Improvements in Conveyors.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Conveyors.
I, JAMES MAPES DODGE of Philadelphia, County of Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to construct a conveyor of jointed rods in such a
manner that the flights will have free movement, and the joints will allow the
conveyor to readily turn curves or pass around a drive wheel or carrier. This
object I attain in the following manner reference being had to the accompanying
drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal view partly in section illustrating my improved
conveyor;
Figure 2 is a sectional view the section being taken on the line 1-2, Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one section of the conveyor shewing the parts
detached, some of the said parts being in section;
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views illustrating modifications of my invention.
A is a series of rods shewn as being made in the form of bolts, having their
ends a, al so shaped that when they are applied to their sockets, they will not
turn therein, and I preferably form a head a on one end, and thread the
opposite end a beyond the portion a¹ to which is fitted a nut B, but the parts
may be rivetted, or other means of fastening may be employed without departing
from my invention. The head a', as well as the portion a, is adapted to an
opening d in a shell D the opening corresponding to the shape of the portion_a
and head a', so as to prevent the rod A from turning in the said shell.
some instances one part only may be shaped to correspond with the opening d.
Secured to a shell D is a cap D¹. The inner portions of the said shell
and cap are shaped to form a socket or casing for the ball E, an opening e
being formed in the ball to receive the shaped portion a' of the bolt, and the
nut B.
In
The opening d¹ in the cap D¹ is flared so as to allow for the free movement
of the bolt to which is attached the ball E.
<<
In
The cap D as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, as well as in Figure 3, has a
flange fl corresponding to a flange on the shell D, and clamp bolts F provided
with suitable nuts, pass through the flanges and secure the cap to the shell.
some instances, the flange for the flange f¹, may project sufficiently to form a
flight" shewn in Figure 4, and in dotted lines in the middle of Figure 1, or
a separable "flight" G may be clamped between the cap and shell as shewn in
full lines in Figure 1, and this "flight" may be made of sheet metal if desired.
The "
flight" may be circular as shewn in full lines in Figure 2, or square as
shown by dotted lines in the said figure, or it may be shaped in any desired
manner (for instance as shewn in Figure 8) depending altogether upon the use
for which the conveyor is intended, and the shape of the trough or conveyor
casing.
In Figure 4 I have shewn the cap D' as having a screw threaded periphery
to screw into the threaded shell D and when necessary a set screw may be used to
lock the cap to the shell. In this figure, I have also shewn a steel bushing d'
in the cap, against which bushing the ball E bears.
In some instances, the head of the rod itself may be spherical as shewn in
Figure 4, and the nut be applied to the opposite end of the rod, and adapted to a
socket in the shell D preventing the nut turning on the rod. It will also be observed
that when a separable ball is used as in Figure 1, the nut is prevented from turning

page_text: on the rod, as the portion a' as well as the nut, is adapted to the opening e corre-
sponding in shape to the nut and the portion a¹. Thus the liability of the parts to
become detached is entirely avoided.
In some instances the head of the nut may be shaped to continue the spherical
line of the ball as shown in Figure 7.
In Figures 5 and 6, I have shewn the cap D¹ secured to the shell D by a bayonet
joint, and when the cap D' is in position the two parts are locked together by a
bolt or pin.
In Figures 7 and 8, I have shewn the shell and cap formed together but in halves
secured together by bolts.
Figure 9 illustrates a method of using rods with balls at each end.
instance the "flight or joint has a double socket.
In this
While I prefer to make each joint a "fight" of the conveyor, some of the flights
may be omitted where very few flights are required in the length of the conveyor.
It will be seen that by this construction, a conveyor can be made very cheaply,
and in the strongest possible manner, as the links used are simply headed bars, and
when it is required to renew the joints, the parts of the socket (constituted by the
shell and cap) or the ball itself can be replaced with very little expense, and the
parts can be kept in stock, and "flights" of different shapes can be attached as
required.
I prefer to rigidly secure the several rods to their casings, so that the flights
forming part of the casing or attached thereto, will be drawn in line owing to the
leverage, as the joint of the link is at the extreme end of the rod, differing in this
particular from the ordinary link conveyor and wire rope conveyor.
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
First. In a conveyor, the combination of a series of rods connected together by
flights" flexibly jointed to the said rods, substantially as herein before described.
Second. In a conveyor, the combination of a series of rods and "flights," with
ball and socket connection between each rod and one of the "flights," substantially
as herein before described.
Third. In a conveyor, the combination of the "flights" with a series of rods each
having a ball at one end and a socket or casing at the other end, the ball of each
rod of the series being adapted to the socket or casing of the adjoining rod,
substantially as herein before described.
Fourth. The combination in a conveyor, of a "flight," a socket or casing therein,
a rod rigidly secured to the said "flight," and a ball adapted to the socket or
casing and to which is secured another rod, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifth. The combination in a conveyor, of a series of sockets or casings, a series
of rods rigidly attached to the said sockets or casings, and a series of balls attached
to the opposite ends of the said rods and mounted in the sockets or casings,
substantially as herein before described.
Sixth. The combination in a conveyor of the series of balls and sockets or
casings, the rods connecting them and "flights" secured to the said sockets or
casings, substantially as herein before described.
Seventh. The combination in a conveyor of the rods A, a shell in which the head
of the rod is mounted and prevented from turning, with a ball E adapted to the
said shell, and in which the end of a rod is mounted and prevented from turning in
the said ball, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Eighth. The combination in a conveyor of a rod having at one end a head and
portion a, and at the opposite end a portion a' and screw threaded portion a³, with
a ball adapted to the portion a', and a nut adapted to the threaded portion and also
adapted to the ball, and a socket or casing having an opening in which the head of
the rod is mounted, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Ninth. The combination in a conveyor of the rod, a shell D secured to one end

page_text: of the said rod, a ball E secured to the opposite end of the rod, a cap for the said
shell in which the ball of the adjoining rod is adapted, with means for securing the
cap to the shell substantially as hereinbefore described.
Tenth. The combination in a conveyor of the rod, a shell D adapted to one end
of the said rod, a ball E adapted to the opposite end of the rod, a cap for the said
shell with a "flight" clamped between the cap and shell, and means for clamping
the cap to the shell and flight, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 13th day of June 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.