Patent ID: 8468790

Claim:
A conveyor ( 16 ) comprising a plurality of conveyor disks ( 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , or 30 ) having radially outer regions edges, wherein all of said plurality of conveyor disks ( 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , or 30 ) are arranged coaxial to one another, wherein all of said plurality of conveyor disks ( 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , or 30 ) are rotatable about a common central rotational axis, wherein teeth are distributed around the radially outer regions edges of all of said plurality of conveyor disks ( 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 ), wherein said plurality of conveyor disks ( 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 ) comprises: a first conveyor disk ( 20 ), a second conveyor disk ( 22 ) situated directly adjacent to, and beneath, the first conveyor disk ( 20 ), and a third conveyor disk ( 24 ) situated directly adjacent to, and beneath, the second conveyor disk ( 22 ) and disposed on a side of the second conveyor disk ( 22 ) that faces away from the first conveyor disk ( 20 ), and a fourth conveyor disk ( 26 ) situated directly adjacent to, and beneath, the third conveyor disk ( 24 ); wherein a first axial clearance is provided between the first conveyor disk ( 20 ) and the second conveyor disk ( 22 ), wherein a second axial clearance is provided between the second conveyor disk ( 22 ) and the third conveyor disk ( 24 ), and wherein a third axial clearance is provided between the third conveyor disk ( 24 ), and wherein the first axial clearance is smaller than the second axial clearance, but substantially equal to the third axial clearance.