Elevator for delicate articles
AssigneeCanadian Patents and Development Limited
InventorsGerald C. Misener, Colin D. McLeod
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An elevator comprising a rotating cylinder having a resilient surface, and an endless belt that engages a circumferential segment of the cylinder. Articles are captured between the resilient surface and the belt as they come into contact and are released when they separate at an elevated position. One use envisaged for the invention is an elevator for a potato harvester for elevating potatoes from the digging bed to a height suitable for loading onto a vehicle.
Claims8
An elevator for delicate articles comprising:
- a rotatably mounted cylinder having a plurality of spaced rims disposed concentrically about the cylinder, defining a riding surface for an endless belt said cylinder having;
- a resilient article engaging surface material disposed between the rims;
- an endless belt disposed adjacent to the cylinder;
- and a plurality of belt guiding members having longitudinal axis parallel with a rotating axis of the cylinder, a pair of said guiding members being spaced from one another and positioned about the cylinder for supporting and guiding the belt such that a portion of the belt engages a circumferential segment of the cylinder rims and follows along with the cylinder when rotated, and wherein a region between one of the guiding members of said pair and the cylinder defines an entry region for receiving articles and a region between the other guiding member of said pair and the cylinder defines an egress region.
The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising tension means associated with one of the guiding members to ensure engagement of the belt and cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.