Common idler strap for use in a clothes dryer
US5501021A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 30, 1995 |
| Grant date | Mar 26, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 30, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16H2007/0808
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An idler device is provided for maintaining tension on a belt driven by a rotating drive pulley of a motor. The idler device includes an idler strap assembly having a strap with first and second end portions, a circular boss on the first end portion, and an idler pulley rotatingly mounted on the second end portion. The boss extends through an opening in a wall of a motor support bracket which is generally perpendicular to a rotational axis of the drive pulley such that the strap is rotatable about a central axis of the boss which is parallel to a rotational axis of the drive pulley. The boss has a pair of opposed, longitudinally extending, rectangular tabs behind the wall to secure the strap to the wall. The idler pulley has a rotational axis generally parallel with the rotational axis of the drive pulley. The spring element is connected between the support bracket and the strap such that rotation of the strap is biased in a direction toward the drive pulley with the idler pulley against the belt to tension the belt. The opening in the wall has a pair of opposed rectangular notches at a 45 degree angle relative to vertical in a direction opposite the biased rotation of the strap fo…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.