CONVEYOR HAVING A CONVEYOR BELT WITH FLIGHTS, INCLUDING SEGMENTED FLIGHTS FOR GAPLESS END TRANSFER
First Claim
1. A conveyor belt comprising:
- an endless conveyor belt loop extending longitudinally in a direction of belt travel, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface;
a plurality of flights upstanding from the top surface outward to a top edge and extending laterally across the conveyor belt at longitudinally spaced intervals to form bins between consecutive flights;
a plurality of rollers extending through the thickness of the conveyor belt past the top and bottom surfaces between consecutive flights.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A conveyor having a flighted belt and providing a gapless end-off or end-on transfer of articles. The conveyor belt includes segmented flights at spaced intervals along its length. Each segmented flight includes slots dividing the flight into laterally spaced segments, or dogs. A transfer platform allows for a smooth transfer of articles onto or off the end of the belt. Fingers on the transfer platform separated by gaps extend to distal finger tips that are positioned close to the conveying surface of the belt at an end of the conveyor. The transfer platform is laterally aligned with the gaps positioned to coincide with the flight segments to permit them to pass cleanly through as the belt articulates about a sprocket set at the end of a carryway. The transfer platform may be tilted relative to vertical to gain an assist from gravity in transferring articles. Alternatively, a retractable rake mechanism including a tined rake belt positioned above the end of the conveyor belt is used to comb through the segmented flights to sweep articles off the end of the conveyor belt and across the transfer platform. Optional article-advancing rollers in the conveyor belt between consecutive flights propel articles forward along the belt to a forward flight.
49 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A conveyor belt comprising:
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an endless conveyor belt loop extending longitudinally in a direction of belt travel, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface;
a plurality of flights upstanding from the top surface outward to a top edge and extending laterally across the conveyor belt at longitudinally spaced intervals to form bins between consecutive flights;
a plurality of rollers extending through the thickness of the conveyor belt past the top and bottom surfaces between consecutive flights. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A conveyor comprising:
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a modular conveyor belt comprising;
a series of rows of one or more belt modules, each row extending longitudinally in the direction of belt travel from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface, with consecutive rows connected together end to end at a hinge joint to form an endless conveyor belt loop, a plurality of flights upstanding from the top surface of separate rows to a top edge and extending laterally at least partway across the rows to divide the modular conveyor belt into individual bins between consecutive flights, wherein the flights form laterally spaced slots extending from the top edge toward the top surface of the row to divide the flight into flight segments;
a conveyor frame supporting the conveyor belt loop for travel along a carryway and an opposite returnway between opposite ends of the conveyor;
a transfer platform disposed at an end of the conveyor across which conveyed articles transfer between the modular conveyor belt and the transfer platform comprising;
a plate, a plurality of laterally spaced fingers separated by gaps and extending from the plate to distal finger tips, wherein the finger tips are disposed proximate the modular conveyor belt at the end of the conveyor with the slots in the flights spaced apart laterally to coincide with the fingers. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more belt modules, each row extending longitudinally in the direction of belt travel from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface, with consecutive rows connected together end to end at a hinge joint to form an endless conveyor belt loop;
a plurality of flights upstanding from the top surface of separate rows to a top edge and extending laterally at least partway across the rows to divide the modular conveyor belt into individual bins between consecutive flights, wherein the flights form laterally spaced slots extending from the top edge toward the top surface of the row to divide the flight into laterally spaced flight segments. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A conveyor belt module comprising:
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a module body extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface;
hinge members spaced apart laterally along the first and second ends;
a flight upstanding from the top surface of the module body to a top edge extending laterally across the module body, wherein the flights form laterally spaced slots extending from the top edge toward the top surface of the row to divide the flight into laterally spaced flight segments.
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17. A conveyor comprising:
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a modular conveyor belt comprising;
a series of rows of one or more belt modules, each row extending longitudinally in the direction of belt travel from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface, with consecutive rows connected together end to end at a hinge joint to form an endless conveyor belt loop, a plurality of dogs upstanding from the top surface of at least one of the rows and spaced apart laterally across slots, each dog having a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension greater than the longitudinal dimension;
a conveyor frame supporting the conveyor belt loop for travel along a carryway and an opposite returnway between opposite ends of the conveyor;
a transfer platform disposed at an end of the conveyor across which conveyed articles transfer between the modular conveyor belt and the transfer platform comprising;
a plurality of laterally spaced fingers separated by gaps, wherein the fingers extend toward the top surface of the belt at the end of the conveyor with the dogs spaced apart laterally to coincide with the gaps. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more belt modules, each row extending longitudinally in the direction of belt travel from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface, with consecutive rows connected together end to end at a hinge joint to form an endless conveyor belt loop;
a plurality of dogs upstanding from the top surface of at least one of the rows and spaced apart laterally across slots, each dog having a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension greater than the longitudinal dimension. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A conveyor belt module comprising:
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a module body extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface;
hinge members spaced apart laterally along the first and second ends;
a plurality of dogs upstanding from the top surface and spaced apart laterally across slots, each dog having a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension greater than the longitudinal dimension. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
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a series of rows of one or more belt modules, each row extending longitudinally in the direction of belt travel from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface, with consecutive rows connected together end to end at a hinge joint to form an endless conveyor belt loop;
a flight upstanding from the top surface of at least one of the rows to a top edge at a height above the top surface and extending laterally across the row and forming a plurality of lateral flight segments laterally spaced by slots extending from the top edge of the flight toward the top surface of the row;
wherein each flight segment has a lateral width and a longitudinal length less than the lateral width. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A conveyor belt module comprising:
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a module body extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, laterally from a first side to a second side, and in thickness from a bottom to a top surface;
hinge members spaced apart laterally along the first and second ends;
a flight upstanding from the top surface to a top edge at a height above the top surface and extending laterally across the module body and forming a plurality of flight segments laterally spaced by slots extending from the top edge of the flight toward the top surface;
wherein each flight segment has a lateral width and a longitudinal length less than the lateral width. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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Specification