A vehicle-based, automated pizza-making system including a two-piece pizza pan conveyed between pizza-making components on a series of pan drive rails. The two-piece pizza pan can include a base and a removable ring for containing the unfinished pizza and toppings. The rails can include timing belts for conveying the two-piece pizza pan through the system with improved positional control and accuracy.

A laboratory distribution system is presented. The system comprises diagnostic laboratory container carriers and a conveyor. The conveyor comprises an endless drive defining a closed-loop conveyor pathway. The system comprises supporting elements attached to the endless drive. The supporting elements receive a container carrier and transport the container carrier in an upright position along a pathway section. The supporting elements are mounted pivotally about a horizontal pivot axis to the drive and structured such that a center of gravity of the supporting element with or without an empty or loaded container carrier is arranged below and vertically aligned with the pivot axis when the supporting element is in an upright position such that each supporting element is free to pivot about the associated pivot axis under the effect of gravitational forces acting on the supporting element for maintaining the supporting elements in an upright position while travelling along the path.

A vehicle-based, automated pizza-making system including a two-piece pizza pan conveyed between pizza-making components on a series of pan drive rails. The two-piece pizza pan can include a base and a removable ring for containing the unfinished pizza and toppings. The rails can include timing belts for conveying the two-piece pizza pan through the system with improved positional control and accuracy.

A conveyor system utilizes a curved, closed-loop pathway defined by a profiled track and a plurality of wheel cars movably contained within and guided by the profiled track. The wheel cars have an attachment side facing towards an open side of the profiled track, and the track is arranged such that its open side faces into a substantially horizontal direction and such that the attachment side of said cars is oriented substantially vertically in any position along the pathway. One or more carriers, each having a carrier rack adapted to support a food product to be transported, are mounted to the attachment side of a respective one of the wheel cars. The carriers can pivot about an axis perpendicular to the attachment side of the corresponding car so as to maintain the carrier rack in a horizontal position as the carrier travels along the pathway.

Support frames and rail cars include first and second side drive plates, first and second cross members connecting the respective ends of the side drive plates, third and fourth cross members connecting the side drive plates at a select distance from the first and second cross members, a coupling assembly situated at the first cross member and adapted to connect another rail car thereto, and first and second diagonal support members connected to the first cross member at an angle sufficient to substantially direct forces from the coupling assembly to the third cross member and side drive plates. The support frames and rail cars may be used for conveying bulk materials on a rail transport system.

A barrel elevator system for vertically moving barrels of liquid between a ground floor and any one of a number of floors at a warehouse for storage of the barrels. The barrel elevator system includes a support frame located in an elevator shaft and a series of cradle assemblies supported between a pair of lifting chains. A loading station is located on the ground floor for receiving barrels to be stored or for removing barrels after storage. Each floor includes a unloading station that allows barrels to be removed from the cradle for storage and returned to the cradles after storage. Each of the loading and unloading stations includes a shield assembly to restrict access to the elevator shaft. A rail section and handle are used to load and unload barrels from the cradles. The handle extends through the shield assembly for access by an operator.

An apparatus for loading live turkeys from a barn floor to cages on a transport trailer. A continuous motorized drive chain moves attached, solid sheets that are loaded with turkeys from the barn floor into the cage, and then back to the loading position. The drive chain is looped around first and second sprockets. Each rectangular sheet is rotationally connected at two of its corners to the drive chain forming a fixed end and a loose end. When the drive chain rounds the barn end, the loose end of the sheet slides upwards on a guide flap to keep the top of the sheet facing up. The sheets are driven forward to the cages, round the end at the cage end, pulled backwards from the cages toward the barn end, and then driven forward again, all without stopping the motion of the drive chain.

An inventory management system can include a tray, a tine, and an actuator. The tray can have a body defining a slot extending along a length of the tray and through a front and a rear of the tray. The tine can be sized to fit through the slot. The actuator can move the tine into a deployed position in which the tine is arranged to pass through the slot and contact an item in the tray to cause the item to fall out of the rear of the tray as tray moves by the tine. The actuator may also be capable of moving the tine into a stowed position in which the tine is arranged to avoid extending through the slot as the tray moves by the tine.

A railway vehicle (100) for moving material includes a first and a second railway wagon (1, 50), each of which extend between respective first and a second end portion (2, 3), the first and second railway wagons engaged at the second end portion (3) of the first railway wagon and at the first end portion (2) of the second railway wagon, wherein the first and second railway wagons each include: a platform (4), a carriage (5), a conveyor (6) carried by the platform (4) and having an operating section (T) configured to move the material along a advancement direction (A). The railway vehicle includes a connection device (7) carried by at least one of said first and second railway wagons (1, 50) and configured to define an intermediate section for connecting the operating sections of the conveyors of the first and second railway wagons.

The device for transporting support plates for bakery products includes supporting angle brackets on which rest the edges of plates, and a driving device cooperative with the brackets on both sides of a vertical median plane. The driving device includes at least one chain forming a close-loop circuit so as to define an ascending column and a descending column of supporting means and, at least one connecting support hinged about a horizontal axis of at least one angle bracket. There is a device for holding and guiding the angle brackets in a horizontal plane in a transfer portion from the ascending column to the descending column and a conveyer extending at least under the ascending and descending columns between the driving device.