Patent Description:
Transfer guards have been used to provide a smooth transition to support objects traveling across a gap between two conveyor surfaces, such as two pulleys of separate belts, and to prevent objects from falling into the gap. One known transfer guard was formed from a single sheet of UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) polyethylene material with a rectangular cross section having beveled edges that is rigidly attached to a bar support that is welded or fastened to the side of the conveyor structure and positioned in the gap. Because the length and width of a gap will vary depending on the width of the conveyor belt and the conveyor system configuration, the above described transfer guard generally had to be custom fabricated on site to ensure proper dimensions. In addition, because a single sheet of polyethylene material is used, if one portion of the sheet is damaged, the whole sheet must be replaced. In addition, because the guard is rigidly attached to the conveyor system, if an object becomes stuck between the guard and the conveyor system, there is no way to release the guard to prevent damage to the conveyor system.

Another known transfer guard takes the form of a transfer plate using one or more roller bars or wheels arranged in one or more successive laterally arranged rows. These systems require a rigid support structure at the sides or underneath the transfer plate to be mounted in the proper location. Such known roller systems are not configured break away or otherwise absorb impacts from objects or belt splices.

One problem resides in the tolerance provided between the above-described transfer guard and the adjacent moving belt surface, which can allow small debris to become lodged between the transfer guard and the belt surface causing damage to the belt as the moving belt surface continuously rubs against the trapped debris. To address this problem, break-away transfer devices are known. With the above-described device, lag bolts were utilized to releasably mount a bar transfer guard to the support plate members or stringers of the conveyor frame structure of the conveyor system. The lag bolts would shear under sufficient force so the transfer guard bar would break away to avoid belt damage.

One drawback of the above-described break-away transfer guard and other transfer devices, such as the device disclosed in <CIT>, is the manner in which the devices are mounted to break away during conveyor operations. Transfer devices that have their break-away mountings at the side support plate members or stringers of the conveyor system require that the longitudinally directed forces on the transfer device be redirected and transmitted through the device laterally to the remote break-away mountings. One drawback with these break-away transfer guards is that in the event that the transfer guard breaks away, the transfer guard completely loses functionality requiring replacement of the entire transfer guard.

In one transfer device disclosed in <CIT>, a complex series of narrow relief plates are individually removably attached by magnets to corresponding individual slidable mounting blocks having shafts that allow longitudinal movement in the direction of belt travel. The mounting blocks are mounted to a dead plate conveyor, which is stationary and relies upon vibration to move articles, such as glassware. Accordingly, the transfer device disclosed in Ellis appears to be limited to applications where a moving conveying surface is adjacent to a stationary conveying surface having sufficient support structure to which the transfer device may be fixedly mounted.

A transfer guard system comprised of multiple members positioned side-by-side and releasably attached to a support bar for spanning a gap between conveyor systems is disclosed in <CIT>. Each member is sized to span the entire longitudinal distance of the gap between the adjacent conveying surfaces in the product travel direction and include a pair of depending legs that are releasably mounted to a support bar.

Because each member is sized to longitudinally span the entire gap, and gap sizes may vary considerably, different sized members must be made for each gap having a different size.

Document <CIT> relates to an accumulating roller conveyor for the transport of piece goods with a plurality of rollers, two of which are rotatably arranged on a bolt at a distance from one another, with rollers arranged one behind the other being connected to one another by tabs arranged laterally on the bolts and thus forming an endless chain, and with conveyor rollers also arranged on bolts with rollers, which are each arranged between two rollers one behind the other, the conveyor rollers having larger diameters than the rollers, and the incision-like depressions formed by two conveyor rollers one behind the other with bolts in between are filled by bridge-forming filling members, which are attached to the respective bolts or to spacer sleeves on the bolts. Said document discloses a transfer guard member according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

The invention provides a transfer guard member according to claim <NUM> comprising: a body for being positioned in a laterally extending gap between conveying surfaces; at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar, the attachment member having an upper transfer surface; an outboard portion extending longitudinally outward from the attachment member; at least one recess of the body adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that the upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another; and a lateral width of the outboard portion being greater than a lateral width of the attachment member due to the at least one recess adjacent the at least one attachment member, wherein the body includes at least one protrusion extending longitudinally outward from the attachment member and being configured to interfere with the other transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar and tightly engage the transfer guard members together on the mounting bar.

A transfer guard system including such transfer guard members is also provided.

To enable a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:-.

Optional and/or preferred features are defined by the dependent claims. A transfer guard system in accordance with the present invention is disclosed in <FIG>. The examples shown in <FIG> do not form part of the present invention as claimed.

In one disclosed example not forming part of the claimed invention, a transfer guard member is provided having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces. The body has an upper portion for spanning a gap between adjacent conveying surfaces, such as a single conveyor belt or adjacent belts, pulleys, rollers, and the like. The body has outer portions of the upper body portion for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. The body has a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. The legs have outer curved surfaces spaced from the conveying surfaces and separating the outer portions of the upper body portion and the distal end portions of the legs along the conveying surfaces to permit movement of the legs in the gap. The resilient legs permit the upper body portion to have a controlled range of motion within the gap to accommodate variations in the conveying surfaces, contact from conveyed objects, and other loading while maintaining sliding engagement with the conveying surfaces during normal operations. Further, the outer portions of the upper body portion and the distal end portions of the spaced legs slidingly engage the conveying surfaces and maintain the transfer guard member in the gap such that the transfer guard member may be installed in the gap without requiring additional structure to maintain the transfer guard member in the gap. This enables a user to easily and quickly install one or more transfer guard members in the gap intermediate the conveying surfaces.

In one form, the body includes an intermediate stop portion spaced from one of the conveying surfaces for being shifted into engagement with the one conveying surface when the body upper portion shifts toward the one conveying surface. The upper body portion may shift toward the one conveying surface, for example, in response to a high wedge force being applied against an upstream one of the outer portions of the upper body portion. This permits the upstream outer portion to shift out of the path of an object, such as an imperfection in the upstream conveying surface, applying the high wedge force until the object can travel beyond the upstream outer portion. The intermediate stop portion controls the amount of movement of the upper body portion permitted within the gap that occurs when a high wedge force is applied to the upper body portion. If the amount of movement of the upper body portion required to compensate for the high wedge force is beyond a predetermined position, the stop portion may operate with one of the conveying surfaces to eject the transfer guard member from the gap.

In a disclosed embodiment in accordance with the invention, a transfer guard member is provided having a body for being positioned in a laterally extending gap between conveying surfaces. The body has at least one attachment member configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar and having an upper transfer surface. An outboard portion of the body extends longitudinally outward from the attachment member has an edge for being positioned at one of the conveying surfaces. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that the upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another. A lateral width of the outboard portion is greater than a lateral width of the attachment member due to the at least one recess adjacent the at least one attachment member. In this manner, the upper transfer surfaces can support an item traveling over the transfer guard members and keep the item away from a seam or gap between the transfer guard members.

The at least one recess of the body extends laterally from the at least one attachment member. This permits the upper transfer surfaces to be laterally aligned with the transfer guard members fixed to the mounting bar. The lateral alignment supports an item traveling longitudinally along the transfer guard members and keeps the item from becoming lodged in the gap between the transfer guard members.

According to the invention, the body also includes at least one protrusion extending longitudinally outward from the attachment member. The least one protrusion is configured to interfere with the other transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar and tightly engage the transfer guard members together on the mounting bar. The interference between the transfer guard members creates a clash therebetween and urges the transfer guard members apart. This clash ensures that the transfer guard members have a tight fit on the mounting bar which minimizes the gap therebetween and reduces the likelihood of an item becoming caught in the interface between the transfer guard members. In one form, the at least one protrusion extends outward from the attachment member adjacent the upper transfer surface and interferes with the other transfer guard member adjacent the upper transfer surface thereof. In this manner, there is a tight fit between the transfer guard members at the upper transfer surfaces thereof which minimizes the gap between the transfer guard members adjacent the upper transfer surfaces which, in turn, reduces the likelihood of conveyed items becoming caught in the gap.

A transfer guard system is also disclosed having a mounting bar for extending laterally in a gap intermediate two conveying surfaces and a plurality of longitudinally aligned pairs of upstream and downstream transfer guard members for transferring objects in a longitudinal, downstream direction between the two conveying surfaces. Each pair of upstream and downstream transfer guard members have attachment members configured for detachably fixing the pair of upstream and downstream transfer guard members to the mounting bar. By utilizing longitudinally aligned pairs of upstream and downstream transfer guard members, a high-force impact that detaches an upstream transfer guard member may leave the downstream guard member in place and fixed to the mounting bar. In this manner, the downstream transfer guard member provides some transfer functionality despite the upstream transfer guard having been detached from the mounting bar.

The transfer guard system having pairs of upstream and downstream transfer guard members also provides improved flexibility for installing the transfer guard system. For example, at least one of the pairs of upstream and downstream transfer guard members may include upstream and downstream transfer guard members having different longitudinal lengths. This permits the mounting bar to be mounted off center between conveying surfaces which may be required by the surrounding structures, such as welds or supports of the conveyor system. Further, the plurality of aligned pairs of upstream and downstream transfer guard members may include a first pair of upstream and downstream members having a first longitudinal length and a second pair of upstream and downstream members having a second longitudinal length different than the first longitudinal length. By having pairs of upstream and downstream members with different longitudinal lengths, the transfer guard members may be individually tailored to a particular conveying system without needing to cut the transfer guard members to length as in some prior approaches. Further, the different length pairs of the upstream and downstream transfer guard members may permit the transfer guard system to transfer objects across gaps that vary in size such as due to turns in the conveyor belt system.

