Patent ID: 7000758

Claim:
A conveyor system, comprising: a delivery tube having an intake end and a discharge end, an endless conveyor belt having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein a delivery portion of said endless belt is positioned within said tube and wherein a return portion of said endless belt is positioned outside said tube, a drive assembly mechanically connected to said endless belt for rotating said endless belt for moving it in said tube from the intake to the discharge end, and a plurality of mechanical conveyor means projecting from said top surface of said endless belt, wherein the conveyor system also comprises: a return tube extending along the delivery tube for receiving said return portion of said endless belt wherein said return tube has a substantially circular cross-section and an inner perimeter exceeding the width of said endless belt but being less than twice said width, and means adapted to guide said endless belt into said return tube with the bottom surface of the belt following at least the upper portion of the return tube when moving through the return tube, wherein said return tube is designed and dimensioned with respect to the width of said belt so as to support transversal end portions of the belt by return tube portions from below when the belt moves through the return tube while following the upper portion thereof, and wherein said return tube has an inner perimeter being less than 180 percent of the width of said endless belt.