Patent ID: 8220616
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A device for transporting elongate food products, comprising: a plurality of elongate food product carriers coupled to and parallel with respect to one another, each of the food product carriers comprising an interior compartment having an effective volume, a feed opening associated with the interior compartment, and a guide opening, the feed openings of the food product carriers being configured to receive elongate food products into the interior compartments of the food product carriers; a drive operatively engaged to the plurality of food product carriers to displace the food product carriers along a transport path forming an endless loop, the transport path having an ascending part, a descending part and a return part; and a product guide comprising a guide element, wherein the food product carriers and the product guide are constructed and arranged with respect to one another such that displacement of the elongate food product carriers along the ascending part of the transport path by the drive causes the guide element to enter and exit through the guide openings but not the feed openings of the food product carriers to temporarily reduce the effective volume of the interior compartments of the food product carriers to a reduced volume sufficient to retain a single row of the elongate food products in each of the food product carriers yet insufficient to deliver more than the single row of food articles per each of the elongate food product carriers to a top of the ascending part.