Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-18
2004-07-06
Ridley, Richard (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor
C198S844100, C198S850000, C198S851000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06758328
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a conveyor chain for three-dimensional conveyor line, in which a plurality of chain links each having a top plate provided on a link body thereof is connected endlessly to each other by shaft pins to three-dimensionally convey such appropriate products as beverages, foods, pharmaceuticals, and other similar products while supporting them stably on the top plates.
BACKGROUND ART
Heretofore, there have been provided various types of conveyor chains in which each chain link has a top plate provided thereon. The conventional conveyor chain links include, for example, a slat type conveyor chain apparatus used in a conveyor disclosed in the Japanese Published Unexampled Utility Model Application No. 145217 of 1990. The conveyor chain link known from the disclosure has a slat provided thereon, and a plurality of the chain links is made up into the conveyor. The slat has a plurality of projections formed at the front end thereof, and as many cuts formed at the rear end thereof as the projections. The cuts are formed in positions corresponding to the projections and larger than the projections. In the conveyor, the chain links are connected endlessly to each other with the rear end of a preceding one of two successive chain links being coupled to the front end of the following one with a constant gap between the cut of the preceding slat and projection of the following slat. Each of the chain links thus connected together is pivotable vertically and horizontally in relation to preceding and following ones.
Also, there has been provided a conveyor line chain in which a plurality of chain links each having a generally crescent top plate provided thereon is successively connected to each other.
In the above-mentioned slat type convey chain apparatus used in the conveyor, however, when the conveyor travels in a curved direction, the gap between the adjacent slats (top plates) is increased outside the center line of the curved track and a part of a product being conveyed is likely to fall into the increased gap. For this reason, the wider the slat (top plate), the more difficult it is to stably carry the product.
Also, when the conveyor line made up of the chain links each with the generally crescent top plate travels in a curved direction, the interval between the adjacent top plates will not be increased outside the center line of the curved track; however, when the conveyance shifts from horizontal to oblique (inclined or declined) or from oblique to horizontal, the lateral edges of the adjacent top plates are moved vertically more than the central portions and the product carried on the conveying surface (top plates) is thrust up as the case may be. Therefore, the conveyor made up of such chain links cannot be relied upon for stable conveyance of products.
Further, in the conveyor chain made up of the chain links each having the generally crescent top plate, when each of the chain links is strongly pulled forward while the tension of the entire chain is high for example, the front and rear edges of the top plate are likely to be lifted up slightly and also engagement of each of the chain links on a sprocket which drives the chain causes a noise.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional art by providing a conveyor chain for three-dimensional conveyor line, which has a relatively wide conveying surface and can convey products without thrust-up, stalling or overturn of any of them during oblique conveyance or when each chain link engages on a sprocket.
The present invention has another object to provide a conveyor chain for three-dimensional conveyor line, in which the gap between two adjacent top plates is constant and small during conveyance in a linear or curved direction and which can make three-dimensional conveyance of products stably and smoothly.
The present invention has still another object to provide a conveyor chain for three-dimensional conveyor line, which is relatively simple in construction, easy to produce, and suitable for mass production, and can be produced and operated at low costs.
The above object can be attained by providing a conveyor chain for three-dimensional conveyor line, in which a plurality of chain links S each with a top plate provided on a link body thereof is connected endlessly to each other by shaft pins D for three-dimensional conveyance of products, wherein:
the link body includes a projecting head portion
1
projecting forward and having a bearing space
5
defined by a curved inner wall, and a pair of leg portions
2
projecting reward;
the leg portions
2
in pair of one chain link have the shaft pin D penetrated and fixed across them and the projecting head portion
1
of a next chain link S is disposed between the pair of leg portions
2
;
the projecting head portion
1
is shaped to freely be pivoted vertically about, and longitudinally of, the shaft pin D;
the top plate includes a front plate portion B
1
and rear plate portion A
2
, each portions formed defining their boundary a semicircular line whose center is laid nearly at the center of the projecting head portion
1
in such a manner that the front plate portion B
1
has a generally semicircular shape while the rear plate portion A
2
is concave at the front end thereof correspondingly to the semicircular shape of the front plate portion B
1
;
the rear plate portion A
2
is integral with the rear upper portion of the link body while the front plate portion B
1
has on the lower front side thereof a bearing block projecting downward and which is received in the bearing space
5
of the projecting head portion
1
; and
the bearing block has the shaft pin D penetrated through it so that the bearing block is prevented from being disengaged from the bearing space
5
and the rear plate portion A
2
can be pivoted laterally of the front plate portion B
1
.
the rear plate portion A
2
is integral with the rear upper portion of the link body while the front plate portion B
1
has on the lower front side thereof a bearing block projecting downward and which is received in the bearing space
5
of the projecting head portion
1
; and
the bearing block has the shaft pin D penetrated through it so that the bearing block is prevented from being disengaged from the bearing space
5
and the rear plate portion A
2
can be pivoted laterally of the front plate portion B
1
.
When the conveyor chain constructed as above travels horizontally in a curved direction, the rear plate portion A
2
of one chain link S is pivoted laterally of the front plate portion B
1
with no gap (or a gap which is constant and extremely small, if any) between the front edge of the rear plate portion A
2
and the rear edge of the front plate B
1
, so that the product can be conveyed more stably.
Especially, even in case the top plate is shaped to greatly overhang laterally of the link body, since there takes place no gap (a gap which is constant and extremely small) between the front edge of the rear plate portion A
2
and the rear edge of the front plate portion B
1
when the chain travels horizontally in a curved direction, the front and rear plate portions B
1
and A
2
provide a rather wide conveying surface which permits to convey the product more stably.
In addition, in case the chain travels obliquely (inclined or declined), the rear edge of the rear plate portion A
2
of the preceding one of two adjacent chain link S is turned an appropriate angle in relation to the front edge of the front plate portion B
1
of the following chain link S, and the front plate portion B
1
and rear plate portion A
2
of the same chain link S tilt together without thrust-up, stalling or overturning of the bottom of the product on the plate portions B
1
and A
2
. Further, since the chain link S is relatively simple in construction, so the chain according to the present invention is relatively simple in construction, easy to produced, and suitable for mass production, and can be produced and operated
Arai Takeshi
Kase Hiroaki
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Ridley Richard
Yamakyu Chain Co., Ltd.
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