Patent 10118731 was granted and assigned to Rehrig Pacific Company on November, 2018 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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.