Conveyor

In a conveying apparatus wherein an elongated endles conveying element includes an endless flexible pan and a plurality of bracket means spaced longitudinally of the pan and supported by an endless guide means for support of the pan for orbital travel with respect to the guide means within an endless path including an elongated discharge path portion wherein a discharge means cooperates with the conveying element to move the pan to a material discharge orientation displaced from a material containing orientation thereof, and wherein an elongated flexible drive element is coextensive with at least the discharge path portion and is cooperable with the conveying element and with a motive means to drive the conveying element in its traverse of the discharge path portion and further wherein said bracket means provide a driving connection between said drive element and said pan for such driving of said conveying element and said bracket means include means continuously cooperable with said guide means and said pan for maintaining support of said conveying element with respect to said guide means throughout such orbital travel while permitting such pan to assume such material discharge orientation during its traverse of the discharge path portion the improvement comprising:

• other support means, than the first mentioned said bracket means spaced longitudinally along said drive means and intermediate said first bracket means;
• said other support means being engageable with said flexible drive element and said conveying element for support of said pan only when said pan is in such material containing orientation.