Patent ID: 7370752

Claim:
A conveyor section having an entrance and an exit, said conveyor configured to convey articles along a conveying surface in a downstream direction, said conveyor comprising: a. a pair of spaced apart conveyor side frames extending in a longitudinal direction, said longitudinal direction being generally parallel to said downstream direction, said pair having a first end and a second end, said first end being disposed adjacent said entrance, said second end being disposed adjacent said exit, said first end being configured to be disposed higher than said second end; b. a first plurality of spaced apart consecutive conveyor rollers defining at least a first part of said conveying surface and a second plurality of spaced apart consecutive conveyor rollers disposed downstream of said first plurality and defining at least a second part of said conveying surface, said second plurality of said conveying rollers being gravity rollers, each of said conveyor rollers having an axis of rotation and two spaced apart ends, each of said spaced apart ends being supported by a respective one of said conveyor side frames, each of said conveyor rollers being disposed transverse to said downstream direction; c. a drive member carried by said conveyor, said drive member having a drive axis of rotation generally extending in said longitudinal direction; d. said drive member being operatively connected to conveyor rollers of said first plurality of spaced apart conveyor rollers by at least one drive element; and e. a motor operatively connected only to said drive member so as to rotate said drive member about said drive axis of rotation.