Patent ID: 6382405
Filing Date: 2002-05-07
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
In a plastic modular conveyor belt capable of following a path including straight and curving sections and including a series of serially interdigited elongated molded plastic belt module rows being connected by rods extending transversely to the length of the conveyor belt, each module row having a set of a multiplicity of first aligned spaced projections or link ends extending in one direction from the row and a set of a multiplicity of second aligned spaced projections or link ends extending in an opposite direction, the first and second projections of serially adjacent module rows being longitudinally overlapping, interdigited and juxtaposed when the modules are connected serially in the conveyor belt by the connecting rods extending through transverse openings in the projections, the transverse openings of one of said sets of spaced projections being longitudinally elongated slotted holes to accommodate lateral curves wherein the module rows become angularly shifted and collapse together at the inside of the curve, the improvement comprising:a solid deck forming a top surface of each module, the deck being above the level of the projections and integrally molded with the projections of the module, the solid deck covering a central portion of the module and inner portions of the projections but allowing terminal ends of the projections including said transverse openings to extend outwardly from under the deck such that, when the module rows become angularly shifted and collapse together at the inside of a curve, the projections of one module row are allowed to collapse together substantially completely with the projections of a succeeding module row without limitation by the solid deck, and the solid decks of succeeding module rows being configured to substantially abut one another at inner sides of curves but not to lap over one another, whereby the conveyor belt presents a substantially closed top surface except between the solid decks of succeeding module rows, wherein a space is left open, but which space is substantially closed by the interdigited terminal ends of projections of succeeding rows.