Patent ID: 8205740

Claim:
Conveyor device for containers, comprising: a receiving rail for receiving a neck area of the containers, the containers being held by the receiving rail and movable within the receiving rail; lateral guide mechanisms arranged beneath the receiving rail for guiding the movement of the containers laterally, the guide mechanisms having guide elements movable at least partially in a longitudinal direction (L) of the containers, with several of the guide elements provided in a direction of movement (R) of the containers with respect to the receiving rail and the movements of the several guide elements in the longitudinal direction (L) of the containers being mechanically linked to one another; guide railings disposed on opposite sides of the receiving rail and connected to the guide elements, the guide railings also movable at last partially in the longitudinal direction (L) of the containers; at least one cylinder associated with each guide mechanism for varying a lateral spacing of the guide railings, the at least one cylinder comprising a multi-position cylinder that is displaceable in the longitudinal direction (L) of the container, thereby accommodating containers of different diameters, and a coupling mechanism having a drive rail which is movable in a longitudinal direction of the receiving rail and wherein this drive rail is arranged above the receiving rail and has at least partially toothed racks, wherein the movements of at least two guide elements that are arranged one after the other in the direction of movement (R) of the containers are linked to one another by the coupling mechanism.