Drive belt guard for a roller conveyor

1. A belt guard for use with a drive belt that is in driving contact between respective drive portions of a pair of adjacent, rotating cylindrical conveyor rollers, the belt guard including an upper edge and opposed first and second ends, each first and second end having a concave portion configured for interference-free and confronting orientation with said drive portions, and an upper arm extending from both the first and second ends for engaging an upper part of said drive portion proximate a nip between the roller and the drive belt, for retaining the belt guard in the confronting orientation with said drive portions.

2. The belt guard according to claim 1 wherein the belt guard is a planar thermoplastic material.

3. The belt guard according to claim 1 further including a lower arm extending from both the first and second ends for engaging a lower part of said drive portions.

4. The belt guard according to claim 1 , further including a separate positioning support for positioning and supporting the belt guard, having a first end affixed to a structure of the roller conveyor, and a second end affixed to the belt guard.

5. The belt guard according to claim 1 wherein the belt guard includes a first belt guard disposed on a first side of the drive belt, and a second belt guard affixed to the first belt guard and disposed on the opposed second side of the drive belt.

6. A roller conveying system comprising:

a plurality of spaced-apart cylindrical rollers, each roller having a tubular conveying portion having a first radius, and at least one drive portion having an outermost surface of a second radius smaller than the first radius, and wherein the upper peripheries of the conveying portions of adjacent rotatable rollers form a conveying surface;

a plurality of drive belts, each belt in driving contact with the respective drive portions of a pair of adjacent rollers to define a first nip area and a second nip area; and

a plurality of nip guard means, each nip guard means positioned proximate at least one of the first nip area and the second nip area, and configured so that no part of the nip guard means extends above the conveying surface proximate the drive portions of the pair of adjacent rollers.

7. The roller conveying system according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of nip guard means comprise a plurality of belt guards, each belt guard positioned adjacent a side of the drive belt and between adjacent conveyor rollers, and each belt guard comprising an upper edge disposed below the conveying surface, and opposed first and second ends, each first and second end configured for confronting orientation with the drive portions.

8. The roller conveying system according to claim 7 wherein the belt guard is a planar thermoplastic material.

9. The roller conveying system according to claim 8 further comprising a positioning means for retaining the belt guard in the confronting orientation position with said drive portions.

10. The roller conveying system according to claim 9 wherein the positioning means comprises at least an upper arm extending from the guard end, configured to engage an upper part of the drive portion of the roller proximate the nip between the roller and the drive belt.

11. The roller conveying system according to claim 9 wherein the positioning means comprises a separate positioning support for positioning and supporting the belt guard, having a first end affixed to a structure of the roller conveyor, and a second end affixed to the belt guard.

12. The roller conveying system according to claim 7 wherein the upper edge is configured to be disposed within the upper surface of the drive belt.

13. The roller conveying system according to claim 7 further comprising a second belt guard disposed on a second side of the drive belt.

14. The roller conveying system according to claim 13 wherein belt guards on opposed sides of the drive belt are affixable together.

15. The roller conveying system according to claim 6 , wherein the nip guard means comprises an elongated nip guard extending between an upper strand and a lower strand of the drive belt, and along at least the first nip area.

16. The roller conveying system according to claim 15 , wherein the nip guard has a first side edge having an outwardly tapering tip extending toward the first nip area.

17. The roller conveying system according to claim 16 , wherein the nip guard has a second side edge having an outwardly tapering tip extending toward the second nip area.

18. The roller conveying system according to claim 15 , wherein the nip guard means comprises a second elongated nip guard extending between the upper strand and the lower strand of the drive belt, and along the second nip area.

19. A nip guard system for use in a roller conveying system that includes a plurality of spaced-apart rotating cylindrical rollers, comprising at least a pair of adjacent rollers, each roller having a tubular conveying portion having a periphery defined by a first radius, and at least one drive portion having an outermost surface of a second radius less than the first radius, and wherein an upper portion of the peripheries of the conveying portions of the pair of adjacent rollers forms a conveying surface; and a plurality of drive belts, each of the plurality of drive belts in driving contact with the drive portions of the pair of adjacent rollers and forming a nip where the drive belt advances onto the drive portion, the nip guard system comprising a plurality of nip guard means that obstruct access by an exogenous object to the plurality of nips.