Conveyor belt

• US 6,651,461 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Richter, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colaianni, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/871,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 651/11, 651/18, 651/38, 651/20, 651/55, 653/47, 653/75, 414/157, 414/331.13, 414/941, 198/699.1, 198/803.14, 198/819, 198/820, 198/801, 198/836.1, 198/848, 198/836.2, 198/836.3
• US Class Current: 65/111
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 15/42 having ribs, ridges, or other surface projections
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/02 Articles
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 35/14 Transporting hot glass sheets or ribbons, e.g. by heat-resistant conveyor belts or bands
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/002 for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3618 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3668 the multilayer coating having electrical properties

Abstract

A conveyor belt including a series of predefined sections and elevated support structures at the edges of each section for supporting items on the belt above the belt at each section.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a touch screen, the method comprising:

bending selected spaced flight members of a wire type conveyor belt to define a plurality of spaced elevated support surfaces each inclined outwardly upward; and

placing the touch screens on the belt such that the edges of the touch screens rest on the elevated support surfaces to dry, cure, or fire the touch screens in an oven without the touch screens touching the conveyor belt other than at the edges.

2. The method of claim 1 in which there are at least two lanes on the conveyor belt, each lane including two spaced rows of bent flight members.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the bent flight members in each row are separated by a plurality of non-bent flight members.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the angle of incline is between 5°

and 10°

.

5. The method of claim 1 in which each elevated support surface is from between 0.2 and 0.4 inches from the belt at its lowest point and from between 0.5 and 0.7 inches from the belt at its highest point.

6. The method of claim 1 in which each elevated surface has a length of between 1 and 2 inches to accommodate items of different size.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the spacing between each pair of bent flight members is between 10 and 14 inches.

8. A method of manufacturing a touch screen, the method comprising:

bending selected flight members of a wire type conveyor belt to define at least two spaced rows of bent flight members, each row including a plurality of spaced elevated support structures each inclined upwardly outward; and

placing a touch screen such that it lies only on the elevated support structures to prevent damage to the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the angle of incline of each support structure is between 5°

and 10°

to center the touch screen.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the spacing between the rows of bent flight members is between 10 and 14 inches to accommodate touch screens of different sizes.