The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 01, 1987
Filed:
May. 07, 1986
Richard D Candle, Akron, OH (US);
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US);
Abstract
A folding belt system having the head and tail pulleys twice the width of the support idler rolls and having a transition length of about 7 to 15 times the width of the belt between the fold or hinge lines, where transition width support rolls are located. The folding conveyor belt is composed of a central belt section which has specially constructed flexible areas at each edge extending longitudinally the length of the belt to which are attached cover flaps. The cover flaps completely enclose the load while it is conveyed. This reduces spillage, dust, and contamination while providing highly enhanced conveying capacity. The flaps may be of the same or different construction than the center section of the belt. In it's preferred embodiment the folded belt is constructed by suitably providing the top cover of a fully cured conveyor belt with longitudinal grooves formed by slitting and removing a strip of rubber at the appropriate locations to form preferentially flexible longitudinal hinge areas in the belt with the dominions outside the hinges comprising the cover flaps. Alternately the hinge areas can be molded into the belt at the time of manufacture.