US 7,726,469 B2Granted

Conveyor chain

AssigneeFrost Links, Inc.

InventorsCharles C. Frost, Jonathan M. Rathbun, Ryan L. Kastamo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A section of chain for conveying product along a material handling system includes a pin connecting a center link between two side links. The pin may be dialable or selectably positioned at the side links to control and adjust the wear surface of the pin relative to the chain links. The pin may have a rotationally non-symmetrical shaft portion to provide different wear surfaces that engage a center link of the section of chain. The different wear surfaces may be sized and shaped to accommodate wear at the wear surface of the center link. The shaft portion may include a rotationally non-symmetrical ball member or portion on the shaft portion to enhance flexibility of the section of chain. The pin may be dialed to the next position or wear surface in response to an output of a wear measurement device or system.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A conveying system for conveying product along a conveying path, said conveying system comprising:

a track element;
a plurality of trolleys movable along said track element;
a chain connecting to said trolleys for moving said trolleys along said track element;
wherein said chain comprises a plurality of chain sections having a pin that connects a respective center chain link with a respective pair of side chain links, each of said center chain links having a pin engaging surface at an end thereof;
wherein said pin of a respective chain section extends through said side chain links and said center chain link and connects said side chain links and said center chain link with said center chain link being disposed at least partially between said side chain links, said pin comprising opposite end portions and a shaft portion extending between said opposite end portions, wherein said shaft portion comprises first, second and third wear surfaces for selective engagement with said pin engaging surface of said center chain link;
and
wherein said pin is selectively adjustable to first, second and third positions relative to said chain links to generally align a respective one of said first, second and third wear surfaces with said pin engaging surface of said center chain link, said pin being generally non-rotatable relative to at least one of said side chain links when in each of said first, second and third positions.

4 more elements

A method of adjusting a pin of a section of chain to adjust a wear surface of said pin relative to a pin engaging surface of a center link of said section of chain, said method comprising:

providing a conveying system for conveying product along a conveying path, said conveying system comprising a track element, a plurality of trolleys movable along said track element, and a chain having a plurality of sections of chain joined together and connected to said trolleys for moving said trolleys along said track element;
wherein at least some of said sections of chain comprise a center chain link and two side chain links and a pin connecting said center chain link to said side chain links via insertion of said pin through said chain links, said pin comprising opposite end portions and a shaft portion extending between said opposite end portions, said shaft portion having first and second wear surfaces that selectively engage a pin engaging surface of said center chain Link, at least one of said end portions of said pin being non-rotatably positionable at least one of said side chain links when said pin is in a selected one of first and second positions;
non-rotatably positioning said pin in said first position, said first wear surface being generally aligned with said pin engaging surface of said center chain link when said pin is in said first position;
wearing said first wear surface via relative movement of said first wear surface and said pin engaging surface while said chain conveys product along said conveying path during operation of said conveying system;
and
selectively rotating said pin and non-rotatably positioning said pin in said second position, said second wear surface being generally aligned with said pin engaging surface of said center chain link when said pin is in said second position.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/781,609Filed 23 Jul 2007 · continuation
Priority: 8 Mar 2002
Published: US 2008/0011588 A117 Jan 2008
Granted: 1 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B65G 17/38
Details; Auxiliary devices: chains or like traction elements ; Connections between traction elements and load-carriers
F16G 13/06
Driving-chains: with links connected by parallel driving-pins with or without rollers so-called open links
F16G 13/10
Driving-chains: with universal joints
B65G 2201/02
Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled: articles

Family

Application60/362,751Us provisional application · filed 8 Mar 2002
Application60/367,390Us provisional application · filed 25 Mar 2002
Application60/381,518Us provisional application · filed 17 May 2002
Application60/425,577Us provisional application · filed 12 Nov 2002
Application10/383,825Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Mar 2003
Application10/969,825Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Oct 2004
US 6,991,094 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 31 Jan 2006
US 2008/0011588 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Jan 2008
US 7,246,699 B2Parent of this continuation
Application10/969,825Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2003/0168323 A1Published application
US 2005/0061636 A1Published application
US 7,726,469 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.