Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-01-09
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor
C198S819000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170646
ABSTRACT:
I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to conveyor belts and, more particularly, to conveyor belts having cleats that are adaptable to curvilinear shapes upon the conveyor belt entering into and moving through curvilinear structures.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Conveyor transported materials such as grain, ash or foundry dust are best moved by a conveyor equipped with a cleated belt. Even with a cleated belt, however, such material is susceptible to shifting due to gravity and vibration, and from blowing air while in transit along the conveyor belt. These challenges are magnified when transporting materials through an incline, e.g., blowing air is more likely to be found at elevations than at ground level and gravity causes the material to back slide along the conveyor belt, thereby, reducing system efficiency.
Over the years, several attempts have been made to address the problem. Most commonly, the solution is to enclose the conveyor belt within a curvilinear structure, such as a tube. This approach generally requires the use of an uncleated belt since traditional cleats will not appropriately conform to the tube circumference. Therefore, while solving the blowing air concerns, this solution does not address the problem of back sliding due to gravity.
Attempts have been made to create a conveyor belt having means to prevent back sliding of material. One such example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,652 to McGinnis for a “Construction Conveyor Belt” which discloses a conveyor belt that can fold upwardly and inwardly along its lateral edges to conform to a tube. However, this device relies upon fixed cleats that do not extend from the lateral edges of the belt. Accordingly, material can be trapped on the sides of the cleats, thereby limiting the ability of the belt to form a circle.
Another example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,690 to Herzke for a “Conveyor with Slippage Stops on the Conveyor Surface” which discloses a flat conveyor having a plurality of stops or cleats spaced longitudinally apart on the conveyor surface for engaging material carried by the conveyor belt. While useful for preventing or halting slippage of the material on the conveyor belt, the device employs only small cleats which are not capable of stopping significant back fall when the material is moved on an incline. More importantly, however, the device does not permit the belt to conform to curvilinear shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,378 to Kamisaka for a “Tubular Belt Conveyor” discloses a conveyor which is completely tubular in shape. Within the interior of the tubular conveyor is a rubber belt that is moved through the tubular conveyor using sprockets. Secured to the rubber belt are preventing plates similar to cleats to transfer material. Although the device is curvilinear in shape and uses cleats to transfer material within the curvilinear shape, the device is devoid of transforming a flat conveyor belt into a curvilinear structure having cleats that are adaptable for use in both situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,354 to Aydelott for a “Belt Conveyor” discloses a flexible conveyor belt for conveying semi-fluid materials through a tube. The tube shaped conveyor belt opens to receive the materials, close to form a tube where paddles affixed to the belt partition the tube shaped belt into sections to contain the material, and then opened to release the material. A shortcoming of this patent is that the paddles are static through the tube and incapable of transforming from a flat conveyor belt into curvilinear shapes. A further shortcoming of this device is that it requires multiple pieces and is, therefore, expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,303,762 to Reimel for a “Conveyor Belt” discloses a conveyor belt with cross ridges separated by grooves along the conveyor belt surface to distribute material uniformly over the surface of the belt. The cross ridges have abrupt sides with inclined surfaces to contain the material. Although the conveyor belt is capable of forming into curvilinear shapes, the device does not have cleats that are adaptable for travel through curvilinear structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,212,024 to Johns for a “Tubular Belt Conveyer” discloses a conveyor belt that can be formed into a tube shape while traveling along pulleys. The conveyor belt has a plurality of ribs within the inner face of the conveyor belt to retain material from slipping while inside the tube. A shortcoming of this conveyor belt is that while it is capable of forming a curvilinear shape, the ribs within the device are static and not capable of transforming into a unified rib within the curvilinear shape to prevent the back flow of transported material.
As illustrated by the prior art, there is a need for a conveyor belt having cleats that is effective in a flat position yet is adaptable to curvilinear structures.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a conveyor belt having cleats on the surface of the conveyor belt, the cleats capable of functioning when the conveyor belt is in a flat position yet are adaptable to a curvilinear shape established by a curvilinear structure, such as a tube.
Another object of the present invention is to provide cleats to transfer suitable materials placed on a flat conveyor belt through any variation of curvilinear structures.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system to transfer material at greater angles than conveyors with a smooth or textured belt. A related object of the invention is to maintain greater capacities of material at a given segment of the conveyor belt while in transit through curvilinear structures.
Other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects of the present invention are provided for in a conveyor belt having cleats adaptable for transporting material through a curvilinear structure. According to the invention, cleats are affixed at predetermined locations and perpendicular to the surface of a flat conveyor belt. The cleats further being provided with either notches or slits. As the flat conveyor belt is directed through a curvilinear structure, both the conveyor belt and cleats adapt to the shape of the curvilinear structure. The notches or slits of the cleat enable it to form a solid cleat wall, thereby, preventing materials from sliding on the conveyor belt during movement of the conveyor belt through the structure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2212024 (1940-08-01), Johns
patent: 2303762 (1942-12-01), Reimel
patent: 3326354 (1967-06-01), Aydelott
patent: 3595378 (1971-07-01), Kamisaka
patent: 4953690 (1990-09-01), Herzke
patent: 5511652 (1996-04-01), McGinnis
patent: 323803 (1957-09-01), None
patent: 941477 (1956-04-01), None
patent: 958549 (1957-02-01), None
patent: 1358636 (1963-03-01), None
Kaeb Les
Kaeb Todd
Bidwell James R.
Knechtel Demeur & Samlan
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