Patent ID: 7325674

Claim:
A plate conveyor having identical plates, wherein when viewed in a conveying direction of the conveyor, bases of said plates, as well as vertically extending side edges of said plates, reciprocally overlap, the plate conveyor further comprising: a sprocket chain that supports said plates and is composed of two chain strands that are disposed parallel to one another and are each formed by a sequence of inner link members and outer link members, wherein facing ones of said inner link members and said outer link members of respective strands are connected by respective common link pins that extend through associated openings of said plates inner and outer link members, wherein said plates are secured to successive ones of said inner and outer link members of at least one of said chain strands, and wherein said sprocket chain is in the form of at least two preassembled portions that are adapted to be interconnected to form an endless conveying strand; a first terminal link segment of said chain strands of at least two preassembled portions, wherein said first terminal link segment is comprised of two parallel, outwardly projecting inner terminal link members, and wherein one of said plates is connected to at least one of said terminal inner link members; a second terminal link segment that is adapted to be connected to said first terminal link segment and is formed by a terminal outer link member, wherein one end of said terminal outer link member is connected to one of said link pins that connects said second terminal link segment to a non-terminal one of said inner and outer link members, and wherein said terminal outer link member projects outwardly on one side of said second terminal link segment and is connected to one of said plates; and an outer closure link member that is disposed across from said terminal outer link member, wherein one end of said outer closure link member is adapted to be placed on said link pin that connects said second terminal link segment to a non-terminal one of said inner and outer link members, wherein another end of said outer closure link member is provided with a further link pin that is adapted to extend through both of said terminal inner link members of said first terminal link segment as well as through another end of said terminal outer link member of said second terminal link segment.