Conveyor belt sidewall fastening system

Abstract

A flexible thermoplastic conveyor belt comprising one or more belt segments having corrugated sidewalls. The one or more segments are joined end-to-end at one or more junctions. The ends of the sidewalls are secured by fasteners at or near the junctions to form a continuous sidewall along the length of the belt. The fasteners are tool-less fasteners that do not require tools.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to power driven conveyor belts, and more particularly to fastening ends of sidewalls of belt segments with joints to form an endless conveyor belt having a continuous sidewall. [Background technology]

[0002] Thermoplastic conveyor belts that are flexible along their length and have few or no hinge joints are typically used to transport products in applications where hygiene and cleanliness are important. Modular plastic conveyor belts, which contain rigid modules arranged in rows connected end to end by numerous hinge joints, are not very hygienic. The many hinge joints in modular conveyor belts allow bacteria to grow throughout the area and are difficult to remove by cleaning. Therefore, flexible thermoplastic conveyor belts with few or no hinge joints are more suitable for hygienic applications.

[0003] One example of such a flexible belt is a long extruded belt segment welded end to end to form an endless belt loop with no hinge joints. An endless hingeless belt can also be formed by welding a plurality of extruded belt segments end to end. Another example is a belt made of one or more belt segments with ends butt welded to the opposing ends of the extruded segments. Opposite ends of the joined belt segments have alternating hinge eyes. Hinge rods are inserted through the alternating hinge eyes into the lateral passages to connect the belt segments at the hinge joints. Removal of the hinge rods from the hinge joints opens the hinge joints and the belt can be removed from the conveyor. Also, because only one or a few hinge joints are required, the belt is more hygienic, especially compared to modular belts that have a larger number of hinge joints.

[0004] Without containment, rounded products such as apples and pears tend to fall off the sides of the belt. Sidewalls along opposing sides of a conveyor belt are used to contain products on the belt. For flexible thermoplastic belts, corrugated sidewalls are often used along both sides. The corrugated construction gives the sidewalls the flexibility they need to withstand bending of the belt as it passes over drive and idle sprockets or drums. In hingeless belts, the ends of the sidewalls can be welded together to form a continuous sidewall along the length of the endless belt loop.

[0005] However, in a hinged belt, the sidewalls cannot be welded together at the hinge joint in order to maintain the benefit of installation and removal of the hinge joint. One method of joining the sidewall ends together at the hinge joint is to overlap the extended ends of the sidewalls at the end of each belt and create a turn-up section above the hinge joint. Holes are then drilled in the overlapping sidewall sections to match the holes in a pair of metal plates. The holes in one plate are aligned with the holes in the overlapping sidewall section. Screws are then inserted through the holes in the plates and sidewall section. The other plate is then fitted onto the ends of the screws on the opposite side of the overlapping sidewall section. The plates are then secured together with lock nuts to secure the sidewall ends together and form a continuous sidewall along the length of the belt loop. For added security, a second set of plates is similarly attached to the overlapping sidewalls on the opposite side of the hinge joint. Installing the plates not only takes time, but also requires tools such as clamps to secure both ends of the side walls, a drill to drill the screw holes, blocks to support the side walls while drilling the holes, and wrenches and drivers to tighten the screws and nuts. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One version of a conveyor belt embodying features of the invention includes one or more belt segments joined at one or more junctions to define an endless conveyor belt loop extending widthwise from a first side to a second side. A segment sidewall extends from a first end to a second end along each belt segment proximate the first or second side of the conveyor belt loop. A fastener joins a first end of the segment sidewall to a second end of the segment sidewall proximate each of the one or more junctions to form a continuous sidewall proximate the first or second side and bridges the one or more junctions. The fastener is a tool-less fastener that does not require a tool to join the first and second ends.

[0007] Another version of the conveyor belt includes one or more belt segments joined at one or more junctions to define an endless conveyor belt loop that expands in width from a first side to a second side. A segment sidewall extends from a first end to a second end along each belt segment proximate the first or second side of the conveyor belt loop. Each sidewall includes a first fastening element integral with the segment sidewall at the first end and a second fastening element integral with the segment sidewall at the second end. The segment sidewall engages the first fastening element with the second fastening element to interlock the first and second ends to form a continuous sidewall proximate the first or second side, and joins the first and second ends by bridging the one or more junctions.

