Walking beam conveyor

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE CONVEYOR COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN ARTICLE SUPPORT HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ARTICLESUPPORTING SURFACE ALONG WHICH ARTICLES TO BE CONVEYED ARE MOVED; AN ELONGATE ARTICLE CARRIER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE; A TRACKWAY OVER WHICH THE CARRIER MOVES; DRIVE MECHANISM COUPLED WITH THE CARRIER FOR RECIPROCATING IT LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE; SAID TRACKWAY HAVING A HIGH SURFACE PORTION AND A LOW SURFACE PORTION OVER WHICH THE CARRIER MOVES; MEANS SECURED TO THE CARRIER AND RIDING UPON SAID TRACKWAY AND OVER SAID SURFACE PORTIONS AND SUPPORTING THE CARRIER FOR MOVEMENT ON THE TRACKWAY, SAID MEANS SHIFTABLE WITH THE CARRIER DURING LONGITUDINAL SHIFTING THEREOF AND ALSO SHIFTABLE RELATIVE TO THE CARRIER BETWEEN HIGH-LEVEL AND LOW-LEVEL POSITIONS SUCH THAT WHEN DISPOSED IN THE HIGH-LEVEL POSITION AND RIDING OVER THE HIGH-LEVEL SURFACE PORTION OF THE TRACKWAY THE CARRIER IS ELEVATED TO DISPOSE ITS UPPER SURFACE ABOVE THE ARTICLESUPPORTED SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT TO LIFT ARTICLES THEREFROM AND MOVE THEM, AND WHEN SAID MEANS ARE DISPOSED IN THE LOW-LEVEL POSITION AND RIDE OVER THE HIGH-LEVEL SURFACE PORTION OF THE TRACKWAY THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE CARRIER IS DISPOSED BELOW THE ARTICLE-SUPPORTING SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT; AND MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE FIRST-MENTIONED MEANS TO SHIFT THE SAME TO THE HIGH-LEVEL POSITION AT ONE END OF THE HIGH-LEVEL SURFACE PORTION AND SHIFT THE SAME TO THE LOW-LEVEL POSITION AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE HIGHLEVEL SURFACE PORTION SYNCHRONOUSLY WITH THE RECIPROCATION OF THE CARRIER.