Passenger conveyor

Claim 2

A screw driven conveyor having a driven platform, a screw with a continuous helical rib having a radially outer cylindrical surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove with a cylindrical surface at the root diameter of said screw, and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said hElical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib comprising a supporting structure, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spacedapart positions around said screw with the distances between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw, each of said roller members having a length less than the length of said screw and being in rolling engagement with at least one of said cylindrical surfaces of said screw, one of said cylindrical surfaces of said screw having gear teeth and the outer surface of one of said roller members having gear teeth for meshing engagement with said gear teeth of said screw, and power means to rotate the roller member in meshing engagement with said screw whereby radial movement of said screw in all directions is restrained for positively holding the roller member in meshing engagement with said screw and said screw is rotated moving said driven member axially of said screw in said helical groove between said roller members and thereby propelling said driven platform along the length of said screw.

Claim 3

A screw driven conveyor having a driven platform, a screw with a continuous helical rib having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib comprising a supporting structure, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distances between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw, said roller members having a length less than the length of said screw and being in rolling engagement with the radially outer surface of said helical rib, said radially outer surface of said helical rib having gear teeth and the outer surface of one of said roller members having gear teeth for meshing engagement with said gear teeth on said helical rib, and power means to rotate the roller member in meshing engagement with said helical rib whereby radial movement of said screw in all directions is restrained for positively holding the roller member in meshing engagement and said screw is rotated moving said driven member axially of said screw in said helical groove between said roller members and thereby propelling said driven platform along the length of said screw.

Claim 4

A screw driven conveyor having a driven platform, a screw with a continuous helical rib having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib comprising a supporting structure, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distances between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw, said roller members having a length less than the length of said screw and being in rolling engagement with the radially outer surface of said helical rib, said radially outer surface of said helical rib having gear teeth and the outer surface of one of said roller members having gear teeth for meshing engagement with said gear teeth on said helical rib, and power means to rotate the roller member in meshing engagement with said helical rib whereby radial movement of said screw in all directions is restrained for positively holding the roller member in meshing engagement and said screw is rotated moving said driven member axially of said screw in said helical groove between said roller members and thereby propelling said driven platform along the length of said screw.

Claim 5

A screw driven conveyor having a driven platform, a screw with a continuous helical rib having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib comprising a supporting structure, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distances between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surfaces of said helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw, said roller members having a length less than the length of said screw and being in rolling engagement with the radially outer surface of said helical rib, one of said roller members having a cylindrical outer sUrface with a helical groove, said screw having a load bearing surface at the root diameter, gear teeth on said load bearing surface, said helical rib of said screw extending into said groove and gear teeth on said cylindrical surface of the roller member in meshing engagement with said gear teeth of said load bearing surface and power means to rotate the roller member whereby radial movement of said screw in all directions is restrained to positively hold the roller member in meshing engagement with said screw and said screw is rotated moving said driven member axially of said screw in said helical groove between said roller members and thereby propelling said driven platform along the length of said screw.

Claim 6

A screw driven conveyor having a driven platform, a screw with a continuous helical rib having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib comprising a supporting structure, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distances between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surfaces of said helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw, said roller members having a length less than the length of said screw and being in rolling engagement with the radially outer surface of said helical rib, one of said roller members having a cylindrical outer sUrface with a helical groove, said screw having a load bearing surface at the root diameter, gear teeth on said load bearing surface, said helical rib of said screw extending into said groove and gear teeth on said cylindrical surface of the roller member in meshing engagement with said gear teeth of said load bearing surface and power means to rotate the roller member whereby radial movement of said screw in all directions is restrained to positively hold the roller member in meshing engagement with said screw and said screw is rotated moving said driven member axially of said screw in said helical groove between said roller members and thereby propelling said driven platform along the length of said screw.

Claim 7

A screw driven conveyor according to claim 3 wherein said load bearing surface has a greater diameter than other surfaces at the root diameter of said screw.

Claim 8

A screw driven conveyor having a curved section and a driven platform movable through said curved section, a continuous flexible curved screw having a continuous helical rib with a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib in said curved section comprising a supporting structure located at a position along said curved section, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said screw.

Claim 9

A screw driven conveyor having a curved section and a driven platform movable through said curved section, a continuous flexible curved screw having a continuous helical rib with a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib in said curved section comprising a supporting structure located at a position along said curved section, at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said screw.

Claim 10

A screw driven conveyor according to claim 5 wherein one of said roller members is located at the inner diameter of said curved screw and has an outer supporting surface with a convex configuration to conform with the curvature of said screw at the inner diameter.

Claim 11

A screw driven conveyor according to claim 5 wherein one of said roller members is located at the outer diameter of said curved screw and has a supporting surface with a concave configuration to conform with the curvature of said screw at the outer diameter.

Claim 12

A screw driven conveyor having a curved section and a driven platform movable through said curved section, a continuous flexible curved screw having a continuous helical rib with a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib in said curved section comprising a plurality of supporting structures located at spaced-apart intervals along said screw, each of said supporting structures having at least three roller members at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said screw.

Claim 13

A screw driven conveyor having a curved section and a driven platform movable through said curved section, a continuous flexible curved screw having a continuous helical rib with a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib in said curved section comprising a plurality of supporting structures located at spaced-apart intervals along said screw, each of said supporting structures having at least three roller members at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said screw.

Claim 14

A screw driven conveyor comprising a screw having a straight section, a curved section and a driven platform movable through said straight section and said curved section, a rigid screw with a continuous helical rib in said straight section, a flexible screw with a continuous flexible helical rib in said curved section, each of said screws having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib, means for driving said rigid shaft in said straight section and guide means located at intervals around said curved section to restrain radial movement of said flexible helical rib in said curved section, each of said guide means including a supporting structure having at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said flexible helical rib.

Claim 15

A screw driven conveyor comprising a screw having a straight section, a curved section and a driven platform movable through said straight section and said curved section, a rigid screw with a continuous helical rib in said straight section, a flexible screw with a continuous flexible helical rib in said curved section, each of said screws having a radially outer surface and a continuous helical driving surface providing a helical groove and a driven member mounted on said platform and extending into said helical groove in continuous driven engagement with said helical driving surface of said helical rib, means for driving said rigid shaft in said straight section and guide means located at intervals around said curved section to restrain radial movement of said flexible helical rib in said curved section, each of said guide means including a supporting structure having at least three roller members mounted on said supporting structure at circumferentially spaced-apart positions around said screw with the distance between said roller members being less than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said flexible helical rib and the angular spacing of one of said roller members with relation to at least two other roller members being at angles greater than 90* around the circumference of said screw to permit axial movement of said driven member between said roller members without engagement with said driven member or said platform, said roller members having supporting surfaces in rolling engagement with said radially outer surface of said flexible helical rib and each of said supporting surfaces of said roller members being shaped to conform with the curvature of said flexible helical rib.