Conveyor belt edge module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428235-B2
Application number	US-202218291290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2022
Priority date	Aug 4, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

An edge module for a modular conveyor belt. The edge module includes a rod-retention plug that is pivotably mounted in a socket that opens onto the module's bottom. The plug has a bore that receives an axle in the socket on which the plug can be rotated. An arm attached to a main body of the plug by a living hinge allows the arm to flex from a relaxed state occluding a hinge-rod passageway at the belt's hinge joints to a flexed state allowing a hinge rod to be inserted into or removed from the passageway. Locking structure on the plug and in the socket engage to lock the plug in place. A sideguard mounted in the edge module is locked in place by locking structure in the edge module. Locking structure on both the sideguard and the plug engage to lock the sideguard and the plug in place.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor belt edge module comprising:
a module body extending in length from a first end to a second end, laterally in width from a first side edge to a second side edge, and in thickness from a top to a bottom;
a first set of hinge elements having rod holes aligned along the first end and a second set of hinge elements having rod holes aligned along the second end;
a socket formed in the module body laterally inward of the first side edge;
a rod-retention plug positioned in the socket to occlude the rod holes aligned along the first end of the module body;
a sideguard standing up from the top of the module body at the first side edge and having locking structure that engages the rod-retention plug to lock the rod-retention plug in position in the socket.

2. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 1 wherein the module body includes an axle in the socket and wherein the rod-retention plug includes a bore receiving the axle.

3. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rod-retention plug includes an outer side and a locking stub extending outward of the outer side and wherein the locking structure of the sideguard engages the locking stub to lock the rod-retention plug in place in the socket.

4. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
the sideguard includes:
a base;
a plate standing up from the base;
two legs extending down from the base, each having a tab or a tab recess; and

the module body includes:
two slots between the top and the bottom of the module body at the first side edge receiving the two legs, each slot having a complementary tab recess or a complementary tab;

the tab recesses mate with the complementary tabs to hold the sideguard in place.

5. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 4 wherein the module body includes a shelf recessed below the top at the first side edge and wherein the base of the sideguard sits on the shelf.

6. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 4 wherein one of the legs includes a hook forming the locking structure that engages the rod-retention plug to lock the rod-retention plug in position in the socket.

7. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rod-retention plug includes a main body and a stub extending outward of the main body into engagement with the locking structure of the sideguard to lock the rod-retention plug in position in the socket.

8. A conveyor belt edge module comprising:
a module body extending in length from a first end to a second end, laterally in width from a first side edge to a second side edge, and in thickness from a top to a bottom;
a first set of hinge elements having rod holes aligned along the first end and a second set of hinge elements having rod holes aligned along the second end;
a laterally elongated hinge element at the first end and the first side edge having a rod hole aligned with the rod holes of the first set of hinge elements;
a socket opening onto the bottom of the module body and dividing the rod hole of the laterally enlarged hinge element into an outer rod-hole portion that opens onto the first side edge and an inner rod-hole portion;
an axle and socket locking structure in the socket;
a rod-retention plug mounted in the socket and having plug locking structure and an axial bore receiving the axle;
wherein the rod-retention plug is rotatable from an unlocked position in which the plug locking structure and the socket locking structure are disengaged to a locked position in which the plug locking structure and the socket locking structure are engaged.

9. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 8 wherein the socket is bounded by a socket wall and a ceiling opposite the bottom of the module body and wherein the socket locking structure includes a socket stub extending into the socket from the socket wall and wherein the plug locking structure includes a plug stub extending outward into axial compressive contact with the socket stub to maintain the rod-retention plug in the locked position.

10. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 9 wherein the module body includes a hole through the ceiling axially spaced from the socket stub and wherein the plug stub includes an axially extending nub received in the hole when the rod-retention plug is in the locked position.

11. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 8 wherein the socket is bounded by a socket wall and a ceiling opposite the bottom of the module body and wherein the plug locking structure includes a plug stub extending outward into the socket and wherein the module body includes a stop extending into the socket from the socket wall and wherein the stop contacts the plug stub to define a limit of rotation of the rod-retention plug in the unlocked position.

12. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 8 wherein the rod-retention plug includes a generally circular cylindrical main body having an outer side with a flat, an axial groove, and circumferentially spaced first and second axial ribs.

13. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 12 wherein the rod-retention plug includes an arm extending from a free end to a fixed end connected to the first axial ridge by a living hinge that allows the arm to be flexed toward and away from the flat on the outer side of the main body.

14. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 13 wherein the arm includes a blocking face at the free end that occludes the inner rod-hole portion when the arm is in an unflexed state away from the flat and wherein the blocking face does not occlude the inner rod-hole portion when the arm is in a flexed state against the flat.

15. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 8 comprising a sideguard attached to the top of the module body at the first side edge and having sideguard locking structure engaging the plug locking structure to lock the rod-retention plug in the locked position.

16. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 15 wherein:
the sideguard includes:
a base;
a plate standing up from the base;
two legs extending down from the base; and

the module body includes:
two slots between the top and the bottom of the module body at the first side edge receiving the two legs;

wherein the two legs are snap-fitted into the two slots to hold the sideguard to the module body.

17. The conveyor belt edge module as claimed in claim 16 wherein one of the legs includes a hook forming sideguard locking structure that engages the plug locking structure to lock the rod-retention plug in the locked position in the socket.

18. A modular conveyor belt comprising:
a plurality of the conveyor belt edge modules as claimed in claim 8 arranged first end to second end with at least some of hinge elements of the first set interleaved with at least some of the second hinge elements of the second set to form laterally aligned passageways through the interleaved hinge elements;
hinge rods received in the laterally aligned passageways to connect consecutive conveyor belt edge modules at hinge joints;
wherein the rod-retention plugs in the locked position occlude the aligned passageways to block the hinge rods from exiting the passageways through the conveyor belt edge modules while the modular conveyor belt is running.

19. A modular conveyor belt as claimed in claim 18 comprising the conveyor belt edge modules arranged along left and right sides of the conveyor belt.

20. A modular conveyor b

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Bogle David W

Classifications

• B65G17/10

  the surface forming a longitudinal trough · CPC title

• B65G17/08 Primary

  the surface being formed by the traction element · CPC title

• B65G17/38

  Chains or like traction elements (drive chains F16G13/00); Connections between traction elements and load-carriers · CPC title

• B65G17/40 Primary

  Chains acting as load-carriers · CPC title