Chain conveyor reducing longitudinal contact pressure between conveyed articles

Claim 1

A chain conveyor enabling the reduction of longitudinal contact pressure between conveyed articles, comprising two chains arranged to move together in spaced parallel relationship, elongated rods extending transversely from one chain to the other, and rollers, having cylindrical outer peripheral surfaces, rotatably carried on said rods for bearing conveyed articles, each chain comprising links of a first set having inner link plates alternating with links of a second set having outer link plates, the outer link plates and inner link plates of two conveyor chains being coupled together bendably by stay pins formed on and projecting from opposite end portions of said rods in the direction of elongation of the rods, and the upper portions of the link plates in one of said sets in at least one of said chains, positioned on the side of the chain nearest the rollers, being bent to form flat portions whose top surfaces have substantially the same height as the outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers, said flat portions extending parallel to the direction of elongation of the rods and over the side of the same chain remote from the rollers, and projecting beyond the ends of the stay pins remote from the rods.