There is also disclosed a transfer guard system for conveying objects across a gap intermediate two conveying surfaces and bounded by a pair of guide surfaces that extend longitudinally along opposite lateral sides of the conveying surfaces. The transfer guard system includes a mounting bar for extending laterally in the gap between the pair of guide surfaces and at least one transfer guard member for being detachably connected to the mounting bar. The system further includes at least one mount for supporting the mounting bar in the gap. The at least one mount includes a base portion for being fixed to one of the guide surfaces and a support portion disposed laterally inward from the base portion. The mount support portion permits the mounting bar to be lowered into the gap between the conveying surfaces and the guide surfaces and be connected to the support portion. This top-loading operability is advantageous in confined installation environments where the gap is bounded on its sides by the conveying surfaces and the guide surfaces and below by support structure of the conveying surfaces. For example, a conveyor may have skirts on opposite lateral sides of the conveyor surfaces and the skirts may have welds or thick reinforcement members their outer surfaces so that a user may be unable to drill holes in the skirts to mount a bracket for a mounting bar to the skirts. The transfer guard system overcomes this shortcoming and permits a user to fix the base portions of a pair of the mounts to the skirt guide surfaces, such as by welding, and then lower the mounting bar into the gap and connect the mounting bar to the mounts fixed to the skirt guide surfaces. Thus, the transfer guard system provides improved ease of installation despite space constrictions around the gap.

In another form, the transfer guard system includes multiple transfer guard segments or members having upper transfer surfaces for being positioned laterally side-by-side and longitudinally end-to-end along a gap in a belt conveying surface or between two conveying surfaces. One advantage of the end-to-end mounting of the transfer guard members is that it allows the user to customize the transfer guard system for use in various different size gaps between conveying surfaces, as well as to accommodate various types and configurations of conveying surfaces. For example, a large range of gap sizes between conveying surfaces may be spanned with only a few differently sized members. In addition, the transfer guard members may be mounted to an elongated mounting member in a plurality of different locations in the gap, particularly when two differently sized transfer guard members are used to span the gap on either side of the elongate mounting member. This allows for greater flexibility for mounting the transfer guard system in a wide range of conveyor system configurations.

The elongate mounting member extends laterally across the width of the conveyor system and has the transfer guard members releasably mounted thereto. The mounting member is positioned in the gap between conveying surfaces so that the mounting member is generally below the transfer guard members, and specifically the upper surfaces thereof. The transfer guard members and lower mounting member have lower detachable connections therebetween. In this manner, the transfer guard members can detach from the mounting member should debris get jammed between one of the transfer guard members and the conveying surface with enough force to dislodge the transfer guard member from the mounting member by releasing the detachable connection therebetween. If debris is jammed in between a transfer guard member and the adjacent conveying surface, other conveyed items may impact against the stuck debris or a lifted upstream edge of the transfer guard member with enough force to release the detachable connection and dislodge the transfer guard member. In the event of a sufficiently high impact wedge force that tends to generate an upward lifting force on the transfer guard member, the location of the detachable connection proximate to and generally immediately below the location of the impact will better ensure that the detachable connection is released so that the conveying surface is not damaged by jammed debris.

The upper surfaces of the transfer guard members are sized in a longitudinal conveyor or product travel direction to each span a portion of the gap so that when an appropriately sized pair of upstream and downstream transfer guard members are installed a receiving edge of the upstream transfer guard upper surface is closely positioned to the upstream conveying surface and a discharge edge of a downstream transfer guard member is closely positioned to the downstream conveying surface. To this end, the detachable connections provided between the transfer guard members and lower mounting member are configured to fix the upper surfaces, including the upstream receiving and downstream discharge edges thereof, against longitudinal shifting in the conveyor or product travel direction prior to the detachment of the transfer guard members so that debris does not accumulate in the gap under the transfer guard members during normal conveyor operations.

Each transfer guard member may include two pairs of spaced-apart legs generally projecting downward from a transfer guard upper bridge portion on which the upper transfer surface is formed. The pairs of opposing legs may be laterally offset so that the side surfaces of the transfer guard members are aligned when mounted on a mounting member end-to-end. This offset configuration allows the transfer guard members to be mounted on the same mounting member end-to-end with the one of the pairs of legs of one of the end-to-end transfer guard members disposed between the pairs of legs of the other transfer guard member in a configuration resembling the interlocking teeth of a zipper. Such an offset configuration allows the spaced-apart legs for each transfer guard member have an identical size and configuration. Alternatively, the pairs of opposing legs could be configured such that the side surfaces of the transfer guard members are not aligned when the members are mounted end-to-end. Further, the transfer guard member could alternatively have a single pair of opposing legs.

The pairs of opposing legs may be spaced apart such that one of the pairs of spaced-apart legs of a longitudinally adjacent transfer guard member may interdigitate or nest in between the two pairs of legs of the other longitudinally adjacent transfer guard member to provide a substantially uninterrupted upper transfer surface spanning the gap between upstream and downstream conveying surfaces. The legs are spaced apart from one another to tightly fit the mounting member therebetween, and the legs may be formed to be resiliently flexible for being snap fit onto the mounting member. The pairs of legs each include an upstream leg and a downstream leg. The upstream and downstream legs extend laterally and are spaced longitudinally from each other in the belt travel direction so that the upstream leg bears tightly against the mounting bar keeping the transfer guard members fixed against longitudinal shifting in the downstream direction as products are conveyed over the upper surfaces thereof. However, when debris gets lodged between the upstream, receiving edge of one of the transfer guard members and the conveying surface, the resilient legs can resiliently deform to allow the transfer guard member to detach from the mounting bar before the conveying surface is damaged by the stuck debris.

The transfer guard members may be formed from a material presenting a surface with good abrasion resistance and a low coefficient of friction such as UHMW polyethylene, or the like. For transfer guard members that use a mounting member, the mounting member may be formed of a metal or like material providing high strength and durability.

While the transfer guard members are illustrated bridging a gap formed between two adjacent conveyor belt surfaces, they may also be used to bridge a gap between various other types of conveying surfaces, such as, without limitation, between the rollers of two roller conveyor systems that do not use a belt, between one roller conveyor system and another conveyor belt system, between a moving conveying surface and a stationary conveying surface, such as a chute, or in a gap in a conveyor belt, e.g., as a hitch guard. In addition, although the adjacent pulleys shown in the drawings have the same or a similar diameter, the transfer guards may be implemented or be modified to bridge the gap formed between pulleys having different diameters, or to bridge the gap between conveying surfaces that are inclined with respect to one another.

In <FIG> and <FIG>, a transfer guard system <NUM> is provided having several transfer guard segments or members <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>) that extend between pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> of adjacent upstream and downstream conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> in a laterally extending gap <NUM>. The transfer guard members <NUM> are free-floating in that they are supported only by the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> and pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>, and not a separate support structure, such as a support bar that spans the lateral gap <NUM>. In addition, the transfer guard members <NUM> shown are not attached to one another, but merely abut one another along lateral sides <NUM>, <NUM> thereof. However, the transfer guard members <NUM> may include fixation structures for attaching the guard members to one another if desired. With respect to <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM> each include a body <NUM> having an upper portion <NUM> and a pair of lower, resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> separated by a gap. The body upper portion <NUM> has a bridge portion <NUM> with a generally flat upper surface <NUM> for providing support to objects, such as a box <NUM> being conveyed between the upstream and downstream belts <NUM>, <NUM>, as well as keeping materials from falling or getting trapped between the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The bridge portion <NUM> has upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> configured to slidingly engage the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and facilitate movement of objects onto and off of the flat upper surface <NUM>. The spaced, resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> slidingly engaging the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and support the body <NUM> in the gap <NUM> between the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. In one form, the resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> below the bridge portion <NUM> and includes contact portions <NUM>, <NUM> for slidingly engaging with the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> to keep the bridge portion <NUM> in place. As used herein, the term resilient is intended to refer to the ability of a material or component to elastically deform in response to loading during ordinary use of the material or component.

With respect to <FIG>, the spaced, resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to hold the bridge portion <NUM> in place while allowing for a resilient response to impacts from conveyed objects, debris, or belt splices, as well as non-catastrophic failure modes that are designed not to damage the belts <NUM>, <NUM> or pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, should an object or a damaged belt splice impact an upstream edge <NUM> of the upstream outboard portion <NUM> with sufficient force, the transfer guard member <NUM> has a tendency to lift up or eject upwardly from the gap <NUM> between the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. In the case of an object, such as debris, a metal fastener, or the like, the object will cause the transfer guard segment <NUM> to resiliently shift upwardly temporarily, or in the extreme case, completely eject from the gap <NUM>, allowing the object to fall in the gap <NUM>, rather than get wedged between the edge <NUM> and the belt <NUM> and cause damage to the belt <NUM>. In the case of a damaged belt splice, the resilient anchoring of the bridge portion <NUM> within the gap <NUM> limits the likelihood of causing further damage to the splice, as the transfer guard member <NUM> uses its resiliency to absorb the impact and then settles back into place after the impact. In addition, in some cases due to excessive wear at the bridge portions <NUM> or the legs <NUM>, <NUM>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may simply fall downward through the gap between the belts <NUM>, <NUM>, and may easily be replaced with a new transfer guard member <NUM>.

