Patent ID: 7731022

Claim:
Apparatus support structure for container handling machines, comprising: entry and exit stars, each entry and exit star being arranged on a support housing and drivable via at least one drive from the inside of the support housing, a star configuration of the apparatus support structure being defined by the relative positioning of the entry and exit stars, the support housings being within the star configuration and fixed above a floor plane and beneath a transport plane in the apparatus support structure which stands on the floor on floor feet, wherein the apparatus support structure being one of a pipe or profile frame with sections and substantially horizontal and defining a fixation plane at least for entry and exit stars, the sections of the pipe frame being one of stainless steel pipes or round solid profiled parts, the sections of the profile frame being profiled parts whose bottoms are open, and whose surfaces pointing away from the floor plane are one of curved or flat and slanted towards the floor plane, each section presenting at least one joining end which fits with a joining end or a connection interface of one of another section or of a support housing or of a floor foot for detachably connecting sections either to each other or to a support housing or to a floor foot, the sections being connected to each other at nodes by one of directly or via a support housing or a floor foot located at a node, wherein on the floor feet the support housings stand freely with the sections arranged in such a manner that open areas are formed between sections around the support housings, and at least some sections can be combined with each other and with support housings and with floor feet whereby the star configuration is changeable as desired by opening the detachable connections between sections and/or a respective section and a respective support and/or a respective section and a respective floor foot.