Claims
- 1. A conveyor assembly, comprising:
a conveyor belt operable in a forward direction and a reverse direction; a plurality of rollers supporting the conveyor belt; means for aligning the conveyor belt on the rollers; and means for automatically reversing the aligning means so that the aligning means is operable to align the belt in both the forward and reverse directions.
- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the aligning means comprises a generally cylindrical element having ends that flare outwardly forming frustoconically-shaped ends.
- 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the aligning means comprises first and second coaxial generally cylindrical elements.
- 4. Th e device of claim 3 wherein the first cylindrical element is pivotable relative to the second cylindrical element.
- 5. A device operable in connection with a conveyor operable in a forward direction and a reverse direction, comprising:
an alignment mechanism for aligning the belt; and a reversing element for automatically reversing the alignment mechanism so that the alignment mechanism is operable to align the belt in both the forward and reverse directions.
- 6. The device of claim 5 wherein the alignment mechanism comprises a generally cylindrical element having ends that flare outwardly forming frustoconically-shaped ends.
- 7. The device of claim 1 wherein the alignment mechanism comprises first and second coaxial generally cylindrical elements.
- 8. The device of claim 7 wherein the first cylindrical element is pivotable relative to the second cylindrical element.
- 9. A method for aligning a conveyor belt operable in a forward direction and a reverse direction, comprising the steps of:
conveying a conveyor belt in a forward direction along a conveyor path; depositing material on the belt; aligning the conveyor belt with a trainer as the conveyor belt travels in the forward direction; discharging the deposited material from the belt; reversing the direction of the conveyor belt so that the conveyor belt travels in a reverse direction; and aligning the conveyor belt with the trainer as the conveyor belt travels in the reverse direction.
- 10. The method of claim 9 comprising the step of tensioning the belt into engagement with the training device.
- 11. The method of claim 9 comprising the step of automatically reversing the trainer in response to reversing the direction of the conveyor so that the trainer is operable to automatically train the belt in the forward and reverse directions.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/527,312, filed on Mar. 16, 2000, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. PCT/US99/21380, filed on Sep. 17, 1999, now abandoned. This application also claims priority to provisional application no. 60/101,055 filed Sep. 18, 1998. Each of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60101055 |
Sep 1998 |
US |
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09527312 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
09874555 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Parent |
PCT/US99/21380 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
09527312 |
Mar 2000 |
US |