[0008] Yet another version of the conveyor belt includes one or more belt segments joined at one or more junctions to define an endless conveyor belt loop that expands in width from a first side to a second side, a segment sidewall extends from a first end to a second end along each belt segment proximate the first or second side of the conveyor belt loop, and a clip joins a first end of the segment sidewall to a second end of the segment sidewall proximate each of the one or more junctions to form a continuous sidewall proximate the first or second side and spanning the one or more junctions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portion of an endless flexible thermoplastic conveyor belt having corrugated sidewalls embodying features of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are close-up views of two views of one side of the conveyor belt of FIG. 1 showing one version of a sidewall fastener. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of one side of a conveyor belt showing an alternative version of the sidewall fastener. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are isometric views of opposite ends of conveyor belt segments that are joined to form the conveyor belt of FIG. [Diagram 5] 5A-5E show step by step the joining of two belt segments and their side walls using a third version of the side wall fastener. [Figure 6] 6A-6F show step-by-step joining of two belt segments and their side walls using the dual version of the fastener of FIGS. 5A-5E. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B show two views of yet another version of the sidewall fastener. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B show two views of the sidewall fastening snap before connection, and FIG. 8C shows the edge portion of the conveyor belt after the sidewalls have been snapped together. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B show one side of a conveyor belt before and after magnetically securing the segment side walls. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B show one side of a conveyor belt before and after securing the side walls with U-shaped clips. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B show one side of a conveyor belt before and after securing the side walls with S-clips. [Figure 12]12A and 12B show one side of a conveyor belt before and after securing the side walls with W-clips. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows one side of a conveyor belt with two magnetic clips securing the side walls. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the two magnetic clips of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the permanent magnet of the magnetic clip of FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows one side of a conveyor belt with a side wall secured with a spiral wire. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows one side of a conveyor belt with side walls secured by connecting pins through aligned eyelets. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram of two belt segments having integral interlocking metal races on each sidewall. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 shows two belt segments of FIG. 18 fastened together by a connecting pin. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is an isometric view of another version of a sidewall fastener similar to FIGS. 5A-5E, but with dual fastener elements. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is an axial view of a sidewall fastener similar to FIG. 20, but having three fastener elements. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is an axial view of a first version of the sidewall patch fastener. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is an axial view of a second version of the sidewall patch fastener. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an endless conveyor belt having sidewalls that are flexible along their length and fastened by one version of a fastener system. The conveyor belt 20 is comprised of one or more belt segments 22, 23 joined at hinge joints 24. Each belt segment 22, 23 includes a hinge portion 26, 27 that is butt welded to an end 28, 29 of a long main portion 30, 31. The main portion 30, 31 is typically made by extrusion, and the hinge portion 26, 27 is typically a molded item. Both are made of a resilient material such as a thermoplastic polymer (e.g., polyurethane), elastomer, rubber, or the like. Each hinge portion 26, 27 has a pair of hinge eyes 32, 33 spaced laterally along the ends of the belt segments 22, 23. The hinge eyes 32, 33 at opposite ends of a single belt segment or adjacent belt segments to be joined are interleaved and aligned to form a lateral passageway. A hinge rod 34 inserted into the passage connects the ends at hinge joint 24 .

[0011] The endless conveyor belt may be comprised of a single belt segment connected at both ends by a hinge joint 24, or may be comprised of multiple belt segments connected at multiple hinge joints. In this example, each belt segment 22, 23 has equally spaced drive bars 36 that extend laterally across the width of the belt 20 from a first side 38 to an opposite second side 39 on the bottom surface. The drive bars 36 are meshed to a motor-driven sprocket or drum that drives the belt 20. The drive bars 36 may be formed by machining material from an extruded sheet, by calendaring the sheet immediately after extrusion, or by physically attaching a separately formed drive bar. The belt may alternatively have drive bars or lugs that do not extend the entire belt width, or may lack drive bars and instead be friction driven by pulleys.

[0012] The segment sidewalls 40, 41 extend the length of each belt segment 22, 23 along the first and second sides 38, 39. The segment sidewalls 40, 41 are corrugated for flexibility as the belt 20 bends around sprockets, pulleys, or drums. The bottoms of the segment sidewalls 40, 41 are welded to the top surfaces 42 of the belt segments 30, 31 except near the ends of the hinge portions 26, 27. The weld lengths of the segment sidewalls 40, 41 follow a regular corrugation pattern in sync with the regular spacing of the drive bars 36 and the segment sidewalls on the opposite sides of the belt segment. The unwelded ends of the segment sidewalls 40, 41 are joined by fasteners 44 near the hinge joints 24 to form continuous sidewalls near the first and second sides 38, 39 of the conveyor belt 20. In this version, the segment side walls 40,41 are slightly inboard from the belt edges on the first and second sides 38,39.

