Patent Description:
Power-driven conveyors are used to convey items. A conveyor comprises a frame forming a carryway for a conveyor belt, which travels through a circuit and returns to an infeed through a returnway below a carryway. Product containment rails may be placed along one or more sides of the carryway for containing product on the carryway. Current product containment guards are bolted in place, and not easily removeable, replaceable or cleanable and tend to harbor bacteria, debris, contaminants and other unhygienic material.

Different belt conveyors with containment guards are known from <CIT> or <CIT>.

A conveyor comprises a frame forming a carryway for a conveyor belt, infeed and outfeed assemblies, a returnway and one or more movable product containment guards for containing product on the carryway. The product containment guards can be moved between an operational position adjacent the carryway and one or more cleaning positions without the use of tools, and easily integrated into and - or removed from the frame without the use of tools.

According to an embodiment, an assembly for a conveyor comprises a conveyor frame for supporting a conveyor belt, a carryway for the conveyor belt extending in a longitudinal direction and a product containment guard on a side of the carryway. The product containment guard comprises a longitudinal containment rail extending adjacent to a first edge of the carryway for containing product on the carryway, a vertical support rail connected to the longitudinal containment rail, an upper mounting rail extending perpendicular to the vertical support rail in a longitudinal direction and a lower mounting rail below the upper mounting rail and extending in the longitudinal direction.

According to another embodiment, an assembly for a conveyor comprises a conveyor frame for supporting a conveyor belt, a carryway for the conveyor belt and an end plate connected to the conveyor frame for mounting a product containment guard. The end plate comprises a first open recess in a top wall and an elongated slot below the first open recess.

According to another embodiment, a product containment guard for containing product on a conveyor comprises a longitudinal containment rail configured to be placed adjacent to an edge of the conveyor carryway, a vertical support rail connected and extending down relative to the longitudinal containment rail, an upper mounting rail extending in the longitudinal direction from the vertical support rail and having a narrow neck to form a circumferential channel separating an end face of the upper mounting rail from the body of the rail and a lower mounting rail extending below and parallel to the upper mounting rail. The lower mounting rail comprises an obround-shaped end knob.

The present invention provides a product containment guard for a conveyor that can be easily moved between an operation position and a cleaning position, and removed and assembled, without tools. The present invention will be described below relative to an illustrative embodiment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a number of different applications and embodiments and is not specifically limited in its application to the particular embodiments depicted herein.

A conveyor frame embodying features of the invention is shown in <FIG>. The exemplary conveyor frame <NUM> supports a conveyor belt <NUM> traveling in a longitudinal direction between a first end, the infeed <NUM>, of the frame and a second end, the outfeed <NUM>, of the frame. The conveyor belt conveys products from the first end <NUM> to the second end <NUM> along a carryway. The conveyor belt <NUM> may be trained around reversing elements at each end of the carryway <NUM> and returned along a returnway <NUM> below the carryway. While the illustrative embodiment shows a conveyor belt <NUM> for conveying product, the product containment guard may be used with any suitable conveyor for conveying product, not limited to a conveyor belt.

The illustrative frame <NUM> comprises a plurality of tubular sections forming support structure <NUM> for a carryway. A carryway <NUM> is mounted to the support structure for guiding the conveyor belt from the infeed <NUM> to the outfeed <NUM>. The illustrative carryway <NUM> comprises a plurality of low-friction rails extending from the infeed <NUM> to the outfeed <NUM>, upon which the conveyor belt runs. The infeed <NUM> comprises opposing mounting plates <NUM> configured to mount an infeed guide roller <NUM> and other infeed components if required. The outfeed <NUM> comprises opposing mounting plates <NUM> configured to mount a drive for the conveyor belt, or other reversing element, and other outfeed components. Alternatively, the drive may be located in the returnway. The frame also includes returnway rollers <NUM> mounted to returnway mounts <NUM> below the carryway <NUM> to form the returnway.

Product containment guards <NUM> are mounted to the frame on one or both sides of the carryway to contain product on the carryway <NUM>. The illustrative product containment guards have a secure operational position, multiple cleaning position, and a removal position. The product containment guards <NUM> can be moved between the different positions without the use of tools.

Referring to <FIG>, the conveyor frame includes seats for mounting the product containment guards <NUM> and the carryway <NUM>. Each product containment guard <NUM> comprises a longitudinal containment rail <NUM> configured to be placed along a side edge of the carryway for containing product on the conveyor belt. The rail <NUM> may have any suitable configuration, size, structure and be formed of any suitable material suitable for containing the particular conveyed product. In one embodiment, the conveyor comprises multiple longitudinal containment rails <NUM> arranged in series along a side of the conveyor carryway, and -or comprise multiple rails arranged vertically. The illustrative longitudinal containment rail <NUM> comprises bent sheet metal, but the invention is not so limited. The product containment guard <NUM> further includes at least one, shown as a pair, of vertical support rails <NUM>, each connected to the longitudinal containment rail <NUM> by a pair of laterally-inward extending protrusions <NUM>, or other suitable connectors. In a middle portion, a first connecting rail <NUM> extends in the direction of belt travel (longitudinally) from a vertical support rail <NUM>. A lower, second connecting rail <NUM> extends parallel to the first connecting rail <NUM> and includes an end knob <NUM> that has an obround shape, i.e., elongated along one axis and having flat top and bottom surfaces and shorter rounded side surfaces.

The conveyor frame <NUM> includes one or more mounting components <NUM>, shown in <FIG> including seats for both the carryway <NUM> and for the product containment guards <NUM>. Each mounting component <NUM> comprises a lateral rail <NUM> mounted to the rails <NUM> of the frame at selected locations. The mounting component <NUM> includes seats for the carryway rails. In the illustrative embodiment, pairs of carryway-guiding protrusions <NUM> extend up from the lateral rail <NUM> at selected locations for seating a carryway rail. On each side end of the lateral rail <NUM> extends an end plate <NUM> for mounting the product containment guard <NUM>. Each end plate <NUM> comprises a planar body extending laterally from an end of the lateral rail <NUM>, tapering in width W from a top to a bottom. The illustrative end plate <NUM> includes a vertical inner side wall <NUM>, a rounded bottom end <NUM>, an angled outer side wall <NUM> and a top wall <NUM>. The end plate body includes a lower vertical slot <NUM>, a first top recess <NUM> in the top wall <NUM> and a second top recess <NUM> disposed laterally outward of the first top recess in the top wall <NUM>. The first top recess <NUM> is deeper than the second top recess <NUM>. The first and second top recesses <NUM>, <NUM> have rounded bottoms, but the invention is not so limited. The lower vertical slot <NUM> has a rounded top and bottom, but the invention is not so limited. A central lower vertical connecting rail <NUM> connects the mounting component <NUM> to the rest of the conveyor frame, but other suitable connectors may be used.

<FIG> shows an operational position for the product containment guard <NUM>, in which the upper connecting rail <NUM> is seated in the first top recess <NUM> close to the edge of the carryway, and the lower connecting rail <NUM> is seated in the bottom of the vertical slot <NUM>. In this position, the longitudinal containment rail <NUM> is placed adjacent the side edge of the carryway <NUM> to contain product conveyed by the conveyor belt <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the carryway <NUM>, mounting component <NUM> and product containment guard <NUM> prior to assembly, in which the mounting rails <NUM>, <NUM> are separated from the end plate <NUM>. As shown in detail in <FIG>, the lower connecting rail end knob <NUM> includes rounded sides and flat top and bottom surfaces. A narrow neck <NUM> separates the body of the lower protrusion <NUM> from the end knob <NUM>. The upper mounting rail <NUM> also includes a narrow neck <NUM>, which forms a circumferential channel in the rail <NUM> and separates an end face from the body of the rail <NUM>. The illustrative end face of the upper mounting rail <NUM> is configured to be received in the seats <NUM>, <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the end face of the upper mounting rail <NUM> is circular, but can have any suitable size, shape and configuration suitable for being received in the seats <NUM>, <NUM>. In the operational position, as shown in detail in <FIG>, the upper neck <NUM> is seated and confined by the inner top recess <NUM> and the lower neck <NUM> is seated in and confined by the bottom of the vertical slot <NUM>, with the end knob <NUM>, in a position so that it is wider than the vertical lower slot <NUM>, preventing displacement of the lower rail <NUM>. In the operational position, the longitudinal containment rail <NUM> is substantially vertical and adjacent an edge of the carryway.

