Impact idler

Claim 1

AN IMPACT ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A FLEXIBLE BELT, SAID IMPACT ROLLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A ROLLER SHELL, SAID ROLLER SHELL INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL CASING, SAID SHELL BEING COMPOSED OF A MATERIAL HAVING THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS, WITH RESPECT TO DISTORTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY, OF RUBBER, MEANS FOR FORMING, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CASING, A FLUID TIGHT COMPRESSIBLE FLUID CHAMBER TO THEREBY PROVIDE A CUSHIONING EFFECT FOR IMPACT LOADS, A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF PROJECTIONS CARRIED BY AND ROTATATABLE WITH THE ROLLER CASING, SAID ROWS OF PROJECTIONS EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE CASING, SAID ROWS OF PROJECTIONS BEING COMPOSED OF A MATERIAL HAVING THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS, WITH RESPECT TO DISTORTABILITY OF FLEXIBILITY, OF RUBBER, EACH ROW OF PROJECTIONS BEING SPACED FROM ITS FLANKING ROWS A SUBSTANTIAL PERIPHERAL DISTANCE, SAID ROWS BEING SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE SAID MEMBERS TO DISTORT IN A RADIALLY INWARD DIRECTION, EACH ROW OF PROJECTIONS BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURLAITY OF DISCRETE MEMBERS WHEREBY A RADIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED FORCE APPLIED TOTHE EXTERRIOR OF THE ROLLER SHELL WILL CAUSE A SEPARATION BETWEEN ADJACENT MEMBERS IN EACH ROW IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY, SAID MEMBERS BEING SPACED AXIALLY SUCH THAT ADJACENT MEMBERS IN A FIRST AREA OF THE ROLLER CASING SUBJECTED TO RADIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED IMPACT WILL SEPARATE TO PROVIDE A MINIMUM STIFFENING EFFECT, YET SIMILAR ADJACENT MEMBERS IN A SECOND AREA WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE THE AFORESAID FIRST AREA WILL BUTTRESS ONE ANOTHER TO PROVIDE A MAXIMUM STIFFENING EFFECT.