Clamping and Cutting Apparatus for Conveyor Belts
AssigneeFlexible Steel Lacing Company
InventorAndrew J. Zieger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamping and cutting apparatus for a conveyor belt is provided. The apparatus includes upper and lower elongate members between which the belt is to be clamped. A clamping mechanism has a screw drive mechanism mounted to the upper member and an end linkage assembly which are operable to generate a more rapid clamping operation of the elongate members on the belt. The upper elongate member can be releasably latched to the lower elongate member for quick connection and removal therefrom. A cutting blade of the apparatus is preferably provided with upper and lower guides to increase the rigidity thereof for increasing cutting accuracy and allowing thicker belts to be cut therewith without increasing blade thickness.
Claims27
A cutting apparatus for a conveyor belt, the cutting apparatus comprising:
- an elongate upper clamp member for extending across the conveyor belt;
- an elongate lower base member for extending across and below the conveyor belt to support the belt thereon;
- a clamping mechanism for shifting the upper clamp member down and the lower clamp member relative to each other in a clamping direction toward each other for clamping the conveyor belt therebetween;
- a cutting blade mounted to the lower base member for cutting the clamped conveyor belt;
- a screw drive mechanism of the clamping mechanism operable to shift the upper clamp member and lower base member in the clamping direction for generating a clamping force on the conveyor belt;
- an end linkage assembly including outboard and inboard pivot connections for pivotally connecting the lower base member, the screw drive mechanism, and the upper clamp member together;
- and
- a screw drive shaft of the screw drive mechanism between the outboard and the inboard pivot connections.
A clamping apparatus for a conveyor belt, the clamping apparatus comprising:
- an upper, elongate clamp member for extending across the conveyor belt;
- a lower, elongate base member for extending across and below the conveyor belt to support the belt thereon;
- a screw shaft rotatably mounted to the upper clamp member;
- a nut threaded on the screw shaft for travel therealong upon rotation of the shaft;
- a pivot link pivotally connected to the nut;
- a pivot anchor end of the pivot link for being pivotally connected to the lower base member;
- and
- a pivotally fixed end of the pivot link pivotally connected to the upper clamp member and fixed relative thereto so that travel of the upper clamp member downwardly to clamp the belt between the upper clamp member and the lower base member is amplified over upward travel of the nut along the screw shaft to provide for a rapid clamping operation with rotation of the screw shaft.
A clamping apparatus for a conveyor belt, the clamping apparatus comprising:
- a pair of elongate members for clamping a conveyor belt therebetween;
- at least one latching mechanism at an end of the elongate members configured to allow the elongate members to be easily disconnected from one another and to be easily releasably latched together for a belt clamping operation therewith;
- and
- a clamping mechanism mounted to one of the elongate members that is operable with the elongate members releasably latched together to shift the one elongate member toward the other elongate member for clamping the belt therebetween.
A conveyor belt cutting apparatus comprising:
- an elongate, upper clamp beam having interior surfaces forming an elongate blade space therein;
- an elongate, lower base member having interior surfaces forming an elongate space therein;
- a cutting blade assembly having a cutting blade that is driven along the lower base member in the elongate space of the upper clamp beam for cutting a conveyor belt clamped between the upper clamp member and the lower base member;
- a lower blade guide of the cutting blade assembly connected to a lower portion of the cutting blade and sized to engage the interior surfaces of the lower base member with the lower blade guide traveling in the lower base member elongate space during a belt cutting operation;
- and
- an upper blade guide of the cutting blade assembly connected to an upper portion of the cutting blade and sized to engage the interior surfaces of the upper clamp beam with the upper blade guide traveling in the upper clamp beam elongate space during a belt cutting operation so that the cutting blade is substantially rigidly supported both at the lower and upper portions thereof for ease of belt cutting therewith.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.