Patent ID: 6978883

Claim:
A conveyor system comprising: (a) a first track having a machine direction, a cross-machine direction orthogonal thereto, and a Z-direction orthogonal to said machine direction and said cross-machine direction; (b) a first chain comprising a plurality of successive connected links operatively associated with said first track, whereby said chain can move in said machine direction along said first track; (c) said first track having a first track portion and at least a second track portion, said first track portion and said second track portion being spaced apart in at least one of said cross-machine direction or said Z-direction; and (d) a first plurality of track followers disposed on a first portion of said links operatively associated with said first track portion, a second plurality of track followers disposed on a second portion of said links operatively associated with said second track portion, and a third plurality of said links spanning the spacing between said first track portion and said second track portion whereby said chain is foreshortened in said machine direction.