Patent ID: 7322460

Claim:
A pivoting conveyor door assembly, comprising: a first door segment including a first conveying surface thereon including at least one endless conveyor extending in a predetermined direction thereover between opposite first and second end portions thereof; a second door segment including a second conveying surface thereon including at least one endless conveyor extending in the predetermined direction thereover between first and second end portions thereof; a first pivot arm extending from the second end portion of the first door segment opposite the conveying surface thereof, a second pivot arm extending from the first end portion of the second door segment opposite the conveying surface thereof, the first and second pivot arms having distal end portions pivotably connected for relative pivotal movement of the door segments about a pivotal axis extending through the distal end portions transversely to the predetermined direction, between a folded position in generally overlaying relation with the first and second conveying surfaces facing in opposite directions, and an open position in end-to-end relation wherein the first and second conveying surfaces form a substantially continuous surface extending in the predetermined direction and the pivotal axis is located beneath the substantially continuous surface; and a door conveyor drive having an output rotatable about a rotational axis therethrough, the door conveyor drive being supported by at least one of the door segments such that the rotational axis of the output is substantially coaxial with the pivotal axis and the output and the drive are located beneath the substantially continuous surface when the door segments are in the open position, the output being connected in rotatably driving relation to rotatable elements on the first and second door segments drivingly connected with the conveyors thereof, respectively, such that rotation of the output by the drive will simultaneously drivingly rotate the rotatable elements and move the conveyors over the door segments in the predetermined direction.