Abstract: The unlatch assembly employs a reciprocating carriage to engage and pull a product-carrying mat entering into the ascending elevator away from the main conveyor. The carriage is reciprocated in a path under the elevator and disengages when the mat is fully within the elevator. The carriage drive employs a single chain to avoid skewing of the carriage.

Abstract: The relatch assembly employs a trackway of articulated sections which are reciprocated vertically while a carriage is reciprocally driven along the trackway sections to engage a carrier on the descending elevator. The articulated trackway sections permit engagement of a carrier and subsequent pulling of the carrier from the descending elevator. A ramp is also provided to act in synchronism with the trackway sections to support a carrier being pulled from the elevator. The carriage is cycled twice during the time one carrier is pulled from the elevator into relatching engagement with the main conveyor. During the second cycle, the trackway sections remain in a lowermost position.

Abstract: The discharge assembly includes a pivotally mounted transfer conveyor to receive a flexible carrier from a descending process elevator and a discharge conveyor for discharging the items on the carrier onto a take-off conveyor. The diameter of the nose roller of the discharge conveyor is made relatively small so as to reduce the gap to the take-off conveyor.

Abstract: The infeed and discharge assemblies are mechanically actuated by movement of the hook assemblies on the endless chains of the horizontal conveyor in order to sequentially direct the flexible carriers into and out of the respective vertical conveyors. Each of the infeed and discharge assemblies includes a pivotally mounted ramp assembly with a pair of latch assemblies at the ends for engaging an aligned pair of tracks in the respective vertical conveyors.

Abstract: A product conveyor for use in processing machinery such as freezers and the like, in which a series of product conveying mats is continuously moved in a closed path from a rising section in which the mats are raised gradually upwardly during the process, a transfer section in which the mats are transferred from the top of the rising section to a falling section where they are conveyed downwardly through the processing environment, and to an unloading station and a return section where the product is unloaded and the mats are returned to the input side of the rising section. Apparatus is provided for synchronizing the transitional movement of the mats from the different sections with their arrival so that the operations required to transfer the mats in turn through the different stages of the apparatus are accomplished smoothly and automatically.