Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Endless conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-11
2003-06-10
Hess, Douglas (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Endless conveyor
C198S836200, C198S836300, C198S836400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575294
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a conveyor belt skirt assembly adapted to be attached to a conveyor mechanism to retain bulk material on a moving conveyor belt, and in particular to a conveyor belt skirt assembly including a skirt member having a relatively thick lower portion adapted to engage the conveyor belt and a relatively thin upper portion forming a pocket adapted to receive a mounting member for attachment to the conveyor mechanism.
Conveyor mechanisms having a moving conveyor belt are utilized to transport bulk material, such as coal, cement, aggregate, grain and the like, from a first location to a second location. As bulk material is loaded onto the moving conveyor belt in a load zone of the conveyor mechanism, a portion of the bulk material often spills over the side edges of the conveyor belt. Conveyor belts are frequently configured as a trough such that the side portions of the conveyor belt are inclined outwardly and upwardly from the longitudinal center line of the conveyor belt to prevent the spillage of conveyed material over the side edges of the conveyor belt. Troughing of the conveyor belt, however, does not eliminate the spillage of conveyed material. Conveyor belt skirts such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,747 of Martin Engineering Company have been placed along each side edge of the conveyor belt in the load zone of the conveyor mechanism to retain bulk material on the conveyor belt and to prevent spillage of the conveyed material over the side edges of the conveyor belt.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A conveyor belt skirt assembly adapted to be attached to a side wall of a conveyor mechanism to retain conveyed material on a conveyor belt of the conveyor mechanism. The conveyor belt skirt assembly includes a mounting mechanism and a conveyor belt skirt. The mounting mechanism includes a first clamping member having an elongate mounting strip. The mounting strip includes an inside surface and an outside surface. The first clamping member includes one or more connector members such as fasteners attached to the outside surface of the mounting strip. The mounting mechanism also includes a second clamping member adapted to be attached to the conveyor mechanism. The second clamping member includes one or more apertures, wherein each aperture is adapted to receive a respective fastener of the first clamping member. The mounting mechanism also includes a mounting member including an elongate strip member having a bottom edge adapted to be located above the conveyor belt. The mounting strip of the first clamping member is adapted to be attached to the strip member of the mounting member.
The conveyor belt skirt includes an upper portion having a generally planar first inner wall and a generally planar first outer wall. The first outer wall is located generally parallel to and opposite the first inner wall. The skirt also includes a lower portion attached to the bottom end of the upper portion. The lower portion includes a generally planar second inner wall and a generally planar second outer wall. The second outer wall is located generally parallel to and opposite the second inner wall. The first outer wall of the upper portion is generally coplanar with the second outer wall of the lower portion, and the first inner wall of the upper portion is generally parallel to and offset inwardly from the inner wall of the lower portion. The lower portion of the skirt is generally thicker than the upper portion of the skirt to provide increased resistance to bending of the lower portion of the skirt when the skirt is retaining conveyed material on the conveyor mechanism. The offset first inner wall of the upper portion forms a pocket adapted to receive the mounting strip of the first clamping member. The upper portion of the skirt includes one or more connector members such as apertures. The fasteners of the first clamping member extend through apertures in the upper portion of the skirt. The skirt is attached to and between the first and second clamping members.
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Brody Steven E.
Swearingen Gary D.
Swinderman R. Todd
Barnes & Thornburg
Hess Douglas
Martin Engineering Company
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