PALLET AND PANEL STORAGE SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, apparatus and methods for transporting a palletized stack of bottles or other similar bulk-produced containers using a unique pallet base and a unique set of side panels that may be engaged with the base and with each other in order to protect the stacks of bottles on the pallet base during shipping and transport. Embodiments of the invention dampen vibrations, protect the bottles from exterior contaminants, and allow the bottles to be viewed from the outside. Embodiments of the invention also provide reusable pallet systems that are easy to assemble and disassemble, and ship back for reuse.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in transporting a stack of fragile containers comprising: a. a rectangular pallet base having a flat top surface with a plurality of openings along a perimeter of said surface; b. a pair of first panels, each such first panel having top, bottom, right, and left edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior and exterior surfaces being along a first plane, wherein at least one male connecting member is provided on said bottom edge for engagement with one of said plurality of openings in said pallet base, wherein at least one hook is provided at an edge of said exterior surface, and wherein a pair of rods are provided at upper corners of said interior surface, each rod extending outward in a direction that is perpendicular to said first plane; c. a second pair of panels, each such second panel having top, bottom, right, and left edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior and exterior surfaces being along a second plane, wherein at least one male connecting member is provided on said bottom edge for engagement with one of said plurality of openings in said pallet base, wherein at least one opening is provided at an edge of said exterior surface for receiving said at least one hook, and wherein a pair of slots are provided at ends of said right and left edges for receiving said pair of rods; and d. a lid for engagement over said panels when assembled together.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pair of rods are magnetically attractive, and said pair of slots are made of metal that is attracted to said rods.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pair of slots are magnetically attractive, and said pair of rods are made of metal that is attracted to said slots.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising magnetically attractive elements provided adjacent to each of said pair of rods, and metal elements provided adjacent to each of said pair of slots, wherein the metallic elements are attracted to said magnetically attractive elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising magnetically attractive elements provided adjacent to each of said pair of slots, and metal elements provided adjacent to each of said pair of rods, wherein the metallic elements are attracted to said magnetically attractive elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein vibration dampening elements are provided on the interior surfaces of each of said first and second panels.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said vibration dampening elements are selected from the group of foam, deformable plastic, inflatable air bags, and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one hooks is mounted to a stretchable strap to provide tension to said hook when engaged with one of said at least one receiving openings.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one first alignment member provided at right and left edges of said first pair of panels, and at least on second corresponding alignment member provided at right and left edges of said second pair of panels.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lid further comprises an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of openings along a perimeter of said lower surface, and wherein each of said panels includes at least one male connecting member at a top edge thereof for engagement one of said plurality of openings on said lower surface of said lid.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a plurality of rows of openings are provided in said pallet base for receiving a plurality of panels for return after use.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each panel is provided with at least one locking member on its exterior surface for engagement with a corresponding locking member on a panel of an adjacent assembled apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein pallet base is provided with at least one locking member at an edge thereof for engagement with a corresponding locking member at an edge of a pallet base of an adjacent assembled apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a frame having a plurality of openings therein corresponding to tops of containers of a stack for engagement over an uppermost stack of such containers below said lid.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first or second pair of panels includes at least one viewing window thereon.

16. A pallet panel container system for use in transporting a stack of fragile containers comprising: a. a rectangular pallet base having a flat top surface with a plurality of openings along a perimeter of said surface; b. a plurality of panels, each panel having top, bottom, right, and left edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein at least one male connecting member is provided on said bottom edge for engagement with one of said plurality of openings in said pallet base, wherein at least one hook is provided at one of the right or left edges of said exterior surface, and at least one receiving opening is provided at the other of said right or left edges of said exterior surface, such that the at least one hook of a first panel may engage with the at least one receiving opening of an adjacent panel; and c. a lid for engagement over said panels when four of them are assembled together.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said lid further comprises an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of openings along a perimeter of said lower surface, and wherein each of said panels includes at least one male connecting member at a top edge thereof for engagement one of said plurality of openings on said lower surface of said lid.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein vibration dampening elements are provided on the interior surface of each of said plurality panels.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said vibration dampening elements are selected from the group of foam, deformable plastic, inflatable air bags, and combinations thereof.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein each of said at least one hooks is mounted to a stretchable strap to provide tension to said hook when engaged with one of said at least one receiving openings.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein each panel is provided with at least one locking member on its exterior surface for engagement with a corresponding locking member on a panel of an adjacent assembled container system.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein said pallet base is provided with at least one locking member on an exterior edge thereof for engagement with a corresponding locking member at an edge of a pallet base of an adjacent assembled container system.

