Patent ID: 7562764

Claim:
An entry conveyor, comprising: a conveyor pan formed by a plurality of hingeably connected pan sections, the conveyor pan having a first end and a second end; at least one of a first conveyor pan drive station or a first return station for a scraper chain provided at the first end of the conveyor pan; at least one of a second conveyor pan drive station or a second return station for the scraper chain provided at the second end of the conveyor pan, wherein each pan section includes a top strand delimited by lateral profiles and a conveyor base, a bottom strand for the scraper chain, and a plurality of receiving elements for pan section connecting elements disposed outside of the lateral profiles; and a pan strand comprising a plurality of pan sections that are disposed behind each other is provided in the conveyor pan, the plurality of pan sections being hingeably coupled via a swivel bearing disposed on a center longitudinal axis of at least one of the conveyor pan or the pan sections.