Conveying systems and methods of use
OwnerLorin Reedinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides an improved conveyor system that provides for a magnetically driven conveyor system in which a sidewall of the conveyor may have minimal or no perforations therein for connecting rollers or other conveying structures in the conveyor bed to an external driving mechanism. The conveyor system may also provide gapless or nearly gapless roller bed that prevents or reduces the accumulation of debris and contaminants in and between the hardware of the conveyor bed. The system of the present invention may provide a more efficient and sanitary conveyor system for produce washing or other food processing application that requires less maintenance.
Claims20
A conveying system assembly, comprising:
- a. a conveyor for moving items along a conveying path;
- b. at least one lateral sidewall positioned longitudinally along said conveyor, and
- c. a sweeping device operable to clear said items from said conveyor by moving along a length of said conveyor, said sweeping device being positioned on a first side of said at least one lateral sidewall and magnetically coupled to a driving mechanism positioned on a second side of said at least one lateral sidewall.
A conveying system assembly, comprising:
- a. a conveyor,
- b. a first lateral sidewall positioned longitudinally along a first side of said conveyor and a second lateral sidewall positioned longitudinally along a second side of said conveyor,
- c. a sweeping device operable to clear items off of said conveyor by moving along a length of said conveyor, said sweeping device being positioned between said first lateral sidewall and said second lateral sidewall, and
- d. a driving mechanism magnetically coupled to said sweeping device across said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
A method of clearing items or materials from a conveyor, comprising:
- a. connecting a magnetic driver to a passive magnetic coupler across a sidewall, wherein said sidewall is positioned along a conveyor and said passive magnetic coupler is mechanically connected to a sweeper positioned over said conveyor;
- and
- b. moving said magnetic driver along a first side of said conveyor to drive the movement of said passive magnetic coupler and said sweeper over said conveyor to draw items or materials along said conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.