CA1187831A - Conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

CONVEYOR

Abstract of the Disclosure A chain conveyor includes a chain with hold down attach-ments, at least one elongated guide,supporting and guiding the chain in an upper portion,and secured at a lower portion to an elongated mounting element. The guide and mounting element include cooperating structure for connecting the two together.
The mounting element is secured on a conveyor frame section in a standard position and the guide is slid into the element, producing accurate alignment between guides of each section.
Curved sections include shortened mounting elements disposed on conveyor cross-ties and defining a curved path for a curved guide.

Description

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This invention relates to conveyors, and more particu-larly to conveyors which include a flexible chain engaging the underside of articles and pulling them along a conveyor path.
il It is now well known in the conveyor art to pull a ~flexible chain over a guide and to move articles supported by the chain along the direction of chain movement. Also, i~ is known to fit a side bow chain with top flanges, such as in table top chain conveyors, to provide a moving conveyor flow capa~le iof turning corners in a horizontal plane. These conveyors simply ~support the ~op flanges in slidable fashion. Such chain drawn ',conveyors are frequently used in rela~ively light duty circum-stances, such as in conveying rolls of tissue, or for bottle and ican handling i In chain conveyors where an endless chain is used as a direc~ article supporting and conveying element, it is extremely important to control the chain through its conveying run and its return run to the conveying start point~ If the chain is not adequately guided and suppo~ted, the conveyed article may l¦not be consistently controlled, the chain may drag causing undue Iwear and significantIy increased drag forces which might overtax the chain drive, or the chain may pull out of its track as it Iruns through a curved portion.
Accordingly, it is extremely important to positively ¦control, support, and guide the chain throughout its runs.
Also, and while numerous devices have been proposed to mount and provide chain guides on conveyors, it is important ~j !
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to provide chain guides which adequately support and guide the chain, but whlch are, as well, easily assembled to the conveyor to provide optimum chain alignment to reduce drag and hang-ups and to reduce manufac~uring costs.
One known form of chain guide for such conveyors com-prises an extruded plastic material form providing a chain roller support rail and adjacent, inwardly opening elongated slots ~or slidingly capturing chain holdown tabs mounted opposite ~ach other on t~e chain. Such guides are known to have inwardly turned mounting feet with a slot therebetween and bolts are used such ~hat their heads fit over the feet to s~cure the guides to the conveyor cross;ties. In addition, guide sidewalls extend down-wardly coextensively with the feet for guide support purpo~es.
These types of guides present several difficulties, particul~rly in the erection and mounting of the guides. In such guides, for example, .it is necessary to slide bolts into the mounting slots, align them with holes in the cross-ties, and then individually secure each bolt. Moreover, depending brackets are used to similarly mount lower guides for the return run o~
the chains, and these guides must be similarly individually bolted to each of these brackets.
In addition, coupling straps are used hetween the ends of abutting guide~ and are bolted to the guides similarly to the guide mounting bolis. The requirement of individually bolting the guides and couplin~s to each mounting point take ~Lme, and requires exacting at~ention to guide alignment for both upper and lower runs.

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Moreover, the guide sidewalls add to the quantity of material necessary to form the extruded guide and thus .,_ .
! increase its cost.
Finally, the numerous nuts, bolts, brackets and straps produce dirtholding crevices which are difficult to wash down or conveyor cleaning.
Accordingly, it has been one objective of this invention to provide an Lmproved chain conveyor.
¦ A further objective of this invention has been to ~lprovide an improved chain guide for a chain conveyor.
i! A further objective of the invention has been to provide ~limproved appara~us for mounting a chain guide to a conveyor.
i! A still further objective of the invention has been to provide a method for manufacturing a chain conveyor~
To these ends, ~ preferred embodiment of the in~ention comprises an elongated chain guide and a cooperating, elongated moun~ing element for mounting ~he guide on a conveyor structure.
The chain contemplated for use may be any suitable commercially I available chain and is preferably provided with transversely 1 extending, alternating hold-down tabs.
I A preferred chain guide comprises a plurality of ¦~upper and lower elongated flanges which are joined by respective sidewalls to form opposed U~shaped slots opening toward each ! other. The top flanges do not meet, but form a chain path suide therebetween~ and between the opposed slots.

