Patent ID: 6224124
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: B21L,B25J

Abstract:
A gripper-jaw apparatus for grasping a plurality of roller-chain link-plates from a horizontal column of link-plates, said gripper-jaw apparatus comprising:a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw,said first jaw having a first inner edge, a first outer edge, an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward end and a rearward end,said second jaw having a second inner edge, a second outer edge, an upper surface, a lower surface, a forward end and a rearward end,said first and second inner edges being aligned and parallel,said first inner edge having a first contour, and second inner edge having a second contour, said first and second contours being a mirror image of the other of said first and second contours;a slide assembly mounted on said first and second upper surfaces and operable to move said first jaw and said second jaw between an open position and a closed position,a parts wiper assembly coupled to said first and second rearward ends,a control system,means for connecting,said connecting means coupling said slide assembly to said control system, said control system operable to actuate said slide assembly to move said first jaw and said second jaw between a first and closed position to grasp a plurality of link-plates, said wiper assembly operable to dislodge contacting link plates outside said closed first and second jaws and maintain alignment of ungrasped link-plates of said horizontal column.