Patent ID: 8829396

Claim:
A transport system for continuously conveying work-pieces having side edges and a top and a bottom surface, in a processing path along a longitudinal center line through at least one horizontal processing zone, comprising in operative combination: a) a first and a second separate, longitudinally movable, laterally spaced-apart, parallel work-piece conveyance member, together constituting a pair of conveyance members defining a processing lane between them, each of said conveyance members being supported adjacent a side of said processing zone to move horizontally through said processing zone along said processing path while supporting a plurality of work-pieces; b) a drive system for synchronously driving both said first and second conveyance members comprising said lane pair, at the same rate through said processing zone, said conveyance members and said drive system together comprising a continuous conveyor that continuously conveys said work-pieces through said processing zone; c) each of said conveyance members of said pair are fitted with fingers spaced longitudinally apart, said fingers project laterally toward said processing path longitudinal center line but terminate short of said centerline to provide an open area between said conveyance fingers the width of which is a gap; and d) said work-pieces are engaged by a plurality of said fingers, each in essentially point contact, along side marginal edges thereof to provide simultaneous unobstructed processing access in said open area to said top and bottom surfaces of said work-pieces, while said work-pieces are transported along said processing path lane in said zone, thereby providing a substantially shadow-less and mass-less, work-piece continuous transport system.