Patent ID: 11970337
Assignee: LAITRAM, L.L.C.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 18:
19. A conveyor belt comprising:
a series of rows of belt modules having a top side and a bottom side and hingedly linked together between consecutive rows along hinge joints defining hinge axes extending perpendicular to a conveying direction from a first side edge of the rows to an opposite second side edge of the rows, wherein the hinge joints have play in the conveying direction to allow the rows to collapse together at the first side edge when the first side edge is at the inside of a turn in a conveying path;
a plurality of non-rotatable protrusions, each non-rotatable protrusion projecting outward at the first side edge of one of the rows and having a peripheral surface parallel to one of the hinge axes of the row;
wherein a first portion of the peripheral surface defines a first guide surface and a contiguous second portion of the peripheral surface defines a first drive face;
wherein the guide surface is configured to guide an external drive member into driving contact with the first drive face of the row or of the consecutive leading row.