Market Overview:
This invention is a sustainable, recyclable pallet system to replace metal, wood, plastic, and composite pallets. Nearly all goods shipped are placed on a pallet at some point during their transport from the factory to the store. Steel and wood pallets use virgin material resources, and are expensive and heavy. Plastic and composite pallets are also heavy, and while they may include recycled material (though they usually do not), the pallets themselves are not recyclable.
Applications
Construction science; advanced materials;
nearly anywhere pallets are currently used
Advantages
• Sustainable construction – completely recyclable
• Only one material – no adhesives or staples
• Highly customizable to suit a particular application
• Extremely strong – up to 20,000 pounds in compression
Technical Summary
This pallet construction not only improves upon other pallet materials, but upon previous corrugated pallet systems. Previous inventions have relied on adhesives or staples, which make recycling difficult; this invention includes neither of those. The pieces of these pallets are interlocking, such that the entire pallet is made of corrugated paperboard. Accordingly, the pallets are less expensive to construct and maintain/repair and are easily recyclable. These pallets are also five times stronger than previous corrugated pallet systems, supporting compressive loads of up to 20,000 pounds.
Click here for a full color copy with figures
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Inventors: Rupert Hurley, Kyle Dunno, Matthew Whitlock, Judson Valentine
Patent Type: A patent application has been filed.
Protection Status: Available for Licensing
CURF Ref No: 09-003