Small-diameter-roller conveyor
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorDennis K. Scates
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A small-diameter-roller conveyor converted from a large-diameter-roller conveyor and a method for the conversion. One or more belts are trained around the power-driven rollers of a roller conveyor. A stationary array of smaller-diameter article-supporting rollers is positioned atop the belts. The article-supporting rollers are in frictional contact with the belts. The rotation of the power-driven rollers advances the belts, which rotate the article-supporting rollers and convey articles supported atop the article-supporting rollers.
Claims13
A small-diameter-roller conveyor comprising:
- a roller conveyor including a series of at least three power-driven rollers extending axially across the width of the roller conveyor and supported side by side along the length of the roller conveyor, the power-driven rollers having first diameters;
- at least one endless belt trained around and driven by the power-driven rollers;
- a stationary array of article-supporting rollers positioned atop the at least one endless belt with the article-supporting rollers extending axially parallel to the power-driven rollers, wherein the article-supporting rollers are rotated by frictional contact with the at least one endless belt;
- wherein the number of article-supporting rollers exceeds the number of power-driven rollers;
- and
- wherein the article-supporting rollers have second diameters less than the first diameters.
A method for converting a power-driven roller conveyor from a large-diameter-roller conveyor to a small-diameter-roller conveyor, comprising:
- training one or more belts around a series of at least three adjacent power-driven rollers of a power-driven roller conveyor with enough tension for the power-driven rollers to drive the one or more belts;
- mounting a stationary array of smaller-diameter article-supporting rollers atop the one or more belts with the article-supporting rollers in frictional contact with the one or more belts so that the one or more belts can rotate the article-supporting rollers, wherein the number of article-supporting rollers exceeds the number of power-driven rollers.
A roller conveyor comprising:
- a roller conveyor including a series of at least three power-driven rollers extending axially across the width of the roller conveyor and supported side by side along the length of the roller conveyor;
- at least one endless belt trained around and driven by the power-driven rollers;
- a stationary array of article-supporting rollers positioned atop the at least one endless belt with the article-supporting rollers extending axially parallel to the power-driven rollers, wherein the article-supporting rollers are rotated by frictional contact with the at least one endless belt and the number of article-supporting rollers exceeds the number of power-driven rollers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.