Patent ID: 7469782

Claim:
An apparatus for loading and unloading a cargo compartment of an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of conveyor units for being disposed within the cargo compartment of the aircraft, each conveyor unit having a first end for receiving cargo and a second end for discharging cargo, the first end of each conveyor unit configured for communicating with the second end of an adjacent conveyor unit so as to form a conveyor path having a length, wherein during use a user inside the cargo compartment decouples or couples the conveyor units of the plurality of conveyor units such that the number of conveyor units of the plurality of conveyor units is variable during a loading or unloading operation, respectively, for controllably adjusting the length of the conveyor path between a first end and a second end thereof, wherein each conveyor unit of the plurality of conveyor units comprises a coupling structure for being detachably coupled with a coupling structure of another conveyor unit, the coupling structure for supporting decoupling or coupling of the conveyor units by the user inside the cargo compartment during the loading or unloading operation, respectively, wherein the coupling structure comprises a magnetic coupler.