Patent ID: RE39186

Claim:
An endless conveyor for transporting items, said conveyor comprising: at least two rotatably mounted sprockets having respective axes of rotation parallel to one another and arranged in spaced relation along a path oriented perpendicularly to said axes; an endless belt carried by said sprockets, said endless belt having an outwardly facing surface for supporting said items and an inwardly facing surface opposite said outwardly facing surface and engaging said sprockets, at least one of said sprockets comprising: an elongated body having an outer surface facing said inwardly facing surface of said belt; a fluid conduit extending lengthwise within said body from one end thereof; a pair of supports for rotatably mounting said body; a fluid inlet passage communicating with said fluid conduit; and a plurality of outlet passages extending from said fluid conduit, said outlet passages terminating in apertures in said outer surface, said inlet passage supplying fluid under pressure to said fluid conduit and outwardly through said outlet passages and said apertures onto said inwardly facing surface of said endless belt.