One piece molded pallet-container

Claim 1

A one-piece rectangular pallet-container of foamed plastic and having like sides and like ends molded in a unitary manner to a bottom member and providing an open top, this pallet-container having means for the guiding thereunder and lifting thereof by the forks of a lift truck including: (a) a bottom member having downwardly extending ribs forming both a reinforcement and support surface for a pair of forks of a lift truck, this bottom member being formed to provide a plurality of entrances for said forks and with those ribs extending downwardly from the bottom member and transverse to an opening for the entry of a fork end of a fork lift having rib portions extending transversely thereof, these transversely disposed ribs being sloped to provide a guide ramp to direct the entering fork end to and past the transverse ribs; (b) a pair of end members having both horizontal and vertical ribs in a generally arranged waffle pattern, the ribs extending from the side walls in a generally parallel pattern and from said open top to the bottom member; (c) a pair of side members having both horizontal and vertical ribs arranged in a generally waffle pattern, these ribs extending from the side walls in a generally parallel pattern from said open top to the bottom member; (d) a formed top disposed around the open upper portion of the pallet-container and providing a shoulder along the sides and ends of the pallet-container; (e) leg portions provided at the four corners of the bottom member, these legs establishing a support plane of the bottom which is sufficiently distant from the bottom of the container for the entrance at a plurality of openings between the legs and intermediate supports for the free entry of a lift truck, and (f) a formed plug-shoulder formed on the bottom of the corner leg portions and the intermediate supports, this plug shoulder adapted to seat in and position said pallet-container in a formed open top of and on an immediately below pallet-container.