23. A method of securing stacks of bottles for transport comprising the steps of: a. loading stacks of bottles onto a rectangular pallet base, the pallet base comprising a flat top surface with a plurality of openings along a perimeter of said surface, wherein the stacks are separated by slip sheets; b. engaging male connecting members located on bottom edges of left and right side panels with openings on opposite sides of the pallet base, each such side panel further comprising a top, right, and left edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior and exterior surfaces being along a first plane, wherein at least one receiving opening is provided at an edge of said exterior surface, and wherein a pair of metallic slots are provided at ends of said right and left edges; c. tilting each of said side panels up to a generally vertical position; d. engaging male connecting members located on bottom edges of front and rear panels with openings on opposite sides of the pallet base between said side panels, each such front and rear panel further comprising top, right, and left edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior and exterior surfaces being along a second plane, wherein at least one hook is provided at an edge of said exterior surface, and wherein a pair of magnetic rods are provided at upper corners of said interior surface, each rod extending outward in a direction that is perpendicular to said second plane; e. tilting each of said front and rear panels up to a generally vertical position and inserting said rods into said slots for temporary magnetic engagement; f. engaging each of said hooks of said front and rear panels with one of said receiving openings on a side panel to form a four-sided enclosure around said stacks of bottles; and g. placing a lid on the four-sided enclosure to form a completed container.

24. The method of claim 23 comprising the additional step of temporarily engaging a locking connector located on one of said panels of said completed container with a corresponding locking connector located on a corresponding panel of another completed container.

25-42. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG. 1 provides an exemplary illustration of a front or rear exterior view of an assembled pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 provides an exemplary illustration of an interior surface of a front or rear panel of pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 3 provides an exemplary illustration of an exterior side view of an assembled pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 4 provides an exemplary illustration of an exterior side view of a side panel of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 5 provides an edge view of a front or rear panel, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 6 provides an edge view of a side panel of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] FIG. 7 provides a top view of a front or rear panel of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 8 provides a top view of a side panel of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 9 provides a cropped perspective and exploded view of a pallet panel system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] FIG. 10 provides a bottom view of a lid of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 11 provides a top view of a base pallet of the pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] FIG. 11A provides a top view of a bottle frame of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] FIG. 12 provides an exploded view of a pallet panel system, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] FIG. 13 provides a perspective view of two assembled pallet panel systems, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 14A provides a perspective front view of the two assembled pallet panel systems of FIG. 13 that have been joined together, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 14B provides a front view of the two assembled and joined pallet panel systems of FIG. 14A, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in reference to these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included within the spirit and scope of the invention. In the following disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without all of the specific details provided.

[0055] It is to be appreciated that although the illustrated embodiments depict many instances of male and corresponding female connecting members, in other embodiments some or all of these may be swapped, i.e., one or more male connecting members may be swapped for female connecting members, and vice versa. It is also to be appreciated that although the male and female connecting members are shown as oval holes and protrusions in the illustrations, that in other embodiments, some or all of these complementary members may be of any suitable cooperating shape including round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or any other multi-sided shape.

[0056] The present invention concerns a pallet panel system, apparatus and related methods that may be used to transport fragile bottles, fragile parcels, or transportation of fragile packages. FIGS. 1-14 provide views of an exemplary pallet panel system 1000 comprising a pallet base, a plurality of panels and a lid. The exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings includes identical front and back panels 1200, identical right and left panels 1300, a top panel or lid 1700, and a pallet base 1100.

