Roller covers and assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522724-B2
Application number	US-201414531772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 3, 2014
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

Roller covers for use with cylindrical rollers include an elongate flexible hollow body defining an interior space with an opening to the interior space for receiving the cylindrical roller via the opening, a first restrictive feature extending from the body and configured to restrict rotation of the body in a first rotational direction when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space, and a second restrictive feature extending from the body and configured to restrict rotation of the body in a second and opposite rotational direction when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space. Some embodiments further include a third restrictive feature positioned relative to the body and configured to restrict linear translation of the body relative to the cylindrical roller when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A roller cover for use with a cylindrical roller, comprising:
an elongate flexible hollow body defining an interior space with an opening to the interior space for receiving the cylindrical roller into the interior space via the opening, wherein the body has a longitudinal axis, wherein the body has a length and an internal diameter, wherein the length is greater than the internal diameter, wherein the opening extends along the length and has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the body has a first conformation and a second conformation, wherein the body is biased toward the first conformation, wherein the opening is larger when the body is in the second conformation than when the body is in the first conformation, and wherein the body is configured to selectively flex about the longitudinal axis from the first conformation to the second conformation when being positioned over the cylindrical roller and then flex from the second conformation toward the first conformation upon receipt of the cylindrical roller within the interior space so that the cylindrical roller is captured within the interior space;
a first restrictive feature extending from the body along the length of the body to adjacent the first side of the opening, wherein the first restrictive feature is configured to restrict rotation of the body in a first rotational direction about the longitudinal axis when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space; and
a second restrictive feature extending from the body adjacent the second side of the opening and along the length of the body, wherein the second restrictive feature is configured to restrict rotation of the body in a second rotational direction about the longitudinal axis when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space, wherein the second rotational direction is opposite the first rotational direction.

2. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the body, the first restrictive feature, and the second restrictive feature comprise a monolithic structure.

3. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the body is generally cylindrical and the internal diameter generally corresponds to an outer diameter of the cylindrical roller.

4. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the body includes edge portions that define opposite sides of the opening, wherein the edge portions are angled relative to directly adjacent portions of the body.

5. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the first restrictive feature includes an arm that extends from the body along the length of the body adjacent to the first side of the opening.

6. The roller cover of claim 5 , wherein the arm includes a first portion extending directly from the body and a second portion extending at an angle relative to the first portion, wherein the second portion is spaced away from the body.

7. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the roller cover is for use with a cylindrical roller assembly that includes the cylindrical roller supported by a housing, wherein the housing includes a planar surface spaced away from and parallel to the cylindrical roller's axis;
wherein the first restrictive feature is positioned to engage the planar surface when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

8. The roller cover of claim 7 in combination with the cylindrical roller assembly, wherein the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

9. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the second restrictive feature includes a flange that extends from the body along the length of the body adjacent to the second side of the opening.

10. The roller cover of claim 9 , wherein the flange extends at an angle relative to a directly adjacent portion of the body.

11. The roller cover of claim 9 , wherein the second restrictive feature further includes an L-shaped lip extending from a terminus of the flange on a side of the flange facing the opening.

12. The roller cover of claim 1 , wherein the roller cover is for use with a cylindrical roller assembly that includes the cylindrical roller supported by a housing, wherein the housing includes an edge that is spaced away from and parallel to the cylindrical roller's axis;
wherein the second restrictive feature is positioned to engage the edge when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

13. The roller cover of claim 12 in combination with the cylindrical roller assembly, wherein the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

14. The roller cover of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third restrictive feature positioned relative to the body and configured to restrict linear translation of the body along the longitudinal axis and relative to the cylindrical roller when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

15. The roller cover of claim 14 , wherein the body, the first restrictive feature, the second restrictive feature, and the third restrictive feature comprise a monolithic body.

16. The roller cover of claim 14 , wherein the third restrictive feature includes a pair of spaced-apart tabs that extend transverse to the longitudinal axis from opposite end regions of the first restrictive feature.

17. The roller cover of claim 14 , wherein the roller cover is for use with a cylindrical roller assembly that includes the cylindrical roller supported by a housing, wherein the housing includes spaced-apart planar surfaces that extend transverse to the cylindrical roller's axis;
wherein the third restrictive feature is positioned to engage the spaced-apart planar surfaces when the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

18. The roller cover of claim 17 in combination with the cylindrical roller assembly, wherein the cylindrical roller is received in the interior space.

19. An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage;
a cargo bay floor supported by the fuselage and including a plurality of cylindrical rollers; and
one or more of the roller cover of claim 1 installed on one or more of the plurality of cylindrical rollers.

20. An assembly, comprising:
a cylindrical roller assembly that includes a cylindrical roller supported by a housing, wherein the housing includes a first planar surface spaced away from and parallel to the cylindrical roller's axis, and wherein the housing includes second and third spaced-apart planar surfaces that extend transverse to the cylindrical roller's axis; and
a roller cover, comprising:
an elongate flexible hollow and generally cylindrical body defining an interior space with an opening to the interior space for receiving the cylindrical roller into the interior space via the opening, wherein the cylindrical roller is received in the open space, wherein the body has a longitudinal axis, wherein the body has a length and an internal diameter that generally corresponds to an outer diameter of the cylindrical roller, wherein the length is greater than the internal diameter, wherein the opening extends along the length and has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the body has a first conformation and a second conformation, wherein the body is biased toward the first conformation, wherein the opening is larger when the body is in the second conformation than when the body is in the first conformation, and wherein the body is configured to selectively flex about the longitudinal axis from the first conformation to the second conformation when being positioned over the cylindrical roller and then flex from the second conformation toward t

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Dixon Robert Dean
• Adzhigirey Maksim
• Schaff Isaac B
• Morgan Craig B

Classifications

• B64D2009/006

  Rollers or drives for pallets of freight containers, e.g. PDU · CPC title

• B64C1/20 Primary

  specially adapted for freight · CPC title

• B64D9/00

  Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like · CPC title