If sufficient upward force is applied to the transfer guard member <NUM>, such as by impact, the transfer guard member <NUM> becoming caught on a conveyed item, or as a result of friction with the moving conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may be ejected upwardly from the gap <NUM> no matter where the transfer guard member <NUM> is laterally positioned along the gap <NUM> across the entire width of the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. If sufficient downward force is applied to the transfer guard member <NUM>, such as the edge <NUM> of the upstream outboard portion <NUM> getting stuck on a severely damaged belt splice, the transfer guard member <NUM> may fall downwardly from the gap <NUM> no matter where the transfer guard member <NUM> is laterally positioned along the gap <NUM>. By configuring the spaced legs <NUM>, <NUM> to keep the transfer guard members <NUM> in place during normal conveyor belt operations (see <FIG>) and eject upwardly or downwardly from the gap <NUM> should a significantly high wedge impact force be applied thereto, the transfer guard members <NUM> allow the items that are intended to be conveyed to pass smoothly over the gap <NUM>, but can dislodge when objects or damaged belt splices strongly impact an edge of the transfer guard member <NUM> to help avoid belt or splice damage.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM> have their upper surfaces <NUM> sized so as to longitudinally span the gap <NUM> between belts <NUM>, <NUM> and adjacent pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>. In addition, the transfer guard members <NUM> can be positioned so that there are no lateral gaps between adjacent transfer guard members <NUM>, with adjacent sides <NUM>, <NUM> thereof abutting one another. Although the embodiments herein are described with relation to a gap between two separate conveyor belts, the transfer guard members may also be used in a gap in a single conveyor belt such as between adjacent hitch rollers. The discussion herein may also refer to conveying surfaces for convenience, and it is intended that conveying surfaces may encompass two portions of a single surface, e.g., portions of a conveyor belt surface on opposite sides of a gap formed by a hitch in the conveyor belt. In addition, the transfer guard system <NUM> could be implemented or be modified to be used with conveyor systems having rollers or pulleys with different diameters, to span different sized gaps, to span gaps between belts or rollers having different elevations or angular orientations, to span between roller type conveyors without a belt, between a belt or roller conveyor and a chute, or other known conveyor systems, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The transfer guard member <NUM> has a generally Π-shaped configuration, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The transfer guard member body <NUM> may be made of a resilient, low friction material such as polymer, for example, ultra-high-molecular-weight (UHMW) polyethylene. The body <NUM> includes the upper bridge portion <NUM> and the pair of depending legs <NUM>, <NUM> that can resiliently flex to engage with the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> as they travel around a lower portion of the adjacent pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> to releasably anchor the bridge portion <NUM> in the gap <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> may extend beyond the upstream and downstream edges <NUM>, <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM> when the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are in an unbiased configuration prior to insertion between adjacent pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>.

The transfer guard bridge portion <NUM> includes the opposing upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> extending from a central portion <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM>. The outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> extend onto the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and are configured to slidingly engage the surfaces of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The outboard portion <NUM> positions the receiving, upstream edge <NUM> in close proximity to the conveyor belt <NUM> traveling in direction <NUM> and returning in direction <NUM> about the upstream pulley <NUM> and the discharge, downstream edge <NUM> of the downstream outboard portion <NUM> in close proximity to the belt <NUM> traveling in direction <NUM> and returning in direction <NUM> about the downstream pulley <NUM>.

In one form, the transfer guard members <NUM> are symmetrical about a central, vertical axis <NUM> as shown in <FIG> so as to allow the transfer guard members <NUM> to be installed with either outboard portion <NUM>, <NUM><NUM> projecting upstream or downstream. This improves the ease of installation of the transfer guard members <NUM> in the gap <NUM> and reduces the likelihood of user error in the installation process. Additionally, the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> may convey items in two opposite directions such that the belt <NUM> is an upstream belt with the belts <NUM>, <NUM> operating in a first direction and the belt <NUM> is the upstream belt with the belts <NUM>, <NUM> operating in a second, opposite direction. The symmetry about the vertical axis <NUM> permits the transfer guard member <NUM> to be bi-directional and transfer items across the gap <NUM> regardless of the direction of the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. Further, an operator does not have to change the orientation of the transfer guard members <NUM> before changing the direction of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> since the transfer guard members <NUM> are functional in both directions.

The legs <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to provide contact portions <NUM>, <NUM> that are biased against the belts <NUM>, <NUM> with sufficient force to resist the tendency of the bridge portion <NUM> to rotate due to forces caused by the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> moving past the transfer guard member <NUM> (including a downward frictional force component on the upstream outboard portion <NUM> from the upstream belt <NUM> and an upward frictional force component on the downstream outboard portion <NUM> from the downstream belt <NUM>) and to keep the transfer guard member <NUM> from being dislodged from the gap <NUM> between the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> during operation of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. At the same time, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to limit the size of the contact portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the force with which the contact portions <NUM>, <NUM> are urged against the belts <NUM>, <NUM> to minimize wear on the legs <NUM>, <NUM> and belts <NUM>, <NUM> and avoid chattering of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> with the belts <NUM>, <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the transfer guard member body <NUM> includes one or more transition portions <NUM>, <NUM> extending from the bridge portion <NUM> that provide rigidity to the legs <NUM>, <NUM> and urge the legs <NUM>, <NUM> against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard member body <NUM> includes at least one stop, such as a stop portions <NUM>, <NUM>, for limiting movement of the transfer guard member <NUM> in the gap <NUM> during operation of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>, as discussed in greater detail below.

The legs <NUM>, <NUM> extend downwardly from the transition portions <NUM>, <NUM> and form extended arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> that initially curve inwardly toward each other and then extend downward and away from each other. Each leg <NUM>, <NUM> includes a distal end portion <NUM>, <NUM> with contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> for contacting the adjacent belt <NUM>, <NUM> during normal operation. In one form, the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> have rounded protrusions with the contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> thereon.

The arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> may be sized and configured such that outer facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> do not engage with belts <NUM>, <NUM> during normal operation, but upon impact of an object with the bridge portion <NUM>, the outer facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> may be urged into engagement with the belts <NUM>, <NUM> and provide anchoring support to the bridge portion <NUM> to help absorb the impact and prevent ejection of the transfer guard member <NUM> from the gap <NUM>. Although the transition portions <NUM>, <NUM> connect the legs <NUM>, <NUM> to the bridge portion <NUM>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> may be directly connected to the bridge portion <NUM> in other forms. Further, the shape, size, and orientation of the transition portions <NUM>, <NUM> and legs <NUM>, <NUM> may be selected to provide a desired amount of sliding engagement with the conveying surfaces in a particular application.

With reference to <FIG>, a method of installing the transfer guard member <NUM> into the gap <NUM> between the belts <NUM>, <NUM> is shown. Initially, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> have an unbiased, expanded configuration with the legs <NUM>, <NUM> splayed apart as shown in <FIG>. The legs <NUM>, <NUM> are urged together to a deflected, insertion configuration as shown in <FIG>. In the insertion configuration, the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> are biased inwardly toward one another to provide clearance for the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> to fit into the gap <NUM> between the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The legs <NUM>, <NUM> are spaced apart in the deflected, insertion configuration and do not overlap laterally across the transfer guard member <NUM>.

The user then advances the transfer guard member <NUM> in direction <NUM> and inserts the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> into the gap <NUM>. The user may press downwardly in direction <NUM> on the upper surface <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM> to seat the transfer guard member <NUM> in the gap <NUM> and position the upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> near or against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. With the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> advanced below centerlines of the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> shift apart toward an expanded, installation configuration and resiliently bias the contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The bridge portion <NUM> may contact the belts <NUM>, <NUM> below the upper surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the belts <NUM>, <NUM> to provide for smooth transfer of objects from the belt <NUM> to the upper transfer surface <NUM> and subsequently to the downstream belt <NUM>. In addition, the contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> may engage the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> below the centerlines of the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>, and may engage the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> closer to the lower extent of the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> so that the legs <NUM>, <NUM> must be flexed significantly in order to expel the transfer guard member <NUM> from the gap <NUM>.

In an alternative form, the transfer guard member <NUM> may have only a single downstream leg <NUM> to engage the conveyor belt <NUM>. The single downstream leg <NUM> would provide sufficient engagement with conveyor belt <NUM> to resist the upwardly directed forces on the downstream outboard portion <NUM> from the conveyor belt <NUM> and the downwardly directed forces on the upstream outboard portion <NUM>. In other forms, the transfer guard member <NUM> may have three, four, or another number of members or devices for engaging one or both of the conveying surfaces.

The sliding engagement between the transfer guard member <NUM> and the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> may take a variety of forms. For example, one or more of the outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> and legs <NUM>, <NUM> may employ rolling contact with the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>, such as wheels or rollers that rotate as the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> travel past the transfer guard member <NUM>.

