Patent ID: 7419051

Claim:
A conveyor comprising an endless, side-flexing conveyor belt made from a plurality of rows of hinged interconnected belt links, where each row extends in a width direction substantially perpendicular to a traveling direction of the belt and comprises at least one link, where substantially all links further comprise: a front end substantially parallel to the width direction; a back end substantially parallel to the width direction; a top surface; a bottom surface; a pair of opposing side surfaces; front hinge parts separated by apertures arranged along the front end and having a top portion and a bottom portion that are substantially flush with the top and bottom surfaces respectively, two side portions, a free front portion, and protrusions on each side portion; and rear hinge parts separated by apertures arranged along the back end such that the front hinge parts of a link will fit inside the apertures on the back end of an adjacent link, and having a top portion and a bottom portion that are substantially flush with the top and bottom surfaces respectively, two side portions, a free front portion, and elongated apertures provided in the side portions of the rear hinge parts that are elongated in the traveling direction such that the protrusions on the front hinge parts fit inside the elongated apertures on an adjacent link; wherein the protrusions on one or more of the front hinge parts arranged centrally on the link are arranged on an axis substantially parallel to the width direction and the protrusions on one or more of the front hinge parts nearest each side of the link are arranged along a pair of respective axes that are angled such that the protrusion nearest each side surface is farther from the back end of the link than the next most outermost protrusion nearest the respective side surface, and wherein the angles of the axes of the protrusions nearest each side surface of the link are between 0° and 25° in relation to the width direction.