A sorting and/or conveying system and relevant working plants wherein there are used a set of carriages preferably automatically tilting, dragged along a pre-determined path, there being provided a preferably tubular guide with a longitudinal opening, on the inside of which there glide a certain number of spindles or the like, worked, through proper openings made along the guide, by one or more driving wheels linked to the power plant, to some of these spindles there being fastened the supports of the carriages.

A conveying apparatus suitable for driving a number of carriers in such a manner that the front end of each carrier thrusts the rear end of the preceding carrier is provided. The conveying apparatus comprises a guide rail and carriers. The rail includes a U-turn path section. Each carrier includes a load bar assembly including at least three load bars connected end-to-end by vertical pivot shafts in such a manner that the bars can pivot horizontally relative to each other. Each carrier also includes a load support supported by the associated middle load bar. Each carrier further includes a front trolley supporting at least the front end load bar and a rear trolley supporting at least the rear end load bar. The trolleys are supported movably on and guided by the guide rail. The trolleys are fixed to and in parallel with the end load bars. The free ends of the end load bars protrude from the front end of the front trolley and the rear end of the rear trolley so that the free end of the front end load bar of each carrier and the free end of the rear end load bar of the preceding carrier can contact together in the U-turn path section.

A conveying device includes a mount frame, a first guide mounted on the mount frame along a conveying circuit, several transport trolleys distributed along the conveying circuit, and a system for driving each of the transport trolleys comprising a second guide mounted on each of said transport trolleys and designed to co-operate with the first guide, a transmission connected to the transport trolleys. Advantageously, each of the transport trolleys includes a support having at least one useful face, advantageously intended for supporting at least a dish, and maintained in a substantially horizontal position. The invention is useful for fast catering service in a restaurant hall or the like.

A tipping conveyor element for a package conveyor, whose driven conveyor line includes a plurality of conveyor elements flexibly connected to one another. When the conveyor is in an untipped conveying condition, a package is placed on an essentially horizontal carrying surface. By tipping of the carrying surface, the package is delivered, as desired, to one of several delivery stations provided laterally to the conveyor direction along the conveyor track. The conveyor element includes a carrying element having a carrying surface, the carrying element being supported by a support device above a support part which is movable along a guide. The carrying element is mounted to be rotatable around a first swivel axis by means of a first shaft extending obliquely downward from the underside of the carrying element. The first swivel axis lies in a common vertical plane with a plane of symmetry of the carrying element when the carrying element is disposed in the conveying condition. It forms an acute angle with the carrying surface, whereby the first swivel axis, in tipping of the carrying element, is made to rotate in a controlled manner around a second swivel axis that is disposed at an angle with respect to the first swivel axis.

Each carriage (1) of a carriage chain has a running gear (5) at one end that has two running rollers (18) and two guide rollers (19). At the opposite end, it is coupled with the preceding carriage (1) by way of a spherical bearing (25) and a rod (26) which is guided so as to be longitudinally displaceable in this carriage. Toothed racks (8) disposed on the underside of the carriage body (3) and connected directly to each other by way of joint rods (10) serve in driving.