[0013] The sidewall fastener 44 is shown in detail in Figures 2A and 2B. The fastener 44 has two fastener elements: (1) a tab 46 at the end of the first segment sidewall 40, and (2) a wall slot 48 at the end of the second segment sidewall 41. The wall slot 48 opens into the vertical edge 50 of the second segment sidewall 41 through a narrow gap 52 formed by two opposing lips 53 of the edge. The tab 46 has an enlarged head 54 connected to the vertical edge 51 of the first segment sidewall 40 by a narrowed neck 55. The width 56 of the lip-to-lip gap 52 is less than the width of the neck 55 to retain the tab 46 in the wall slot 48. And the outer dimension of the head 54 is greater than the maximum dimension of the wall slot 48. The second segment sidewall 41 can elastically deform to widen the gap 52 because the segment sidewalls 40, 41 are made of the same flexible thermoplastic material as the belt segments 22, 23. Tab 55, made from the same material as the side walls, can then be bent and twisted through the widened gap to seat in wall slot 48 in a relaxed, locked position, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B. To release the two segment side walls 40, 41, tab 46 is elastically deformed, widening gap 52 as necessary to allow the tab to pass through. In this version, the fastener is located directly above hinge joint 24.

[0014] Another version of the sidewall fastener 58 is shown in Figures 3, 4A, and 4B. In this version, the end of the first segment sidewall 60 has a first fastener element in the form of a hook-shaped tab 64 that includes a shank 66 that extends horizontally to a hook end 67 that extends vertically from the end of the shank. The second segment sidewall includes a second fastener element in the form of a notch-shaped wall slot 62 that opens into the upper horizontal edge of the sidewall. The shank 66 is received in the slot 62 through an open end at the top end of the second segment sidewall 60. The hook end 67 of the tab 64 hooks into the outside of the second segment sidewall 60, locking the segment sidewalls 60, 61 together to form a continuous sidewall. In this version, the fastener 58 is offset from the hinge joint 24 along the length of the conveyor belt.

[0015] 5A-5E show a further version of the sidewall fastener and further illustrate a sequence of steps for joining the end of the belt segment and the end of the segment sidewall. The fastener 68 includes a tab 70 similar to the tab 46 of FIGS. 2A and 2B as a first fastener element. The tab 70 has an enlarged head 72 in the shape of an arrowhead at the end or neck of a shaft 74 that extends outwardly from a vertical edge 76 of a first end 80 of a first segment sidewall 78 of a first belt segment end 82. The tab 70 is made of the same material as the sidewall and is integrally formed therewith. A second fastener element is formed in a second segment sidewall 79 of a second belt segment end 83 at a second end 81 with a wall slot 84. The wall slot 84 has a closed periphery 85. The wall slot 84 is shown as an oval shape with dimensions smaller than the maximum outer diameter dimension of the arrowhead 72. However, the wall slot 84 can have other shapes. For example, it can be circular, oval, rectangular, or have a thin slit.

[0016] For added security, the sidewall fastener 168 shown in FIG. 20 has two tabs 170 and two arrows 172 on the first segment sidewall 178 and two wall slots 184 on the second segment sidewall 179. An even more secure version is shown in FIG. 21. The sidewall fastener 186 has three tabs 188, 189, 190 with enlarged heads 191 on the first segment sidewall 192 and three wall slots 194, 195, 196 on the second segment sidewall 198. The middle tab 189 extends parallel to the top surface 200 of the conveyor belt 202 from the first segment sidewall 192. The top tab 188 is angled upwards and the bottom tab 190 is angled downwards. The corresponding top and bottom wall slots 194, 196 are similarly angled diagonally on the second segment sidewall 198. The top wall slot 194 tapers upwardly and outwardly to a vertical edge 199 of the second segment side wall 198, and the bottom wall slot 196 tapers downwardly and outwardly to the vertical edge. The middle wall slot 195 tapers vertically. A stop surface 204 extending from the first segment side wall 192 between the tabs 188, 189, 190 abuts the second segment side wall 198 when the tabs are inserted into the wall slots 194, 195, 196 to secure the side walls together.

[0017] The joining sequence of two belt segments 80, 81 and segment side walls 78, 79 is shown in Figures 5A-5E. Two separate belt segment ends 82, 83 in Figure 5A are joined with the hinge eyes 32, 33 interleaved in Figure 5B. The hinge rod 34 is then inserted into the lateral passage formed by the aligned and interleaved hinge eyes 32, 33 to connect the segment ends 82, 83 at the hinge joint 24. The longer first end 80 of the first segment side wall 78 is pulled outside the shorter second end 81 of the second segment side wall 79, past the hinge joint 24, and folded back around the second segment side wall, as shown in Figure 5C. The tab 70 is then aligned with the wall slot 84. Finally, as shown in Figures 5D and 5E, tabs 70 are deformed and forced into wall slots 84, joining segment side walls 78, 79 to form a continuous side wall spanning hinge joint 24. A similar sequence of steps is applied to the fasteners and belt segments of Figures 2A-4B.

