Plate connectors for belts

Claim 1

In a connector for interconnecting the two opposite ends of a belt, wherein the connector has a plurality of connector members, each connector member having a pair of connector legs adapted to be secured to one of said two opposite ends of said belt and a U-shaped eye joining the two connector legs, said U-shaped eye being dimensioned to extend beyond the end of the belt, whereby the two ends of the belt may be joined by a connector rod extending transversely of the belt through the eyes of a plurality of said connector members secured to each of the two ends of the belt; the improvement wherein the cross-section through each eye in the region thereof through which the connector rod is adapted to extend, has an inwardly facing base surface which is straight in the plane of said cross-section, said base surface being curved in a plane extending at a right angle to said sectional plane and longitudinally to said belt, said inwardly facing base surface extending straight over the width of the eye to provide a wide surface contact between said base surface and a connector rod, each eye further having an outwardly facing surface opposite said base surface, which outwardly facing surface is so curved in said sectional plane and in said plane extending perpendicularly to said sectional plane, that the outwardly facing curved surface merges smoothly into the sides of its eye to allow opposite eyes to be readily guided into intermeshing by applying opposite longitudinal forces to the ends of the belt, and means for securing said connector legs to the respective belt end to form troughs between adjacent eyes to allow said intermeshing of said eyes, even when the opposed eyes and the opposite troughs between said eyes are slightly misaligned.