Patent ID: 6209716
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
A link conveyor belt comprising in combination: an interconnected series of plastic link bodies defining a trailing yoke having a crotch and two bifurcated legs and a leading nose portion for mating into a crotch of an adjacent end-to-end connected link, said nose portion having a cylindrical vertically oriented aperture through the link body with slots through cylindrical walls disposed on opposite lateral sides, said yoke having trailing bifurcated trailing legs dimensioned to loosely encompass said nose portion of a trailing link thereby permitting said conveyor belt to move along a curved path, wherein the links are coupled together in a power drive relationship by a generally cylindrical knuckle with a vertical axis loosely fitting into said cylindrical aperture and retained therein by a journalling spindle rod affixed between said bifurcated legs for producing in cooperation with said slots on the lateral sides a degree of slack in a longitudinal conveyance direction of the conveyor and a degree of pivoting about curved pathways, said journalling spindle rod being passed loosely through a lateral aperture through said knuckle thereby rotatably extending between the bifurcated legs to mate in the knuckle aperture, said knuckle thereby presenting a substantially mated cylindrical drive surface engaged with said cylindrical aperture as the belt moves in tension under load.