The transfer guard member <NUM> may be integrally formed from a single piece of material, such as UHMW polyethylene. The term integral is intended to refer to a single, one-piece construction. In one approach, the transfer guard member <NUM> is formed by extruding UMHW polyethylene through a die having the desired cross sectional shape of the transfer guard member <NUM>. The transfer guard member <NUM> could alternatively be formed by casting, injection moulding, machining, or three dimensional printing, for example, In one form, the transfer guard member <NUM> could be formed from a plurality of components connected together. For example, the transfer guard member <NUM> could have a two-part construction including the bridge portion <NUM> formed of a first material and the legs <NUM>, <NUM> formed of a second material that is secured to the bridge portion <NUM> using welding or fasteners, for example.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM> include one or two end transfer guard members 12A that are similar to the transfer guard member <NUM> discussed above. The end transfer guard members 12A, however, include a bridge portion <NUM> with an installation portion <NUM> that can be adjusted to customize the overall lateral width of the plurality of transfer guard members <NUM> within the gap <NUM> and ensure that the transfer guard members <NUM>, 12A completely fill the gap <NUM> and avoid any openings between the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> which could catch conveyed items or debris. For example, the installation portion <NUM> may include a lateral extension <NUM> with a reduced thickness. To customize the width of the transfer guard member 12A, and the resulting overall width of the transfer guard members <NUM> within the gap <NUM>, a user may cut the lateral extension <NUM> of the transfer guard member 12A along an axis <NUM> to obtain a desired width <NUM> of the transfer guard 12A. Because the lateral extension <NUM> is positioned laterally from legs <NUM> of the transfer guard member 12A, a user does not need to cut through the legs <NUM> in order to obtain a desired width <NUM> of the transfer guard 12A, which makes customization easier.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, another transfer guard member <NUM> is provided that is similar in many respects to the transfer guard member <NUM>. The transfer guard member <NUM> is shown installed in a gap <NUM> between two moving conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard member <NUM> has a bridge portion <NUM> with upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> slidingly engaged with the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> in an upper, enlarged area <NUM> of the gap <NUM>. The conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> have a narrowed area <NUM> that defines a minimum distance <NUM> between the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and a lower, enlarged area <NUM> below the narrowed area <NUM>. The transfer guard member <NUM> has lower, resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> with distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> slidingly engaged with the belts <NUM>, <NUM><NUM> in the lower, enlarged area <NUM> of the gap <NUM>. Intermediate the outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the legs <NUM>, <NUM>, the transfer guard member <NUM> has stop portions <NUM>, <NUM> spaced from the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. During normal operation, the outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> rest on the moving conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> in the upper area <NUM> of the gap <NUM> and the legs <NUM>, <NUM> bias the distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> against the moving conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> in the lower area <NUM> of the gap <NUM> which holds the transfer guard member <NUM> within the gap <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> has freedom to shift within the gap <NUM> and navigate significantly damaged conveying surfaces without causing further damage to the conveying surfaces. As an example, the conveyor belt <NUM> is shown having been cut and a large flap <NUM> is upstanding from the conveyor belt <NUM>. The conveyor belt <NUM> moves in direction <NUM> and advances the flap <NUM> into contact with an upstream edge <NUM> of the upstream outboard portion <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the flap <NUM> moving in direction <NUM> engages the upstream edge <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM> and shifts the bridge portion <NUM> in direction <NUM>. This presses a downstream edge <NUM> of the outboard portion <NUM> against the conveyor belt <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the flap <NUM> continues to move in direction <NUM> around the pulley associated with the conveyor belt <NUM> and shifts the bridge portion <NUM> farther in direction <NUM> which engages a lower surface <NUM> of the outboard portion <NUM> with the conveyor belt <NUM>. Further, the shifting of the bridge portion <NUM> in direction <NUM> engages the stop portion <NUM> with the conveyor belt <NUM>. At this juncture, the transfer guard member <NUM> is engaged with the conveyor belt <NUM> at three areas-the outboard portion edge <NUM> and lower surface <NUM>, the stop portion <NUM>, and the leg distal end portion <NUM>. These three engagement areas temporarily couple the transfer guard member <NUM> to the conveyor belt <NUM>. The conveyor belt <NUM>, however, continues to rotate in direction <NUM> about its associated pulley.

Turning to <FIG>, because the transfer guard member <NUM> is temporarily coupled to the conveyor belt <NUM>, the rotation of the conveyor belt <NUM> in direction <NUM> causes the bridge portion <NUM> to tilt and raise the upstream edge <NUM> upward in direction <NUM>, over the flap <NUM> of the conveyor belt <NUM>. Comparing <FIG> and <FIG>, the upstream leg <NUM> is resiliently tensioned in response to the flap <NUM> urging the bridge portion <NUM> downstream in direction <NUM> and moved an arcuate outer surface <NUM> of the upstream leg <NUM> away from the conveyor belt <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. Once the upstream edge <NUM> starts to travel upward in direction <NUM> over the flap <NUM>, the leg <NUM> springs back and draws the bridge portion <NUM> upstream in direction <NUM>. Further, the sliding engagement of the leg distal end portion <NUM> and the conveyor belt <NUM> traveling in direction <NUM> causes the leg <NUM> to pull downward on the outboard portion <NUM> and direct the upstream edge <NUM> downward behind the flap <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the movement of the bridge portion <NUM> in direction <NUM> disengages the stop portion <NUM> from the conveyor belt <NUM> and permits the stop portion <NUM> to move in direction <NUM> away from the conveyor belt <NUM>. In this manner, the transfer guard member <NUM> is now engaged with the conveyor belt <NUM> at only two areas-the downstream outboard portion edge <NUM> and lower surface <NUM> and the leg distal end portion <NUM>. The fewer points of contact between the transfer guard member <NUM> and the conveyor belt <NUM> effectively de-couples the transfer guard member <NUM> from the conveyor belt <NUM> moving in direction <NUM> such that the outboard portion <NUM> and distal end portion <NUM> return to normal, sliding engagement with the conveyor belt <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the upstream edge <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM> has successfully navigated up and over the flap <NUM>. The flap <NUM> has started to travel along a lower surface <NUM> of the upstream outboard portion <NUM> and toward the leg <NUM>. The flap <NUM> may travel along the outer arcuate surface <NUM> of the leg <NUM>, the distal end portion <NUM>, and away from the transfer guard member <NUM> in direction <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may navigate upward over large irregularities in a conveyor belt <NUM> without further damaging the conveyor belt <NUM>. In the event that the upstream edge <NUM> is unable to disengage from the irregularity, such as a severely damaged splice, the irregularity will pull the upstream outboard portion <NUM> in direction <NUM> with the irregularity. The bridge portion <NUM> would fold toward the downstream leg <NUM> in order to permit the upstream outboard portion <NUM> to move in direction <NUM> with the irregularity. The irregularity would continue to pull the transfer guard member <NUM> with it in direction <NUM> until the transfer guard member <NUM> falls downwardly out of the gap <NUM>. Because the transfer guard member <NUM> slidingly engages the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and holds itself in the gap <NUM>, the transfer guard member <NUM> can fall downwardly out of the gap <NUM> without interference from any rigid mounting structures. This further reduces the likelihood that the transfer guard member <NUM> could become lodged against the conveyor belt <NUM> and damage the conveyor belt <NUM> due to the irregularity. It will be appreciated that the transfer guard member <NUM> may operate in a manner similar to the foregoing description of the transfer guard member <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may be ejected upwardly or downwardly from the gap <NUM> in response to a substantial force being applied to the bridge portion <NUM>. By ejecting from the gap <NUM>, the transfer guard member <NUM> avoids damaging the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> by not becoming lodged or wedged against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> is shown in its normal operating configuration with upper body portion <NUM> in an operating orientation for conveying goods across the gap <NUM> and the upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the leg distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> are slidingly engaged with the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. Further, the stop portions <NUM>, <NUM> and outer, arcuate surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are spaced from the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> by air gaps <NUM>, <NUM>. The conveyor belt <NUM> travels in direction <NUM> and has a flap 190A traveling into contact against the upstream edge <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the flap 190A engages the upstream outboard portion <NUM> and lifts and tilts the bridge portion <NUM> within the gap <NUM>. The engagement of the flap 190A against the upstream outboard portion <NUM> shifts the bridge portion <NUM> downstream and engages the stop portion <NUM> against the conveyor belt <NUM>. The flap 190A is distinguishable from the flap <NUM> discussed above with respect to <FIG> because the flap 190A becomes caught on the upstream outboard portion <NUM> whereas the upstream outboard portion <NUM> is able to deflect flap <NUM> out of the way of the transfer guard member <NUM>. Thus, with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the belt <NUM> and flap 190A caught on the upstream edge <NUM> continues to move in direction <NUM> which further tilts the upper bridge portion <NUM> and bends the leg <NUM> such that an angle <NUM> between the transition portion <NUM> and the leg <NUM> decreases as the leg <NUM> bends.

