A pallet includes fire retardant coatings to improve the overall fire performance of the pallet. First, the coatings may be used in combination with fire retardant additives in the plastic material of the pallet in order to reduce the amount of additives, thereby reducing cost and improving the structural performance of the pallet. Alternatively or additionally, the fire retardant coatings may be placed inside the pallet. This eliminates the chance that the fire retardant coating will get worn off during use. For example, the coating could be placed between the reinforcement sheet and the deck or runners, within the columns, etc.

The container has a lid structure comprising two lid panels. The first lid panel forms at least a part of the top wall. The second lid panel forms at least part of one of the side walls. When the container is in the erected condition the lid structure can have one of, and be moved between, a closed configuration; top load configuration; and, front load configuration. The front load configuration has two variants. In a first front load configuration the first and second lid panels remain connected to each other and are moved so that they are in a substantial face to face relationship. In the second front load configuration the second lid panel is pivoted to lie on top of the first lid panel.

A composite pallet is made of concrete fill material that is enclosed in a frame structure. The frame structure includes a first frame member and a second frame member. The first frame member has a first frame member cavity that contains the concrete fill material. The first frame member has a tenon, and the second frame member has a mortice in which the tenon of the first frame member is received. The tenon of the first frame member defines a fill gap through which the fill material is able to flow during manufacturing. The frame structure is made of sheet metal that has seams located inside the frame structure.

A high-strength foam bearing pallet is disclosed. The foam bearing pallet comprises a foam bearing plate and supporting legs configured on the lower end of the foam bearing plate. The foam bearing plate comprises a foam core and a PET reinforcing film covering the outer surface of the foam core to increase its strength. The PET reinforcing film is made of a PET sheet heated and fixed to the outer surface of the foam core through vacuum forming. The PET reinforcing film limits and tightens the foam core to prevent the foam core from deformation or fracture. As the outer surface of the foam core is wholly covered by the reinforcing film, and the reinforcing film limits and tightens the foam core, the foam bearing pallet will have higher strength.

A platform includes a top deck with spaced apart platform support leg openings extending therethrough, and platform support legs extending from a lower surface of the top deck and aligned with the platform support leg openings. A shelf provides support to a bottom surface of a platform support leg from an identical platform when stacked thereon. A pair of extensions extend outwards from a bottom surface of the lower portion, with the opening in the upper portion providing clearance for the pair of extensions on the platform support leg of the identical platform when stacked thereon. The platform includes a platform tracking device including an exterior housing assembly that is positioned at least partially within the top deck and that encloses processing circuitry, memory, one or more sensors, a communication element, and a power supply.

According to the embodiments described herein, a nestable pallet can include an upper deck and a lower deck. The upper deck can forms a product support region. The upper deck can include a plurality of foot members each formed as a cavity within the product support region of the upper deck. Each of the foot members can include a base portion offset downward from the from the product support region of the upper deck. The lower deck can be joined to the upper deck and can be disposed downwards from the upper deck. The lower deck can include a plurality of foot strengthening orifices. Each of the foot strengthening orifices can include a support rim. The foot members of the upper deck can be received by the foot strengthening orifices and constrained by the support rim.

A nestable pallet having three rows of feet extending downward from a support surface is provided. In one aspect, the outer rows of feet are attached by runners at a bottom portion of each foot and the middle row of feet does not include runners. The support surface includes openings to accommodate the outer rows of feet with runners, and the middle row of feet of a like pallet. The absence of runners in the middle row and a corresponding larger opening, allows for greater support area in that portion of the pallet. The pallet can also include reinforcements extending perpendicular to the runners.

Carts for use with pallets and methods of using the same are disclosed. The carts have an adjustable height platform that includes a base, a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the base, a platform, a linkage assembly coupled to and disposed between the base and the platform, a lift mechanism coupled to and disposed between the base and the platform, an upwardly extending handle, and wherein the platform is movable between a first position and a second position that is above the first position. The carts may include drive motors and the pallets may be nestably stackable.

A pallet may include a base layer, an intermediate layer, two or more support blocks, and a top layer. The support blocks may be removably attached to the base layer and the intermediate layer such that the support blocks are positioned between the base layer and the intermediate layer. The base layer may include two or more base members, the intermediate layer may include two or more intermediate members and the top layer may include two top outside members, which all may be described as structural members. The structural members may include two or more ribs, may include fiber dispersed in a thermoplastic material, and may include a continuous fiber bundle within each rib.

A pallet has an upper deck portion having an upper planar portion and a lower deck portion having a lower planar portion. Ribs extend from one of the planar portions and are vibration welded to the other planar portion. A peripheral lip extends downwardly from the upper deck portion around the periphery of the lower portion. In this manner, the entire upper deck portion, which includes the entire upper surface of the pallet, is vibration welded to the lower deck portion. Further, the peripheral lip of the upper deck portion hides any flash that might be generated by the vibration welding process.