[0057] Referring to the front view of FIG. 1, it is seen that the illustrated assembled pallet panel system 1000 includes an exemplary front panel 1200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front panel 1200 may include a plurality of view windows 1210 distributed longitudinally and laterally. It is to be appreciated that although many rows of many windows 1210 are illustrated in FIG. 1, in other embodiments fewer, larger, or smaller windows may be provided; or they may be provided in different patterns; or no windows may be provided at all.

[0058] FIG. 2 provides a view of an interior surface of an exemplary front or rear panel 1200, which includes a panel top edge surface 1200T, a bottom pallet interfacing edge surface 1200P, a side edge surface 1200A, and an opposite side edge surface 1200B. On the top edge surface 1200T, there may be a plurality of female connecting channels 1230 operable to receive a connector 1730 of the top panel 1700 (shown in FIG. 10). It is to be appreciated that although the illustrated embodiment depicts female connecting channels 1230 that engage with male connectors 1730, in other embodiments these may be swapped (i.e., channels 1230 may be male, and connectors 1730 may be female). It is also to be appreciated that although the male and female connecting members are illustrated as oval holes and protrusions, that they may be of any suitable cooperating shape including round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or any other multi-sided shape.

[0059] In the interior view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, a plurality of male connecting members 1231 may be provided on pallet edge surface 1200P operable to nest into complimentary female channels 1130 of the pallet base 1100. (It is to be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, some or all of these male / female members may be swapped.) Stability ribs 1205 may be positioned at various locations along the interior surface of panel 1200 in order to touch and provide dampening to the bottles inside. In this illustrated embodiment they are located between the viewing windows 1210. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, connecting rods 1235 are positioned at top corners of panel 1200 (e.g., at the junction of 1200A and 1200T, or junction 1200B and 1200T). Rods 1235 are positioned perpendicular to the interior surface and may be operable to nest into openings 1335 of the right and left side panels1300B, 1300A. This engagement is illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0060] FIGS. 3 and 4 provide side views of the pallet panel system 1000, more specifically a front view (exterior surface) of a side panel 1300 (e.g., a right side or left side) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side panel 1300 may be sandwiched between the front and back panels 1200, top panel 1700, and the pallet base 1100 as shown in FIG. 3. The side panels 1300 may have a pallet interfacing surface 1300P, a panel top surface 1300T, and two side surfaces 1300A, 1300B. On the front surface of panel 1300, there may be a plurality viewing windows 1310 distributed laterally, allowing a user to view the parcel’s contents inside the pallet system 1000. It is to be appreciated that although many rows of many windows 1310 are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in other embodiments fewer, larger, or smaller windows may be provided; or they may be provided in different patterns; or no windows may be provided at all. The side panels 1300 may be independently aligned with the pallet base 1100 with the connectors 1331 nesting into a channel on the pallet base 1100.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows a profile view of the side surface 1200A of the illustrated embodiments of the front / rear panel 1200, and FIG. 6 shows a profile view of the side surface 1300B of the illustrated side panels 1300. The two illustrated panels 1200, 1300 are operable to align with the pallet base 1100 such that the male connecting members 1231, 1331 nest into the complementary pallet base channels 1130 (see FIG. 11). The connecting member (rod) 1235 is slid into the connecting channel (slot) 1335 on the side surface 1300B of the side panels 1300. In some embodiments (not shown), rod 1235 may be magnetic, and slot 1335 may be made of metal for attraction; in other embodiments (not shown), rod 1235 may be of metal, and slot 1335 may be attractively magnetic. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, magnetic members 1336 are provided which engage metal members around the connecting member 1235 to magnetically secure the panels together.

