Patent ID: 7500550

Claim:
A system for processing conformable work products, comprising: (a) a processing apparatus to perform one or more processing operations on conformable work products; (b) a buffer conveyor for receiving work products at a non-uniform frequency and presenting work products for the processing apparatus at a uniform frequency, said buffer conveyor comprising: (i) a collapsible conveyor belt; (ii) an infeed drive system driving the collapsible conveyor belt at a variable speed related to a rate selected from a group consisting of the rate that work products are available for loading onto the conveyor belt and the rate that work products are loaded onto the conveyor belt; and (iii) an outfeed drive system driving the collapsible conveyor belt at a substantially uniform speed to present work products for the processing apparatus at a uniform frequency; and (c) an intermediate drive system for supporting the collapsible conveyor belt intermediate the infeed drive system and the outfeed drive system, said intermediate drive system structurally independent of the collapsible conveyor belt to drive the collapsible intermediate portion of the conveyor belt in proportion to and at a speed slower than the speed of the infeed drive system.