The chain s1ides in the guide path and its rol1ers !l , ,~ J
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are supported by an elongated rib extending upwardly toward the chain guide path between the opposed U-shaped slots. The hold-.ldown tabs ~are disposed within the opposed U-shaped slots, and the chain is held, in part, above the upper flanges for conveying purposes.

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The unique bottom portion of the guide includes two .,downwardly pending ~langes having outwardly extendlng feet at their .~bottom. These flanges extend downwardly just from either side ',lof the elongated.chain roller guide rib mentioned above.
¦l An elongated chain mounting element is provided in order to secure the guide to conveyor structure, The element ¦preferably comprises a channel mem~er having sidewalls and flanges ~¦defining an upright, U-shaped slot. This channel is welded to ¦the conveyor structure, such as to cross-ties, and the guide is ~¦simply slipped into it, the bottom mounting flanges and ou~wardly extending feet fitting withi~ the upright, U-shaped slot of I the channel.

i ~h.is structure greatly simplifies manufacture of the conveyor since it permits the conveyor to be made up in a number ~O I of standard sections, the channels welded thereto, in a standard .!jig, for ex~nple., and the guides slipped in~ Thereafter, the l,conveyor sections are simpLy butt joined together by bolting ~togethe.r face-to-face end plates disposed at the section ends, ~he guides being in operable alignment since the mounting elements .
~a.re disposed in the same relative position on each section.
. Additionally, inverted ~uides for the return run of chain .
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beneath the conveyor run are mounted to the same cross~ties of the conveyor in the same way, and slldably support the chain hold-down ~abs as the chain moves through its return run.
In this manner, the elongated mounting elemenks provide the entire support for the guides and it is not necessary to include sidewalls in the guides lower portion for support, The element also closes off the lower portion of the guide and facilitates conveyor washdown and cleaning.
~ i This particular guide and mounting structure greatly llfacilitates manufacture of conveyor curves. In such curves~
,according to the invention, the elongated mounting channel is jlreplacpd by a plurali~y of short channel lenths or segments having ¦the same cross~sections as the elongated channels for straight ¦sections. These segments are mounted on cro~s ties of the ¦conveyor through the curve. In this manner, a curved guide can ¦jbe slid onto the conveyor with the advancing end feeding into, ¦¦and being captured by, the segments of mounting channel.
Fxom this disclosure, it will be appreciated that the i~vention provides a solid accurate guide mounting for a propel-1 ling chain in a chain conveyor. Such mounting does not require ~separate bolts for each mounting point, and each conveyor section can be manufacture in standard jigs or clamps, for example, with ¦the channels mounted in close aligNment tolerances so that sepa ~xate sectio~s, including the guides, can be manufactured under clo~e factory tolerances and thereafter easily erected in the ,Ifield without alignment difficulties.
These and other advantages of the invention will becomes ~readily apparent from the following written de~cription of a ~ J

preferred em~odiment thereof, and from the drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a conveyor,system, according to the invention o~ several conveyor sections;
I Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view showing ~he de~ails ;l o~ the coupling of two conveyor sections together;
Fig. 3 is an exploded isometric view showing fit o the guide into the mounting channel;
Fig~ 4 is a cross-section view taken along lines 4-4 ',1 o:E ~ig. l;
'i Fig. 5 is an isometric view of a preferred ohain and guide i according to the in~ention;
jl Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along li~es 6-6 o~ Fig. 1, ,l Fig. 7 i an isometric ~nd view of a feed end of the i chain guide for the return run of the chain;
Fig. 8 is a pla~ view of a curved sec~ion according to the invention with portions of the top guide removed; and Fi~. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9~9 1. o~ ~ig. S.

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,¦ Turning now to the drawings,there is shown in ~ig.'l ,l thereof a conveyor 10 made according to the invention. The i conveyor 10, as illustrated in Fig. 1, includes a head end drive ~ection 11, intermedi~te straight tread sections 12 and 13, a i tread curve section 14, and a tail end section 15. The conveyor 10 as shown in ~ig. 1 is illustrativ~ only and it should be ap-preciated that thP invention includes conveyors of many di~ferent types of configurations having various straight and curved sec-tions. A break is shown in the tread section 1.3, for example,.

