Mechanical storage cabinet with container conveyor

Claim 1

A mechanical cabinet including a circulating conveyor comprising: two vertically disposed and synchronously driven endless chains, a multiplicity of shelves pivotably affixed with their end walls to the two endless chains, at predetermined equal distances, by way of pairs of supporting arms attached to chain bolts on said endless chains, and stationary endless guide rails secured to narrow sides of the cabinet, each guide rail consisting of two vertical sections and one upper and one lower arcuate section, all of said sections having parallel guide surfaces, guide members rigidly mounted to the end walls by supporting pins and disposed for guided movement by said parallel guide surfaces, a pair of guide elements mounted on each guide member, said guide elements separated from each other by a vertical distance and offset laterally with respect to each other and jointly guided in the vertical section of said guide rails, said upper and lower arcuate sections having a "U"-shaped profile having a width to accommodate the guide element which is remotely mounted from the guide member, said vertical sections having a "U"-shaped profile having a width to accommodate both of the laterally offset guide elements, means for attaching one arm of one shelf and the arm of an adjoining shelf to the same chain bolt of the endless chain, and an automatic tensioning device cooperatively associated with each endless chain to apply tension to said chain, said tensioning device including means for slidably supporting at least one of said arcuate sections in each guide rail with respect to the respective vertical section for responding to tensioning movements.