With reference to <FIG>, the flap 190A of the conveyor belt <NUM> has lifted the bridge portion <NUM> to an inclined, failure orientation wherein the bridge portion may fall through the gap <NUM>. This movement of the bridge portion <NUM> further bends the leg <NUM> relative to the transition portion <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the flap portion 190A continues traveling in direction <NUM> away from the bridge portion <NUM> while the transfer guard member <NUM> falls downward from the gap <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may eject downwardly from the gap rather than becoming wedged on the flap 190A and further damaging the conveyor belt <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> may alternatively be ejected upwardly from the gap <NUM> in response to a horizontal or upward force moving the upper body portion <NUM> upward out of the gap <NUM>. Specifically, the transfer guard member <NUM> is shown in <FIG> in a normal operating configuration with the upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the leg distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> slidingly engaging the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. A heavy object, such as an oversize box <NUM>, may in some rare, instances become caught on the upstream outboard portion <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the box <NUM> has a corner <NUM> that may be shaped and positioned in such a way that it becomes lodged under the upstream edge <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the box <NUM> travels along the conveyor belt <NUM> in a conveying direction <NUM> and, due to the engagement of the corner <NUM> with the edge <NUM>, shifts the bridge portion <NUM> downstream and engages the stop portion <NUM> against the conveyor belt <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the continued movement of the box <NUM> in direction <NUM> applies sufficient force to cam a curved lower surface of the outboard portion <NUM> up and out of engagement with the conveyor belt <NUM>. In contrast to the flap <NUM> of <FIG>, the heavy box <NUM> does not deflect in response to contact or engagement with the upstream outboard portion <NUM> and applies sufficiently high force against the bridge portion <NUM> to dislodge the bridge portion <NUM> from the gap <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the movement of the box <NUM> in downstream direction <NUM> shifts the bridge portion <NUM> downstream which bends the leg <NUM> relative to the transition portion <NUM> by a greater and greater amount as the bridge portion <NUM> is removed from the gap <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard member <NUM> has been fully ejected from the gap <NUM> by the block <NUM>. Although the transfer guard member <NUM> has been ejected from the gap <NUM>, the laterally adjacent transfer guard members <NUM> of the transfer guard system <NUM> may support the box <NUM> as it travels across the gap <NUM>. Further, the transfer guard member <NUM> is able to eject upwardly from the gap <NUM> without becoming wedged against the conveyor belt <NUM> and damaging the conveyor belt <NUM>. Thus, the transfer guard member may eject upwardly or downwardly from the gap <NUM> to accommodate out-of-the ordinary forces being applied to the transfer guard member <NUM> without causing damage to the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. It will be appreciated at the loading required to dislodge the transfer guard member <NUM> may be rarely, if ever, encountered by a transfer guard system <NUM> in normal use. But, when it does occur, the transfer guard system <NUM> provides improved ability to handle the loading without damaging the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, another transfer guard system <NUM> is provided that is similar in many respects to the transfer guard system <NUM>, the transfer guard system <NUM> is configured for bridging a gap <NUM> between conveying surfaces such as conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard system <NUM> includes a plurality of transfer guard members <NUM> that are similar to the transfer guard members <NUM> such that differences between the transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM> will be highlighted.

The transfer guard member <NUM> has a body <NUM> with an upper bridge portion <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The bridge portion <NUM> has a substantially flat upper surface <NUM> and upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> with different configurations than the upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM>. With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the upstream outboard portion <NUM> has a lower inclined surface <NUM> that tapers downstream away and down from an upstream edge <NUM>. The lower inclined surface <NUM> has a smaller radius of curvature than an upstream pulley <NUM> so as to minimize the contact surface between the bridge portion <NUM> and the belt <NUM> to reduce the amount of friction therebetween and to avoid chattering, i.e. undesirable vibration caused by the contact surfaces repeatedly sticking and slipping against the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. A similar lower inclined surface <NUM> is provided on the downstream outboard portion <NUM>. The outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> also include upper inclined surface portions <NUM>, <NUM> to facilitate a smooth transfer of conveyed objects from the belt <NUM> to the upper surface <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM> and likewise from the upper surface <NUM> to the downstream belt <NUM>. Alternatively, the upper and lower surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>, <NUM> could have other constructions, such as an arcuate configuration that matches the contour of the adjacent pulley or other conveying surface, or a non-arcuate or flat configuration so as to give the outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> a wedge-shaped configuration. Advantageously, the lower inclined surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> can act as abutment surfaces against the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> when the bridge portion <NUM> experiences an impact from a belt splice or an object traveling on the conveyor surface.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the body <NUM> has a pair of resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> that are connected to and extend initially downwardly from a central portion of an underside <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM>. Each leg <NUM>, <NUM> then includes a longitudinally extending portion <NUM>, <NUM> that is offset from the underside <NUM> of bridge portion <NUM> and extends towards the outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM>. These portions <NUM>, <NUM> are generally parallel to the upper surface <NUM>.

Although the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are connected to the bridge portion <NUM> near the center, they could be connected at other portions of underside <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM>. Further, the longitudinally extending portions <NUM>, <NUM> could be omitted such that extended arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> could be directly connected to the bridge portion <NUM>, similarly to the embodiment shown in <FIG>. However, the configuration shown provides additional flexibility to the legs <NUM>, <NUM> that may be desirable for many applications.

With reference to <FIG>, a process of installing the transfer guard member <NUM> into the gap <NUM> between the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> is shown. In <FIG>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> have an initial, undeflected configuration with distal end portions <NUM>, <NUM> thereof spaced apart from each other. A user urges the legs <NUM>, <NUM> together to shift the legs <NUM>, <NUM> into an insertion configuration and then advances the transfer guard member <NUM> in direction <NUM> into the gap <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The user presses downward on the upper surface <NUM> and seats the upstream and downstream outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The legs <NUM>, <NUM> expand apart and resilient bias contact portions <NUM>, <NUM> thereof against the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> below the equators of the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the bridge portion <NUM> may include a laterally extending throughbore <NUM> that extends between opposite lateral sides <NUM>, <NUM> for use with one or more sensors for detecting when one of the transfer guard members <NUM> is out of alignment or has been ejected from the gap <NUM>. Sensors could include, without limitation, a wire, contact, or a photo eye. It will be appreciated that the other transfer guard members described herein could include a throughbore or other structure for being sensed sensors to detect misalignment or removal of the transfer guard members.

With reference to <FIG>, a transfer guard system <NUM> is provided that includes one or more transfer guard members <NUM> with a bridge portion <NUM> and a pair of resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard members <NUM> are similar to the transfer guard members <NUM> discussed above such that difference between the two will be highlighted. For example, the bridge portion <NUM> is identical to the bridge portion <NUM>, except for an actuator such as a threaded fastener <NUM> (see <FIG>) that extends through an opening <NUM> in the bridge portion <NUM> for adjusting the shape or size of the legs <NUM>, <NUM>. Description of various identical portions of the bridge portions <NUM>, <NUM> are omitted for the sake of brevity.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are interconnected at their ends with an actuator engagement portion <NUM>. The resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> include arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> that extend generally downward and away from each other. The legs <NUM>, <NUM> then turn back inwards toward one another along inwardly extending portions <NUM>, <NUM>. The intersection between the arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> and inwardly extending portions <NUM>, <NUM> form protruding abutment portions <NUM>, <NUM> that are configured to engage with the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> at contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> during normal operation. The arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> may be sized and configured such that the outer facing surfaces 370A, 372A do not engage with belts <NUM>, <NUM> during normal operation, but upon impact of an object with the bridge portion <NUM>, the outer facing surfaces 370A, 372A may be urged into engagement with the adjacent belt <NUM>, <NUM> and provide support to the bridge portion <NUM> to help absorb the impact and prevent expulsion of the transfer guard member <NUM>.

The legs <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to provide the small contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> that are biased against adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> with sufficient force to resist the tendency of the bridge portion <NUM> to rotate due to engagement with the forces exerted by the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> and to keep the transfer guard member <NUM> from unnecessarily being dislodged from a gap <NUM> between pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>. At the same time, if the contact surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are too large or are biased against the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> with too much force, the friction generated can cause premature wear on the legs <NUM>, <NUM> and the belts <NUM>, <NUM>, and may also cause undesirable chattering.

At the distal extent of the inwardly extending portions <NUM>, <NUM>, the legs <NUM>, <NUM> turn upwardly towards the bridge portion <NUM> and extend in between the arcuate portions <NUM>, <NUM> and inwardly extending portions <NUM>, <NUM>, and then terminate in a single actuator engagement portion <NUM>, such that the legs <NUM>, <NUM> are interconnected. The actuator engagement portion <NUM> includes a vertically oriented throughbore <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) into which the threaded fastener <NUM> extends. The throughbore <NUM> may be sized to receive a out for threadingly engaging with the threaded fastener <NUM>, or the throughbore <NUM> itself may be threaded. The threaded fastener <NUM> includes a head portion <NUM> with a flat top that is rotatably disposed in the opening <NUM> that extends through the bridge portion <NUM> and is coaxial with throughbore <NUM>. The fastener head portion <NUM> lies flush with or recessed below an upper surface <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM> so as to not interfere with objects being conveyed across the bridge surface <NUM>.