[0062] The exemplary front panel illustrated in FIG. 5 may include a connecting member 1225 that may be operable to engage a receiving channel 1325 on the side 1300B of side panel 1300. The connecting member 1225 may be positioned on the horizontal axis on the front panel’s interior surface and may bulge out of the surface, and on the side panel’s side surface 1300B and the horizontal axis, there may be a receiving channel 1325 that may be operable to receive the connecting member 1225 and align the panels before. (It is to be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, male / female members 1225, 1325 may be swapped.) The receiving channel 1325 and connecting members 1225 may have complementary geometries suited to align each panel with the adjacent panel. The geometries may be substantially curved, triangular, rectangular but may be substantially smooth to promote alignment without excessive force applied to a panel 1300, 1200 for alignment.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 5, it is seen that a plurality of stability ribs 1205 may be provided on an interior surface of panel 1200, operable to interface with fragile containers 1600 (e.g., glass bottles, etc.). Referring to FIG. 6, it is seen that a plurality of stability ribs 1305 may be provided on an interior surface of panel 1300, operable to interface with fragile containers 1600 (e.g., glass bottles, etc.). The ribs may be provided between the viewing windows 1310 as shown in FIG. 4 with the dotted lines 1305. The ribs 1305 may be positioned such that the ribbing is aligned with each bottle’s labeling in a stack of bottles 1600. Ribs 1205 and 1305 may have a dampening characteristic and a geometry equal to the geometry of the object or glass bottle.

[0064] The panels in the illustrated embodiment are designed to be attached to adjacent panels. For example, latch 1215 of a front panel 1200 may hook into a receiver 1320 of a side panel 1300, and latch 1315 of a side panel 1300 may hook into a receiver 1220 of a rear panel 1200 (see FIGS. 9 and 12). When joined, in some embodiments the panels may form a substantially square perimeter, in other embodiments the perimeter may be substantially rectangular. In other embodiments, the hooks 1315 may be replaced with a hook and pawl mechanism (e.g., ratch), and the system may be secured together by increasing the tension of the straps and the panels around the four corners of the exterior surface.

[0065] FIG. 9 provides an exploded view of exemplary embodiments of front panels 1200 and side panels 1300. The illustrated side panels 1300 may first secure the male connecting members 1331 to the complementary channel 1130 of the pallet base 1100. The side panels 1300 may be positioned such that the front and rear panels 1200 may be slid into position with the connecting members 1231 nesting into the complementary channel 1130 of the pallet base 1100, and may enable the connecting rods 1235 to nest into the connecting rod location 1335 on the side surface 1300B. The magnetic interaction between 1235 and 1335 (or members 1336) may hold the front and rear panels 1200 in place against side panels 1300 while a user secures the perimeter of the panels. The panels may be fastened together with the hooks 1215 that are engaged with receivers 1320.

[0066] In some embodiments, the connecting rod location 1335 may be a slot operable to accommodate a rotation of the front panel 1200 about the complementary channel 1130. The pallet base 1100 may be operable to provide a base for receiving a stack of bottles 1600 and may have thereon the top surface a plurality of receiving channels 1130 operable to receive the connecting members 1231, 1331 of the exterior panels 1200, 1300. An exemplary top-down view of the pallet base 1100 is shown in FIG. 11.

[0067] Once the panels are attached to each other, the container may be sealed with a lid 1700, an exemplary embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 10. Male connecting members 1730 on the lid are operable to engage with the top surface channels 1330 and 1230 of the perimeter panels 1200 and 1300. This may seal the panel system 1000. In some embodiments, the interior surface of the container lid 1700 may also include a magnetic strip (not shown) aligned with the perimeter edge of the lid. In such embodiments, the top surface 1200T, 1300T may have a plurality of magnets therebetween the channels 1330, 1230, the channels may guide the lid into position, and the magnets may secure the lid in place and seal the container. In other embodiments, male protrusions may be provided on upper surfaces 1200T and 1300T for engagement with openings 1730. (It is to be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, some or all of these male / female members may be swapped.)