[0018] 6A-6F show a sidewall fastening system having a dual fastener such as fastener 68 of FIGS. 5A-5E, respectively. Each segment sidewall end 88, 89 has a tab 70, 70' and a slot 84, 84'. The joining sequence of the sidewalls is shown in FIGS. 6C-6F. After the first and second segment ends 90, 91 are joined at the hinge joint 24 as shown in FIG. 6B, the second segment sidewall end 89 is folded over the hinge joint so that its tab 70' is aligned with the wall slot 84 of the first sidewall end 88. The tab 70' is then pushed into the wall slot 84 as shown in FIG. 6D. The first sidewall end 88 is then folded around the second sidewall end 89 so that its tab 70 is aligned with the wall slot 84' of the second sidewall end as shown in FIG. 6E. Tab 70 is then forced into wall slot 84' at the second side wall end to secure segment side wall ends 88, 89 together, as shown in Figure 6F. In this version, the fastener spans both sides of hinge joint 24.

[0019] An alternative sidewall fastener is shown in Figures 7A and 7B. In this version, the first fastener element is a stiff mushroom-shaped knob 90 or tab permanently fixed to the first sidewall end 92. The second fastener element is a closed wall slot 91 formed in the second sidewall end 93. The knob 90 has an enlarged head 94 at the end of a stem 95 (neck). The wall slot 91 has a dimension smaller than the maximum outer diameter dimension of the knob 90's head 94 and larger than the outer diameter dimension of the neck 95. The longer second segment end 93 is folded over the hinge joint 24 and its wall slot 91 is aligned with the knob 90, which is then forced into the wall slot to join the sidewalls of the segments. The fastener shown in Figures 7A and 7B has a second knob 90' and a corresponding second wall slot 91' for added security. However, there may be only one knob and slot.

[0020] Fastener 96 shown in Figures 8A-8C uses male and female snaps 98, 99 as the fastening elements. Although two pairs of snaps are shown in this example, a single pair of snaps may be used. Snaps 98, 99 are secured to segment sidewall ends 100, 101. Snaps 98, 99 are snapped together offset from hinge joint 24 to join folded sidewall ends 100, 101.

[0021] 9A and 9B show a magnetic sidewall fastener. One or more permanent magnets 102 (three in this example) are embedded in a first segment sidewall end 104. A second segment sidewall end 105 has three permanent magnets 103 embedded therein that are spatially aligned with the permanent magnets 102 in the other sidewall end 104 (segment sidewall ends 104, 105 are shown cut away to reveal the magnets 102, 103). The poles of the magnets 102, 103 are arranged such that the magnets attract each other to join the segment sidewall ends 104, 105 to form a continuous sidewall spanning the hinge joint 24, as shown in FIG. 9B. An iron element may be used in place of the magnets at one of the segment sidewall ends. The magnet at the other segment sidewall end attracts the iron element to secure the ends together.

[0022] All of the fasteners described thus far include fastener elements that are integral with the segment sidewall in that they are a permanent part of the segment sidewall, either by being an extension or appendage of the sidewall or an opening in the sidewall as in Figures 1-6F, or by being a restraining element that is permanently secured to the sidewall as in Figures 7A-9B. Additionally, none of these integral sidewall fasteners require a tool to secure and unseat the ends of the segment sidewalls together. These tool-less fasteners allow for fastening and unseatment to be accomplished by hand alone.

[0023] 10A-12B show another family of tool-less fasteners that can be used to manually secure and release segment side walls without the use of tools, but which include fastener elements that are not all fully integral parts of the side walls. This family consists of clips and interlocking members.

[0024] The clip 110 shown in Figures 10A and 10B has a base 112 and two parallel arms 114 that surround a clip slot 116. The clip 110 is U-shaped in cross section, long enough from top to bottom, and its slot 116 deep enough to secure the first and second segment sidewall ends 118, 119 together. As shown in Figure 10B, the two segment sidewall ends 118, 119 are tightly pressed side-by-side in an interference fit within the slot 116 of the U-shaped clip 110. The distal ends of the clip arms 114 are chamfered to facilitate insertion of the edges of the segment sidewall ends 118, 119 into the clip slot 116. In the U-shaped clip 114, the two segment sidewall ends 118, 119 are not folded over one another. Rather, they are held side-by-side by the clip 110 directly above the hinge joint 24.