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to simply illustrate that the conveyor lO could include any number o~ straight and curved sections therein, only two straight sections being shown for the purpose of clarity in the figures.
As shown in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 4, each section of the con~eyor pre~erably compxises spaced parallel side rails 20 and 21, joined and secured ~o~ether by means of one or more cross-'i ties 22. Preferably and particularly for use in light-duty conveying situations, the side rails 20 and 21 are manufactured ,I from ~ormed metal channels opening outwardly and having inwardly il facin~ webs. The cross-ties 22 are s~mply rectangular tubular members welded between the webs o~ the channels 20 a~d 21.
Fig. 4 illus~rates more details of the conveying mechanism.
Specifically, elongated mounting elements 26 and 27 are seGured i to cross-ties 22 by mea~s o~ weldin~ Th~se elongated metal ! el~ments are disposed on the cross-ties within conveyor rails 20 and 21 for the purpose of securing the mounting elongated I chain guides ~9 and 30.
Each o the respective chain guldes 29 and 30 is l constructed so as to support and secure a conveying chain 31 or, 1 in the case of guide 30~ chain 32 therein. It will be appreciated that the chains 31 and 32 have portlons which extend upwardly above the respective elongated chain guides. It is these por-tions of the chain which convey articles which axe placed thereon.
The details o~ tha chain will be more particularly described ¦ further on in this description.
Similarly to the elon~ated guides 26 and 27 and their respective chain guides, additional elongated mounting elements ;
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34 and 35 are secured to the bottom of cross-tie 22 by means of welding, for example.~ Each of these elongated mounting ele-ments support respective chain guides 36 and 37, and these chain guides also support respective return runs of chains 31 and 32.
From this description it will be appreciated that the chains 31 and 32 are endless flexible propelling members having a top conveying run which is supported, for example, in the chain guides 29 and 30 respectively, and lower respec~ive return runs which are supported, for exarnple, in the respective lower chain guides 36 and 37. The conveying runs lie in a plane P (Fig.4), As seen in Fig. 4 it will be appreciatPd that the upper conveying run of each respective chain 31- and 32 is shown dis posed slightly above the upper portion of th~ side rail channels 20 and 21. Such conveyors are suitable for carrying pallets, cases: or the like which may extend beyond the side rails 20 and 21. Alternate configurat.ions are of course possible to utilize larger channels or to reposition the cross-tie 22 so that the channels extend above the conveying runs and thus provide side guides or the conveyed articles.
The details of the elongated mounting members or elemen~s and the chain guides are perhaps best seen in Fig. 3.
One end of an elongated mounting element or member 40 and an elongated chain guide 41 is shown in Fig. 3. These are identical to the mounting elements and guides such as shown in Fig. 4.

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Chain Guide ,, ~he elongated chain guide 41 comprises an upper section l42 and a lower section 43. The upper section 42 includes the chai~
,¦supporting and guiding structure of the guide 41, while the lower section 43 comprises the mounting apparatus of the chain guide 41. Upper ~ection 42 includes upper flanges 44 and 45 land lower flanges 46 and 47, joined together by respective ¦sidewalls 48 and 49. The flanges 45 and 47, together with side-,¦wall 49, form an inwardly opening U-shaped slot 50~ The flanges l144 and 46, together with the sidewall 48, form an inwardly open-¦ing U-shaped slot 51. The slots 50 and 51 are closed at their ¦outer ends, but open toward each other.
The inner ends 52 and 53 of the respective upper flanges 44 and 45 terminate short of each other and form therebetween a chain receiving or guiding slot 54, which is elongated in the same d7rection of elongation as the entire chain guide member 41.
On the other hand, the lower flanges 46 and 47 lie in the same plane and are integrally,joined centrally of the chain l guide 41.. An eLongated chain roller supporting rib 55 is dis-i posed at the juncture of the lower flanges 46 and 47 and extends 1, upwardly therefrom ~ust beneath the chain guide slot 54.
Returning now momentarily to Fig. 4, i~ will be ap-preciated that the elonga~ed rib 55a, shown therein, has a height ;
sufficient to support the chain rollers and maintain the chain 31 .
and the various elements of the chain above the lower flanges of the chain guide 2i'~.

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The lower portion 43 of the chain guide 41 includes two depending mounting flanges 58 and 59 which extend downwardly from the lower flanges 46 and 47, just outboard of the central position of the rib 55. Each of the mounting flanges 58 and 59 includes an elongated, outwardly extending foot 60 and 61, re-spectively, at the lower end of the mounting flange. The mounting flanges and the feet serve to maintain the elongated ¦chain guides 41 within the elongated mounting element 40 as ~hereinafter described.

' The elongated chain guide 41 is preferably manufactured ~¦from an ultra-high molecular weight plastic material. Such material has been determined to provide significant strength and wear reduction properties when used in connection with ¦supporting a conveyor chain. One such material found to be !¦ particularly suitable is a material identified with the trademark "ULTRA~CLADD", by the Scranton Plastics Laminating, Incorporated, of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This material is a true ultra~high molecular weight material extruded, sold and guarant~ed by that company to ha~e a molecular weight of 4-5 million.

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Chain Guide Mounting_Element ,, ~
~he elongated chain guide mounting element 40 will now ~be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the mounting e1ement 40 comprises a channel like member having a lower web 65, respective sidewalls 66 and 67, and respective upper flanges 68 and 69.
¦Fur~her, flanges 70 and 71 extend downwardly from the respec-,~i~e upper flanges 68 and 69, so that as shown in Fig. 3 the ,eLongated mounting element 40 defines an upright, U-shaped ,jslot.
1¦ Perhaps as best seen both in Fig. 3 and 4, the elongated !I chain guide may be disposed within the elongated mounting ¦element such that the outwardly extending feet 60!61 are disposed directly beneath th~ flanges 70 and 71 of the mounting element and the guide is captured within and on the mounting element.
It will be a~preciated that the lower flanges 46 and 47 of the chain guide are supported by the sidwalls 66 and 67 of ~he mounting element, and by the upper flanges 68 and 69 of the elong-ated mounting element 40. This will be appreciated particularly l from Fig. 4 showing the cross-section of the chain guide assembled 1 to the elongated mounting elements and having a structure which jlis identical to that described in Fig. 3 (which shows the separated chain guide and mounting element for the purpose of illus tration~ .

The Chain Returning now to a description of the preferred chain utilized, it will be appreciated that many varied types of chains ,1 Il .

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- can be used in such a conveyor. One chain, however, which has a particular utility in the conveyor described herein i5 a chain manufactured by The Rexnord Chain Division of Rexnord, Inc.
,and identified as a C-2050 chain provided with A-l lug ~attachments in alte~nating directions of extension on every other chain link. Such a chain and link is described for example, lin Rexnord's catalogue, entitled REX Power Transmissions and Conveying Components, Catalog R74,at page 35. These attachments ' are ordinary items of commerce. The A-l attachments mentioned llinclude a normal chain side link having a lug extending trans-I!versely.of the side plate in an outward direction from the chainc ,¦These lugs are preferably disposed on alternate sides of the¦chain and at every other chain link.
As shown then in Fig. 5, the chain includes a plurality of rollers 72, secured between chain side plates or links 73 I I and between A~l side plate attachments 74 ha~ing lugs 74a extending therefrom in the alternating and opposed sequence as shown.
l As perhaps best seen in Fig. 4, the chain in this 1 particular orientation with respect to its guide is shown in the uppQr lefthand portion Qf Fig~ 4. There it can be seen that the chain roller 72 is disposed in the guide such that the roller is ,lengaged and supported by the elongated chain roll~r support rib ¦155a. In the optimum configuration, the support rib 55a supports ~the chain structure so that it does not bodily engage any other part of the guide. In particular, as. shown in Fig. 4, the lug ¦74a is captured within the U-shaped slot of the guide formed by the ~langes 44a, 46a and sidwall 48a. However, in its optimum Iconiguration, the lug does not contact any of these flanges '¦on the interior sur~aces which define the inward opening U-shaped ll I

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slot. In addition, it should be appreciated that the lugs 74a e~tend downwardly below the normal length side plates of the chain. Thus the rib 55a is particularly configured to be at _.
. such a height as to support the roller a predetermined distance ~I
I from the lower flange 46a, for ex~mple, in order to permit the lug 74a to ride freely in the slot.
! f caurse, as the shain is drawn about any curved . section, such as that shown in Fig~ 1 as section 14, the chain ~I may be urged to the inside of the guid so that -the outside of ¦ the chain tends to pull up and outwardly o~ the guide. This force, urging the chain outwardly of the guide, is effectively resisted by engagement of the lug 74a against the upper 1anges of the guide, whene~er such force occurs.

