Patent ID: RE44907

Claim:
A conveyor drive roller for supporting and driving a conveyor medium, said conveyor drive roller comprising: a hollow drum defining a rotatable supporting surface having a cylindrical shape, said hollow drum being rotatably connected to a first and a second support structure, said second support structure having a passageway therethrough, and an exterior end comprising a motor mount sized and shaped to releasably receive, externally of said hollow drum, a motor; an internal gear assembly disposed inside said hollow drum; said internal gear assembly being operably connected to said hollow drum; said internal gear assembly also being adapted to be releasably coupled to a motor; wherein torque applied to said internal gear assembly is transmitted by said internal gear assembly to said hollow drum to cause rotation of said hollow drum about said first and second support structures; further comprising a rotatable element at least partly supported by, and passing through said passageway in said second support structure, said rotatable element having a first end operably engaging said internal gear assembly, and a second end adapted to couple to a rotor of a motor, wherein said second end of said rotatable element has a coupling head for coupling with a corresponding coupling head on a rotor, each coupling head being formed with jaws configured to intermesh with an intermediate spider having lugs fitting between the jaws.