US3603450A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Enclosed belt conveyor
Assignee: Envirotech Corp
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Filing: 1969-08-21
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Granted: 1971-09-07
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Expires: 1989-08-21
Abstract
Abstract A belt conveyor is disclosed in which the belt is equipped with upwardly projecting material-engaging fingers and wherein at least that section of the working run which passes between feed and discharge is enclosed by a close-fitting conduit. A belt construction is also disclosed whereby at least part of the material-engaging fingers are constructed from or tipped with a low-friction abrasion-resistant material to provide bearing elements. In some cases, only part of the material-engaging bearing fingers serve as bearing elements. In such instances, the bearing element fingers extend outwardly to a greater distance than the other fingers and serve as spacers holding the nonbearing fingers away from the conduit. The underside of the belt may also be provided with relatively thin abrasion-resistant bearing elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Leon A Chamberlain
- 👤 Clarence R Campbell
- 👤 Leif T Stokes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 18:35
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G15/00; B65G15/60; B65G15/30; B65G15/32; B65G15/42; B65G15/44; B65G15/62; B65G2201/00; B65G2201/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
55 words
A conveyor belt comprising a flexible belt having a working surface, a plurality of spaced-apart material-engaging projections extending upward from said working surface and a plurality for low-friction bearing elements extending above the tops of the material-engaging projections, said low-friction bearing elements having a coefficient of friction substantially lower than that of said material-engaging projections.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
A conveyor belt comprising a flexible belt having a working surface, a plurality of spaced-apart material-engaging projections extending upward from said working surface and a plurality for low-friction bearing elements extending above the tops of the material-engaging projections, said low-friction bearing elements having a coefficient of friction substantially lower than that of said material-engaging projections.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
88 words
A belt conveyor comprising an endless belt trained about spaced-apart pulleys and having a working run and a return run, a curved conduit enclosing the working run of the belt, spaced-apart material-engaging projections extending upward from the upper surface of said belt and a plurality of low-friction bearing elements extending above the tops of the material-engaging projections for maintaining the material-engaging projections in spaced relationship to the walls of said conduit, said low-friction bearing elements having a coefficient of friction substantially lower than that of said material-engaging projections.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
88 words
A belt conveyor comprising an endless belt trained about spaced-apart pulleys and having a working run and a return run, a curved conduit enclosing the working run of the belt, spaced-apart material-engaging projections extending upward from the upper surface of said belt and a plurality of low-friction bearing elements extending above the tops of the material-engaging projections for maintaining the material-engaging projections in spaced relationship to the walls of said conduit, said low-friction bearing elements having a coefficient of friction substantially lower than that of said material-engaging projections.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 with the addition of plurality of spaced-apart, low-friction bearing elements on the lower surface of said belt to maintain said surface in spaced relationship to the walls of the conduit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the bearing elements are secured to the top and bottom surfaces of said belt by stems passing through said belt.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the bearing elements extending from at least one of said top and bottom surfaces of said belt comprise ribs extending transversely of said belt.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
90 words
Apparatus for conveying materials at various angles of inclination, comprising a molded, endless flexible belt, trained about spaced-apart pulleys and having material-engaging projections extending from the upper surface thereof, walled conduits separately enclosing the working and return runs of said belts, means for moving said belt through said conduit, and a plurality of spaced-apart, low-friction bearing members on said upper surface extending above said material-engaging projections and adapted to slidably contact the wall of said conduit to provide a bearing thereagainst while maintaining said material-engaging projections in spaced relationship thereto.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
90 words
Apparatus for conveying materials at various angles of inclination, comprising a molded, endless flexible belt, trained about spaced-apart pulleys and having material-engaging projections extending from the upper surface thereof, walled conduits separately enclosing the working and return runs of said belts, means for moving said belt through said conduit, and a plurality of spaced-apart, low-friction bearing members on said upper surface extending above said material-engaging projections and adapted to slidably contact the wall of said conduit to provide a bearing thereagainst while maintaining said material-engaging projections in spaced relationship thereto.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said belt is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart, low-friction bearing elements projecting from the belt''s under surface for slidably contacting the wall of said conduit while maintaining said surface in spaced relationship to said wall.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the bearing members are detachably secured to the belt by intermediate stems passing through said belt.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the low-friction bearing members are tipped extensions detachably mounted to the top of the plurality of material-engaging projections.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 7, with the addition of longitudinal guide means on an inner surface of said conduit forming at least one relatively shallow channel for receiving at least part of said low-friction bearing elements projecting from the belt''s undersurface.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The conveyor belt of claim 1, including low-friction bearing elements extending below the bottom surface of said belt.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-06 | 1975-03-08 | 1975-09-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-06 | 1979-03-08 | 1979-09-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-06 | 1983-03-08 | 1983-09-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |