Patent ID: 7819237

Claim:
A belt scraper tensioning assembly mountable to a shaft of a belt scraper assembly and to a mounting arm of a belt conveyor, the belt scraper tensioning assembly comprising: a mounting plate configured for connection to the mounting arm, the mounting plate having a central opening; a bearing housing connected to a planar surface of the mounting plate, the bearing housing having an inner cylindrical surface that is generally coaxial relative to the central opening; a cylindrical bearing positioned within the bearing housing in contact with the inner cylindrical surface; a tensioning arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the tensioning arm connected to and extending radially from an outer surface of a cylindrical sleeve, the cylindrical sleeve having a first cylindrical portion and a second cylindrical portion, the second cylindrical portion having an outer diameter that is less than the first outer cylindrical portion, the second cylindrical portion positioned within the cylindrical bearing, the first and second portions of the cylindrical sleeve having an inner diameter sized to receive the shaft of the belt scraper assembly, the cylindrical sleeve comprising means for connecting the cylindrical sleeve to the shaft; a stationery arm connected to the planar surface of the mounting plate and extending away from the mounting plate along a horizontal axis of the mounting plate, the stationery arm configured with an elongate slot, the elongate slot spaced apart from the mounting plate; and a tensioning rod assembly comprising an elongate rod extending through the slot of the stationery arm and having a first end pivotally connected to the tensioning arm and a second end, a spring positioned over the elongate rod between the stationery arm and the second end of the elongate rod, means connected to the elongate rod near the second end for capturing the spring between the stationery arm and the second end of the elongate rod.