Claims
- 1. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame down stream of the infeed roller;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller and rotatable about an upwardly extending axis;
- a continuous looped web belt which extends between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller, the belt defining an upwardly facing conveyed article path extending downstream from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, and a downwardly facing belt return path extending from the outfeed roller to the infeed roller, wherein the web belt is comprised of a inner looped belt which extends from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, an outer looped belt which is spaced radially outwardly from the inner looped belt, the outer looped belt extending from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller and engaged by the first corner pulley, and a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt extending criss-cross between and connected to the inner belt and the outer belt and extending over and across the corner pulley axis as the outer belt portion to which it is connected passes by the first corner pulley, the plurality of spoke belts thereby supporting conveyed articles on the web belt as the web belt is moved to convey said articles along the article path.
- 2. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 further comprising a return pulley mounted to the frame beneath the first corner pulley, the return pulley engaging the outer belt of the web belt as it traverses the return path.
- 3. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 further comprising a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the web belt outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley.
- 4. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 wherein the first corner pulley is positioned radially inwardly of the outer belt, and the periphery of the first corner pulley engages the outer belt.
- 5. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame:
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame down stream of the infeed roller;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller;
- a continuous looped web belt which extends between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller, the belt defining an upwardly facing conveyed article path extending downstream from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, and a downwardly facing belt return path extending from the outfeed roller to the infeed roller, wherein the web belt is comprised of a inner looped belt which extends from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, an outer looped belt which is spaced radially outwardly from the inner looped belt, the outer looped belt extending from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller and engaged by the first corner pulley, and a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt extending between and connected to the inner belt and the outer belt, the plurality of spoke belts thereby supporting conveyed articles on the web belt as the web belt is moved to convey said articles along the article path, wherein the first corner pulley is positioned radially inwardly of the outer belt, and the periphery of the first corner pulley engages the outer belt, and wherein the first corner pulley has portions defining a groove which encircles the first corner pulley, and wherein the outer belt has an upwardly extending leg which extends above the groove, and a radially inwardly extending leg which engages with the groove, thereby retaining the outer belt vertically with respect to the first corner pulley.
- 6. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 further comprising a first idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller engages the outer belt, such that the outer belt is restrained between the first idler roller and the first corner pulley.
- 7. The conveyor corner turn of claim 6 further comprising:
- a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the web belt outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley; and
- a second idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the second corner pulley.
- 8. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame down stream of the infeed roller;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller;
- a continuous looped web belt which extends between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller, the belt defining an upwardly facing conveyed article path extending downstream from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, and a downwardly facing belt return path extending from the outfeed roller to the infeed roller, wherein the web belt is comprised of a inner looped belt which extends from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, an outer looped belt which is spaced radially outwardly from the inner looped belt, the outer looped belt extending from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller and engaged by the first corner pulley, and a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt extending between and connected to the inner belt and the outer belt, the plurality of spoke belts thereby supporting conveyed articles on the web belt as the web belt is moved to convey said articles along the article path; and
- a first idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller engages the outer belt, such that the outer belt is restrained between the first idler roller and the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller rotates about a substantially vertical axis which is positioned downstream of the axis about which the first corner pulley rotates.
- 9. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame down stream of the infeed roller;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller;
- a continuous looped web belt which extends between the infeed roller and the outfeed roller, the belt defining an upwardly facing conveyed article path extending downstream from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, and a downwardly facing belt return path extending from the outfeed roller to the infeed roller, wherein the web belt is comprised of a inner looped belt which extends from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller, an outer looped belt which is spaced radially outwardly from the inner looped belt, the outer looped belt extending from the infeed roller to the outfeed roller and engaged by the first corner pulley, and a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt extending between and connected to the inner belt and the outer belt, the plurality of spoke belts thereby supporting conveyed articles on the web belt as the web belt is moved to convey said articles along the article path, wherein a first spoke belt is connected to a first point on the outer belt, and a first point on the inner belt which is downstream of the first point on the outer belt, and a second spoke belt extends from a second point on the inner belt which is downstream of the first point on the inner belt, to a second point on the outer belt which is upstream of the first point on the outer belt, such that the first spoke belt crosses over the second spoke belt.
- 10. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of rods fixed to the frame between the conveyed article path and the belt return path, such that the web belt passes over the plurality of rods and is supported thereon.
