Disposable pallet

Claim 2

A disposable and reusable pallet comprising at least two parallel spaced, elongated base members interconnected by at least two parallel spaced elongated tie members to form a lattice structure for supporting a load, each of said base members and each of said tie members having a triangular cross section and being formed from a sheet material, and each of said base members having a plurality of triangular or trapezoidal openings formed therein which extend transversely through said base member and which are at least equal in number to the number of tie members, said openings being located at predetermined intervals along said base member and a portion of each one of said tie members being removably and frictionally received in one of said openings in each of said base members, each of said base members being formed from a blank of sheet material having a central panel and first and second side portions, each of said side portions being folded three times to form three panels, the first panel extending angularly upwardly from said central panel to define an upwardly inclined side wall portion of said base member, the second panel extending vertically downwardly from said first panel to form an interior vertical wall portion and said third panel extending horizontally from the lower end of said second panel to the fold separating said central panel from said first panel and defining a reinforcing structural part of said base member.

Claim 3

A kit for constructing a disposable and reusable pallet, said kit including a plurality of first and second elongated blanks formed from a sheet material: said first blank having at least two longitudinally extending score lines dividing said first blank into at least three panels whereby said first blank can be folded along said score lines to form a tie member having a triangular cross section and a hollow interior; said second blank having six longitudinally extending score lines dividing said second blank into seven panels, the center panel defining a base portion of said base member, the first adjacent panel on either side of said center panel defining an upwardly inclined side wall portion of said base member, the next adjacent panel on either side of said center panel defining a vertical interior wall portion of said base member and each one of the outermost panels on either side of said center panel forms a horizontal structural reinforcing part of said base member and overlies one half of said center panel when said second blank is folded along said score lines to form said base member; said second blank also having a first group of triangular or trapezoidal shaped holes in one of said panels and a second group of triangular or trapezoidal shaped holes in another one of said panels, each of said holes of said first group being laterally aligned with one of said holes of said second group so that when said second blank is folded to form said base member, each pair of said aligned holes will form a triangular or trapezoidal opening extending transversely through said base member for receiving a portion of one of said tie members formed from one of said first blanks.

Claim 4

A kit for constructing a disposable and reusable pallet, said kit including a plurality of first and second elongated blanks formed from a sheet material: said first blank having at least two longitudinally extending score lines dividing said first blank into at least three panels whereby said first blank can be folded along said score lines to form a tie member having a triangular cross section and a hollow interior; said second blank having six longitudinally extending score lines dividing said second blank into seven panels, the center panel defining a base portion of said base member, the first adjacent panel on either side of said center panel defining an upwardly inclined side wall portion of said base member, the next adjacent panel on either side of said center panel defining a vertical interior wall portion of said base member and each one of the outermost panels on either side of said center panel forms a horizontal structural reinforcing part of said base member and overlies one half of said center panel when said second blank is folded along said score lines to form said base member; said second blank also having a first group of triangular or trapezoidal shaped holes in one of said panels and a second group of triangular or trapezoidal shaped holes in another one of said panels, each of said holes of said first group being laterally aligned with one of said holes of said second group so that when said second blank is folded to form said base member, each pair of said aligned holes will form a triangular or trapezoidal opening extending transversely through said base member for receiving a portion of one of said tie members formed from one of said first blanks.

Claim 5

The kit as defined in claim 2 wherein said first group of holes is formed in the first adjacent panel adjacent the second sCore line which divides said first adjacent panel from said next adjacent panel on one side of said center panel, and said second group of holes is formed in the first adjacent panel adjacent the fifth score line which divides said first adjacent panel from said next adjacent panel on the other side of said center panel, and wherein said second blank has a third group of holes in said next adjacent panel on said one side of said center panel adjacent said second score line, each of said holes in said third group being laterally aligned with one of said holes of said first group, and a fourth group of holes in said next adjacent panel on said other side of said center panel adjacent said fifth score line, each of said holes of said fourth group being laterally aligned with one of said holes of said second group.