Plastic stacking crates

Abstract

Plastic pallets including side walls are described, which can be used in place of wooden pallets to provide protection for goods during shipping or other uses. Parts of the pallet can be modular, allowing easy replacing and recycling in the case of damage. For example, the side walls can be removed, which can also allow easy access to the pallet's storage area. Retractable pegs can be included in the bottom of the pallet base, which can pair with recesses on the top of the side corners of the pallet. The use of the retractable pegs on the bottom of one pallet and recesses on the top of another pallet enable the pegs and recesses to pair for easy stacking, increasing stacking stability and limiting shifting of the pallets and goods in the storage areas during shipping.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a base including a horizontal platform for supporting goods, the horizontal platform having a width and a length, the base including one or more side openings sized, shaped, and positioned to receive forks of a forklift or pallet jack;   four retractable pegs positioned within and extendable from a bottom of the base; and   four side walls extending vertically from the horizontal platform and including a recess at each corner where two of the four side walls meet, each recess positioned at a top of a respective corner and sized, shaped, and positioned to receive a retractable peg, the four side walls and the horizontal platform defining a cavity for receiving and retaining goods;   wherein the four retractable pegs are positioned to be received by four recesses of a second device to allow stacking of the device over a second device.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the recesses at each corner in the four side walls are positioned to receive four retractable pegs of the second device to allow stacking of the second device over the device. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the four side walls are removably attached to the base. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising four side corners extending vertically from the horizontal platform, wherein each recess is positioned at a top of a respective side corner. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the four side walls are each removably attached to and positioned between two respective corners. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein each side wall and each side corner includes two interlocking joints for removably attaching the side walls and side corners to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the horizontal platform and the four side corners comprise a unitary body. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the side walls include one or more holes, channels, or openings through a horizontal thickness of the side walls. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the side walls have a lattice structure including the one or more holes, channels, or openings. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the side walls have a honeycomb structure including the one or more holes, channels, or openings. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the base or the side walls comprise a recyclable material. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the base or the side walls comprise plastic or aluminum. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the length is from 12 inches to 50 inches and wherein the width is from 12 inches to 50 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a height of the base and the four side walls together is from 12 inches to 50 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the retractable pegs are retained by corresponding openings in the bottom of the base. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the retractable pegs each engage a corresponding spring or resilient member in the base for forcing extension of the retractable pegs from the bottom of the base when not under a compressive load. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein an extendible length of the retractable pegs from the bottom of the base is from 2 inches to 8 inches. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional dimension of the retractable pegs is from 1 inch to 3 inches, and wherein a cross-sectional dimension of the recess at each corner is from 1 inch to 3 inches. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more side openings of the base correspond to channels in the base extending length-wise or width-wise across the bottom of the base.