Patent ID: 7636418

Claim:
A system, comprising: a scanning tunnel having an entrance and an exit; a plurality of scanning entrance doors, each having an open position and a closed position, at least one of the plurality of scanning entrance doors interior to the scanning tunnel; a plurality of scanning exit doors, each having an open position and a closed position, at least one of the plurality of scanning exit doors interior to the scanning tunnel; a scanner, adapted to scan the contents of a container inside the scanning tunnel with X-rays when at least one of the plurality of scanning entrance doors is in the closed position and at least one of the plurality of scanning exit doors is in the closed position; a conveyor system, adapted to convey a carrier carrying the container through the tunnel, comprising: a first longitudinal section extending through the scanning tunnel; a second longitudinal section exterior to the tunnel, offset in elevation from the first longitudinal section; and means for transferring the carrier between the first longitudinal section and the second longitudinal section.