Compression set limiting gravity conveyor

A gravity undriven roller conveyor, comprising:

• a stationary rigid conveyor support;
• a plurality of idler conveyor rollers;
• said rollers each having a rigid outer annular wheel surface, and an annular tire of an elastomeric material mounted on and concentrically disposed about the rigid annular wheel surface;
• each of said rollers having a pair of opposite axially spaced annular flanges integrally forming part of and extending radially outwardly from opposite sides of each of said plurality of outer annular wheel surfaces, said rollers being serially arranged in successive rows along a conveying direction extending along the length of said conveyor support;
• each of said tires having an inner annular bearing surface of complementary shape to said rigid outer annular wheel surface;
• said tires having substantially equal radial thicknesses providing a first outer annular bearing surface characterized by a first radial dimension and a first circumferential surface area;
• said elastomeric material of said tires having a deformation limit at which said tires acquire excessive permanent set when radially depressed;
• and
• said axially spaced flanges providing a rigid second outer annular bearing surface concentric with the rigid annular wheel surface, said second outer annular bearing surface being characterized by a second and lesser radial dimension than said first radial dimension and a second circumferential surface area not less than one-half of said first circumferential surface area for receiving and directly engaging concurrently with one or more of said tires disposed about said corresponding ones of said axes a load tires disposed about said corresponding ones of said axes a load being simultaneously supported and conveyed by one or more of said tires before the deformation limit of said elastomeric material is reached.

The gravity roller conveyor of claim 20, wherein:

• said stationary rigid conveyor support includes a section providing a base and a plurality of discrete elongate channel members extending from said base in a laterally spaced apart, parallel relation forming a plurality of columns, each of said channel members having integral therewith a plurality of opposite side walls extending along the length of said columns and a connecting side rigidly joining and maintaining said opposite side walls in a fixed spaced apart relation with the separation between said opposite side walls being equal to the separation between neighboring channel members;
• said plurality of opposite side walls in each of said channel members having a plurality of slots formed therein alignable with parallel rows having corresponding slots in at least the closest of the opposite side walls of a neighboring channel member, said parallel rows being substantially perpendicular to the length of said columns, said slots being open, substantially identical and equidistantly spaced on both sides and along an unjoined edge of each of said opposite side walls in each of said channel members;
• and
• said rollers having axles disposable within said slots, both between said plurality of opposite side walls in each of said channel members and between adjacent side walls of neighboring pairs of said channel members with the axles of rollers in any two neighboring rows being disposable in different ones of said slots, whereby the separation between axles of rollers in said any two neighboring columns may be less than one-half of the exterior diameter of said rollers.