[0025] 11A and 11B show an S-shaped clip 120. The clip 120 is S-shaped in cross section and defines two parallel clip slots 122, 123 that open in opposite directions. Like the U-shaped clip 110 of FIGS. 10A and 10B, the S-shaped clip 120 has chamfered openings to the slots 122, 123 to facilitate entry of the segment sidewall ends 124, 125. As shown in FIG. 11B, the longer end 124 of the first segment sidewall is folded over to overlap the shorter end 125 of the second segment sidewall on the second segment sidewall side of the hinge joint 24. The end 124 of the first segment sidewall is received in the outwardly opening clip slot 123 and the end 125 of the second segment sidewall is received in the inwardly opening clip slot 122. Thus, the S-clip fastener secures the segment side walls into a continuous side wall at a point offset from the hinge joint 24 along the length of the belt.

[0026] In Figures 12A and 12B, the two segment sidewall ends 118, 119 are held together by a W-shaped clip 130. The clip 130 has two outer legs 132 and one inner leg 133 extending from a base 134. Clip slots 136, 137 are formed between the outer and inner legs 132, 133. The slots 136, 137 are angled toward each other and offset from each other toward the open end. Each of the slots 136, 137 receives a corresponding one of the segment sidewall ends 118, 119 in an interference fit that clamps the segment sidewalls together. Similar to the U-shaped clip 110 of Figure 10B, the W-shaped clip 130 joins the two sidewall ends 118, 119 above the hinge joint 24.

[0027] Figure 13 shows two clips 206, 206' clamped to each segment sidewall end 208, 209. As shown in Figure 15, a permanent magnet 210 is embedded in the leg 212 of the clip 206. The two clips 206, 206' are identical and have a button 214 and hole 216 in the leg 212. As shown in Figure 14, the identical magnetic clips 206, 206' are positioned so that the hole 216 and button 214 in the opposing leg 212 match, ensuring that the permanent magnets 210 of each clip are aligned. In this way, the two segment sidewall ends 208, 209 are secured together and easily released.

[0028] FIG. 16 shows two segment sidewall ends 220, 221 secured together by a spiral wire 222. Each segment sidewall end 220, 221 has a series of regularly spaced holes 224. The holes 224 in the first segment sidewall end 220 are aligned with the holes 224 in the second segment sidewall end 221. The spiral wire 222 extends from a top end 226 to a bottom end 227. An enlarged head 228, whose dimensions are larger than the dimensions of the holes 224, terminates the tip 226 of the wire. A bead 229 on the spiral wire 222 is spaced from the enlarged head 228 along the spiral at a distance slightly greater than the combined thickness of the two segment sidewall ends 220, 221. The bottom end 227 is threaded from the top of the segment sidewall ends 220, 221 through the aligned holes 224 until the bead 229 passes through the top hole. As the bead 229 is forced into the top hole, the hole temporarily widens. Once the bead has passed, the elastic properties of the segment sidewalls cause the hole to return to its relaxed position. The enlarged head 228 and bead 229 on either side of the joined segment sidewall ends lock the spiral wire 222 in place.

[0029] FIG. 17 shows another version of the sidewall fastener securing the segment sidewall ends 230, 231 with a connecting pin 232. Eyelets 234, 235 are integrally formed with the segment sidewalls along the edges of the segment sidewall ends 230, 231. The inner eyelet 234 is completely perforated. The top and bottom eyelets 235 are plugged at their ends distal from the inner eyelet 234. A slit 236 at the end of the first segment sidewall end 230 allows the top eyelet 235 to bend elastically out of alignment with the other eyelets, allowing the connecting pin 232 to be inserted and withdrawn from the vertical passage formed by the aligned holes of the interleaved eyelets 234, 235 of the two segment sidewall ends 230, 231. When the top eyelet 235 returns to its relaxed state, it caps and locks the upper end of the connecting pin 232, securing the sidewall ends together. (One of the inner eyelets 234 is shown cut away to reveal the connecting pin 232).

[0030] A similar fastening system to that of FIG. 17 is shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. In this version, the opposing edges of the two segment sidewall ends 240, 241 have metal hinged belt race elements 242, 243 permanently riveted to the sidewalls. Each race element 242 of the first segment sidewall end 240 has two eyelets. Each race element 243 of the second segment sidewall end 241 has a single eyelet. When the opposing ends of the two segment sidewall ends 240, 241 are brought together, the single eyelet of the race element 243 is received between the two eyelets of the mating race element 242, as shown in FIG. 19. A connecting pin 244 extends through a vertical passage formed by the aligned and interleaved eyelets to secure the segment sidewall ends 240, 241 together. An integral protrusion 246 on the top of the second segment sidewall end 241 flexes out of the way when the connecting pin 244 is inserted or removed. In the relaxed state, the protrusion 246 blocks the passage. Other versions of the hinged belt race element, such as those with multiple eyelets on both race elements, may be used instead.

