Roller transport conveyor and method
First Claim
1. A transport conveyor comprising:
- a frame;
a motor, said motor supported at said frame;
a plurality of rollers, said rollers rotatably supported at said frame;
an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt adapted to drive said rollers; and
a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member, a spring, and a retraction device;
wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and adapted to engage said drive belt, wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member and is adapted to bias said contact member upwardly to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, and wherein said retraction device is supported at said support member and adapted to selectively retain said contact member to lower said drive belt out of contact with said rollers, wherein said retraction device comprises a movable clasp for engaging said contact member to selectively retain said contact member.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A roller transport conveyor and method provides a device for conveying items along a plurality of rollers, in which the device may be set up and operated and serviced by manually raising and lowering one or more contact members that transmit force from a spring to urge a drive belt into contact with an underside of the rollers. The contact member is adjustable by raising and lowering the contact member to expand and contract the spring, or by raising and lowering a base on which the spring is supported, so that the drive belt may be engaged with and disengaged from the rollers. A gravity take-up includes a mass suspended from a cable that is routed to a pulley having the drive belt reeved thereon. The cable is wound upon a winch that compensates for belt stretch, or for belts of various lengths.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A transport conveyor comprising:
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a frame; a motor, said motor supported at said frame; a plurality of rollers, said rollers rotatably supported at said frame; an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt adapted to drive said rollers; and a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member, a spring, and a retraction device; wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and adapted to engage said drive belt, wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member and is adapted to bias said contact member upwardly to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, and wherein said retraction device is supported at said support member and adapted to selectively retain said contact member to lower said drive belt out of contact with said rollers, wherein said retraction device comprises a movable clasp for engaging said contact member to selectively retain said contact member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A transport conveyor comprising:
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a frame; a motor, said motor supported at said frame; a plurality of rollers, said rollers rotatably supported at said frame; an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt adapted to drive said rollers; and a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member, a spring, and a retraction device; wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and adapted to engage said drive belt, wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member and is adapted to bias said contact member upwardly to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, and wherein said retraction device is supported at said support member and adapted to selectively retain said contact member to lower said drive belt out of contact with said rollers, wherein said retraction device comprises an adjustable base at a bottom portion of said spring, said adjustable base being moveable between a retracted position and an extended position relative to said support member, and wherein said retraction device further comprises an outer element having a passageway through which said adjustable base is received, said adjustable base being rotatable relative to said outer element, a spiral channel at one of said outer element and said adjustable base, and an axial protrusion at the other of said outer element and said adjustable base, wherein said axial protrusion is operatively received in said spiral channel so that rotation of said adjustable base relative to said outer element causes said adjustable base to telescopically extend from said outer element. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of performing service on a transport conveyor having a frame, a motor supported at said frame, a plurality of rollers rotatably supported at said frame, an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt selectively driving said rollers, and a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member, and a spring, wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member, and wherein said contact member engages said drive belt and said spring biases said contact member upwardly to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, said method comprising:
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providing a retraction device supported at said support member and selectively retaining said contact member in a manually retracted position with said retraction device in one state to lower said drive belt out of contact with said rollers to perform service on the transport conveyor; and allowing said contact member to be biased upwardly by said spring with said retraction device in another state to raise said drive belt into contact with said rollers to put said transport conveyor into operation. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A method of performing service on a transport conveyor having a frame, a motor supported at said frame, a plurality of rollers rotatably supported at said frame, an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt selectively driving said rollers, and a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member and a spring, wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member;
- and wherein said contact member engages said drive belt and said spring biases said contact member upwardly with said spring to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, said method comprising;
providing a retraction device supported at said support member, wherein said retraction device comprises a movable clasp; and engaging said contact member with said clasp to selectively retain said contact member to lower said drive belt out of contact with said rollers to perform service on the transport conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- and wherein said contact member engages said drive belt and said spring biases said contact member upwardly with said spring to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, said method comprising;
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16. A method of performing service on a transport conveyor having a frame, a motor supported at said frame, a plurality of rollers rotatably supported at said frame, an endless drive belt driven by said motor, said drive belt selectively driving said rollers, and a carriage assembly supported at said frame, said carriage assembly comprising a support member, a contact member, and a spring, wherein said contact member is supported at said support member and wherein said spring is disposed between said support member and said contact member;
- and wherein said contact member engages said drive belt and said spring biases said contact member upwardly with said spring to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, said method comprising;
providing a retraction device supported at said support member, wherein said retraction device comprises an outer element having a passageway through which an adjustable base is received, a spiral channel at one of said outer element and said adjustable base, and an axial protrusion at the other of said outer element and said adjustable base, wherein said axial protrusion is operatively received in said spiral channel and wherein said adjustable base being rotatable relative to said outer element; and rotating said adjustable base relative to said outer element to cause said adjustable base to telescopically move said adjustable base with respect to said outer element to lower said drive belt to a retracted position out of contact with said rollers to perform service on the transport conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
- and wherein said contact member engages said drive belt and said spring biases said contact member upwardly with said spring to bias said drive belt upwardly into contact with said rollers, said method comprising;
Specification