Patent ID: 7866463
Filing Date: 2011-01-11
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A conveyor comprising: a longitudinal conveyor belt comprising a matrix made of a resilient material and a frame embedded in said matrix; and a plurality of support stations for supporting said conveyor belt, said support stations being distributed along a longitudinal axis of said conveyor belt such that an adjacent pair of said support stations are separated from each other by a distance of at least 20 meters, said conveyor belt being self-supporting so as to be free of any intermediate support devices between adjacent pairs of said support stations, at least two of said support stations each includes: wherein said conveyor belt is configured to have a annularly-closed cross-section along at least a majority of the entire length of said conveyor belt, and to have an upper zone and a lower zone, said lower zone of said conveyor belt resting on said cradle of said support member.