Interlocked conveyor frame
US6170649A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 9, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 9, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G21/06
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to a conveyor frame assembly that does not require the use of conventional fasteners and/or welded joints in order to be assembled. The frame assembly includes a base having a slot and a support having a tab extending through the slot. The tab is plastically deformed toward the base in order to couple the support to the base. The invention also relates to a method of assembling a conveyor frame. The method includes inserting a tab on a support into a slot on a base and then coupling the support to the base by plastically deforming the tab toward the base. The invention also relates to a tool for assembling a conveyor frame that includes a base and a support. The tool includes a head that is adapted to be inserted into a slot in the base after a tab on the support has been inserted into the slot. The base and the support are coupled together by impacting the tool further through the slot until an angled surface on the tool plastically deforms the tab toward the base. In another form the tool includes a head that is adapted to be positioned about the tab and a handle that is positioned adjacent to the head. The tool plastically deforms the tab toward the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.