Clamp for flat belts
AssigneeThe Gates Corporation
InventorBinyamin Uslu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamp for open ended flat belts. The clamp has a tapered housing with an aperture at a first end providing access to the housing interior and a second open end also providing access to the interior. A tapered wedge is removable and replaceable from the interior of the housing, the wedge having a first end and a radiused second end and having a surface comprising alternating ribs and lands. The clamp includes a lock having a concave surface similar to the radiused second end of the tapered wedge. The housing may have a removeable and replaceable side wall providing access to the interior.
Claims12
1-14. (canceled)
A method of clamping an open-ended flat belt having a free end, the method comprising:
- inserting the free end of the flat belt through an aperture in a first end of a clamp housing, and passing the free end of the flat belt through the clamp housing to and through a second end of the clamp housing;
- doubling back the free end of the flat belt through the clamp housing and through the aperture to form a loop in the flat belt;
- inserting a wedge into the loop;
- applying tension to the flat belt to pull the wedge and the loop toward the aperture in the first end of the clamp housing;
- after inserting the wedge, placing a lock against the loop;
- and
- after placing the lock against the loop, installing a side wall on the clamp housing.
A clamp comprising:
- a tapered housing having a first end with an aperture providing access to an interior of the housing and a second open end providing access to the interior, the second end larger than the first end, wherein the housing has a removeable and replaceable side wall providing access to the interior;
- a tapered wedge removable and replaceable from the interior of the housing, the wedge having a first end and a radiused second end and having a surface comprising alternating ribs and lands;
- and
- a lock removable and replaceable from the interior of the housing, the lock having a concave surface similar to the radiused second end of the tapered wedge.
A clamp comprising:
- an asymmetrical housing having a top wall, an opposite bottom wall, a first end with an aperture providing access to an interior of the housing and a second open end providing access to the interior, wherein the housing has a removeable and replaceable side wall providing access to the interior;
- an inner surface of the top wall and an inner surface of the bottom wall forming an angle in the range of 30 to 60 degrees at the first end;
- and
- an asymmetrical tapered wedge removable and replaceable from the interior of the housing, the wedge having a first end having an angle in the range of 30 to 60 degrees and a radiused second end and having a surface comprising alternating ribs and lands.
- The clamp of claim 8, wherein the housing is asymmetrical about an axis from the first end of the housing to the second end of the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.