ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,371,266, issued on July 29, was assigned to Ambaflex International B.V. (Zwaag, Netherlands).
"Helical conveyor" was invented by Wouter Balk (Baambrugge, Netherlands) and Emiel Martijn Schouten (Amsterdam).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A helical conveyor for transporting products in downward direction by means of gravity comprises a frame and a helical track extending around an upright centerline. The helical track is supported by the frame and comprises a bottom for bearing a product. The bottom has an inclination angle in a direction (X) along the helical track. At least a portion of the bottom is formed by a transport surface of a dri...