[0031] The first and second ends of the segment side walls are not welded to the belt segment. In this manner, they can be folded to bridge the hinge joint without attaching to the top of the belt segment at or near the hinge joint. In all of the drawings, the welds of the segment side walls are shown by weld beads 140 along the bottom of the side walls, as shown, for example, in Figures 6E and 10B. The portions of the side wall ends 88, 89, 118, 119 that are not welded to the belt segment are clearly shown in the drawings as having no weld bead along their bottoms 142. The weld beads 140 terminate close enough to the hinge joint 24 that it is generally clear to a human engineer how to fold or otherwise align the unwelded portions of the side wall ends 88, 89, 118, 119 to join them. Although each segment side wall is shown with a continuous weld line between the segment side wall ends, the weld may be intermittent between the ends.

[0032] FIG. 22 shows an alternative fastening system. A flexible sidewall patch 250 extends from a first side edge 252 to an opposite second side edge 253. Patch fastening elements in the form of integral tabs 254 with large heads extend from the first and second side edges 252, 253. Complementary fastening elements in the form of slots 256 are formed at the ends of the segment sidewalls 258, 259. The tabs 254 at the side edges 252, 253 of the sidewall patch 250 are inserted into the slots 254 at the ends of the two segment sidewalls 258, 259, which are joined to form a continuous sidewall. If the tabs 254 break or the sidewall patch 250 is damaged, a new sidewall patch can be easily replaced with the damaged one. There is no need to rework the segment sidewalls.

[0033] In the fastener system of Figure 23, a flexible sidewall patch 260 extends from a first side edge 262 to an opposing second side edge 263. In this version, the fastener elements are reversed from those shown in Figure 22. Tabs 264 extending from first and second ends of segment sidewalls 268, 269 are inserted into slots formed in the first and second side edges 262, 263 of the sidewall patch 260 to form a continuous sidewall.

[0034] In the fasteners shown in Figures 22 and 23, the flexible sidewall patch 250, 260 can be made of the same material or have the same thickness and height as the segment sidewall to match the rest of the sidewall. Alternatively, the sidewall patch can be made of a rigid material that has the curved shape that the flexible sidewall will assume when installed. Instead of two pairs of fastening elements at both ends, one or more pairs of fastening elements can be used. Additionally, the segment sidewall can have tabs and slots at its ends and the sidewall patch can have complementary slots and tabs at its side edges. Other fastening elements, as previously described, can also be used for the sidewall patch.

[0035] All fasteners can be removed in the reverse order that they were fastened, so that if a conveyor belt with sidewalls fastened at or near a hinge joint needs to be removed from the conveyor for replacement, cleaning, or refurbishing, the sidewalls of the segment are first unfastened and then the hinge rod is removed from the hinge joint to separate the belt ends.

[0036] All sidewall connections are shown with belts comprised of one or more belt segments joined at both ends with hinge joints. However, all sidewall connections may be used with belts comprised of one or more segments joined at more rigid or non-hinged joints formed in other ways, such as by butt welding or heat bonding the ends, or by interlocking the ends with a mating lock or cut-and-sew structure. All references to a first segment and a second segment, or a first segment sidewall and a second segment sidewall, mean (a) the individual segments or segment sidewalls in a belt comprised of multiple segments joined at multiple joints, or (b) both ends of a segment or segment sidewall in a belt comprised of a single segment having both ends joined at a single joint to form an endless belt loop.

Claims

1. A conveyor belt comprising: an endless conveyor belt loop having one or more belt segments joined at one or more junctures and extending in width from a first side to a second side; one or more segment sidewalls extending along one of the belt segments from a first end to a second end proximate the first side or the second side of the conveyor belt loop; one or more fasteners joining a first end of the segment side wall and a second end of the segment side wall proximate each of the one or more joints to form a continuous side wall proximate the first side or the second side and spanning the one or more joints; The fastener is a tool-less fastener that does not require a tool to join the first end and the second end of the conveyor belt.

2. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the fastener comprises a clip having one or more slots that receive the first and second ends in an interference fit.

3. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the fastener comprises a clip joining the first end and the second end.

4. 4. The conveyor belt of claim 3, wherein the clip is U-shaped, S-shaped, or W-shaped.

5. 4. The conveyor belt of claim 3, wherein the clip is U-shaped with a single clip slot into which the first and second ends are clipped together with an interference fit.

