ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,214,964, issued on Feb. 4, was assigned to REGINA CATENE CALIBRATE S.P.A. (Milan).

"Curvilinear conveyor chain suitable for running along a guide comprising at least one curved section" was invented by Carlo Garbagnati (Castello di Brianza, Italy) and Norberto Cattaneo (Usmate Velate, Italy).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A link of a curvilinear conveyor chain suitable for running along a guide includes a plate body having a first surface forming a plane for resting and supporting products to be transported, a second surface substantially flat and defining at least one plane for resting and sliding on at least one respective support surfac...