Patent ID: 7228957

Claim:
A conveyor assembly including: at least two conveyors arranged in series so that product delivered to a first one of the conveyors can be delivered to the next conveyor, each conveyor having: a longitudinally extending conveyor surface that longitudinally conveys the product, and a drive assembly for each conveyor surface and operatively associated therewith to cause movement of the associated conveyor surface to convey the product; said conveyor assembly further includes: a control operatively associated with the drive assemblies to co-ordinate operation thereof; and wherein said conveyor surfaces include a first conveyor surface and a second conveyor surface, with the first and second conveyor surfaces being adjacent and having adjacent end portions, the drive assemblies associated with the adjacent surfaces providing for relative longitudinal and vertical movement between the adjacent end portions; and said control co-ordinates operation of the drive assemblies of the first and second surfaces so that the end portions are moved relative to each other between a first configuration in which the end portions vertically overlap so that product is conveyed in a first longitudinal direction, and a second configuration in which the overlapping end portions are reversed in relationship so that the conveyor assembly conveys product in a reverse direction to said first longitudinal direction by operation of the drive assemblies.