Portable belt conveyor system, methods and apparatus
AssigneeSuperior Industries, Inc.
InventorsTom Koehl, Philip Rosen, Travis Thooft
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Conveyors are disclosed having transport and operational configurations. Some embodiments include conveyor sections supportable on an upper support rail. Some embodiments are sized to be transported in a conveyor. Some embodiments include conveyor sections slidingly engaged with one another. Some embodiments include a reel for supporting a conveyor belt. Some embodiments include individually foldable conveyor sections.
Claims19
A conveyor, the conveyor having a transport configuration in which the conveyor is collapsed in a first direction and supported on a transport apparatus for transport along a travel direction opposite the first direction, the conveyor having an operational configuration in which the conveyor is expanded in the first direction and at least partially supported apart from the transport apparatus, the conveyor comprising:
- a plurality of conveyor sections, each conveyor section supporting a plurality of spaced conveyor idler assemblies, each conveyor section being slidingly connected to an adjacent conveyor section, wherein each conveyor section is generally upright in the transport configuration, wherein each conveyor section is generally horizontal in the operational configuration, wherein said each said conveyor section comprises a slot.
A method of reconfiguring a conveyor from a transport configuration in which the conveyor is collapsed in a first direction and supported on a transport apparatus for transport along a travel direction opposite the first direction into an operational configuration in which the conveyor is expanded in the first direction and at least partially supported apart from the transport apparatus, the method comprising:
- moving a rearward end of a first conveyor section off of the transport apparatus;
- by a slot in a second conveyor section adjacent to said first conveyor section, sliding a forward end of said first conveyor section downward relative to the second conveyor section;
- pivoting said first conveyor section from an upright orientation to a horizontal orientation;
- and
- supporting said first conveyor section on a ground surface rearward of the transport apparatus.
A method of reconfiguring a conveyor from a transport configuration in which the conveyor is collapsed in a first direction and supported on a transport apparatus for transport along a travel direction opposite the first direction into an operational configuration in which the conveyor is expanded in the first direction and at least partially supported apart from the transport apparatus, the method comprising:
- at least partially supporting first and second conveyor sections by supporting a pivotal connection between the first and second conveyor sections;
- moving a rearward end of a said first conveyor section off of the transport apparatus;
- pivoting said first conveyor section from an upright orientation to a horizontal orientation;
- and
- supporting said first conveyor section on a ground surface rearward of the transport apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.