Patent ID: 6698580
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
A roller conveyor module comprising:a first support structure having first and second ends and including first and second parallel and laterally spaced, longitudinally extending frame members; a first set of rollers supported by, and extending between, the parallel frame members of the first support structure, each of which rollers rotates about a lateral axis parallel to, and coplanar with, the axes of other rollers among the first set of rollers, the axes of the rollers in the first set of rollers being equally spaced in accordance with a predetermined roller-axis spacing; a second support structure having first and second longitudinally opposed ends and being reciprocably carried between the first and second frame members of the first support structure such that the second end of the second support structure is extendable beyond the second end of the first support structure, wherein each roller of a selected set of rollers among the first set of rollers is selectively removable to accommodate the retraction of the second support structure with respect to the first support structure; a second set of rollers supported by the second support structure, each of which rollers rotates about a lateral axis coplanar with the axes of the rollers comprising the first set of rollers, the rollers of the second set of rollers being spaced equally in accordance with the predetermined roller-axis spacing, wherein the second support structure is longitudinally reciprocable into positions in which the axis of the roller of the second set of rollers nearest the first end of the second support structure is separated from the axis of the roller of the first set of rollers nearest the second end of the first support structure by a distance corresponding to the predetermined roller-axis spacing; and at least one set of extension apparatus reciprocably depending from the conveyor module and being infinitely positionable between a retracted position and an extended position beyond at least one of the first end of the first support structure and the second end of the second support structure in order to selectively extend the overall length of the conveyor module.