Conveyor belt fastener and method of manufacture
View Patent ↗In one aspect, a conveyor belt fastener is provided having a rigid body made from a strip of cold-rolled or cold-drawn material such as steel. The body has an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and loop portions connecting the upper and lower plate portions. The upper and lower plate portions each have a variable cross-sectional thickness laterally thereacross including raised walls projecting outwardly and ribs projecting inwardly. The fastener has at least one attachment member, such as a staple, for connecting the plate portions to a conveyor belt end and the raised walls protect the staple once driven into the conveyor belt end.
1. A conveyor belt fastener for splicing ends of a conveyor belt together, the conveyor belt fastener comprising:
upper and lower plate portions each having an outer surface for facing away from a conveyor belt and an inner surface for engaging the conveyor belt, the upper and lower plate portions each having an inboard edge and an outboard edge and a longitudinal length extending therebetween;
at least one aperture of each of the upper and lower plate portions sized to receive an attachment member for connecting the upper and lower plate portions to the conveyor belt;
at least one loop connecting the upper and lower plate portions and laterally offset from the apertures of the upper and lower plate portions; and
the upper and lower plate portions each having a cross-section taken laterally thereacross that has a varying thickness between the outer and inner surfaces, the cross-section being substantially uniform along the length of the upper and lower plate portions.
2. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the cross-section of each of the upper and lower plate portions is uniform along the length of the plate portion except at the at least one aperture and at the outboard edge thereof.
3. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the outer surface of each of the upper and lower plate portions includes a raised wall extending longitudinally intermediate the inboard and outboard edges along one side of the at least one aperture for protecting the attachment member received therein.
4. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 3 wherein the outer surface of each of the upper and lower plate portions includes a second raised wall extending longitudinally intermediate the inboard and outboard edges on an opposite side of the at least one aperture from the other raised wall.
5. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the cross-section of each of the upper and lower plate portions has a polygonal shape.
6. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include a thicker portion between the inner and outer surfaces thereof extending longitudinally intermediate the inboard and outboard edges and a thinner portion between the inner and outer surfaces and extending laterally from the thicker portion; and
the at least one aperture of the upper and lower plate portions being in the thinner portion thereof.
7. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the outer surface of each of the upper and lower plate portions includes a pair of raised walls forming a crenulated portion of the cross-section of the upper and lower plate portions.
8. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include a first channel extending longitudinally intermediate the inboard and outboard edge; and
the at least one aperture of each upper and lower plate portion extends through the plate portion at the channel.
9. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include a pair of channels extending from the inboard edge to the outboard edge.
10. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the at least one loop includes a pair of loops spaced apart from each other.
11. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include at least one raised outer wall and at least one raised inner rib.
12. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include a laterally outer ledge having an inner surface for facing the conveyor belt and an outer surface for facing away from the conveyor belt and a laterally outer, vertical surface extending between the inner and outer surfaces of the ledge.
13. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the inboard edge of the upper and lower plate portions each includes at least one concave edge.
14. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the at least one aperture of each of the upper and lower plate portions includes a pair of apertures; and
an attachment member having a pair of legs engaged in the apertures of one of the upper and lower plate portions.
15. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the outboard edges are coined to provide a ramped lead-in surface for the plate portions.
16. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 2 wherein the cross-section of each of the upper and lower plate portions is uniform along the length of the plate portion except at the at least one aperture and at the inboard and outboard edges thereof.
17. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include a pair of channels extending from the inboard edge to the outboard edge.
18. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the at least one aperture of each of the upper and lower plate portions includes a first aperture laterally offset in a first direction from the at least one loop and a second aperture laterally offset in an opposite, second direction from the at least one loop so that the first and second apertures are at opposite lateral sides of the at least one loop.
19. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower plate portions each include at least one raised outer wall and at least one raised inner rib.
20. The conveyor belt fastener of claim 19 wherein the at least one raised outer wall and the at least one raised inner rib of each plate portion are vertically aligned.