Locking mechanism for securing a member to a conveyor
AssigneeMeadWestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC
InventorsJohn Cash, Keenan Haley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A locking mechanism is provided for releasably securing a grouper lug to a conveyor plate in a packaging machine conveyor belt assembly. The locking mechanism includes a cantilever arm that is disposed in a base wall of the grouper lug which defines a locking surface. The cantilever arm is defined by a channel that is formed in the base wall. A detent is disposed at the distal end of the cantilever arm and protrudes from the locking surface. An elongated key is integral to the base wall of the grouper lug and can be slidably received by a groove that is integral to the conveyor plate. The conveyor plate includes an aperture or depression that receives the detent to releasably secure the grouper lug to the conveyor plate.
Claims18
A conveying apparatus, comprising:
- an article engaging member;
- a conveyor plate that slidingly receives said article engaging member;
- and
- a locking mechanism for substantially fixing the position of the article engaging member relative to the conveyor plate, the locking mechanism comprising:
- a displaceable cantilever arm;
- a detent formed on the cantilever arm;
- and
- means for receiving the detent;
- wherein the cantilever arm and the detent are elements of one of said article engaging member and said conveyor plate, and the means for receiving the detent is an element of the other of said article engaging member and said conveyor plate.
A conveying apparatus, comprising:
- an article engaging member;
- a conveyor plate that slidingly engages said article engaging member;
- and
- a locking mechanism for substantially fixing the position of the article engaging member relative to the conveyor plate, the locking mechanism comprising:
- a displaceable cantilever arm integrally formed with said article engaging member;
- a detent;
- and
- means for receiving the detent;
- wherein one of the detent and said means for receiving is integral to the cantilever arm and the other of the detent and said means for receiving is integral to the conveyor plate.
A lug for engaging articles conveyed on a series of conveyor plates, said lug being slidingly and detachably mountable to one of said conveyor plates, comprising:
- an flexibly displaceable cantilever arm integrally formed with said lug;
- a substantially planar locking surface defined by said lug;
- a detent integrally formed with said cantilever arm, said detent extending outwardly beyond said locking surface so as to inwardly displace said cantilever arm as said lug is slidingly mounted to said one of said conveyor plates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.