Conveyor belt fastener and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9556930-B2
Application number	US-201514825606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

In one aspect, a conveyor belt fastener is provided having a rigid body made from a strip of cold-rolled or cold-drawn material such as steel. The body has an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and loop portions connecting the upper and lower plate portions. The upper and lower plate portions each have a variable cross-sectional thickness laterally thereacross including raised walls projecting outwardly and ribs projecting inwardly. The fastener has at least one attachment member, such as a staple, for connecting the plate portions to a conveyor belt end and the raised walls protect the staple once driven into the conveyor belt end. A method of manufacturing a fastener is also provided including longitudinally advancing a strip of material having a variable cross-sectional thickness laterally thereacross through processing equipment and forming apertures through thinner material of the strip with the processing equipment for attachment member(s) of the fastener.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor belt fastener for splicing ends of a conveyor belt together, the conveyor belt fastener comprising:
a fastener body having opposite outboard end portions;
an elongate beam portion of the fastener body having a length extending longitudinally between the outboard end portions with the beam portion having a lateral cross-section across the elongate beam portion that is substantially uniform along the length of the beam portion;
an upper portion, a lower portion, and an arcuate loop portion of the beam portion with the arcuate loop portion being disposed along the beam portion intermediate the upper and lower portions and curved to orient the upper portion above the lower portion with a gap spacing therebetween;
a web portion of the fastener body extending laterally from the beam portion at the upper portion thereof and a web portion of the fastener body extending laterally from the beam portion at the lower portion thereof with the web portions having a reduced thickness relative to the beam portion so that the upper and lower portions are raised relative to the laterally adjacent web portions; and
apertures in the reduced thickness web portions laterally offset from the beam portion and sized to receive an attachment member with the raised upper and lower portions of the beam portion extending along the attachment member received in the apertures of the reduced thickness web portions for providing protection thereto.

2. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the fastener body includes another elongate beam portion with the elongate beam portions being spaced laterally from each other by the web portions of the fastener body and each beam portion having a length extending longitudinally between the outboard end portions and a lateral cross-section that is substantially uniform along the length of the beam portion.

3. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the fastener body includes an elongate through opening extending between the beam portions and separating the reduced thickness web portions.

4. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the fastener body includes another two elongate beam portions and the three elongate beam portions of the fastener body are spaced laterally from each other and each beam portion has a length extending longitudinally between the outboard end portions and a lateral cross-section that is substantially uniform along the length of the beam portion.

5. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the reduced thickness web portions include inner surfaces for facing the conveyor belt and outer surfaces for facing away from the conveyor belt and the upper and lower portions of the beam portion include wall portions raised relative to the adjacent outer surfaces of the reduced thickness web portions.

6. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 5 wherein the upper and lower portions of the beam portion include rib portions raised relative to the adjacent inner surfaces of the reduced thickness web portions.

7. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the apertures include pairs of apertures in the reduced thickness web portions and the attachment member includes a staple having leg portions preset in the pair of apertures of the reduced thickness web portion at the upper portion.

8. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the reduced thickness web portions at the upper and lower portions of the beam portion include laterally outer ledges with each ledge having an inner surface for facing the conveyor belt and an outer surface for facing away from the conveyor belt and a laterally outer, vertical side surface extending between the upper and lower surfaces.

9. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 8 wherein the vertical side surface of each of the ledges taper laterally inwardly as the vertical surfaces extend from the inner surfaces toward the outer surfaces of the ledges.

10. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the fastener body includes a through opening separating the reduced thickness web portions along the fastener body.

11. A plate fastener for conveyor belts, the plate fastener comprising:
upper and lower plate portions each having an outer surface facing away from the belt and an inner surface for engaging the belt;
a variable thickness of the plate portions between the outer and inner surfaces and extending laterally thereacross;
at least one attachment member for connecting the plate portions to an end of the belt;
outer surface walls of the upper and lower plate portions projecting outwardly away from the belt at either side of the attachment member;
inner surface ribs of the upper and lower plate portions projecting inwardly toward the belt with the inner surface ribs being vertically aligned with the outer surface walls and laterally offset from the attachment member; and
plate sections extending laterally between the aligned walls and ribs that are of substantially constant thickness less than that of the aligned walls and ribs.

12. The plate fastener of claim 11 including loop portions longitudinally aligned with the outer surface walls and inner surface ribs with the loop portions and the vertically aligned walls and ribs having the same thickness which is greater than that of the plate sections for providing high strength to the loop portions.

13. The plate fastener of claim 11 wherein the plate portions include outboard and inboard edges with the ribs extending between the edges, and
loop portions continuously formed with the aligned walls and ribs extending beyond the inboard edge of the plate portions.

14. The plate fastener of claim 11 wherein the plate portions have aligned apertures and the attachment member includes a shank that extends through the apertures with the plate portions clamped onto the belt, the aperture of the lower plate portion and the shank being sized to provide a press-fit therebetween.

15. The plate fastener of claim 11 wherein the at least one attachment member comprises a plurality of staples each having longitudinally oriented leg portions with adjacent staples longitudinally offset from each other.

16. The plate fastener of claim 15 wherein the upper plate portion has apertures for the staple leg portions, and the plurality of staples comprises three staples press-fit in the upper plate apertures to be preset thereto and including laterally outer staples and a middle staple that is offset longitudinally closer to an end edge of the belt so that the outer staples provide greater reachback onto the belt than the middle staple for increased holding power of the fastener.

17. The plate fastener of claim 11 wherein the plate portions have laterally spaced side surfaces that extend non-linearly between the outer and inner surfaces of the plate portions to allow for adjacent plate portions on the belt to be closely spaced or in contact and pivot as the belt is troughed.

18. The plate fastener of claim 11 wherein the wherein the at least one attachment member comprises a plurality of staples each having a pair of leg portions; and
apertures of the plate sections of the upper plate portion having the staple leg portions press fit therein so that the staples are preset to the upper plate portion.

19. The plate fastener of claim 11 further comprising another upper plate portion and another lower plate portion each having an outer surface facing away from the belt and an inner surface for engaging the belt and a variable thickness between the outer and inner surfaces and extending laterally there

Assignees

• Flexible Steel Lacing Co

Inventors

• Daniels William J

Classifications

• F16G3/02 Primary

  with series of eyes or the like, interposed and linked by a pin to form a hinge (F16G3/09 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16G3/04 Primary

  in which the ends of separate U-shaped or like eyes are attached to the belt by parts penetrating into it · CPC title

• B25C5/06

  without provision for bending the ends of the staples on to the work · CPC title

• F16G3/16

  Devices or machines for connecting driving-belts or the like · CPC title

• F16G3/003

  Apparatus or tools for joining belts (stapler B25C5/00) · CPC title