Patent ID: 6189684
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: B41J,B65G,B65H

Abstract:
A device for conveying printing substrates, comprising:a frame having a first side wall and a second side wall substantially parallel to and spaced apart from one another and forming a free space;a plurality of spaced-apart and axially parallel cylindrical rollers supported on said frame, one of said rollers being a rotatably drivable drive roller, and other rollers of said rollers being freely rotatably supported;at least three side parts disposed in a vicinity of said first side wall, a first of said three side parts connected to said second side wall with first cross beams, and a second of said three side parts connected to a third of said three side parts located in vicinity of said second side wall through second cross beams;an endless conveyor belt having an inner side and an outer side, said conveyor belt wrapped around all of said rollers and in operation being in frictional contact with said drive roller, two of said rollers being relatively closely adjacent one another and being spaced apart from one another a distance selected from the group consisting of less than and not considerably greater than a diameter of said drive roller; said drive roller being movable in a direction towards and away from said two relatively closely adjacent rollers; anda retaining device for firmly retaining said drive roller in an operating position wherein said outer side of said conveyor belt rests on said drive roller,said conveyor belt being wrapped around said drive roller over an angle of approximately 180.degree.,said other rollers being engaged with said inner side of said conveyor belt,said free space formed for retracting said conveyor belt away from said rollers along an axial direction of said rollers,said rollers extending lengthwise between said first side wall and said second side wall, one end of each of a plurality of said other rollers being supported on said second side wall, another end of each of said plurality of said other rollers being supported by one of said at least three side parts at a corner or edge of said one of said at least three side parts,said first side wall being formed with an opening having a perimeter larger than a perimeter of said conveyor belt,one of said two relatively closely adjacent rollers being supported between said second side wall and said first side part, and the other of said two relatively closely adjacent rollers supported between said second side part and said third side part,said second and third side parts being pivotable jointly about an axis extending parallel to shafts of said rollers wherein, in the course of pivoting, said two relatively closely adjacent rollers are movable away from one another.