Patent ID: 6342020
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: F16G

Abstract:
A metal belt, comprising:a pair of metal rings, each metal ring including a plurality of endless metal bands stacked on each other; and a plurality of metal elements supported along the metal rings, each metal element including a laterally extending body portion and an ear portion connected centrally at the body portion and extending laterally therefrom to form a pair of lobes extending oppositely of each other such that each lobe defines a slot between the body portion and the lobe, each slot being sized and adapted to receive a respective one of the metal rings with a clearance, each metal element having a cylindrical shaped nose portion connected to one of a front surface and a rear surface of the ear portion and projecting forwardly of the ear portion and a corresponding hole formed into a remaining one of the front surface and the rear surface of the ear portion with respective ones of the nose portions and holes being sized to engage with corresponding holes and nose portions of consecutive ones of the metal elements so that the metal elements can pivot about a center of the respective nose portions, wherein each metal element is constructed to satisfy a relationship that L&agr;/L&bgr;>0.8 such that L&agr; is a lateral distance between the center of the nose portion and a contact point P&agr; defined when the metal element pivots to form point contact between one of the pair of lobes and a corresponding one of the pair of metal rings and L&bgr; is a lateral distance between the center of the nose portion and a contact point P&bgr; defined when the metal element pivots to form point contact between the other metal ring and the body portion.