Chep Technology Pty Limited

Matthew Wood

Paul Barnswell

Dwight Bryan Whitfield, Sr

Mohammad Ansari

James Koonce

Craig Rolland Norman

Bradley Wayne Daubenspeck

Kenneth Brandt

Sarel Johannes De Beer

Daniel J Lantz

Ken Brandt

Paul M Melia

A pallet includes a plastic top deck and a bamboo bottom deck. The bamboo bottom deck includes bamboo boards made from bamboo strips layered together. Support blocks are coupled between the bamboo bottom deck and the plastic top deck, with a gap being formed therebetween for receiving a lifting member.

Hybrid pallet

A pallet includes a top deck that includes a product support surface and an opposing underside, and with the product support surface including a pair of pallet support leg receiving areas. A pair of pallet support legs is on the underside of the top deck and aligned with the pallet support leg receiving areas. Each pallet support leg including a center leg section having a first end adjacent the underside of the top deck and a second end opposite the first end, and a pair of leg extensions extending outwards from the second end of the center leg section. An underside of the center leg section and the pair of leg extensions are configured to engage one of the pallet support leg receiving areas of an identical pallet when stacked thereon.

Stackable fractional plastic pallet

A reconfigurable pallet/dolly platform includes a top deck that includes a product support surface and an opposing underside. The underside includes pallet support leg attachment areas for receiving pallet support legs when configured as a pallet, and dolly wheel attachment areas for receiving dolly wheels when configured as a dolly. The product support surface includes pallet support leg receiving areas aligned with the pallet support leg attachment areas and configured to engage the pallet support legs from an identical platform stacked thereon when configured as a pallet. The product support surface also includes dolly wheel receiving areas aligned with the dolly wheel wells and configured to engage the dolly wheels from an identical platform stacked thereon when configured as a dolly. Each dolly wheel receiving area partially overlaps with one of the pallet support leg receiving areas.

Reconfigurable pallet/dolly platform

A pallet impact station includes a frame, at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to the frame, a carriage assembly carried by the at least one pendulum swing arm for impacting a pallet, and a latching mechanism extending between the frame and the at least one pendulum swing arm. The latching mechanism disengages the at least one pendulum swing arm at a raised position so that the carriage assembly impacts the pallet. A controller operates the latching mechanism to disengage the at least one pendulum swing arm.

Pallet impact station and associated methods

A pallet positioning station for positioning a pallet to be impacted by a pallet impact station includes a frame, and a pallet lift assembly carried by the frame. The pallet lift assembly includes a lift grate moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. A pallet push arm assembly is carried by the frame and includes a pallet push arm movable between a retracted position and a pallet positioning position. A controller is configured to move the pallet push arm and the lift grate to the retracted positions to receive the pallet for positioning, and move the lift grate to the extended position when the pallet is to be positioned for impact by the pallet impact station. The controller is further configured to move the pallet push arm to the pallet positioning position to move the pallet towards the pallet impact station until the pallet is aligned with an impact reference plane.

Pallet positioning station and associated methods

A method for operating a pallet positioning station for positioning a pallet to be impacted by a pallet impact station is provided. The pallet positioning station includes a frame adjacent the pallet impact station, a pallet lift assembly carried by the frame that includes a lift grate moveable between a retracted position and an extended position, and a pallet push arm assembly carried by the frame that includes a pallet push arm movable between a retracted position and a pallet positioning position. The method includes moving the pallet push arm and the lift grate to the retracted positions to receive the pallet for positioning, moving the lift grate to the extended position when the pallet is to be positioned for impact by the pallet impact station, and moving the pallet push arm to the pallet positioning position to position the pallet towards the pallet impact station until the pallet is aligned with an impact reference plane.

A reconfigurable pallet/dolly platform includes a top deck that includes a product support surface and an opposing underside. The underside includes pallet support leg attachment areas for receiving pallet support legs when configured as a pallet, and dolly wheel attachment areas for receiving dolly wheels when configured as a dolly. The product support surface includes pallet support leg receiving areas aligned with the pallet support leg attachment areas and configured to engage the pallet support legs from an identical platform stacked thereon when configured as a pallet. The product support surface also includes dolly wheel receiving areas aligned with the dolly wheel wells and configured to engage the dolly wheels from an identical platform stacked thereon when configured as a dolly.

A pallet tester includes a pallet positioning station for positioning a pallet on a conveyor, and a pallet impact station adjacent the conveyor and aligned with the pallet positioning station. The pallet positioning station includes a pallet push arm movable between a retracted position and a pallet positioning position. The pallet impact station includes a carriage assembly to impact the pallet, and a latching mechanism coupled to the carriage assembly. A controller moves the pallet push arm to the retracted position to receive the pallet for positioning, and moves the pallet push arm to the pallet positioning position to move the pallet towards the pallet impact station until an impact side of the pallet is aligned with an impact reference plane. The controller also operates the latching mechanism to raise the carriage assembly, and to release the carriage assembly when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet at the impact reference plane.

Life cycle pallet tester and associated methods

A pallet impact station includes a frame, at least one pendulum swing arm rotatably coupled to the frame, and a carriage assembly carried by the at least one pendulum swing arm. A latching mechanism extends between the frame and the at least one pendulum swing arm, and engages the at least one pendulum swing arm when the carriage assembly is in a lowered position, raises the carriage assembly to a raised positon, and disengages the at least one pendulum swing arm at the raised positon so that the carriage assembly strikes a pallet. A sensor generates a signal corresponding to how high the carriage assembly is raised. A controller operates the latching mechanism, including disengaging the at least one pendulum swing arm when a height of the carriage assembly corresponds to a desired release height so that a predetermined impact force strikes the pallet.

A pallet positioning station for positioning a pallet on a roller conveyor to be impacted by a pallet impact station includes a frame adjacent the roller conveyor, and a pallet lift assembly carried by the frame and positioned below the roller conveyor. The pallet lift assembly includes a lift grate moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. A pallet push arm assembly is carried by the frame and includes a pallet push arm movable between a retracted position and a pallet positioning position. A controller is configured to move the pallet push arm and the lift grate to the retracted positions to receive the pallet for positioning, and move the lift grate to the extended position when the pallet is to be positioned for impact by the pallet impact station, with the pallet being lifted off of the roller conveyor by the lift grate. The controller is further configured to move the pallet push arm to the pallet positioning position to move the pallet towards the pallet impact station until an impact side of the pallet is aligned with an impact reference plane.

A pallet includes a cargo layer and a base layer, and a plurality of support block assemblies separating the cargo and base layers. Each support block assembly includes a first support block with a first opening extending therethrough in a horizontal direction, and a second support block inserted into the first opening of the first support block.

Pallet with extruded composite support blocks and associated methods of making the same

A pallet includes a cargo layer and a base layer, and a plurality of support block assemblies separating the cargo and base layers. Each support block assembly includes first and second support blocks. The first support block has a first opening extending therethrough in a horizontal direction, and the second support block has a second opening extending therethrough in the horizontal direction. The second support block is inserted into the first opening of the first support block.

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Davenport, FL, United States of America

Matthew Wood