Belt tension-adjusting device

Claim 2

A belt-tensioning device comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said firstmentioned fixed axis, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, and a single tensioninducing toothed pulley located intermediate said driving and driven pulleys and bearing against oppositely disposed inner toothed surface portions of said belt, thereby tensioning said belt and being maintained in said location by said belt.

Claim 3

A belt-tensioning mechanism comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, a third larger diameter pulley having alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer periphery thereof and mounted intermediate said driving and driven pulleys such that said teeth on said belt mesh with said grooves on oppositely disposed portions of said third larger diameter pulley in an axial location as required to tension said belt.

Claim 4

A belt-tensioning mechanism comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, a third larger diameter pulley having alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer periphery thereof and mounted intermediate said driving and driven pulleys such that said teeth on said belt mesh with said grooves on oppositely disposed portions of said third larger diameter pulley in an axial location as required to tension said belt.

Claim 5

A belt-tensioning device comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, and a single tension-inducing toothed pulley having a diameter intermediate the diameter of said driving and driven pulleys and located intermediate said driving and driven pulleys and bearing against oppositely disposed inner toothed surface portions of said belt, thereby tensioning said belt and being maintained in said location by said belt.

Claim 6

A belt-tensioning device comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, and a single tension-inducing toothed pulley having a diameter intermediate the diameter of said driving and driven pulleys and located intermediate said driving and driven pulleys and bearing against oppositely disposed inner toothed surface portions of said belt, thereby tensioning said belt and being maintained in said location by said belt.

Claim 7

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said dual pulleys and having an outside diameter larger than the respective diameters of the two pulleys and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward one of said dual pulleys, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 8

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said dual pulleys and having an outside diameter larger than the respective diameters of the two pulleys and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward one of said dual pulleys, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 9

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said dual pulleys and having an outside diameter intermediate the respective diameters of the two pulleys and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward one of said dual pulleys, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 10

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said dual pulleys and having an outside diameter intermediate the respective diameters of the two pulleys and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward one of said dual pulleys, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 11

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement including a larger and a smaller pulley, said belt defining straight sides when not spread intermediate said larger and smaller pulleys, said device comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said duaL pulleys and having an outside diameter slightly larger than the distance between said straight sides of said toothed belt through a point on the centerline between the axes of said dual pulleys, said point being slightly more than half said distance between said straight sides of said toothed belt away from the adjacent edge of said larger pulley and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward said smaller pulley, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 12

A belt-tension-adjusting device for a toothed belt and dual pulley drive arrangement including a larger and a smaller pulley, said belt defining straight sides when not spread intermediate said larger and smaller pulleys, said device comprising a toothed pulley located intermediate said duaL pulleys and having an outside diameter slightly larger than the distance between said straight sides of said toothed belt through a point on the centerline between the axes of said dual pulleys, said point being slightly more than half said distance between said straight sides of said toothed belt away from the adjacent edge of said larger pulley and in contact at oppositely disposed portions thereof with said toothed belt, providing for the tensioning of said belt by the manual lifting of one side of said belt away from said intermediate pulley, the rotating of said intermediate pulley along the other side thereof toward said smaller pulley, and the releasing of said one side of said toothed belt to mesh with the teeth on said intermediate pulley in its new location.

Claim 13

A belt-tension-adjusting device comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, said driven pulley having a diameter different from the diameter of said driving pulley, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, a tensioning pulley having alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer periphery thereof and mounted intermediate said driving and driven pulleys such that said teeth on oppositely disposed portions of said belt mesh with said grooves on said tensioning pulley in an axial location whereat said belt is spread as required to tension said belt, said tensioning pulley being axially movable toward one of said driving and driven pulleys by manually lifting one side of said belt away from one side of said tensioning pulley, rotating said tensioning pulley along the other side thereof toward said one of said driving and driven pulleys and releasing said one side of said belt to mesh with said one side of said tensioning pulley in a new location as required to once again tension said belt after said belt has stretched.

Claim 14

A belt-tension-adjusting device comprising a driving pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis, a driven pulley mounted for rotation about a fixed axis spaced apart from said first-mentioned fixed axis, said driven pulley having a diameter different from the diameter of said driving pulley, an interconnecting drive-transmitting belt mounted around said driving and driven pulleys, a plurality of mating alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer peripheries of each of said driving and driven pulleys and on the inner periphery of said belt, a tensioning pulley having alternately positioned teeth and grooves formed on the outer periphery thereof and mounted intermediate said driving and driven pulleys such that said teeth on oppositely disposed portions of said belt mesh with said grooves on said tensioning pulley in an axial location whereat said belt is spread as required to tension said belt, said tensioning pulley being axially movable toward one of said driving and driven pulleys by manually lifting one side of said belt away from one side of said tensioning pulley, rotating said tensioning pulley along the other side thereof toward said one of said driving and driven pulleys and releasing said one side of said belt to mesh with said one side of said tensioning pulley in a new location as required to once again tension said belt after said belt has stretched.

Claim 15

The device described in claim 7, wherein said intermediate pulley is larger in diameter than the respective diameters of said driving and driven pulleys.

Claim 16

The device described in claim 7, wherein said tensioning pulley has a diameter intermediate the diameters of said driving and driven pulleys and is rotated toward the smaller of said driving and driven pulleys.