Patent ID: 7108125

Claim:
An extendable conveyor, comprising: a support structure; an extendable section made up of a plurality of booms, said booms being extendable between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position, said extendable section supported in a cantilever fashion by said support structure; a conveyor belt reeved among said booms thereby defining a conveying surface; a drive operable to reversibly drive said conveyor belt in opposite directions; an electromechanical actuator that is operative to impede movement of said belt with respect to said extendable section; and a control, being operable to partially extend said extendable section by controlling said drive to operate said conveyor belt in one direction while controlling said electromechanical actuator to impede movement of the conveyor belt with respect to the extendable section, said control being operable to partially retract said extendable section by controlling said drive to operate said conveyor belt in an opposite direction while controlling said electromechanical actuator to impede movement of said conveyor belt with respect to said extendable section; wherein said conveyor belt being operable to convey articles by said control controlling said drive to operate said conveyor belt in one of said directions while controlling said electromechanical actuator to not substantially impede movement of said conveyor belt with respect to said extendable section; wherein said electromechanical actuator is incorporated within an end pulley at an outermost one of said at least one boom.