Pallet assembly

Claim 1

A shipping pallet assembly, which may be disassembled to smaller volume for shipping, reassembly and reuse, comprising a rigid substantially planar rectangular deck having an upper load surface and lower support surface, a plurality of open-ended detachable hollow feet having a symmetrical cross section, the lower ends of which are cupped inwardly to form bearing surfaces and the upper ends of which depend from and are attached to the deck through foot attachment openings in the deck in a centrally positioned symmetrical array of lines and columns, each line and column being comprised of at least three such feet in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the array, the lower end of each of the feet being linked both longitudinally and transversely by a pair of detachable rail members which extend over the entire length and width of the array, each detachable rail member comprising a rigid rail having a plurality of openings spaced along and at the ends thereof to match the number and spacing of the cupped feet within any line or column of the array, the openings in the rails being sized in such manner that the rails fit tightly over the perimeter of the cupped feet at or near the lower end of each of the feet, the deck, feet and rail members all being formed by injection molding of a molten normally solid thermoplastic polymer.