Patent ID: 7780020

Claim:
An article transport facility comprising: an article transporting mobile body movable along a moving path and having an article holding unit; an article support for article storage, the article support movable between an article transfer position and an article storage position, the article transfer position being a position of the article support where an article is transferred from the article holding unit to the article support or from the article support to the article holding unit; an operating means provided on said mobile body for moving said article support between said article storage position and said article transfer position when said mobile body is at an article transfer location corresponding to a location of said article support; support means for supporting said article support to be movable between said article storage position and said article transfer position; and an operated element movable between a first position and a second position; wherein said operated element is operatively connected with said support means such that, when said operated element is in said first position, said article support is located in said article storage position, and when said operated element is in said second position, said article support is located in said article transfer position; and wherein said operating means comprises an operating element movable between a contact position for contacting said operated element and a non-contact position out of contact with said operated element, such that a movement of said operating element to said contact position causes said operated element to move from said first position to said second position and a movement of said operating element to said non-contact position causes said operated element to move from said second position to said first position.