Transferring system for transferring articles through a processing apparatus

An apparatus for processing articles through a plurality of processing stations comprising:

• a plurality of processing stations for sequentially processing a plurality of articles as said articles are moved from station to station through said plurality of processing stations;
• endless conveyor means for conveying each of said articles along a conveying path, a section of said conveying path being adjacent to said plurality of processing stations, said conveyor means being displaceable along said section of said conveying path for moving said plurality of articles into and out of said processing stations;
• guide means for guiding said endless conveyor means through said conveying path and for displacing a portion of said conveyor means located along said section of said conveying path, said guide means including a movable displacement means for actively displacing only said portion of said conveyor means from a first position to a second position in order to move said plurality of articles into said plurality of processing stations and for displacing said portion from said second position to said first position in order to move said plurality of articles out of said plurality of processing stations;
• conveyor drive means for driving said endless conveyor means along said conveying path;
• and
• processor means for controlling the operation of said conveyor drive means so that said conveyor drive means is only actuated to drive said endless conveyor means along said conveying path when said portion of said endless conveyor means is in said first position.