[0068] FIG. 7 provides an exemplary top view of front or rear panel 1200 including top surface 1200T; and FIG. 8 provides an exemplary top view of side panels 1300T. Embodiments of the invention may provide on the interior of each panel a dampening structure (e.g., tensioning system, ribbing) 1205, 1305 with a geometry that may be complementary to the exterior surface of a glass bottle and may contact the bottle (not shown). The ribbing 1205, 1305 may be operable to apply tension to the bottles and dampen the vibrations produced from transportation. The tension system (e.g., ribbing) 1205, 1305 may be integrated into the interior surface of the perimeter panels and may be manufactured from durable foam such as polyethylene foam, high-density rigid foam, and EVA foam as examples. In other embodiments, the tension system may be a plurality of tension bands molded into the inside of the panel manufactured from a plastic or nylon material that has a geometry operable to provide a dampening resistance such as a leaf spring (not shown). In such embodiments, the leaf springs would replace the ribbing 1205, 1305 locations of the present invention and may be removably attached to the interior surface of the panel with a fastener. In yet other embodiments, the tension system may include a plurality of connected air bladders positioned in place of the ribbing 1205, 1305 on the panels interior surface inline with the bottle’s label height in the stack (not shown). The air bladders may be deflated prior to assembly of the container 1000. In such embodiments, once the perimeter panels are connected, the air bladders may be inflated and may have an inflated geometry that is substantially elongated or may conform to the space between the stack and the panel. A combination of the aforementioned tensioning systems may be used in combination. The male channels 1240 and 1340 are shown to have a substantially convex outer protrusion that may be operable to nest into the female channels 1240A, 1340A and are staggered to lead on one edge.

[0069] The panel frame 1200 may be manufactured of wood (e.g., debarked wood), recycled plastics, and heat-treated materials. The stability ribs 1205 may be constructed of foam material, rubber material, silica silicone, or maybe of a cardboard composite construction, materials typically used in the transportation of fragile containers. The viewing windows 1210 may be manufactured of a transparent or semi-transparent material such as, but not limiting, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, amorphous copolyster (PETG), PVC, Polyethylene, or like materials, having mechanical properties allowing for deflection and absorption of vibrations, and not likely to fracture.

[0070] Embodiments of the panel system of the present invention may be assembled by one or more people. The pallet base 1100 may receive a palletized stack of containers (e.g. glass bottles) 1600, where a layer of bottles is uniformly positioned in an array or matrix, and a slip sheet (e.g., cardboard sheet, plastic sheet) is placed on top of the layer of bottles. Another layer of bottles is placed uniformly on top of the sheet and a sheet is placed on top. The process is repeated for subsequent layers of bottles until a palletized stack 1600 is formed. A stack may be formed on top of the pallet base 1100 or may be rolled on top of the pallet base 1100. Once the stack of bottles 1600 is centered on the pallet 1100, an optional frame 1500 (a bottle lid) may be positioned on top of the bottles. An exemplary top-down view of the frame 1500 is provided in FIG. 11A. The frame 1500 may have a plurality of holes 1505 matching the position of each of the bottles in the topmost layer of the stack 1600 and may have a perimeter that is less than the interior perimeter of the panels 1200, 1300 when assembled. The frame holes 1505 may have a diameter equal to the diameter at a location at the neck of the bottle.

[0071] Two side panels 1300 may be placed on opposite sides of the stack of bottles 1600, and the side panels are secured to the pallet base. Then front and rear panels 1200 may be aligned with pallet base 1100 and may sandwich the two side panels 1300 in place. To secure the perimeter of the container, the strap and hooks 1215, 1315 are fastened to an adjacent panel’s receiver hole 1320, 1220, and the lid 1700 is placed on top of the panel perimeter, forming a container. In some embodiments, the frame 1500 may be of the clamshell type, where the frame may be formed to provide a surface with a plurality of concavities having a substantially complementary geometry to the top lip of a glass bottle. In another embodiment, the stack of glass bottles 1600 may be wrapped with a thin plastic wrapping to provide a uniform structure for the bottles. FIG. 12 provides an exemplary exploded view of the pallet container 1000.