- 11. The conveyor corner turn of claim 1 further comprising a first inside guide pulley mounted to the frame and engaging the inner belt of the web belt, the first inside guide pulley being positioned radially inwardly from the first corner pulley.
- 12. The conveyor corner turn of claim 11 wherein the inside guide pulley is positioned radially outwardly of the inner belt.
- 13. The conveyor corner turn of claim 11 further comprising a second inside guide pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first inside guide pulley and engaging against the inner belt.
- 14. The conveyor corner turn of claim 13 wherein the outer belt and the inner belt are inelastic, and wherein the spoke belts are elastic.
- 15. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the infeed roller and rotating about a substantially vertical axis;
- a looped outer belt extending over the infeed roller, around the first corner pulley, and over the outfeed roller and thence back to the infeed roller;
- a looped inner belt extending over the infeed roller, thence over the outfeed roller and back to the infeed roller, the inner belt being spaced radially inwardly from outer belt;
- a plurality of belt segments which extend between the inner belt and the outer belt to define an article supporting surface, wherein each belt segment has a first end which is fixed to the outer belt, and a second end which is fixed to the inner belt, wherein each belt segment crosses over at least one other belt segment as it extends between the inner belt and the outer belt, and wherein the inner belt and the outer belt are driven to advance the belt segments around a curved path, to thereby support a conveyed article as it describes a curved path.
- 16. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 further comprising a return pulley mounted to the frame beneath the first corner pulley, the return pulley engaging the outer belt.
- 17. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 further comprising a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley.
- 18. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 wherein the first corner pulley is positioned radially inwardly of the outer belt, and the periphery of the first corner pulley engages the outer belt.
- 19. The conveyor corner turn of claim 18 wherein the first corner pulley has portions defining a groove which encircles the first corner pulley, and wherein the outer belt has an upwardly extending leg which extends above the groove, and a radially inwardly extending leg which engages with the groove, thereby retaining the outer belt vertically with respect to the first corner pulley.
- 20. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 further comprising a first idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller engages the outer belt, such that the outer belt is restrained between the first idler roller and the first corner pulley.
- 21. The conveyor corner turn of claim 20 further comprising:
- a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley; and
- a second idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the second corner pulley.
- 22. The conveyor corner turn of claim 20 wherein the first idler roller rotates about a substantially vertical axis which is positioned downstream of the axis about which the first corner pulley rotates.
- 23. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 further comprising a plurality of rods fixed to the frame beneath the curved path, such that the belt segments pass over the plurality of rods and are supported thereon.
- 24. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 further comprising a first inside guide pulley mounted to the frame and engaging the inner belt, the first inside guide pulley being positioned radially inwardly from the first corner pulley.
- 25. The conveyor corner turn of claim 24 wherein the inside guide pulley is positioned radially outwardly of the inner belt.
- 26. The conveyor corner turn of claim 24 further comprising a second inside guide pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first inside guide pulley and engaging against the inner belt.
- 27. The conveyor corner turn of claim 15 wherein the outer belt and the inner belt are inelastic, and wherein the spoke belts are elastic.
- 28. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a web belt having an inner looped belt connected to an outer looped belt by a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt being fixed at one end to the inner belt and at another end fixed to the outer belt; wherein each belt segment crosses over at least one other belt segment as it extends between the inner belt and the outer belt;
- a frame which supports the web belt as the web belt describes a curved path from an inlet to an outlet, the frame having a plurality of rods which extend between the outer web belt and the inner web belt;
- at least one corner pulley rotatably mounted to the frame to extend between the inner belt and the outer belt, wherein the corner pulley engages the outer belt to cause the web belt to describe a curved path, and wherein the inner belt is supported on the plurality of rods as is describes the curved path, unsupported by rollers between the inlet and the outlet.
- 29. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a web belt having an inner looped belt connected to an outer looped belt by a plurality of spoke belts, each spoke belt being fixed at one end to the inner belt and at another end fixed to the outer belt;
- a frame which supports the web belt as the web belt describes a curved path from an inlet to an outlet;
- at least one corner pulley rotatably mounted to the frame to extend between the inner belt and the outer belt, wherein the corner pulley engages the outer belt to cause the web belt to describe a curved path, wherein the outer belt has a first leg which extends generally vertically, and a second leg which extends inwardly from the first leg, and wherein the at least one corner pulley has a groove which receives the second leg therein as the belt is driven along a curved path.
