 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. 
     
     
         8 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least some of the plurality of primary props are spaced adjacent and along the second pair of opposed sides, so as to allow at least some of said primary props to sit intermediate of each respective side of the second pair of opposed sides and intermediate of at least some of the primary props adjacent each of the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         9 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the primary props provided along each of the second pair of opposed sides are spaced apart so as to prevent either of the second 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 edge supported on the rails by portions of the deck proximate to each of the second pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         10 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of discretely distributed primary props spaced inwardly adjacent and along each of the first pair of opposed sides and/or each of the second pair of opposed sides comprise a lead-in such that each primary prop tapers away from the adjacent one of the first or second pair of opposed sides as the primary prop projects away from the bottom of the deck. 
     
     
         11 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a distance the plurality of primary props project away from the bottom of the deck is greater than a distance the plurality of secondary props project away from the bottom of the deck. 
     
     
         12 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of secondary props are provided intermediate of the primary props located adjacent and along the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         13 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein a number of the plurality of secondary props correspond to a number of the plurality of primary props provided directly adjacent and along each of the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         14 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a width of each of the secondary props along the direction of each of the first pair of opposed sides is less than a width of the a respective each of the primary props provided along each of the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         15 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein each of the secondary props are integrally formed and contiguous with a respective each of the primary props provided directly adjacent and along each of the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         16 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of secondary props each extend downwardly from the top panel to define a plurality of secondary hollow depressions, each secondary hollow depression to at least partially receive a secondary prop of an identical deck from above to allow the pallet to nest in a stacked manner with such an identical deck. 
     
     
         17 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein each of the secondary hollow depressions are integrally formed and contiguous with a respective each of the primary hollow depressions of the primary props provided directly adjacent and along each of the first pair of opposed sides. 
     
     
         18 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the primary depressions comprise one or more tertiary props projecting towards the deck of the pallet such that the deck of the pallet and the deck of an identical nested pallet remain separated so as to allow the tines of a forklift to pass between the respective decks of the pallets. 
     
     
         19 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein a spacing between the deck of the pallet and the deck of an identical nested pallet is defined by a height of said one or more tertiary props. 
     
     
         20 . The pallet as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at a perimeter 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 sidewall, being at the base of the U-shape, presented at the outer most part of the perimeter of deck and (b) top and bottom walls extending inwardly from the perimeter of the deck from the sidewall, wherein the sidewall 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.