Patent ID: 7011206

Claim:
A vertical C-shaped fixed tray conveyor for the vertical conveying of individual products from and to a lower level to or from an upper level, the conveyor comprising: a lateral first circulating drive; a lateral second circulating drive of equal length with said first circulating drive; essentially horizontal, vertically movable carrying platforms located at spaced locations from one another, each of said platforms being flat and substantially resistant to bending in a vertical direction downwardly and under the load of the products being conveyed, said platforms being deflectable in another direction and comprising half joint cross strips and a rear first end strip and a front second end strip, said front second end strip being longer than said first end strip, wherein longitudinal ends of said first end strip and said second end strip of each of said platforms extend in a transverse direction of the C-shaped fixed tray conveyor and are fastened to said respective lateral first circulating drive and said lateral second circulating drives; deflecting rollers guiding said respective lateral first circulating drive and said lateral second circulating drives in a circulating manner essentially in a C-shaped pattern with respect to a side view of the C-shaped fixed tray conveyor, the C-shaped fixed tray conveyor having a front side and a rear side, said deflecting rollers including a first deflecting roller for said first circulating drive laterally adjacent to the rear side and a second deflecting roller for said second circulating drive at equal height to said first deflecting roller and laterally adjacent to the front side for the horizontal arrangement of said carrying platform in said upper level and a third deflecting roller for said first circulating drive, said third deflecting roller being located higher than said second deflecting roller and providing a contactless guiding of said first circulating drive along with said first end strip of each carrying platform of said second circulating drive along with said second end strip of said carrying platform around said second deflecting roller, said third deflecting roller being arranged in the upper level upstream of said first deflecting roller laterally adjacent to the front side.