| 摘要 |
<p>INVENTOR C. Stewart GENTSCH TITLE SNAP ON TOP PLATE ASSEMBLY The specification discloses a snap-on top plate assembly for a roller chain. The assembly comprises an inside saddle in the shape of a channel, an outside saddle in the shape of a channel shaped to fit over the inside saddle, and a top plate. The inside saddle has holes through its legs shaped and positioned to accept the outside ends of the pins in a link of roller chain when the link is positioned within the inside saddle. Three embodiments are disclosed. In two of them, the legs of the inside saddle are generally flat; in the other, the legs of the inside saddle are bowed inwardly. The top plate assembly is used to guide the roller chain through slot ways of a surface such as a table and thus confines the chain travel in close proximity to this surface. In such environment the top plate may act (when there is roller chain travel) as a conveyor of materials over the surface as is commonly required in the packaging industry or other materials handling applications. In such applications, each top plate articulates, and is driven by a single chain link of the roller chain. This facilitates chain link replacement.</p> |
