Conveyor with snap-on links for dishwashing machines

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR FOR A DISHWASHING MACHINE COMPRISING MEANS DESCRIBING AN ENDLESS COURSE HAVING AN UPPER RUN AND A LOWER RUN, A PLURALITY OF RODS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MEANS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY RELATRIVE THE COURSE AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, A PLURALITY OF U-SHAPED LINKS EACH HAVING A LEADING ARM AND A TRAILING ARM AS WELL AS A BOTTOM PORTION DEFINING A POCKET, THE LEADING AND TRAILING ARMS EXTENDING APPROXIMATELY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE BOTTOM PORTION, AT LEAST ONE OF THE ARMS ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE RELTIVE THE OTHE RARM BETWEEN A NORMAL EXTENDED CONDITION AND AN INSERT CONTRACTED CONDITION, IN THE INSERT CONTRACTED CONDITION THE LINKS BEING CAPABLE OF BEING PASSED BETWEEN THE RODS FOR MOUNTING OR REMOVAL, IN THE NORMAL CONDITION THE LINKS BEING EXTENDED FROM THE INSERT CONDITION, THE LINKS HAVING C-SHAPED SOCKETS AT THE TERMINAL ENDS OF THE LEADING AND TRAILING ARMS FACING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID POCKET RELEASABLY AND PIVOTALLY ENGAGING A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE RODS SO THAT THE LINKS SPAN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE RODS, SAID SOCKETS BEING ARRANGED FOR SNAP-ON ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RODS WHEN THE LINKS ARE EXTENDED FROM THEIR INSERT CONDITION TO THEIR NORMAL CONDITION.