When the fastener <NUM> is rotated clockwise by a driver, the actuator engagement portion <NUM> is drawn upwards due to the threaded engagement with the fastener. Due to the resilient nature of the material of the legs <NUM>, <NUM>, pulling the actuator engagement portion <NUM> upwardly causes the protruding abutment portions <NUM>, <NUM> to be projected outwardly to expand the size of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> along the longitudinal dimension of the bridge portion <NUM>. <FIG> and <FIG> demonstrate the legs <NUM>, <NUM> in a first unexpanded orientation (<FIG>) and an expanded orientation (<FIG>), wherein the protruding abutment portions <NUM>, <NUM> have been expanded until they are in engagement with the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM>. With this configuration, the user may choose the amount biasing force applied by the protruding abutment portions <NUM>, <NUM> on the belts <NUM>, <NUM>. This adjustability is advantageous for fine tuning the transfer guard <NUM> to its environment. For example, if more stability is required, the user may expand the legs <NUM>, <NUM> to exert more force on the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM>. If stability is less of a concern, the user may adjust the legs <NUM>, <NUM> to exert a relatively small amount of pressure on the adjacent belts to reduce wear on the abutment portions <NUM>, <NUM>.

The transfer guard member <NUM> may be configured to interact with a position sensor to provide a signal when one or more of the members <NUM> are out of position. For example, a throughbore may be provided through the body of the bridge portion <NUM> similar to the one shown in <FIG> for interacting with a sensor. However, the throughbore may be positioned off-center to accommodate the fastener <NUM>. Known sensors, such as contactors, wires, photoelectric eyes, etc., may be used for this purpose.

The transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> advantageously are modular and therefore may be used in combination to span the gap along the entire lateral width of a conveyor system or adjacent conveyor systems. In addition, if one of the plurality of the transfer guard members becomes damaged or worn, it may be replaced without needing to replace or disturb the other transfer guard members. In another form, a transfer guard system utilizing the transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may have a single, elongated transfer guard member <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> bridging the gap between the conveying surfaces rather than a plurality of transfer guard memebrs.

Another advantage of the free-floating transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> is their ease of installment. The floating transfer guard members are self-supporting, and need no additional structural supports to be bought or fabricated for their installment. Further, no tools (other than a driver for the embodiment shown in <FIG>) are needed for installation. In addition, if the adjacent pulleys are crowned, no modification of the transfer guard members may be required, as the transfer guard members simply will follow the curvature of the pulleys. This eliminates the need for a curved support bar or a custom-made curved bridge portion.

The transfer guard system <NUM> in accordance with the present invention is disclosed in <FIG>. The transfer guard system <NUM> includes several transfer guard members <NUM> (<FIG>) that extend across a laterally extending gap <NUM> between conveying surfaces, such as adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard members <NUM> have attachment members <NUM> for forming detachable connections <NUM> with an elongate mounting member, such as a mounting bar <NUM>, which is disposed in the gap <NUM>. The detachable connections <NUM> and mounting bar <NUM> are similar to those described in <CIT>, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this manner, should debris get stuck under one of the transfer guard members <NUM> and against the moving belt <NUM> and either hit the transfer guard member <NUM> or later be impacted by a conveyed item to generate a sufficient upward force, the transfer guard member <NUM> can detach from the mounting bar <NUM> via the detachable connection <NUM> therebetween immediately below an upper, transfer surface <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM> each extend from the bar <NUM> to one of the belts <NUM>, <NUM>, such that two transfer guard members <NUM> are required to extend across the entire longitudinal gap. Each pair of transfer guard members <NUM> are longitudinally aligned, which as used herein refers to an alignment where at least a portion of the upstream and downstream transfer guard members <NUM> overlap along a longitudinal axis. For example, the entirety of the transfer guard members <NUM> are longitudinally aligned as shown in <FIG>. As another example, <FIG> shows another embodiment of transfer guard members <NUM> that include upstream and downstream transfer guard members 431A, 431B that have less than the entire upstream transfer guard member 431A longitudinally aligned with the downstream transfer guard member 431B when the transfer guard members 431A, 431B are mounted to a mounting bar. Each transfer guard member <NUM> has a single recess <NUM> and a pair of bridge portions <NUM> extending along opposite lateral sides of the recess <NUM>. When attachment members <NUM> of the transfer guard members <NUM> are mounted to a mounting bar, the recess <NUM> of each transfer guard member <NUM> receives one bridge portion <NUM> of two adjacent transfer guard members <NUM>. Further, lateral sides 439A, 439B of the upstream and downstream transfer guard members 431A, 431B are laterally offset from one another. With reference to <FIG>, another embodiment of transfer guard members <NUM> are provided including upstream and downstream transfer guard members 441A, 441B that have less than the entire upstream transfer guard member 441A longitudinally aligned with the downstream transfer guard member 441B. Each transfer guard member <NUM> has an attachment member <NUM> with a single bridge portion <NUM> and a pair of recesses <NUM>, <NUM>. When the transfer guard members <NUM> are mounted to a mounting bar, the bridge portion <NUM> of each transfer guard member <NUM> is positioned in the the recesses <NUM>, <NUM> of two adjacent transfer guard members <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are all configured to mounted end-to-end on a mounting bar and form a non-linear gap or seam therebetween. Further, it will be appreciated that the upstream and downstream transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> should be considered to be longitudinally aligned within the context of this application.

Returning to <FIG> and <FIG>, each transfer guard member <NUM> has a body <NUM> including the upper surface <NUM> for longitudinally spanning a portion of the gap <NUM>. The bodies <NUM> of the transfer guard members <NUM> may be produced in various standard sizes and used in combinations to span various different size gaps. For example and with reference to <FIG>, four different sized transfer guard members 610A, 610B, 610C, and 610D, of an alternative embodiment are shown mounted on a single bar member <NUM>. Accordingly, nine different sized gaps between conveyors can be spanned with four different sized transfer guard members 610A, 610B, 610C, and 610D. For example, to span a gap of <NUM> (six inches), two <NUM> (three inches) (nominal) members 610B would be used. To span a gap of <NUM> (eight inches), a <NUM> (three inches) member 610B and a <NUM> (five inches) member 610C would be used or, alternatively, a <NUM> (two inches) member 610A and a <NUM> (six inches) member 610D could be used. It will be appreciated that the transfer guard members <NUM> may be provided in the <NUM> (two inches), <NUM> (three inches), <NUM> (five inches) and <NUM> (six inches) lengths as in <FIG> or other lengths.

The modularity provided by the transfer guard member <NUM> allows for variation in the position where the mounting bar <NUM> can be placed, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, which show a <NUM> (nine inches) gap with a <NUM> (three inches) member 452B and a <NUM> (six inches) member 452A. Specifically, the bar <NUM> will be placed closer to the conveyer belt <NUM> than the conveyor belt <NUM>. In addition, given that a small number of different size members may be used to span a variety of gap sizes and configurations, production costs are lower than if a unique sized member was made for each gap size. In addition, it becomes more cost-effective for a user to keep stock of various transfer guard member sizes to quickly replace members that wear out or become damaged. Regardless of longitudinal length, the transfer guard members <NUM> can be positioned on the mounting bar <NUM> so that there are no lateral gaps between adjacent transfer guard members <NUM>, with adjacent lateral side <NUM> thereof abutting one another.

One of ordinary skill would understand that the sizes described are merely examples, and other size members could be used to span different size gaps. In addition, the transfer guard members <NUM> are configured to be easily modified to span gaps that fall in between the sizes of the transfer guard members, i.e. a <NUM> (<NUM> inches) gap could be spanned by a <NUM> (<NUM> inches) member and a <NUM> (three inches) member by shortening the length of one or both of the members as necessary. However, such modification may not be necessary in many cases, as the gap sizes between conveyor surfaces may vary at different elevations between the conveyor surfaces. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the space between the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> varies due to their arcuate profile, i.e., the gap is larger near the tops of the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> than it is at the middle between their centers. Accordingly, if the transfer guard members <NUM>, are slightly too short, they may be mounted slightly lower in the gap <NUM> where the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM> are closer together, and vice versa.

Turning to <FIG>, the attachment member <NUM> of the transfer guard member includes an upper bridge portion <NUM> and two pairs of depending, resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> that can resiliently flex to form the detachable connection <NUM> with the mounting bar <NUM>. The bridge portion <NUM> may have one or more through openings that increase the flexibility of the legs <NUM>, <NUM>. Further, the bridge portion <NUM>, legs <NUM>, <NUM>, and the underside of the outboard portion <NUM> may have a webbed configuration that provides substantially uniform wall thickness of the body <NUM> which may be advantageous for certain manufacturing techniques, such as injection molding.

The pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> includes outer legs 485A, 485B and inner legs 487A, 487B. The pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> are spaced apart by the lateral width of one of the pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM>, and the pair of legs <NUM> is offset from one side <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM> such that the pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> of a second (i.e. downstream) transfer guard member 452B can be interdigitated in a zipper-like fashion with the legs pairs <NUM>, <NUM> of the first (i.e. upstream) transfer guard member 452A, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The interdigitated leg <NUM>, <NUM> pairs of the end-to-end transfer guard members 452A, 452B provide a discontinuous transverse gap or seam <NUM> between the members 452A, 452B that is less likely to interfere with conveyed product than a continuous transverse seam between each pair of end-to-end transfer guard member <NUM>. In particular, any laterally-oriented gaps that might form between outer facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the leg pairs <NUM>, <NUM> of one of the end-to-end transfer guard members <NUM> and corresponding flat surface portions <NUM>, <NUM> adjacent the leg pairs <NUM>, <NUM> of the other of the end-to-end transfer guard member <NUM> would be longitudinally spaced apart from one another so as to not result in a single gap that spans across the lateral width of the transfer guard system <NUM> that might snag small products or collect debris.

