Conveying apparatus

Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said plate has an opening therethrough in the direction of travel of said workpieces, and said passageway is further defined, relative to the direction of travel of said workpieces through a given alignment frame, by the size and shape of said opening less the amount by which said arms overlap said opening when said arms are set in a predetermined position corresponding to the size and shape of said workpieces.

Apparatus useful for aligning filaments to form a track for conveying workpieces, comprising:

• an alignment frame including a plate with a plurality of arms adjustably mounted relative to said plate, each of said arms having at least one filament retaining channel on its periphery, said channels of said plurality of arms being aligned substantially parallel to each other in a predetermined spatial relationship, based on the size and shape of the workpieces to be conveyed;
• said channels each having a cross-sectional shape and size selected to slidably retain a corresponding one of said filaments along a portion of the filament's length while fixing the lateral placement of the filament relative to the other filament retaining channels;
• said frame shaped so as to form a passageway through which said workpieces can travel while sliding along the length of said filaments.

Apparatus for use with a classifying machine having a pair of facing, spaced-apart rollers along which workpieces may travel in a classifying operation, said apparatus comprising:

• a track having a plurality of elongated filaments held substantially parallel to each other in a predetermined spatial relationship according to the size and shape of said workpieces, for conveying said workpieces along the length of said tracks, one of said filaments extending past the end of said tracks for use as a guide member for workpieces traveling along the rollers of said classifying machine;
• and
• means for tensioning said extended portion of said one filament along the length of and between the rollers of said classifying machine and for positioning said extended portion of said filament at a position where it provides vertical support to a workpiece while the workpiece is seated in contact with the surfaces of the rollers of the classifying machine.