[0072] The container pallet panel system 1000 may interlink with additional containers 1000 and may combine to ship as a single array. An e view of a first container 1000A and second container 1000B is provided in FIG. 13. On the exterior surface of all the panels, there may be an alignment mechanism operable to snuggly configure adjacent pallet panel containers 1000 to align with each other for mass transportation and interlocking with each other. The alignment mechanism provides a system for aligning the containers 1000 and eliminating the need for a dampening mechanism (e.g., airbags, foam) between containers. When two or more containers 1000 are positioned adjacent to each other and locked together (FIGS. 14A-B), a string or array of container units may be formed which may operate as a single solid load, preventing the palletized stacks of bottles from toppling. In some of these embodiments, the surface side panel, 1300 of the first container 1000A, may provide male protrusions 1340 that may nest into the female cavities 1340A of the second container 1000B. Similarly, front panel channels 1240 may nest into corresponding channels 1240A when aligned with an adjacent container 1000. (It is to be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, some or all of these male / female members may be swapped.)

[0073] In some embodiments once the containers 1000A, 1000B are interlinked, the straps of a parallel panel may be strapped to the adjacent panel’s receiver hole. For example, 1215 of the front panel of the first container 1000A may hook into the receiver 1220 of the second container 1000B front panel, as shown in FIG. 14. The advantage of interlinking the containers together prevents the stack of bottles from toppling over, saves space, and eliminates additional airbags for dampening.

[0074] In some embodiments, the alignment mechanism may include alternating male protrusions 1240 and female cavities 1240A that have complementary geometries. For example, the male protrusion 1240 may extrude from the exterior surface of the front panel 1200 and have a centroid equidistant from the pallet surface 1200P and the side surface 1200A, and the female cavity 1240A may have a centroid with an equidistance from the side surface 1200B and the pallet surface 1200P. In some embodiments the outer male protrusion 1240 and female cavity 1240A may alternate; in other embodiments they may be all male on one side and all female on the other side. It is to be appreciated that other arrangements of male and female connectors may also be used. The front and rear panel 1200 channels may be A-symmetrical related when the container is assembled, and the front surface channel 1240 may nest into the rear channel 1240A when aligned with an adjacent container 1000. Alike the front and rear surface 1200, the side panels 1300 may have an outer male protrusion 1340 and outer female cavity 1340A and therebetween may have a series of alternating female cavities 1340A and male protrusion 1340. The male protrusions 1240, 1340 may have a surface geometry such as a triangular wedge shape, drafted protrusion, or a substantially convex outer protrusion that are operable to nest into the female cavities 1240A, 13040A which have a geometry that is complementary to the male and removed from the surface of the panels. In some embodiments, the protrusion and cavity 1240/1240A, and 1340/1340A may have a sinusoidal surface that is fixed to the outer panels exterior surface. The male protrusion 1240/1340 may be removably attached to the outer surface with a fastener (e.g., rivet, screw, welded, etc.), and the female channel may be a material that is removed from the outer surface or may be attached to the outer surface with a fastener.

[0075] Although the embodiments described and illustrated depict certain engagement devices as male protrusions which engage with corresponding female receptacles, it is to be appreciated that any or all of these devices may be exchanged, swapping the male engagement devices for female ones, and vice versa. For example, and without limitation, female connecting channels 1230 and male connectors 1730 may be swapped, such that channels 1230 are male and connectors 1730 are female. It is also to be appreciated that although the male and female connecting members are shown as oval holes and protrusions in the illustrations herein, that in other embodiments, some or all of these complementary members may be of any suitable cooperating shape including round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or any other multi-sided shape

[0076] The present invention provides a pallet panel system operable to enclose a palletized stack of glass bottles and is able to provide a boundary to protect the bottles from toppling, and eliminates plastic wrapping for stabilizing the stack of glass bottles. It is to be understood that variations, modifications, and permutations of embodiments of the present invention, and uses thereof, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments, descriptions, or illustrations or combinations of either components or steps disclosed herein. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although reference has been made to the accompanying figures, it is to be appreciated that these figures are exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.