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:
May. 20, 1997
Filed:
Dec. 15, 1995
Samuel J Louden, Moorestown, NJ (US);
John T Hayes, Moorestown, NJ (US);
Ackley Machine Corporation, Moorestown, NJ (US);
Abstract
An article conveying system includes a conveyor belt including a plurality of carrier bars, a drive mechanism for driving the conveyor belt and a quick-release pin for releasably fastening the carrier bars to the drive mechanism. The quick-release pin includes an upper body portion, an upper body portion recess formed in the upper body portion and a flexible member positioned within the upper body portion recess. The flexible member has a compressed diameter (or dimension) no greater than a diameter of the upper body portion and an uncompressed diameter greater than the diameter of the upper body portion. The conveying system may also include a carrier hold down member that cooperates with a retractable roll capable of urging the carrier bar away from the quick-release pin. Furthermore, a method for releasably attaching the carrier bar and the quick-release pin includes guiding the quick-release pin into a blind or through hole of the carrier bar and sliding the quick-release pin along the hole until the flexible member mates with a recess of the carrier bar.