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Fig. 2 illustrates the assembly of one completed tread section to another, a guide being shown only in phantom ~or purposes of clarity. In Fig~ 2 one tread section, such as tread section 12, for ex~mple, may be as~embled to tread section 13 by simply bringin~ the ends of the sections together and joining ~0 them by secllring end plates 75 and 76 of tread section 12 to the .~ associated facing end plates on section 13, (only plate 77 being . shown in Fig. 2~. Similar end plates 78 and 79 are shown in the . cross-section of the view of Fig, 4.
¦ It will be appreciated, o course~ that the end plates 78 and 79 are disposed at the junc~ure 80 ~Fig. 1) of ¦ tread section 12 with the head and drive section 11.

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I When the sections of the conveyor are joined together, it is very important that the chain guides associated with each ~section of the ~onveyor are in operative alignmen~ with each ~other so that as the chain is drawn therethrough, it does not I¦jam or hit any projecting parts in the path of the chain. Ac-'¦cordingly, it will be appreciated that each section can be made in a welding jig or the like which serves to secure the cross-ties 22 within the con~eyor rails at the same elevation on the ~rails in each section. Moreovex, it will be appreciated, as Ishown in Fig. 2 for example, that the elongated mounting elements l82 and 83 ~hereof are disposed on their respective cross-tie 22 ! in the same lateral distance from the side rails as are the i!elonga~ed mounting elements 84 and 85 in the tread section 13.
Also the end plates are uniform and are mounted and drilled ~iformly.
In this manner, when the sections 12 and 13 are joined together by fastening of their respective end plates in adjacent relationship, the ends of the respective elongated mounting l el~ments 82, 84 and 83, 85 wiIl be in proper operative align-1 ment. Since the elongated mounting elements are in proper alignment, it follows that the chain guides which they support ,Iwill also be in alignment in order to provide an uninterrupted ~smoo~h flowing path for the chain and withou~ adjustment at the erectlon site.
Of course, it will be appreciated that the chain ~uides iiare assembled to the conveyor sections within respective ,¦elongated mounting el~ments 82, 83, 84 and 85 prior to the ~~ .

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, joining of the tread sections together. The structure pictured iin Fig. 2 ls shown with a chain guide in phantom only for the Ipurpose of clarity in order to illustrate the alignment ~eatures of the mounting ele~ent of the invention.

~Curved Sectio~
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~, Turning now to Figs. 8 and 9, these figures illustrate 'plan and cross sectional views of the tread curve section 14.
- ¦The tread curve section 14 includes curved side rails 90 and 91 'Iwhich are similar to the side rails 20 and 21 of the straight I,tread sections, with the exception of thP fact that they are lcurved in the horizontal plane in order to provide the curved configuration of section 14. The side rails 90 and 91 are secured together by means o~ a plurality of cross-ties 92, which are also similar to the cross-ties 22 o~ the straight sections.
The curved sections differ from the straight sections principally in the manner in which the chain guides in the I curve section are mounted therein. In particular, the curved , SeGtiOn 14 utilizes a plurality o~ segmented or shortened mount-lling elements 93 in place of the single elongated mounting element for each of the chain guides as described in the straight conveyor ;Isections. Accordingly, and in order to conform to the two conveyor ¦¦runs utilized in the straight tread sections 12 and 13, each ¦cross-tie 92 supports,on an upper ~ide thereofr two mountiny ! element segments 93, such as shown at 93a and 93b in Fig. 9.
I Rather than welding these segments to the cross-ties, .Ihowever, and in view of their smallne~s, it is presently prefer-able to weld the elements to opposed angles 94 and 95 disposed !
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) on each side of a segmented mounting element. These angles axe provided with bolt holes 96 for the purpose of securiny them to the surface of cross-tie 92. Of course, the moun~ing elements ¦could be held on the cross-ties by any suitable jig or clamp ! means and welded in place.
¦ In like manner, return chain runs are supported by chain guides secured in inverted mounting element segments such Ilas sh~wn at both 97 and 98 in Fig. 9. These too are preferably I secured to the cross-ties by means of angles 94a and 95b welded 1 to the mounting elements and bolted to the cross-tie.
The mounting element segments of both the conveying run and the return run, are, in cross-section, identical to the l elongated mounting element 40 as shown in FigO 3, however, they i are of determinate length approximately equal for example, to the width of the cross-tie 92. Moreover, each of the mounting angles 94 and 95 are pre~drilled and are secured in the same position on the respective mounting element segments such that when the sègments are mounted to the cross-tie 92, they are l uniform in their position thereon such as illustratedin Fig. 8 1 and in Fig. 9. Chain guides re~pectively identified at 33, 100, 101 and 102 are secured to the mounting element segment as shown in Fig. 9. These provide and define upper chain conveying runs 103 and 104 and lower return runs 135 and 106, respectively, for the chains 31 and 32.
In the manufacture of the curved tread sectionl the ¦cross-ties are sscuxed between the rails 90 and 91 to support the rails in generally pa~allel or concentric configuration iwhere the rails are spaced an equal distance throughout. -Moreover, il Ij -17-Il ,1 J
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,the mounting segments 93 are secured uniformly on the cross-ties to deflne the curved path for the utilization of curved chain guides 99-r02 on their respective curved section. In assembly of the curved tread section 14, the cross-ties are preferably welded to the rails and the mounting segments can be secured ~thereto either before or after such welding. Thereafter, curved chain guides such as those depicted at 99-102 are insexted into the segments at the end of the curved section and are simply slid jaround the curve, engaging and being supported and captured by the Irespective segments as the curved guide is advanced. Once the ¦respective guides are secured by the respective segmen~s, the curved tread section is ready for assembly to the conveyor systems such as shown in Fig. 10. Of course, each of ~he curved rails 90 and 91 has at each end thereof an apertured face plate, such as that shown in connection with the straight section in ¦ Fig. 2, for the purpose of securing the ends of the curved section to additional remaining section.