- 30. The conveyor corner turn of claim 28 wherein the outer belt and the inner belt are inelastic, and wherein the spoke belts are elastic.
- 31. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the infeed roller and rotating about a substantially vertical axis;
- a looped outer belt extending over the infeed roller, around the first corner pulley, and over the outfeed roller and thence back to the infeed roller, the outer belt having portion which extends downwardly to engage the radial exterior of the first corner pulley;
- a looped inner belt extending over the infeed roller, thence over the outfeed roller and back to the infeed roller, the inner belt being spaced radially inwardly from outer belt;
- an article support portion which extends between the inner belt and the outer belt and over and across the corner pulley axis, the article support portion being comprised of an elastic material, and wherein the inner belt and the outer belt are driven to advance the article support portion around a curved path, to thereby support a conveyed article as it describes a curved path.
- 32. The conveyor corner turn of claim 31 wherein the article support portion is a continuous surface elastic belt segment.
- 33. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame;
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the infeed roller and rotating about a substantially vertical axis;
- a looped outer belt extending over the infeed roller, around the first corner pulley, and over the outfeed roller and thence back to the infeed roller;
- a looped inner belt extending over the infeed roller, thence over the outfeed roller and back to the infeed roller, the inner belt being spaced radially inwardly from outer belt;
- an article support portion which extends between the inner belt and the outer belt, the article support portion being comprised of an elastic material, and wherein the inner belt and the outer belt are driven to advance the article support portion around a curved path, to thereby support a conveyed article as it describes a curved path, wherein the article support portion is comprised of a plurality of belt segments which extend between the inner belt and the outer belt to define an article supporting surface, wherein each belt segment has a first end which is fixed to the outer belt, and a second end which is fixed to the inner belt, and wherein each belt segment crosses over at least one other belt segment as it extends between the inner belt and the outer belt.
- 34. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame:
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the infeed roller and rotating about a substantially vertical axis;
- a looped outer belt extending over the infeed roller, around the first corner pulley, and over the outfeed roller and thence back to the infeed roller;
- a looped inner belt extending over the infeed roller, thence over the outfeed roller and back to the infeed roller, the inner belt being spaced radially inwardly from outer belt;
- an article support portion which extends between the inner belt and the outer belt, the article support portion being comprised of an elastic material, and wherein the inner belt and the outer belt are driven to advance the article support portion around a curved path, to thereby support a conveyed article as it describes a curved path, wherein the first corner pulley has portions defining a circumferential groove, and wherein the outer belt has a protruding leg which engages with the circumferential groove as it turns about the first corner pulley.
- 35. The conveyor corner turn of claim 31 further comprising a return pulley mounted to the frame beneath the first corner pulley, the return pulley engaging the outer belt.
- 36. The conveyor corner turn of claim 31 further comprising a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley.
- 37. The conveyor corner turn of claim 31 further comprising a first idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller engages the outer belt, such that the outer belt is restrained between the first idler roller and the first corner pulley.
- 38. The conveyor corner turn of claim 37 further comprising:
- a second corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the first corner pulley, wherein the outer belt is engaged by both the first corner pulley and the second corner pulley; and
- a second idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the second corner pulley.
- 39. A conveyor corner turn comprising:
- a frame,
- an infeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- an outfeed roller mounted to the frame and rotating about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a first corner pulley mounted to the frame downstream of the infeed roller and rotating about a substantially vertical axis;
- a looped outer belt extending over the infeed roller, around the first corner pulley, and over the outfeed roller and thence back to the infeed roller;
- a looped inner belt extending over the infeed roller, thence over the outfeed roller and back to the infeed roller, the inner belt being spaced radially inwardly from outer belt;
- an article support portion which extends between the inner belt and the outer belt, the article support portion being comprised of an elastic material, and wherein the inner belt and the outer belt are driven to advance the article support portion around a curved path, to thereby support a conveyed article as it describes a curved path; and
- a first idler roller mounted to the frame radially outwardly of the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller engages the outer belt, such that the outer belt is restrained between the first idler roller and the first corner pulley, wherein the first idler roller rotates about a substantially vertical axis which is positioned downstream of the axis about which the first corner pulley rotates.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application No. 08/516,381, filed Aug. 17, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,784.
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Feb 1992 |
CAX |
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EPX |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
516381 |
Aug 1995 |
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