Abstract: The balustrade of an escalator or moving walkway is mounted on a conveyor truss via a plurality of anchor brackets which are welded to the truss at spaced apart locations thereon. Template brackets are secured to each anchor bracket to define the location of the balustrade clamps. The balustrade clamps employ a pivoting wedging action to lock the balustrade in place in its support channel. The assembly can be easily erected in the field and readily serviced.

Abstract: The handrail drive utilizes one or more pairs of drive chain sprockets and idler sprockets which form a nip over which the drive chain moves. The drive chain and idler sprockets are mounted on rotating drive shafts which in turn are eccentrically mounted in rotatable bushings. The drive rollers will automatically tighten on the handrail as friction increases between the rollers and handrail due to increased resistance to movement of the handrail. The rotatable bushings on each drive sprocket and its associated idler sprocket are connected together to ensure that chain tension equalizes between each drive and idler sprocket so that no drive chain slack will occur.

Abstract: The escalator handrail guide rail assembly includes a metal base which can be snap fitted onto a glass escalator or walkway balustrade. A low friction plastic strip is fitted onto the top of the base for contact with the handrail, and a metal reinforcing piece is snap fitted onto the base over the plastic strip to hold the latter in place, and to reinforce the plastic strip. The reinforcing piece is formed from two identical interleaved strips which can be attached to and detached from the base without the use of any tools more specialized than a rubber mallet and without the use of separate fasteners such as screws, bolts, or the like.

Abstract: A moving handrail on an escalator or the like is driven by pairs of rollers which form a nip through which the handrail moves. The rollers are eccentrically mounted so as to automatically tighten the nip in response to resistance to movement of the handrail. The roller or rollers which contact the underside of the handrail are rotatably driven by power sprockets, while the roller or rollers contacting the outer or exposed surface of the handrail are idler rollers which are not rotated by the power sprockets so as to lessen scuffing of the exposed surface of the handrail by the rollers.

Abstract: The handrail drive has opposed rollers which are movable toward and away from each other due to their eccentric mountings. Two sets of such opposed rollers are used to drive the handrail. Each set of rollers is equipped with its own drive chain to increase the efficiency of each set of drive rollers with ultra high loads. The drive is particularly suited for moving high load escalator and moving walkway handrails.

Abstract: The handrail drive utilizes one or more pairs of drive rollers which form a nip through which the handrail moves. The drive rollers are mounted on rotating drive shafts which in turn are eccentrically mounted in rotatable bearings. The drive rollers will automatically tighten on the handrail as friction increases between the rollers and handrail due to increased resistance to movement of the handrail. The rotatable bearings are connected together to ensure that each roller tightens equally on each side of the handrail so that the handrail is not bent through an S curve as it passes through the drive roller nip.

Abstract: The handrail drive is a mangle-type drive wherein the handrail passes through the nip of a pair of opposed drive rollers. A plurality of drive roller pairs may be used. The drive rollers are keyed to rotatable shafts to which drive sprockets are also keyed. The drive sprockets are rotated by an endless chain which in turn is driven by one or more powered sprockets. The drive roller shafts are journaled in rotatable bearings which are mounted in a mechanism housing with the bearings being eccentrically mounted in the housing with respect to the drive roller shafts. The housing is divided into two halves, each mounting one of the rollers in a drive roller pair. The two housing halves are hinged together so that the nip of each drive roller pair can be opened by pivoting one half of the housing away from the other half of the housing.

Abstract: The escalator handrail is provided with increased lateral flexibility by forming it with a guide rail spanning web which is elliptical in cross-section. Adjacent internal reinforcement cables are positioned in slightly vertically offset horiozntal planes so as not to unduly hinder lateral flexure of the handrail. The handrail's increased flexibility results in less frictional drag on the guide rail, and adapts the handrail for use with helical escalator assemblies and provides improved performance in conventional rectilinear escalators as well.

Abstract: The handrail drive is a mangle-type drive wherein the handrail passes through the nip of a pair of opposed drive rollers. A plurality of drive roller pairs may be used. The drive rollers are keyed to rotatable shafts to which drive sprockets are also keyed. The drive sprockets are rotated by an endless chain which in turn is driven by one or more powered sprockets. The drive roller shafts are journaled in rotatable bearings which are mounted in a mechanism housing with the bearings being eccentrically mounted in the housing with respect to the drive roller shafts. When the drive rollers are rotated, friction between the handrail and the drive rollers, and between the roller shafts and eccentric bearings will cause the bearings to rotate about their axes thereby tightening the drive rollers about the handrail. As handrail drive roller friction increases, the tightening effect also increases. The rollers will only tighten on the extent needed to overcome the friction between the handrail and its guide rail.

Abstract: An escalator is provided with a curved path of travel from its entry to its exit landings. The path of travel of the escalator steps as seen in plan is a curve having a fixed center and a constant radius from landing to landing. In elevation, each landing portion will be disposed in vertically spaced horizontal planes, and there will be a medial constant slope ascending or descending portion. Interconnecting each landing portion with the constant slope portion will be entry and exit transitional curved portions of varying slope as seen in the elevational view. To enable the steps to traverse the curved path successfully, the effective length of at least one of the step chains is varied at different points along the path of travel of the escalator.

Abstract: A vertical workpiece cleanser and dryer which includes a pair of chain-driven pocket elevators disposed in adjacent wash and rinse towers on bases which enclose associated wash and rinse solution reservoirs. Each elevator includes a plurality of spools cantilevered from a drive chain and extending in a vertical upwardly directed reach through a solution (wash or rinse) spray zone and then through an air spray zone for removing solution from the workpiece and elevator spools. The elevator within the solution spray zone is closely encompassed by a surrounding shroud for limiting volume available for expansion of sprayed solution, and thus reducing the tendency of the sprayed solution to vaporize. Vertical orientation of the elevator and alignment of the solution and air spray zones promote downward flow of excess solution through the solution spray zone for enhanced flush-washing of the workpieces, and return of excess solution to the associated reservoir disposed therebeneath.

Abstract: A pocket conveyor, specifically a pocket elevator, in which a plurality of spools are cantilevered from an endless drive chain. The spools cooperate with each other and with stationary guide rails to form a series of pockets for conveying workpieces between feed and discharge stations. Various embodiments of the feed station include a starwheel rotating in synchronism with urging workpieces into recesses between the starwheel fingers. This guide surface has a clearance at the inlet and which cooperates with deformable construction of the starwheel fingers to prevent workpiece jam at the feed station. Another embodiment of the feed station includes a flat angulated surface for receiving workpieces by gravity and a flexible reach of chain extending at an angle toward the workpiece surface for automatically accommodating itself to workpiece availability without jamming. The discharge station includes a second starwheel with fingers which enter successive pockets and displace workpieces therefrom.