Conveyor belt side curtains

A conveyor belt skirt board apparatus comprising:

• (a) a generally rectangular mounting plate of a predetermined thickness and having an upper edge, a lower edge and opposed side edges, the mounting plate adapted to be suspended from a structure aligned parallel to side edges of an endless conveyor belt, said mounting plate including a plurality of regularly spaced slots of a predetermined width formed inward from a location proximate the lower edge thereof and completely through the predetermined thickness thereof and extending toward, but short of the upper edge, the plate including a flange portion projecting at a predetermined angle along a line extending between the opposed side edges, the line intersecting at least a portion of each of the slots such that the flange portion of the mounting plate includes a plurality of apertures each contiguous with one of the plurality of slots;
• (b) a generally rectangular, elongated, elastomeric skirt member having first and second major surfaces, a lower edge, an upper edge and opposed side edges, the first major surface being generally planar and the second major surface having a plurality of integrally formed, outwardly projecting, compressible, parallel ribs of predetermined thickness and width and generally the same regular spacing as the regular spacing between the slots formed in the mounting plate, the predetermined thickness of ribs being less than a corresponding dimension of said apertures and the width of the slightly greater than the width of said slots such that when the ribs are inserted through the apertures and squeezed into the slots in the mounting plate, the skirt member is suspended on the mounting plate with a predetermined friction force.