Another advantage of the offset pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> is that the two transfer guard members 452A, 452B may be mounted to the bar <NUM> end-to-end such that the lateral sides <NUM> are aligned. Other configurations of legs <NUM>, <NUM> may be used, including using a single pair legs offset on one side of the transfer guard member <NUM>, or spaced apart leg pairs located at both sides <NUM> such that the mating transfer guard members <NUM> would have a centrally located pair of legs to be located between the spaced-apart legs of the other transfer guard member <NUM>. Alternatively, the transfer guard member <NUM> could have more than two pairs of spaced-apart legs <NUM>, <NUM>.

Each leg pair <NUM>, <NUM> includes a protrusion <NUM>, <NUM> on the outer facing surface <NUM>, <NUM> of the outer legs 485A, 485B as shown in <FIG>. The protrusions <NUM>, <NUM> engage with corresponding flat surface portions <NUM>, <NUM> adjacent the pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> of the opposite transfer guard member <NUM> with an interference fit. The interference fit creates a clash between the transfer guard members 452A, 452B that keeps gaps from forming between the outer facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the outer legs 485A, 485B and the flat surface portions <NUM>, <NUM>. In addition, the interference fit also helps to bias outer edges <NUM>, <NUM> of the transfer guard members 452A, 452B toward the conveying surfaces and helps to keep the edges <NUM>, <NUM> from being knocked upwardly and away from the conveying surfaces when the edges <NUM>, <NUM> experience impacts.

As shown in <FIG>, when the transfer guard members <NUM> are releasably secured to the mounting bar <NUM>, the upstream transfer guard member 452A has an upstream outboard portion 514A extending outward from the bridge portion 482A thereof and the downstream transfer guard member 452B has a downstream outboard portion 514B extending outward from the bridge portion 482B thereof. With respect to <FIG>, the transfer surfaces of each of the transfer guard members 452A, 452B include a flat surface portion <NUM> of the bridge portion <NUM>, a substantially flat surface portion <NUM> of the outboard portion <NUM>, and a downwardly inclined tapered surface portion <NUM> of the outboard portion <NUM> tapering toward the outer edge <NUM>. In this manner, the outboard portions 514A, 514B extend into close proximity with the adjacent belts <NUM>, <NUM> so the edge 510A of the transfer guard member 452A is an upstream receiving edge closely adjacent the moving belt <NUM> and the edge 510B is a downstream discharge edge closely adjacent the moving belt <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

As best seen in <FIG> and <FIG>, the outboard portions <NUM> of the transfer guard members 452A, 452B have a lower inclined surface <NUM> that tapers downstream away and down from the thin upstream edge <NUM> so as to generally follow the belt <NUM>, <NUM> as it travels down about the corresponding pulley <NUM>, <NUM>. Debris that gets stuck may get caught between the belt <NUM>, <NUM> extending about the pulley <NUM>, <NUM> and the lower inclined surface <NUM>. Alternatively, the lower inclined surface <NUM> could have other constructions, such as an arcuate configuration so as to even more closely follow the path of the belts <NUM>, <NUM> about the pulleys <NUM>, <NUM>. So configured, the outboard portions <NUM> have a generally wedge-shaped configuration. Naturally, other configurations of the outboard portions are possible, and may be adapted for spanning gaps between various different types and orientations of adjacent conveying surfaces.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the transfer guard system <NUM> includes a pair of mounts <NUM> each having a front plate <NUM>, which are discussed in greater detail below, for installing the mounting bar <NUM> in the gap <NUM> and the transfer guard members <NUM> includes an end transfer guard member 452C that receives the mount <NUM> and maintains the mount <NUM> within the profile of the transfer guard members <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the end transfer guard member 452C has a narrowed bridge portion 482C with correspondingly narrowed legs 485B, 487B. The narrowed bridge portion 482C and legs 485B, 487B provide a third recess 498C of the end transfer guard member 452C. The third recess 498C provides a lateral space <NUM> along the mounting bar <NUM> for the mount <NUM> which permits the mounts <NUM> of the transfer guard system <NUM> to generally be laterally positioned inward from the outer lateral sides <NUM> of the outermost transfer guard members 452C, 452D. Because the mounts <NUM> are positioned laterally inward from the outer lateral sides <NUM> of the outermost transfer guard members 452C, 452D, the outer lateral sides <NUM> of the outermost transfer guard members 452C, 452D can be butted up against or adjacent to skirts <NUM> A (see <FIG>) or other structures on opposite sides of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> to minimize the longitudinal gaps between the outer lateral sides of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> and the skirts 491A which could catch debris or conveyed goods.

As shown in <FIG>, the mount front plate <NUM> has a raised portion <NUM> with an upper transfer surface <NUM> slightly below the flat surface portions <NUM> of the outermost transfer guard members 452C, 452D with the transfer guard members 452C, 452D fixed to the mounting bar <NUM>. Conveyed objects therefore have an uninterrupted travel path along the flat surface portions <NUM> and the upper transfer surface <NUM> therebetween, which reduces catching of objects on the transfer guard system <NUM>. Further, each mount <NUM> has fasteners, such as bolts <NUM>, for releasably securing the front plate <NUM> to a rear plate <NUM> of the mount <NUM>. The recess 482C of the end transfer guard member 452C permits the bolts <NUM> to be readily accessed by a user to release the front plates <NUM> from the rear plates <NUM> and remove the mounting bar <NUM>, transfer guard members <NUM>, and front plates <NUM> from the gap <NUM> such as for replacing one of the transfer guard members <NUM>.

Turning to <FIG>, the outboard portions <NUM> of the transfer guard members <NUM> are configured to encourage deflection of outboard portion <NUM> and avoid straight-on loading that could result in very little deflection of the outboard portion <NUM> and cause the edge <NUM> to damage the conveyor belt <NUM>. The tapered surface portion <NUM> extends downwardly from the flat surface portion <NUM> and vertically offsets the edge <NUM> a distance <NUM> from an axis <NUM> extending along the flat surface portion <NUM>. By vertically offsetting the edge <NUM> below the axis <NUM>, the outboard portion <NUM> is more likely to bend downwardly in response to loading in direction 517A at the edge <NUM>,.

The process of one of the transfer guard members <NUM> contacting an imperfection, such as a damaged splice <NUM>, of the conveyor belt <NUM> and being snapped off of the mounting bar <NUM> is discussed in greater detail with reference to <FIG>. Initially, the conveyor belt <NUM> is moving in direction <NUM> and brings the damaged fastener <NUM> into engagement with the edge <NUM> below the axis <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The damaged splice <NUM> continues to travel in direction <NUM> and begins to bend the outboard portion <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. Continued bending of the outboard portion <NUM> causes the leg 487B to pull away from the mounting bar <NUM> although the leg 485B remains firmly engaged with the mounting bar <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The damaged splice <NUM> continues to move in direction <NUM> and pull the edge <NUM> downwardly, further bending the outboard portion <NUM> until a distal end <NUM> of the leg 485B disengages from the mounting bar <NUM>. The released transfer guard member <NUM> may eject upward generally in direction <NUM> from the gap <NUM> or may fall downward through the gap <NUM> clear of the conveyor belt <NUM> rather than the edge <NUM> becoming wedged against the conveyor belt <NUM>.

The transfer guard member <NUM> is made of a material that is sufficiently strong to resist loading from conveying surfaces and conveyed goods during normal operation. The transfer guard members <NUM> are also sufficiently resilient to permit the legs <NUM>, <NUM> to deflect apart to snap onto the mounting bar <NUM> and snap off of the mounting bar <NUM> if a sufficiently high force is applied at the edge <NUM> without damaging the conveyor belt <NUM>.

The transfer guard member <NUM> may be made of for example, a polymer such as UHMW polyethylene or high-density polyethylene. The mounting bar <NUM> may be made of a material sufficiently rigid to withstand loading during conveyor operations, such as polymer or a metal, such a steel, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. The transfer guard member <NUM> may be integrally formed from a single material, or may be formed from separate components. For example, the attachment and outboard portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM> may be made of separate materials and connected together using welding or fasteners.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard system <NUM> includes one or more mounts <NUM> as mentioned above that permit easier installation of the mounting bar <NUM> in constrained environments, such as when the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> have skirts <NUM> with guide surfaces <NUM> thereof extending longitudinally along opposite lateral sides of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> to direct conveyed objects. These constrained environments may be further limited by welds or structural members on outer surfaces of the skirts <NUM> that inhibit drilling through the skirts <NUM> to install the mounting bar <NUM>. Further, the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM> may have conveyor structure positioned below the gap that prevent access to the bottom of the gap <NUM>. The mount <NUM> may be used to easily and quickly install the mounting bar <NUM> in the gap <NUM> despite these environment constraints.

