US 4,569,435 AGranted

Power-driven conveyor

AssigneeHouse of Lloyd, Inc.

InventorWilliam E. McGovney

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A power-driven conveyor which includes a bed with opposite front and back ends, front and back pulleys extending transversely across the bed ends, and an endless belt trained over the pulleys. A plurality of cleats are attached to the belt in spaced relation and extend transversely thereacross. A drive mechanism for the conveyor includes an actuator with an extensible and retractable rod and a pawl mechanism connected to the rod. The pawl mechanism has a push configuration in engagement with one of the cleats for advancing the conveyor belt and a retract configuration disengaged from the cleats. The conveyor is cycled and monitored by a control system.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A power-driven conveyor, which comprises:

(a) a bed assembly including:
(1) opposite front and back ends;
(2) a guide channel with an upper flange, a pair of opposite side flanges and a pair of lower flanges, each of said lower flanges terminating at a respective free edge defining a guide channel slot therebetween, and a guide channel passage extending through said guide channel, said guide channel passage being downwardly open at said guide channel slot;
(3) said guide channel upper flange terminating at front and back ends spaced inwardly from said bed assembly front and back ends respectively;
and
(4) a pair of opposite side rail bands each mounted on said guide channel upper flange in coplanar relation with a respective guide channel side flange, each said side rail band forming a respective bed assembly side wall with a respective guide channel side flange;
(b) a belt assembly including:
(1) front and back pulleys extending across the bed assembly front and back ends respectively;
(2) an endless belt with inner and outer faces and opposite side edges trained over said pulleys;
(3 ) a plurality of cleats attached to said belt in substantially uniform, spaced relation and extending transversely thereacross, each said cleat including opposite ends projecting outwardly from said belt side edges and a cross-sectional configuration defining a parallelogram with inner, outer, leading and trailing faces each at a respective parallelogram side, each said cleat trailing face defining a respective acute included angle with respect to said belt;
and
(4) a guide plate hingedly mounted on said bed assembly and slidably engaging said endless belt inner face for biasing respective cleats against said guide channel lower flanges in sliding engagement therewith;
(c) a pusher track including a lower flange, a pair of opposite side flanges, and a pair of upper flanges each terminating at a respective free edge, said pusher track edges defining a pusher track slot therebetween and said pusher track having a passage extending therethrough, said pusher track passage being upwardly open at said pusher track slot;
(d) pusher track mounting means for mounting said pusher track on said guide channel in spaced relation therebeneath with said guide channel and said pusher track slots being longitudinally aligned in opposed relation;
(e) a double-acting, pneumatic cylinder mounted on said pusher track and having front and back ends and an extensible and retractible rod projecting from said cylinder back end and terminating at a head;
(f) a traveler longitudinally mounted on said pusher track and including:
(1) a body with a lower face slidably positioned on said pusher track upper flanges, an upper face, opposite side edges and front and back ends;
(2) a retainer depending downwardly from said traveler body and having a retainer base positioned within said pusher track passage and a rib interconnecting said retainer base and said traveler body and located within said pusher track slot;
(3) a pair of outwardly open traveler slots between said traveler body lower face in said retainer base, each said slot slidably receiving a respective pusher track upper flange;
and
(4) a traveler block mounted on said traveler body upper face and having a front end spaced rearwardly from said traveler body front end;
and
(g) a lever assembly including:
(1) a pair of first levers each having a proximate end pivotally connected to said rod head and a distal end;
(2) a pair of second levers each having a proximate end pivotally connected to a respective traveler body side edge and a distal end;
(3) a push plate pivotally connected to said first lever distal ends and attached to said second lever distal ends;
(4) a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said first lever distal ends and said push plate which is positioned above a level of a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said rod head and said first lever proximate ends and above the level of a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said traveler body and said second lever proximate ends;
and
(5) a pair of counterweights each mounted on a respective second lever proximate end behind the pivotal axis through the connections between said traveler body side edges and said second lever proximate ends.