ITail Section I
I The conveyor 10 as shown in Fig. 1 is terminated at the l¦far end of t~e tread curved section 14 by means of the ~ail end ¦section 15. The detaiIs of the tail end section 15 are similar I to those for any of the straight sections such as 12 or 13. In additionr the tail sect~on includes a sha~t 111 and respec~ive sprockets 112 and 113 mounted thereon. The shaft 111 is mounted between conveyor rails 114 and 115 which are similar to conveyor ,¦rails 20 and 21 of any straight section. The sprockets 112 and 113 are disposed so that an upper portion of the sprocket is in '::? ' :`) operative alignment wi.th the paths of the respective chains 31 ;.and 32 as they ~nter the conveying run chain guides 116 and 117 of the tair end section 15. The chains sLmply extend around the respectlve sprockets from the return run guides which are ~Idisposed beneath the chain guides 116 and 117 as shown in Fig. 1 in the same manner as the return chain guides described in connection with Fig. 4 of any straight section~

.1 ,l~ead Section I The head end drive section of the conveyor 10 is best Iseen in Fig. 1 and in Figs. 6 and 7. Considering Fig. 1, the ~head end drive section 11 includes ~traight side rails 126 and l127 similar to side rails 20 and 21 as previously described.

i The rails are secured together by means of cross-ties 22.
Thé head end drive sec~ion also includes elongated conveying chain guides 128 and 129 for supporting and guiding.
the conveying chains as they are drawn from straight section 12 onto the head end drive section 11. These guides are secured : to the cross-ties by means of the elongated guide mounting el~nents ¦Isuch as that shown at 140 in Fi.g~ 6. Such elements are identical l~o element 40 in Fig. 3.
¦ A motor 130 (Fig. 6) is mounted beneath the side rails ~y means of brackets 131r 13~ and 133. The motor is connected by means of a drive chain 134 to a drive sprocket L35. The drive j~procket 13.5 is disposed on-the outer end of a shaft 136 which 1~ tends through the rails 126 and 127 (Fig. 1). Sprockets 137 and ~i~38 are secured to the shaft 136 for driving the respective conveyor ~hains 31 and 32 in the machine direction indicated by the machine ~irection arrow in Fig. 6.

