Improvements in Portable Freight Conveyors
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Freight Conveyors,
1, WILLIAM LEGGETT MCCABE, of Tacoma, in the County of Pierce, and State
of Washington, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: —
My invention relates to improvements in portable conveyors and is particularly
intended for use upon docks or in ware-houses, where it can be moved about
from place to place for unloading ships and railway cars and for other purposes.
It consists in a conveyor having a suitable frame of an endless conveying belt
mounted thereon, the said belt passing about a driving pulley, a driving belt
also engaging the said driving pulley and occupying a counter-sunk peripheral
portion upon the same so that the conveyor belt may lay smooth over it, though
being engaged thereby to help drive it, and means actuating the said driving
belt.
It also consists in a portable conveyor having an endless conveying belt of
guide rails or bars mounted thereon for keeping articles upon the conveying belt,
telescoping arms carrying said rails, means for adjusting the said arms to hold
the guides at different widths, and means for actuating the conveyor belt.
It also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations and arrange-
ments of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a portable conveyor constructed in accor-
dance with my invention.
Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same, parts of the conveying belt
being broken away to show the driving mechanism beneath it.
Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail sectional view of the driving drum or
pulley showing the belts engaging the same.
Fig. 4 represents a detail transverse section through the conveyor showing the
means for adjusting the guide bars or rails.
Fig. 5 represents a detail side elevation of the same.
Fig. 6 represents a detail view showing the relative positions of the pinions
for adjusting the guide rails, and
Fig. 7 is a detail top plan view of a portion of the conveyor showing one set
of adjustable guide rail arms.
1 in the drawings represents a conveyor frame; 2 an endless conveyor belt
mounted thereon; 3 an actuating or driving pulley, and 4 a motor.
In a conveyor of this kind, the frame 1, which is made of suitable length and
any desirable material, is preferably mounted centrally of its length upon wheels
or rollers as 5 upon which it may be rolled or moved to any desired spot for use.
mounted a series
Upon the upper surface of the frame are
of belt
At one
supporting pulleys as 6 over which the conveyor belt passes.
end of the conveyor a drum as which is preferably larger than the pulleys
or drums 6 guides the belt to its return direction. At the other end of the con-

page_text: veyor, the belt passes over the driving drum 3. The driving drum 3 forms an
important feature of my invention and is preferably mounted upon the frame 1
in adjustable bearings as at 8 by means of which the conveyor belt may be kept
taut. The driving drum 3 is provided about centrally of its periphery with an
annular depression or groove as 9 in which a driving or actuating belt as 10
is adapted to run. This annular depression 9 is made of such a depth that when
the driving belt 10 rests therein the outer surface of the belt will be flush with
the remainder of the periphery of the said drum, thus affording a smooth surface
from end to end for the conveyor belt to pass over. By this means the driving
belt not only actuates the drum 3 but because of the frictional engagement with
the conveyor belt 2 prevents the same from slipping upon the driving drum and
aids materially in its actuation. The driving belt 10 passes into the central
portion of the frame 1 and about a pulley or drum 1 mounted upon a cross
shaft in the said frame, the said shaft also having an actuating pulley as 12
secured thereto and connected with a motor 4 by means of the belt 13. In order
to prevent the driving belt 10 from rubbing against the cross bars in the frame 1,
a pulley as 14 is mounted in the said frame as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 3 so
as to depress the driving belt at that point and permit it to pass into the interior
of the frame 1. This pulley may be grooved as at 15 like the drum 3 if desired
for guiding the driving belt in its movement. Another idler or pulley as 16 is
preferably used to depress the belt 13 in the same manner. One lap of the con-
veyor belt 2 therefore passes over the upper surface of the rollers 6 while the
return lap or lower one passes beneath the motor and driving belts in the
frame 1, being directed by idler pulleys or drums as 17 mounted in the lower
part of the frame.
In order to especially adapt my conveyor for use in conveying substances
which are packed in bags and bundles, I preferably provide my conveyor with
side rails as 18, the said side guide rails extending almost the entire length of
the conveyor. These guide rails are preferably made adjustable so that packages
of different sizes can be accommodated upon the conveyor belt. For this purpose
the rails 18 are attached to supporting arms as 19 at suitable intervals along
the top of the conveyor frame, the said arms being bent inwardly beneath the
conveyor belt and being provided upon their under surfaces with racks as 20.
These arms 19 are preferably formed of angle irons as clearly seen in the draw-
ings which fit upon the opposite edges of cross-bars as 21 upon the conveyor
frame. These angle bars or arms 19 are preferably held in place and guided
upon the said bars 21 by means of cleats 22, which are secured to the upper sur-
face of the bars 21. The construction of these cleats will clearly be seen by
reference to Figs. 4, 6 and 7 of the drawing.
The arrangement of the pinions or gear wheels for adjusting these arms forms
a novel and important feature of my invention. Each set of arms 19 with their
racks 20 are adapted to engage a pair of pinions as 23, 24, ane pinion engaging
a rack on each arm. The pinions are made of sufficient width to intermesh with
each other as seen in Fig. 6 on the drawings so that the movement imparted to
one will actuate the other and in an opposite direction, so that one pinion turn-
ing in one direction and engaging one rack 20 actuates it one way while the other
pinion engaging the rack on the other arm moves it in an opposite direction.
Thus by actuating the pinions 24, the arms 19 and the guide rails 18 may be
adjusted closer together or farther apart as may be desired. I preferably con-
nect all the pinions 24 by mounting them upon a common shaft as 25 mounted
in suitable bearings upon the under sides of the beams 21. At a suitable point
along the length of the said shaft a hand operating wheel as 26 is secured so that
by turning the said wheel all of the pinions and thereby all of the arms 19 may
be adjusted simultaneously, for regulating the width between the guide rails.
The other pinions 23 find suitable bearings upon the under sides of the beams 21.
It will be seen that this construction admits of a quick adjustment of the said
rails to different distances apart and that it can all be done by one person.