26 more elements

A power-driven conveyor, which comprises:

(a) a bed assembly with front and back ends;
(b) a belt assembly including:
(1) front and back pulleys extending transversely across the bed assembly front and back ends respectively;
(2) an endless belt trained over said pulleys;
and
(3) a plurality of cleats attached to said belt in spaced relation extending transversely thereacross;
(c) a drive mechanism including:
(1) a pusher track mounted on said bed assembly;
(2) an actuator motor with an extensible and retractable rod;
(3) a traveler slidably mounted on said pusher track;
(4) a lever assembly interconnecting said actuator rod and said traveler;
and
(5) said traveler and said lever assembly comprising a pawl mechanism having a push configuration with said lever assembly engaging a respective cleat and a retract configuration with said lever assembly disengaged from said cleats;
and
(d) a guide plate hingely mounted on said bed assembly above said drive mechanism and slidably engaging said endless belt for biasing said belt into engagement with said drive mechanism.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A power-driven conveyor, which comprises:

(a) a bed assembly including:
(1) opposite front and back ends;
(2) a guide channel with an upper flange, a pair of opposite side flanges and a pair of lower flanges, each of said lower flanges terminating at a respective free edge defining a guide channel slot therebetween, and a guide channel passage extending through said guide channel, said guide channel passage being downwardly open at said guide channel slot;
(3) said guide channel upper flange terminating at front and back ends spaced inwardly from said bed assembly front and back ends respectively;
and
(4) a pair of opposite side rail bands each mounted on said guide channel upper flange in coplanar relation with a respective guide channel side flange, each said side rail band forming a respective bed assembly side wall with a respective guide channel side flange;
(b) a belt assembly including:
(1) front and back pulleys extending across the bed assembly front and back ends respectively;
(2) an endless belt with inner and outer faces and opposite side edges trained over said pulleys;
(3 ) a plurality of cleats attached to said belt in substantially uniform, spaced relation and extending transversely thereacross, each said cleat including opposite ends projecting outwardly from said belt side edges and a cross-sectional configuration defining a parallelogram with inner, outer, leading and trailing faces each at a respective parallelogram side, each said cleat trailing face defining a respective acute included angle with respect to said belt;
and
(4) a guide plate hingedly mounted on said bed assembly and slidably engaging said endless belt inner face for biasing respective cleats against said guide channel lower flanges in sliding engagement therewith;
(c) a pusher track including a lower flange, a pair of opposite side flanges, and a pair of upper flanges each terminating at a respective free edge, said pusher track edges defining a pusher track slot therebetween and said pusher track having a passage extending therethrough, said pusher track passage being upwardly open at said pusher track slot;
(d) pusher track mounting means for mounting said pusher track on said guide channel in spaced relation therebeneath with said guide channel and said pusher track slots being longitudinally aligned in opposed relation;
(e) a double-acting, pneumatic cylinder mounted on said pusher track and having front and back ends and an extensible and retractible rod projecting from said cylinder back end and terminating at a head;
(f) a traveler longitudinally mounted on said pusher track and including:
(1) a body with a lower face slidably positioned on said pusher track upper flanges, an upper face, opposite side edges and front and back ends;
(2) a retainer depending downwardly from said traveler body and having a retainer base positioned within said pusher track passage and a rib interconnecting said retainer base and said traveler body and located within said pusher track slot;
(3) a pair of outwardly open traveler slots between said traveler body lower face in said retainer base, each said slot slidably receiving a respective pusher track upper flange;
and
(4) a traveler block mounted on said traveler body upper face and having a front end spaced rearwardly from said traveler body front end;
and
(g) a lever assembly including:
(1) a pair of first levers each having a proximate end pivotally connected to said rod head and a distal end;
(2) a pair of second levers each having a proximate end pivotally connected to a respective traveler body side edge and a distal end;
(3) a push plate pivotally connected to said first lever distal ends and attached to said second lever distal ends;
(4) a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said first lever distal ends and said push plate which is positioned above a level of a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said rod head and said first lever proximate ends and above the level of a pivotal axis extending through the connections between said traveler body and said second lever proximate ends;
and
(5) a pair of counterweights each mounted on a respective second lever proximate end behind the pivotal axis through the connections between said traveler body side edges and said second lever proximate ends.

26 more elements