Prior to assembly, as show in <FIG>, the product containment guard <NUM> is oriented so that the flat sides of the end knob <NUM> of the lower rail <NUM> are aligned with the walls of the vertical slot <NUM>, which is sized to receive the end knob <NUM> in that orientation. Then, as shown in <FIG>, the lower rail end knob <NUM> is inserted in the slot <NUM> to connect the product containment guard <NUM> to the end plate <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the product containment guard <NUM> can rotate down by the force of gravity about the lower rail <NUM> to a full cleaning position, with the product containment guard <NUM> contained by the vertical slot <NUM> via the end knob <NUM>. In this position, the longitudinal containment rail <NUM> hangs below the carryway, allowing complete access to the carryway edges, without removing the product containment guard <NUM> from the mounting component. As shown in <FIG>, the product containment guard <NUM> can be rotated up about the constrained lower rail <NUM> towards the seats <NUM>, <NUM>, until the upper rail <NUM> can be seated in the operational recess <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. In this position, as described above, the longitudinal rail containment <NUM> is disposed adjacent to the carryway of a conveyor and in a substantially vertical position, with the lower slot <NUM> and recess <NUM> constraining the product containment guard <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the product containment guard <NUM> can be rotated out of the operational position to an intermediate position, wherein the upper connecting rail <NUM> is seated in the second recess <NUM> of the end plate <NUM>, and the lower connecting rail <NUM> is rotated within the vertical slot <NUM>, but constrained by the contact between the end knob <NUM> and vertical slot <NUM>. In this position, the longitudinal containment rail <NUM> is angled away from the carryway <NUM>. This intermediate position allows access to the edges of the carryway <NUM> for cleaning or repair of the conveyor belt <NUM> or for any necessary purpose.

Claim 1:
An assembly for a conveyor, comprising:
a conveyor frame (<NUM>) for supporting a conveyor belt (<NUM>);
a carryway (<NUM>) for the conveyor belt (<NUM>) extending in a longitudinal direction;
a product containment guard (<NUM>) on a side of the carryway (<NUM>), the product containment guard (<NUM>) comprising a longitudinal containment rail (<NUM>) extending adjacent to a first edge of the carryway (<NUM>) for containing product on the carryway (<NUM>), a vertical support rail (<NUM>) connected to the longitudinal containment rail (<NUM>), an upper mounting rail (<NUM>) extending perpendicular to the vertical support rail (<NUM>) in a longitudinal direction and a lower mounting rail (<NUM>) below the upper mounting rail (<NUM>) and extending in the longitudinal direction; and
a mounting component (<NUM>) for mounting the product containment guard (<NUM>) to the conveyor frame (<NUM>), the mounting component (<NUM>) comprising:
a lateral rail (<NUM>) connected to the conveyor frame (<NUM>); and
an end plate (<NUM>) having an upper surface including a first open recess (<NUM>) and a second open recess (<NUM>) laterally outward of the first open recess (<NUM>) for receiving a narrow neck (<NUM>) of the upper mounting rail (<NUM>) and a vertical slot (<NUM>) below the first open recess (<NUM>) for receiving the lower mounting rail (<NUM>).