The mount <NUM> includes a base portion, such as the rear plate <NUM>, which can be fixed to the surface <NUM> such as by applying welds <NUM> at upstream and downstream sides <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM> and/or driving one or more fasteners <NUM> through one or more holes <NUM> in the rear plate <NUM> and into the skirt <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The mount <NUM> also includes an end support portion, such as the front plate <NUM>, for being connected to an end portion <NUM> of the mounting bar <NUM>. The mount <NUM> has a height adjustment mechanism <NUM> for adjusting the vertical position of the mounting bar <NUM> in the gap <NUM> and a longitudinal adjustment mechanism <NUM> to adjust the longitudinal position of the mounting bar <NUM> in the gap <NUM>. These mechanisms <NUM>, <NUM> provide improved flexibility to customize the position of the mounting bar <NUM> and transfer guard members <NUM> within the gap <NUM>, as discussed in greater detail below. The mount <NUM> also has a lock device <NUM> for securing the front plate <NUM> and mounting bar <NUM> supported therein to the rear plate <NUM> once the mounting bar <NUM> has been positioned in the desired location in the gap <NUM>. In one form, the lock device <NUM> includes fasteners such as the bolts <NUM> that extend through elongated openings <NUM> of the front plate <NUM> and engage threaded bores <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the front plate <NUM> has an opening <NUM> sized to receive the end portion <NUM> of the mounting bar <NUM>, such as after a user has cut the mounting bar <NUM> to a desired length. The front plate <NUM> has a collar portion <NUM> extending about the opening <NUM> that contacts the outer surfaces of the mounting bar <NUM> and resists loading from the mounting bar <NUM> during operation of the conveyor belts <NUM>, <NUM>. The front plate <NUM> has a lip portion <NUM> configured to extend laterally over a seat <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. In one form, the lip portion <NUM> and seat <NUM> include flat surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> that face each other with the front plate <NUM> positioned on or adjacent to the rear plate <NUM>. Further, the rear plate <NUM> has a recess <NUM> extending downwardly from the seat surface <NUM> that provides clearance for the mounting bar end portion <NUM> to be received therein.

To install the mounting bar <NUM> in the gap <NUM>, a user fits the opening <NUM> of the front plate <NUM> onto the mounting bar end portion <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The height adjustment mechanism <NUM> may include a plurality of height adjustment members, such as shims <NUM>. A user may select one or more shims <NUM> as desired to set the distance between the front plate lip portion <NUM> and the rear plate seat <NUM> once the plates <NUM>, <NUM> have been connected together. To temporarily hold the shims <NUM> to the front plate <NUM>, one of the bolts <NUM> is advanced into a center through opening <NUM> of the front plate <NUM> and threaded into apertures <NUM> of the shims <NUM> aligned with the opening <NUM>. The user may then advance the mounting bar <NUM>, and front plate <NUM> and shims <NUM> connected thereto, generally in direction <NUM> (see <FIG>) to position the mounting bar end portion <NUM> in the recess <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM> and seat the lowermost shim <NUM> against the seat surface <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Next, the user threads the second bolt <NUM> through one of the elongated openings <NUM> of the front plate <NUM>, through corresponding elongated openings in the shims <NUM>, and into the corresponding threaded bore <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM>. The user removes the first bolt <NUM> from the center opening <NUM> of the front plate <NUM> and apertures <NUM> of the shims <NUM>, then threads the first bolt <NUM> through the other of the elongated openings <NUM> of the front plate <NUM>, through corresponding elongated openings in the shims <NUM>, and into the corresponding threaded bore <NUM> of the rear plate <NUM>. In one form, the longitudinal position adjustment mechanism <NUM> includes the elongated openings <NUM> in the front plate <NUM> and corresponding elongated holes in the shims <NUM> which permit the front plate <NUM> to be shifted in directions <NUM> after the mounting bar <NUM> has been lowered into the gap <NUM>. Once the desired vertical position of the mounting bar <NUM> has been set using the desired number of shims <NUM>, and the desired longitudinal position of the mounting bar <NUM> has been set by shifting the front plate <NUM> in directions <NUM>, the user may fully tighten the bolts <NUM> to fix the front plate <NUM> and mounting bar <NUM> to the rear plate <NUM> mounted to the skirt <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, another transfer guard system <NUM> is provided that can be easily installed in a confined environment. The transfer guard system <NUM> includes a plurality of transfer guard members <NUM> (only one is shown for clarity) connected to a mounting bar <NUM>. The transfer guard system <NUM> has a pair of mounts <NUM> for securing the mounting bar <NUM> to a pair of skirts adjacent conveyor belts, for example. In one form, the mount <NUM> includes an angle bar 587A having a base portion, e.g. section 587B, for being fixed to one of the skirts and a support portion, e.g., section 587C, for supporting the mounting bar <NUM>. The mounting bar <NUM> has an end portion 585A with a slot 585B sized to receive the section 587C of the angle bar 587A. The slot 585B and angle bar section 587C cooperate to permit the mounting bar <NUM> to be lowered into a gap where the angle bar 587A is mounted and slid onto the angle bar 587A. The mounting bar end portion 585A has a hole 585C that aligns with an opening of the angle bar section 587C and permits a fastener to extend through the hole 585C and opening of the angle bar section 587C to fix the mounting bar <NUM> to the angle bar 587A, such as with a nut threaded onto an end of the fastener. The opening of the angle bar section 587C may be vertically elongated to permit vertical adjustment of the mounting bar <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, another transfer guard system <NUM> is provided for bridging a gap between conveying surfaces, such as a gap <NUM> between conveyors <NUM>, <NUM>. The transfer guard system <NUM> is similar in many respects to the transfer guard system <NUM> discussed above such that differences between the two will be highlighted.

The transfer guard system <NUM> includes a mounting bar <NUM> extending laterally across the gap <NUM> and a pairs of longitudinally aligned transfer guard members <NUM> releasably fixed to the mounting bar <NUM>. The transfer guard members <NUM> each have a body <NUM> with attachment members <NUM> and an outboard portion <NUM>. The attachment members <NUM> include bridge portions <NUM>, <NUM> and pairs of resilient legs <NUM>, <NUM> depending from the bridge portions <NUM>, <NUM> for resiliently engaging the mounting bar <NUM>.

One difference between the transfer guard members <NUM>, <NUM> is that the transfer guard member <NUM> has a substantially flat upper surface <NUM> including an outer surface portion <NUM> of the outboard portion <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The outer surface portion <NUM> extends straight out to an outer edge <NUM>, rather than having an inclined surface like the tapered surface portion <NUM> of the transfer guard member <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard system <NUM> may have differently sized transfer guard members <NUM> detachably fixed to the mounting bar <NUM>. The transfer guard members may include a <NUM> transfer guard member 610A, a <NUM> transfer guard member 610B, a <NUM> transfer guard member 610C, and a pair of <NUM> transfer guard members 610D on an upstream side of the mounting bar <NUM> and <NUM> transfer guard members 610B on a downstream side of the mounting bar <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the transfer guard members <NUM> may be connected to the mounting bar <NUM> in a number of different approaches. For example, the transfer guard members <NUM> may be positioned above the mounting bar <NUM> to align openings <NUM> of the pairs of legs <NUM>, <NUM> with the mounting bar <NUM>. The transfer guard member <NUM> is then advanced in direction <NUM> onto the mounting bar <NUM>. The legs <NUM>, <NUM> have distal end portions with cam surfaces <NUM> that engage the mounting bar <NUM> and cause the legs <NUM>, <NUM> to flex outwardly as the transfer guard member <NUM> is advanced in direction <NUM>, such as by hammering the transfer guard member <NUM> onto the mounting bar <NUM>. Once the transfer guard member <NUM> has been seated on the mounting bar <NUM>, the distal ends of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> resiliently engage a lower portion of the mounting bar <NUM> and fix the transfer guard member <NUM> onto the mounting bar <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the body <NUM> of transfer guard member <NUM> includes protrusions <NUM>, <NUM> that engage flat surface portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the adjacent transfer guard member <NUM> to create interference in a manner similar to the protrusions <NUM>, <NUM> discussed above with respect to transfer guard member <NUM>. In the event that one or more of the legs <NUM>, <NUM> of a transfer guard member, e.g., transfer guard member 610B (see <FIG>), are damaged during installation on the mounting bar <NUM>, which could make the transfer guard member 610B fit loosely on the mounting bar <NUM>, the interference caused by the protrusions <NUM>, <NUM> on the transfer guard member 610B and the aligned transfer guard member 610D takes up the play between the transfer guard member 610B and the mounting bar <NUM> and decreases the size of the seam <NUM> between the transfer guard members 610B, 610D. It will be appreciated that the protrusions <NUM>, <NUM> may operate in a similar manner to take up play of the transfer guard members <NUM> in the event that one or more of the legs 485A, 485B, 487A, 487B are damaged during installation.

Claim 1:
A transfer guard member (<NUM>) comprising:
a body (<NUM>) for being positioned in a laterally extending gap between conveying surfaces;
at least one attachment member (<NUM>) of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar (<NUM>), the attachment member having an upper transfer surface (<NUM>);
an outboard portion (<NUM>) extending longitudinally outward from the attachment member;
at least one recess (<NUM>) of the body adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member (<NUM>) of another transfer guard member (<NUM>) fixed to the mounting bar so that the upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adj acent one another; and
a lateral width of the outboard portion (<NUM>) being greater than a lateral width of the attachment member (<NUM>) due to the at least one recess (<NUM>) adjacent the at least one attachment member,
characterised in that the body (<NUM>) includes at least one protrusion (<NUM>, <NUM>) extending longitudinally outward from the attachment member (<NUM>) and being configured to interfere with the other transfer guard member (<NUM>) fixed to the mounting bar (<NUM>) and tightly engage the transfer guard members (<NUM>) together on the mounting bar.