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The chains are thus rolled through guides 128 and 129, onto respective sprockets 138 and 137, and are then introduced into return chain guides like that shown at 142 in Fig. 6.
As shown in Fig. 6 a return guide mounting element, such as that shown at 141, is provided for each chain and mounts ,an elongated return chain guide, such as that shown in 142 in Fig.
6. The conveying and return mounting elements are mounted on i~the cross-tie 22 in the same fashion as shown and described in ,Fig. 4. Considering the details of Figs. 6 and 7, conveying chain suide 129 is mounted within mounting element 140, and a return chain guide 142 (for each chain) is mounted within mount-! ing element 141 (for each chain). Chain guide 129 is identical to the guide 41 described in connection with Fig. 3, however, , the guide 142 has a modified end to accommodate the chain ! catenary as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.
Fig. 7 shows the inverted elongated return chain guide 142, which is identical for each chain. This guide has flanges 44a and 45a which have been cut away from and bent downwardly from th~ guide 142 by means of the cutout 143 on each side 1 thereof. This cut has relieved the flanges so that they can be bent downwardly~ The ends of the flanges are connected by a cro~s-tie or bar 144 which is secured to the ends of the flanges i 44a and 45a by means of countersunk screws 145. The cro~s-~ie i bar 144 serves to maintain the rigidity of the flanges 44a and 45a, and to keep them in the same general curved path for the purpose of guiding the free catenary of the chains in~o their return xun.

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It will be appreciated that in the head end drive section as shown in Fig. 6, the chain 32 is pulled in the machine direction--hy means of the motor drive. As the chain is driven laround thë sprocket 137, it is permitted to fall from the ;Isprocket in a catenary disposition 148, as shown in Fig. 6. There-after, the chain moves upwardly until the hold-down tabs 74a, as has been pre~iously described, engage the depending flanges 44a and 45a on each side of the chain. These engage the hold-down ~abs ~and guide the chain upwardly into the el`ongated return chain lo l! guide 142 so that the chain can then travel in the guides along ~i ¦its return run throughout the length of the conveyor.
¦ Of course, no chain takeup nor any other adjustments l are required since the catenary handles any excessive chain I I slack.
The invention as described incorporates a number of ad~antages. For example, it will be appreciated that each of the conve~or sections can be manufactured in a standard manner with the elongated mounting el~ments and khe chain guides easily and accurately assembled to each section at the factory. 'rhere-after, at the use ~ite, the sections are simply joined end-to-e~d to orm the desired conveyor run and one or more chains are threaded through ~heir respective conveying and return guides ¦and joined end~to-end to form an endless conveying chain. This structure eliminates the assembly of the chain guides at the site and further does not require numerous brackets, mounting bolts ¦and the Like for securing the guide to the conveyor. Moxeover, the stxucture provides for accurate chain guide alignment providad .1 'I
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iby supervised manufacturing steps at the conveyor plant, and does not rely on field assembly for this critical alignment.
Moreover, the chain guide and mounting element structure provide significant advantages. The guide requires only two mounting feet and no supporting sidewall. Such side support is ~provided by the mounting element which encloses the lower portion of the guide. The cost of the guide material is reduced, and the entire mount and guide are essentially closed, enhancing cleaning l¦and washdo~m of the conveyor without thè dirt gathering crevices ,lof exposed nuts, bolts and brackets.
The invention is applicable and adaptable ~o many different chain conveyor configurations. For example, the invention couLd be provided in a single cenkral chain configuration i having ~uide runners extending alongside each side of the chain.

-- ¦ Alternately, the invention could be provided in a three or more chain conveying run configuration.
Also the con~eyor can be modified to provide accumulation ¦`of conveyed articles by any suitable known means 7 such as selec-i tively operable load lif~ing beams disposed just beneakh the ¦ conveying runs and the loads thereon.
! These and other advantages and modifications will be , readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention and applicant intends to be bound only by the claims appended hereto.
I claim:

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

(1) A conveyor including:
at least two spaced apart side rails;
cross-tie means securing said two rails together in substantially equidistant relationship;
at least a first elongated mounting means extending in the same general direction as said side rails and including sidewalls and flanges defining an elongated, upright, U-shaped slot, said mounting means being disposed on said cross-ties;
a flexible propelling member; and a propelling member guide means disposed on said mounting means and extending in a similar direction thereto, said flexible propelling member being movably mounted on said guide means, said guide means including an upper propelling member guide, support and capturing portion and lower mounting flanges disposed beneath said upper guide, support and capturing portion and having outwardly extending, elongated feet, said mounting flanges and said feet being slidably received and captured within said upright U-shaped slot.
(2) A conveyor as in claim 1, wherein said flexible propelling member is endless and defines a conveying run and a return run, and wherein said conveyor further includes:
at least a second elongated mounting means secured to selected cross-ties beneath the first elongated mounting means, and having sidewalls and flanges defining an inverted, U-shaped slot;