6. 4. The conveyor belt of claim 3, wherein the clip is S-shaped and has a pair of oppositely opening clip slots, a first clip slot for receiving the first end and a second clip slot for receiving the second end in an interference fit.

7. 4. The conveyor belt of claim 3, wherein the clip is W-shaped and has a pair of clip slots, a first clip slot receiving the first end and a second clip slot receiving the second end in an interference fit.

8. 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a first clip having a slot for receiving the first end and a second clip having a slot for receiving the second end, the first and second clips having permanent magnets that attract the first clip to the second clip for joining the first and second ends.

9. The fastener is a first fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the first end; a second fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the second end.

2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the first and second ends of the one or more segment side walls are joined by engaging the first fastener element with the second fastener element to interlock the first and second ends and form a continuous side wall spanning the one or more joints.

10. 10. The conveyor belt of claim 9, wherein the first fastening element is a tab extending from the first end and the second fastening element is a wall slot formed in the second end sized to receive and retain the tab on the first end.

11. The conveyor belt of claim 10 , wherein the tab has an enlarged head having an outer diameter dimension greater than a maximum dimension of the wall slot.

12. 12. The conveyor belt of claim 11, wherein the enlarged head is rigid and the second end is sufficiently flexible such that the second end can elastically deform to enlarge the wall slot when the enlarged head is inserted through the wall slot.

13. The conveyor belt of claim 11 , wherein the enlarged head is arrowhead shaped.

14. 11. The conveyor belt of claim 10, wherein the tab or the second end is sufficiently flexible such that when the tab is inserted into the wall slot, the tab or the second end can elastically deform to allow the wall slot to expand.

15. The conveyor belt of claim 10 , wherein the wall slot opens into an end of the segment side wall.

16. The conveyor belt of claim 10 , wherein the wall slot has a closed periphery.

17. 11. The conveyor belt of claim 10, wherein the tab has an enlarged head and a neck connecting the enlarged head to an edge of a first end of the segment side wall, and the wall slot opens to an edge of a second end of the segment side wall through a narrow gap, the width of the gap being smaller than the width of the neck to retain the tab within the wall slot.

18. 11. The conveyor belt of claim 10, wherein the tab is hook-shaped having a shank and a hook end, and the wall slot has an open side that receives the shank with the hook end hooked into the second segment side wall.

19. 10. The conveyor belt of claim 9 having at least two pairs of first and second fasteners at the first and second ends.

20. The one or more fasteners are an upper tab, a lower tab, and an intermediate tab between the upper and lower tabs extending from the first end; a top wall slot, a bottom wall slot, and an intermediate wall slot between the top wall slot and the bottom wall slot at the second end; 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the top, bottom, and middle wall slots of the second end are sized to receive and retain upper, lower, and middle tabs extending from the first end.

21. 21. The conveyor belt of claim 20, wherein the upper tab extends diagonally upward from the first end, the lower tab extends diagonally downward from the first end, the second end has a vertical edge, the upper wall slot extends upwardly and outwardly toward the vertical edge, and the lower wall slot extends downwardly and outwardly toward the vertical edge.

22. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fasteners are made of materials that are magnetically attracted to each other.

23. 23. The conveyor belt of claim 22, wherein the one or more fasteners each comprise one or more first permanent magnets at the first end and one or more second permanent magnets or one or more ferrous elements at the second end.

24. 10. The conveyor belt of claim 9, wherein the first fastener element is a male snap and the second fastener element is a female snap that snap together.

25. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fasteners join the first and second ends above the juncture.

26. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fasteners join the first and second ends offset along the endless conveyor belt loop from the joint.

27. The conveyor belt of claim 1 , wherein the one or more segment sidewalls have a bottom that is welded to the belt segment along a length except for the first and second ends.

28. 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a series of holes through the first and second ends and a spiral wire threaded through the holes in the first and second ends to secure the first and second ends.

29. 29. The conveyor belt of claim 28, wherein the spiral wire has an enlarged head at one end and a bead spaced from the head a distance slightly greater than the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second ends, the dimensions of the head and bead being greater than the dimensions of the holes.

30. The fastener is a first series of vertically spaced eyelets along the first end; a second series of vertically spaced eyelets along the second end; and A connection pin, 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the first series of eyelets are interleaved with the second series of eyelets and vertically aligned to form a vertical passage for receiving the connecting pin to join the first and second ends.

31. 31. The conveyor belt of claim 30, wherein the first and second series of eyelets are metallic hinged belt race elements.

