Flexible conveyors

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE CONVEYOR STRUCTURE COMPRISING: (A) A SERIES OF FRAME LINKS ARTICULATED TOGETHER ON VERTICAL AXES TO FORM A HORIZONTAL, FLEXIBLE FRAME MEMBER; (B) A CROSS MEMBER MEDIALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID LINKS, SAID CROSS MEMBERS EXTENDING OPPOSITELY OUTWARD FROM SAID FRAME MEMBER IN NORMALLY HORIZONTAL PARALLEL RELATION; (C) BEARING SUPPORT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM EACH EXTREMITY OF EACH OF SAID CROSS MEMBERS AND SUPPORTING A SHAFT BEARING THEREOVER; (D) A ROLLER SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BETWEEN THE SHAFT BEARINGS OF EACH CROSS MEMBER IN PARALLEL RELATION TO THE LATTER; (E) A PLURALITY OF CIRCULAR DISC-LIKE ROLLERS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON EACH ROLLER SHAFT IN SPACED RELATION THEREALONG, THE PLURALITY OF ROLLERS ON EACH SHAFT SUCCESSIVELY DIMINISHING IN DIAMETER FROM A LARGE ROLLER ADJACENT ONE EXTREMITY OF THE SHAFT TO A SMALL ROLLER ADJACENT THE OTHER EXTREMITY THEREOF, ADJACENT SHAFTS ALONG SAID FRAME MEMBER BEING OPPOSITELY POSITIONED SO THAT THE LARGE ROLLERS WILL ALTERNATE WITH THE SMALL ROLLERS BEING EACH SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR; (F) MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATING ALL OF SAID SHAFTS IN A COMMON DIRECTION; (G) MEANS FOR PORTABLY SUPPORTING SAID FLEXIBLE FRAME MEMBER; AND (H) HORIZONTAL PIVOT MEANS TILTABLY MOUNTING THE CROSS MEMBERS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE LINKS SO THAT THE FORMER MAY TILT VERTICALLY ON THE LATTER.