page_text: The motor 4 may be of any suitable form but must be of such a construction
as to be easily mounted upon the conveyor so as to go with the same.
It will be observed that my improved portable conveyor is simple in construc-
tion and easy of manipulation and that it can be effectively used for transferring
goods from ships or rail-roads to ware-houses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A portable conveyor comprising a frame, an endless conveyor belt mounted
thereon, a driving pulley or drum engaging said belt, said drum having a peri-
pheral groove to receive the driving belt, a driving belt engaging said groove
and flush with the periphery of the drum, so as to come into frictional contact
with the conveyor belt and thereby actuate the same, and means for actuating
the driving belt, substantially as described.
2. A portable conveyor comprising a frame, an endless conveyor belt mounted
thereon, a driving drum engaging said belt, said drum having an annular
depression formed in its periphery, a driving belt adapted to run in said depres-
sion so as to be flush with the surface of the drum, the belt thus serving not
only to actuate the drum but to come into frictional contact with the conveyor
belt as it passes around said drum and prevent its slipping thereon, means for
actuating the said belt, and means for guiding the belt in the frame, substan-
tially as described.
3. A portable conveyor comprising a frame, a conveyor belt, pulleys for sup-
porting the same, a driving drum engaging the conveyor belt and having an
annular peripheral depression formed therein, a driving belt running in the said
peripheral depression for actuating the drum and coming into frictional contact
with the conveyor belt to assist in moving it and an idler for directing the
driving belt, a pulley for actuating the same, and means for connecting said.
pulley with a suitable motor, substantially as described.
4. A portable conveyor, comprising a suitable frame, an enless conveying belt
mounted thereon, guide rails for directing packages or bags upon the conveyor
belt, arms carrying the said guide rails, the said arms being arranged parallel
and so as to pass each other, and means for adjusting the said arms with respect
to each other for increasing or diminishing the space between the guide rails,
substantially as described.
5. A portable conveyor comprising a suitable frame and a conveying belt
mounted thereon, means for actuating said belt, guide rails for directing the
bags or packages carried by the said belt, said rails being mounted upon suitable
arms, racks formed upon the said arms, pinions for engaging the said racks and
means for rotating the said pinions, whereby the rails are caused to approach or
recede from each other, substantially as described.
6. A portable conveyor comprising a suitable frame, an endless conveying belt
mounted thereon, guide rails adapted to direct packages or bags upon the said
beit, the said rails being supported upon suitable arms, angle irons forming the
said arms and having racks formed on their lower edges, pinions engaging the
said racks and meshing with each other, and means for moving one pinion,
whereby motion will be communicated to the other and to the racks in opposite
directions for adjusting the guide rails, substantially as described.
7. A portable conveyor comprising a suitable frame and an endless conveying
belt mounted thereon, guide rails for directing bags or packages on the conveyor
belt, arms supporting the said rails, said arms having racks on their lower edges,
pinions engaging said racks and meshing with each other, one set of pinions
being secured upon a common shaft, a handle secured to the said shaft for
actuating all of the pinions simultaneously whereby the rails will be caused to
approach or recede from each other, substantially as described.
8. In a portable conveyor, the combination with a suitable frame and a con-

page_text: veyor plate mounted thereon, of guide rails upon each side of the said belt, sup-
porting arms arranged in pairs along the frame of the conveyor and engaging
cross-bars, cleats for holding the said arms upon the said bars and directing
their movement, and pinions for moving the said arms back and forth, sub-
stantially as described.
Data 1941 la
Catal 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co..
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.