Patent ID: 6269943
Filing Date: 2001-08-07
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
A conveyor assembly, comprising:A. a continuous troughing conveyor belt trained about a head pulley and a tail pulley, wherein the conveyor assembly has a loading zone where material is loaded onto the belt and a transport zone between the loading zone and the head pulley for transporting the material from the loading zone;B. a pair of skirts extending longitudinally along the marginal edges of the conveyor belt, in operative engagement with the outer surface of the belt to retain the material on the belt;C. a plurality of successive belt supports longitudinally aligned along the length of the belt for supporting the conveyor belt, each belt support, comprising:1) a base extending across the width of the belt;2) a first central roller connected to the base intermediate the edges of the belt, supporting an intermediate portion of the belt;3) a pair of wing supports connected to the base, straddling the first central roller supporting the troughing sides of the conveyor belt, each wing comprising:a. longitudinally elongated slider bar extending along the inner surface of one of the marginal edges of the belt, supporting the one marginal edge to maintain the conveyor belt in operative engagement with one of the skirts; andb. a first wing roller intermediate the slider bar and the first central roller in operative engagement with the inner surface of the conveyor belt, having an axis of rotation transverse the axis of rotation of the first central roller;D. a plurality of successive second belt supports longitudinally aligned along the length of the belt for supporting the conveyor belt, each belt support, comprising:1) a base extending across the width of the belt;2) a second central roller connected to the base intermediate the edges of the belt, supporting an intermediate portion of the belt;3) a pair of second wing rollers connected to the base, straddling the central roller supporting the troughing sides of the conveyor belt, wherein each second wing roller extends substantially across the width of one of the troughing sides of the belt in operative engagement with the inner surface of the conveyor belt, and has an axis of rotation transverse the axis of rotation of the central roller;E. the distance between adjacent first belt supports being less than the distance between adjacent second belt supports.