Vertical lift

Claim 1

A VERTICAL LIFT CONVEYOR FOR ELEVATING A PLURALITY OF LOOSE ARTICLES FROM A LOWER FEEDING STATION TO AND UPPER DISCHARGE STATION, A FIRST AND A SECOND PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS ADAPTED TO TRAVEL IN THE SAME DIRECTION, THE FIRST PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS FORMING A CLOSED PATH ENTIRELY WITHIN THE CLOSED PATH FORMED BY THE SECOND PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS, THE ASCENDING PORTIONS OF SAID FIRT PAIR BEING PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE ASCENDING PORTIONS OF THE SECOND PAIR, THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF SAID PAIRS BEING IN THE SAME PLANES, A PLURALITY OF SETS OF LOAD-CARRYING SUPPORTS CARRIED BY SAID PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS, EACH SET INCLUDING A LOAD-CARRYING MEMBER SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS RESPECTIVELY, AND A SPILL-PREVENTING MEMBER SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS ENTIRELY BY SAID FIRST PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS, SAID SETS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER WHEN ASCENDING BETWEEN THE PORTIONS OF THE PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS IN SPACED PLANES AND ADJACENT EACH OTHER WHEN CARRIED BETWEEN THE PORTIONS OF THE PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS IN THE SAME PLANES, EACH-SPILL-PREVENTING MEMBER ARRANGED TO PRECEDE A CORRESPONDING LOAD-CARRYING MEMBER OF A SET AS SAID SETS ARE DRIVEN IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND HAVING ITS TRAILING EDGE ADJACENT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LOAD-CARRYING MEMBER SUCH THAT SAID SPILL-PREVENTING MEMBER OCCUPIES A LOAD-SUPPORTING POSITION AT THE LOADING STATION AS THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING LOAD-SUPPORTINGR MEMBER BEGINS ITS ASCENT BETWEEN THE PORTION OF THE PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS IN THE SPACED PLANES AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING SAID PAIRS OF ENDLESS CHAINS IN THE SAME DIRECTION.