Patent ID: 9682825
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: B65G

Claim:
1. An idler having a central axle and a bearing surface provided concentrically with and radially outwardly from the axle, wherein the idler includes: a plurality of sleeve segments which fit together end-to-end thereby to define a cylindrical segmented sleeve which presents the bearing surface, wherein each sleeve segment includes an abutting formation at each axial end thereof, configured to abut against an adjacent sleeve segment or other component, and wherein adjacent abutting formations permit adjacent sleeve segments to be joined together, so that their respective portions of the bearing surface are aligned and seemingly continuous; a pair of annular ring bearings fixed on their inner surface to the axle and permitting rotation of the segmented sleeve relative to the axle; an intermediate support member which is hollow and cylindrical and arranged between the axle and the segmented sleeve, the support member being mounted by means of the bearings concentrically with, and to rotate about, the axle, thus having an axis of rotation coaxial with the axle; and at least some of the sleeve segments having an inner radially extending support wall thereby to support the segmented sleeve intermediate its ends.