Patent ID: 7886897
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A removable protective cover for deployment over a conveyor belt, said protective cover comprising: (a) a plurality of individual flexible rectangularly shaped sheet members having longitudinal ends and free transverse side edges, the side edges of each rectangularly shaped sheet member being adapted to be, at their respective longitudinal ends, in juxtaposition with one another to form a substantially continuous cover for covering said conveyor belt; (b) said plurality of sheet members each having a longitudinally extending centrally located support means extending substantially the longitudinal length of each sheet member and with adjacent sheet members having said centrally located support means substantially in alignment with each other; (c) individual ones of said sheet members being capable of being removably separated from an adjacent one of said sheet members along at least one transverse side edge of the sheet member to permit access to one section of said conveyor belt on at least one side thereof in the area covered by an individual sheet member; (d) a plurality of spaced-apart tensioning support members configured for resilient and tensioning attachment to spaced-apart locations along an upper truss member, each of said tensioning support members being adapted to support spaced-apart sections of said individual sheet members via said upper central truss member, said tensioning support members being positioned above said conveyor belt when said cover is deployed over said conveyor; (e) a pair of parallel support members, each configured for fixed attachment to a frame member; (f) said tensioning support members and said parallel support members together forming a triangular geometry to define a supporting arrangement over said conveyor belt when said cover is deployed; and (g) said rectangular sheet members having a means for attachment of opposite sides thereof to a corresponding member of said pair of parallel support members, said rectangular sheet members being centrally retained at an apex of said triangular support arrangement by said tensioning support member to form a triangular cover structure disposed above said conveyor belt when said cover is deployed.