Abstract:
A cleaning device configured to clean an outer surface of a conveyor belt on a conveyor belt system is disclosed. The cleaning device can include a fluid dispensing device configured to dispense cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the conveyor belt. A wiping device is provided to remove excess cleaning fluid. A protective cover is provided that substantially covers at least the fluid dispensing device. Fastener mounts are provided to allow attachment of the cleaning device on top of the conveyer system.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     The present Application for Patent claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/614,022 entitled “CONVEYOR BELT CLEANER” filed Mar. 22, 2012, by Paul Barboni and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosure relates to the field of cleaning and sanitizing conveyor belt surfaces and, more particularly, to the cleaning and sanitizing of a store checkout conveyor belt surface. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It has been recognized in the industry and by the public in general that conveyor belts used in store checkouts (e.g., grocery stores, home good stores, etc.) can be a source of contamination of foods or other purchased items, due to the large number items that are in physical contact with the conveyor belt. For example, food products, cleaners, medicines, chemical products (e.g., glues, adhesives, polishes, etc.) may come in contact with the conveyor belt surfaces. Additionally, individuals may also touch, sneeze, or drool on the belt, which may lead to direct exposure to various diseases. However, the conveyor belt is not easily removed and cleaning is typically not performed on a regular basis. Accordingly, this can lead to both real and perceived dangers of contamination from the conveyor belt. 
     Several systems have tried to address conveyor belt cleaning and sanitizing. For example, U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0243410 discloses a cleaning system with a hollow porous roller situated on the obscured or return loop side of the conveyor belt, out of sight of the top or conveying surface of the belt. A perforated rod, positioned within the hollow porous roller, contains a cleaning and sanitizing solution, dispensable through a series of perforations in the rod. The cleaning and sanitizing solution is distributed via a pump from a tank reservoir. 
     However, the prior solutions for cleaning and sanitizing conveyor belts, such as that discussed above, are complicated costly to add conveyor belt assembly. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a cleaning system that can be added to both new and existing conveyor belt systems. 
     SUMMARY 
     Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to apparatuses and methods for cleaning and/or sanitizing conveyor belts. 
     Accordingly an embodiment includes a cleaning device configured to clean an outer surface of a conveyor belt on a conveyor belt system. A fluid dispensing device is configured to dispense cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the conveyor belt. A wiping device is configured to remove excess cleaning fluid. A protective cover is configured to substantially cover at least the fluid dispensing device. Fastener mounts are configured to allow attachment of the cleaning device on top of the conveyor belt system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of embodiments of the invention and are provided solely for illustration of the embodiments and not limitation thereof. 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of a perspective view of a conveyor belt illustrating an embodiment with a cleaning device mounted on the top. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of an underside view of the cleaning assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of an inner view of a spray system 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a conveyor belt at a grocery store with an embodiment of the cleaning device  100  is illustrated. The conveyor belt system can include conventional elements, such as a belt  140  and rollers  142 ,  144 ,  146 . Additional conventional elements, such as motors, switches, etc. are not illustrated to avoid extraneous details. Further, a representation of a cash register  150  is illustrated to provide a reference to the orientation of the conveyor belt. Likewise, the conventional details of the cash register  150  are not provided. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the illustration is for explanation only and is not to be construed as limiting the various embodiments to the specific configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the cleaning device  100  is mounted on the top side of the conveyor belt system to allow for cleaning the conveyor belt  140 . Cleaning device  100  includes a protective housing  102  and a wiping device  104  (illustrated as a rubber blade). The protective housing, in one example, can be made simply from bending a piece of metal to form an angle and then securing it to the other components of the cleaning device or securing the protective cover the conveyor belt system overtop at least the fluid dispensing device  110 . The protective cover can be aluminum, stainless steel, plastic or any other suitable material. 
     The fluid dispensing device  110  can be activated by movement of the belt and/or manual operation. The fluid dispensing device  110  can be connected by a hose  124  and to a pump  120  and reservoir  122 . A power line may also be provided to the cleaning device. The reservoir  122  can be used for holding cleaning fluid. The pump  120  can extract the cleaning fluid from the reservoir  122  and provide the cleaning fluid to fluid dispensing device  110 . The cleaning fluid can also include disinfectants, antibacterial solutions, and the like to allow for sanitation of the top surface of the conveyor belt. Additional details of the cleaning device  100  are provided below. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , an underside view of cleaning device  100  is illustrated. At opposite ends of the cleaning device  100  are fastener mounts  106  that can be adapted to various sizes of conveyor belt systems. A simple screw, bolt or other fastener type applied to the mounts can be used to secure the cleaning device  100  to the conveyor belt system. Thus allowing for a simple cost effective solution for both new designs and retrofitting existing conveyor belt systems. Alternatively, the fastener mounts  106  may employ a pressure expansion system (e.g., pressurized clamps, pistons, etc.) to secure the cleaning device  100  to the conveyor system. 
     Additionally, from this view it can be seen that fluid dispensing device  110  contains a plurality of holes  112 , that allow the cleaning fluid to be deposit on the belt and the then is wiped off by wiping device  104 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , additional details of the fluid dispensing device  110  are illustrated. The fluid dispensing device  110  contains an inner mechanism  114  for dispensing the cleaning fluid. The inner mechanism  114  can be moved slightly to dispense the cleaning fluid, by displacing seal elements  116  from the holes  112  so that a small amount of cleaning fluid is dispensed. The holes can then be closed by a reversing the process, causing the seal elements  116  to cover the holes. In one embodiment, for example, the seals could be grommets, elastic rings, and the like made from rubber, silicone, deformable plastic or any other suitable material. A piston element  118  can be used to move the inner mechanism  114 . However, a screw type device, solenoid or other like devices that can cause a linear movement of the inner mechanism  114  can be used. Likewise, the power source to cause the movement may be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or any combination thereof. 
     Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. 
     Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention. 
     The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. 
     While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the invention described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.