Patent ID: 8191702

Claim:
An article lifting device for lifting up and down articles, comprising a plurality of basic unit conveyors, the conveyors each having an upper rotary body, a lower rotary body arranged below the upper rotary body, and an elongated carrier looped around the upper and lower rotary bodies, the rotary bodies being for driving the carrier, the carrier being provided with at least one supporting body for supporting an article, wherein the basic unit conveyors are arranged in vertically and horizontally spaced relationship to each other in a plane, so that at least first and second vertically-adjacent basic unit conveyors overlap in a vertical direction and cooperate so as to allow transfer of an article supported by and moved upwardly by the one supporting body on the first basic unit conveyor to the one supporting body on the second basic unit conveyor for movement further upwardly by the one supporting body on the second basic unit conveyor.