(Claim 2 continued...) a second flexible propelling member guide means secured to said second elongated mounting means for guiding and supporting said return run of said propelling member;
said second flexible propelling member guide means comprising flange means defining a lower propelling member guide, support and capturing portion and upper mounting flanges disposed above said lower guide, support and capturing portion and having outwardly extending elongated feet, said mounting flanges and feet of said second guide means being slidably received and captured within said inverted, U-shaped slot.

(3) A conveyor as in claim 2 including a plurality of conveyor sections adapted for coupling together to form a conveyor line of multiple joined sections, each section having an end structure including a coupling end plate disposed vertically therein, respective plates on respective sections being bolted together to operably join said sections; and said elongated mounting means of each section being secured to cross-ties therein in a standard position so as to be operably aligned with the elongated mounting means of an ad-jacent section when said sections are joined together, said guides disposed in said aligned elongated mounting means forming at least a conveyor run for a single propelling member extending through said sections.

(4) A conveyor as in claim 2 wherein said side rails are spaced apart and are curved to define a conveyor curve section, said guide means also being curved and disposed within said side rails, and said elongated mounting means comprising a plurality of segmented, spaced apart mounting elements, each one being mounted on a cross-tie in operative curved alignment with an associated segmented element on a next cross-tie, said segmented mounting elements defining a curved path conforming to the curved guide means associated therewith.

(5) A conveyor as in claim 1, wherein said flanges of said mounting means engage said propelling member guide means outwardly of said lower mounting flanges thereof, and said sidewalls of said mounting means respectively extend downwardly from said propelling member guide means between the respective outer edge thereof and the respective outer edge of an outwardly extending foot.
(6) A conveyor comprising an elongated flexible propelling member, including hold-down tabs extending outwardly from said member, and an elongated guide means for guiding said propelling member, said propelling member including at least one portion extending outwardly from said guide means for conveying articles, said conveyor further comprising;
means for mounting said elongated guide means on said conveyor and comprising elongated wall members and flanges defining a U-shaped slot;
mounting flanges extending downwardly from and beneath said guide means inboard from outer edges thereof;
each mounting flange having transversely extending feet means directed outwardly from said guide means; and said feet means being disposed and captured within said U-shaped slot beneath said guide means for securing said guide means to said mounting means.

(7) An elongated guide for a conveyor propelling member operating in a machine direction;
said guide including upper and lower elongated flange means defining opposed, inwardly opening first and second slots elongated in said machine direction;
said upper flanges having respective ends defining therebetween an upwardly opening third slot between and above said first and second slots;
a propelling member support rail means disposed between said first and second slots and beneath said third slot for supporting said propelling member therein; and mounting flanges disposed inwardly of outer edges of said guide, extending downwardly from said lower flange means, and having outwardly extending feet means for providing a hold-down for said guide.

(8) A method of manufacturing a chain conveyor having a conveyor run and a return run, including the steps of preparing a conveyor section by;
securing conveyor side members in spaced apart relation by cross-tie means;
mounting elongated chain guide mounting elements on said cross-ties between said side members and extending in substantially the same direction as said side members, said elements including means for capturing chain guides therein;
sliding chain guides into said mounting elements to provide guides for at least said conveying run of said chain, said mounting elements holding and supporting said guides thereon;
thereafter connecting ends of similarly prepared con-veyor sections together at ends of said side rails thereof, said guides of respective sections being disposed in substantially aligned and abutting disposition;
securing a chain drive means to a drive end of said conveyor in operative alignment with said chain guides;
securing a tail section to a tail end of said conveyor said tail section including a turn around means for said chain in operative alignment with said chain guides; and pulling a chain through said guides, drive means and tail section and securing ends of said chain together to form an endless conveying chain disposed in upper and lower conveying and return runs, respectively.

(9) A method as in claim 8 wherein a portion of said chain conveyor is curved, and including the steps of;
securing a plurality of mounting elements on cross-tie means in said curved portion and in operative alignment to define a curved path, and thereafter sliding a curved chain guide sequentially into said mounting elements from one end of said curved conveyor portion toward another.