Patent ID: 7540694

Claim:
A vibratory spiral conveyor for transporting an object, the conveyor comprising: a spiral deck defining a conveying surface for supporting the object, the spiral deck having an inner edge and an outer edge; a housing having an inner wall coupled to the inner edge of the spiral deck and an outer wall coupled to the outer edge of the spiral deck, the inner wall and the outer wall defining a conveyor chamber therebetween, and the inner wall also defining a central chamber in fluid communication with the conveyor chamber; an inlet air plenum; a plurality of air distribution chambers positioned inside the conveyor chamber and fluidly communicating with the inlet air plenum; a plurality of apertures formed in the plurality of air distribution chambers, wherein the apertures are arranged in an air distribution pattern; an exhaust outlet in fluid communication with the central chamber and adapted for fluid communication with an air vacuum source; and a vibratory generator coupled to the spiral deck for generating a vibratory force, wherein the vibratory force advances the object along the spiral deck.