32. The one or more fasteners are a first fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the first end; a second fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the second end; a flexible sidewall patch extending from a first side edge to an opposite second side edge, the flexible sidewall patch having a first patch fastener element at the first side edge and a second patch fastener element at the second side edge; 2. The conveyor belt of claim 1, wherein the one or more segment sidewalls are joined by engaging the first fastener element with the first patch fastener element and engaging the second fastener element with the second patch fastener element to form a continuous sidewall spanning the one or more joints.

33. 33. The conveyor belt of claim 32, wherein the first fastening element includes one or more first tabs extending from the first end and the first patch fastener element includes one or more slots formed in the first side edge sized to hold the one or more first tabs at the first end, or vice versa, and the second fastener element includes one or more second tabs extending from the second end and the second patch fastener element includes one or more slots formed in the second side edge sized to hold the one or more second tabs at the second end, or vice versa.

34. 33. The conveyor belt of claim 32, wherein the flexible sidewall patch and the segment sidewall are made of the same material.

35. 33. The conveyor belt of claim 32, wherein the flexible sidewall patch and the segment sidewall have the same thickness or height.

36. A conveyor belt comprising: an endless conveyor belt loop having one or more belt segments joined at one or more junctures and extending in width from a first side to a second side; and one or more segment sidewalls extending along one of the belt segments from a first end to a second end proximate a first side or a second side of the conveyor belt loop, each of the sidewalls comprising: a first fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the first end; a second fastener element integral with the segment sidewall at the second end; the one or more segment side walls are joined to the first end and the second end by engaging the first fastener element with the second fastener element to interlock the first end and the second end and form a continuous side wall proximate the first side or the second side that bridges the one or more joints.

37. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36 having at least two first and second fasteners at the first and second ends.

38. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the one or more fasteners include a permanent magnet.

39. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the first fastening element is a male snap and the second fastening element is a female snap that snap together.

40. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the one or more fasteners join the first and second ends above the joint.

41. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the one or more fasteners join the first and second ends offset along the endless conveyor belt loop from the juncture.

42. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the one or more segment sidewalls have a bottom attached to the belt segment along a length excluding the first and second ends.

43. 37. The conveyor belt of claim 36, wherein the first fastening element is a tab extending from the first end and the second fastening element is a wall slot formed in the second end sized to receive and retain the tab on the first end.

44. 44. The conveyor belt of claim 43, wherein the tab has an enlarged head having an outer diameter dimension greater than a maximum dimension of the wall slot.

45. 44. The conveyor belt of claim 43, wherein the tab is a rigid knob, the wall slot is circular, and the second end is sufficiently flexible such that the second end can resiliently deform to expand the circular wall slot when the rigid knob is inserted into the wall slot.

46. 44. The conveyor belt of claim 43, wherein the tab or the second end is sufficiently flexible such that when the tab is inserted into the wall slot, the tab or the second end can elastically deform to allow the wall slot to expand.

47. 44. The conveyor belt of claim 43, wherein the tab has an enlarged head and a neck connecting the enlarged head to an edge of a first end of the segment side wall, and the wall slot opens to an edge of a second end of the segment side wall through a narrow gap, the width of the gap being smaller than the width of the neck to retain the tab within the wall slot.

48. 44. The conveyor belt of claim 43, wherein the tab is hook-shaped with a hook end hooked through the wall slot into the second segment side wall.

49. A conveyor belt comprising: an endless conveyor belt loop having one or more belt segments joined at one or more joints and extending in width from a first side to a second side; one or more segment sidewalls extending along one of the belt segments from a first end to a second end proximate the first side or the second side of the conveyor belt loop; and one or more clips joining a first end of the segment side wall and a second end of the segment side wall near each of the one or more joints to form a continuous side wall near the first side or the second side and spanning the one or more joints.

50. 50. The conveyor belt of claim 49, wherein the clip has one or more slots that receive the first and second ends in an interference fit.

51. 50. The conveyor belt of claim 49, wherein the clip is U-shaped with a single clip slot in which the first and second ends are clipped together with an interference fit.

52. 50. The conveyor belt of claim 49, wherein the clip is S-shaped and has a pair of oppositely opening clip slots, a first clip slot for receiving the first end and a second clip slot for receiving the second end in an interference fit.

53. 50. The conveyor belt of claim 49, wherein the clip is W-shaped and has a pair of clip slots, a first clip slot receiving the first end and a second clip slot receiving the second end in an interference fit.

54. 50. The conveyor belt of claim 49, wherein a first one of the clips has a slot to receive the first end and a second one of the clips has a slot to receive the second end, and the clips have permanent magnets that attract each other to hold the first and second one of the clips together to secure the first and second ends.

Images