Improvements in endless helical conveyors

Claim 2

An endless conveyor having a conveyor belt a portion of the length of which is caused to follow a helical conveying path consisting of a plurality of tiers stacked on top of one another, wherein the conveyor belt on the outside of the helix is supported by a fixed helical guide, and at the inside edge of the conveyor belt the tiers are supported one on the other by an arrangement which includes articulated links at least some of which are equipped with spacers in the form of upstanding plates the tops of which at any one tier engage the underside of the links or plates associated with the next tier above, and the said inside edge of the conveyor is driven from an internal drum or capstan.

Claim 3

Ar endless conveyor according to claim 1, accordinQ to which the conveyor belt is driven by the internal drum or capstan through a friction coupling permitting slippage.

Claim 4

An endless conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2, 2C wherein the conveycr belt is a flexible mesh steel belt hevira articulated links, at least alona its lonaitudinal edoe on the inside of the helical conveying path, the ted links spacer plates being sc connected to the articulat as tc leave the flexibility of the belt substantially_ 2-1 unaf-fected.

Claim 5

An endless conveyor according tc cla=. 1 or claim 2 or - - or belt or, the inside edoe of laim 3, wherein the convey the conveyor is driver. from the drum or capstan through a 3C supplementary conveyor provided with said articulated links eq--ppee with spacer plates.

Claim 6

An endless conveyor according to claim I or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the longitudinal edge of the conveyor belt at the inside edge of the helix is formed with said articulated links equipped with spacer plates.

Claim 7

An endless conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the spacer plates are upstanding from the outside edges of the articulated links, i.e. on the side of said links nearer to the centre line of the conveyor belt.

Claim 8

An endless conveyor according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spacer plates each comprise an upstanding limb and at least one transverse limb at the top extending at right angles to the upstanding limb towards or away from the centre line of the conveyor belt.

Claim 9

An endless conveyor according to claim 7, wherein each spacer plate has two transverse limbs at the top of the upstandinq limb, one projecting towards the centre line of the conveyor and one away from the centre line, the said two transverse limbs being non-aligned along the length of the conveyor belt.

Claim 10

An endless conveyor according to claim 8, wherein, considering any twc adjacent spacer plates, the upstanding limbs, together with the adjacent but oppositely directed transverse limbs of the respective plates at the tops of the upstanding limbs, overlap in the direction of the lenath of the conveyor.

Claim 11

An endless conveyor according to claim 9, wherein the bottom of the upstandinq limb of each spacer plate has a connection tc the corresponding articulated link through a slot in the upstanding limb which extends alona the lenath of the conveyor, thereby to permit a varying overlap between the adjacent spacer plates.

Claim 12

An endless conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. P-ub'isheJ- 19e,5 - M.c Pa-ent H:,-ze j,: 7: R-g-. ---n-:n WC1R 4T F--rer ccp -es r-i=-.- --e:t fr::-. T- e Pate,-,-, O:Wlce. Sales Brancr. Sz!..a:; Cray Orpirg,,c,--. Kent BI.R.6 3RD l-r:nteJ- 'c'.' Multplex techuql;es ltd S' Many Cray. Ke.,.t Cor. 1 87. 11. An endless conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. - I'l - Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims An endless conveyor having a flexible conveyor belt a portion of the length of which is caused to follow a helical conveying path consisting of a plurality of tiers stacked on top of one another, wherein the conveyor belt on the outside edge of the helix is supported substantially continuously along its length by a fixed helical guide, and at the inside edge of the conveyor belt the tiers are supported one on the other by an arrangement which includes articulated links at least some of which are equipped with spacers in the form of upstanding plates the tops of which at any one tier engage the underside of the links or plates associated,with the next tier above, thereby to support the conveyor belt substantially continuously along its length at said inside edge,and the said inside edge of the conveyor is driven from an 'internal drum or capstan. 2. An endless conveyor according to claim 1, according to which the conveyor belt is driven by the internal drum or capstan through a friction coupling permitting slippage. 3. An endless conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the conveyor belt is a flexible mesh steel belt h ving articulated links, at least along its longitudinal edge on the inside of the helical conveying path, the spacer plates being so connected to the articulated links as to leave the flexibility of the belt substantially unaffected. 4. An endless conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the conveyor belt on the inside edge of the conveyor is driven from the drum or capstan through a "ated links supplementary conveyor provided with said articu equipped with spacer plates. 5. An endless conveyor according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the longitudinal edge of the conveyor belt at the inside edge of the helix is formed with said articulated links equipped with spacer pl ates. 6. An endless conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the spacer plates are upstanding from the outside edges of the articulated links, i.e. on the side of said links nearer to the centre line of the conveyor belt. 7. An endless conveyor according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spacer plates each comprise an upstanding limb and at least one transverse limb at the top extending at right angles to the upstanding limb towards or away from the centre line of the conveyor belt. 8. An endless conveyor according to claim 7, wherein each spacer plate has two transverse limbs at the top of the upstanding limb, one pro3ecting towards the centre line of the conveyor and one away from the centre line, the said two transverse limbs being non-aligned along the length of the conveyor belt. 9. An endless conveyor according to claim 8, wherein, considering any two adjacent spacer plates, the upstanding limbs, together with the adjacent but oppositely directed transverse limbs of the respective plates at the tops of the upstanding limbs, overlap in the direction of the length of the conveyor. 10. An endless conveyor according to claim 9, wherein the bottom of the upstanding limb of each spacer plate has a connection to the corresponding articulated link through a slot in the upstanding limb which extends along the length -1 Cl of the conveyor, thereby to permit a varying overlap between the adjacent spacer plates.