Conveyor structure

Claim 1

AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR STRUCTURE COMPRISING, A PAIR OF SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FRAME MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART ELONGATED RODS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS AND PROVIDING A CONVEYOR APRON, A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED APART ENDLESS CHAINS INTERCONNECTING SAID RODS, EACH OF SAID CHAINS INCLUDING INTERRELATED, SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT LINKS DISPOSED ON EDGE AND HAVING OPENINGS THEREIN THROUGH WHICH THE OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF SAID RODS RESPECTIVELY EXTEND, THE BOTTOM EDGES OF CERTAIN OF SAID LINKS SLIDABLY ENGAGING A RESILIENT, NON-METALLIC SUPPORT PAD ON SAID FRAME MEMBER FOR VERTICALLY SUPPORTING THE OPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF SAID RODS, EACH END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID RODS BEING EQUIPPED WITH A PAIR OF DISCRETE, NON-METALLIC COLLARS FIXED THEREON AND HAVING A BORE FOR RECEIVING AND GRIPPING THE RESPECTIVE END PORTIONS THEREIN, SAID PAIR OF COLLARS PROVIDING SPACED APART SHOULDERS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID LINKS DIRECTLY ENGAGED BY THE LATERAL SURFACES OF SAID LINKS FOR PREVENTING SUBSTANTIAL LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LINKS, SAID FRAME MEMBERS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A PAIR OF SPACED APART SHAFTS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS, SPROCKET WHEELS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF NON-METALLIC, AXIALLY SPACED APART PAIRS OF TEETH ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID PAIRS OF NON-METALLIC COLLARS, SAID AXIALLY SPACED TEETH DEFINING PERIPHERAL RECESSES IN SAID SPROCKET WHEELS OF A WIDTH GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID CHAIN LINKS INTERCONNECTING SAID RODS, WHEREBY AS SAID TEETH ENGAGE SAID PAIRS OF COLLARS SAID ENDLESS CHAINS MOVE BETWEEN SAID TEETH INTO SAID PERIPHERAL RECESSES IN SAID SPROCKET WHEELS, AND DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SHAFTS FOR ROTATING THE SAID SPROCKET WHEELS MOUNTED THEREON TO ADVANCE SAID COLLARS AND SAID RODS ALONG A PREDETERMINED CONVEYING PATH.