Patent ID: 7950708

Claim:
An end effector for retrieving work products in sequential picks from an accumulation of work products, with the retrieved work products placed in different orientations on an array of vacuum retrievers of the end effector and for placing the retrieved work products in a selected pattern in a receptacle, the end effector comprising: a vacuum plenum housing for maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure, the array of vacuum retrievers in communication with the vacuum plenum housing for engaging the work products, means for selecting a zone of the vacuum retrievers, an air control means connected to each of the vacuum retrievers for applying the sub-atmospheric air pressure of the vacuum plenum housing to each of the vacuum retrievers in the selected zone of the vacuum retrievers that are to retrieve the work products, while avoiding an application of the sub-atmospheric air pressure of the vacuum plenum housing to the vacuum retrievers that are in engagement with the work products and are not in the selected zone of the vacuum retrievers and for accumulating the work products in the different orientations on said vacuum retrievers.