Patent ID: 8365389

Claim:
A multifunction tool for attachment to a robotic arm, the multifunction tool being for use with a palletized load, the palletized load including a pallet on which a load is stacked, a top plate positioned on top of the stacked load, and straps engaged around the top plate and pallet to hold the stacked load in place, the multifunction tool comprising: a supporting means carrying a strap cutting mechanism configured for cutting the straps; a fork lifting mechanism carried by the supporting means and having tines configured for lifting the stacked load from the pallet, the tines configured to be advanced and retracted relative to the supporting means in a longitudinal direction of the tines; and pivoting vacuum arms carried by the supporting means and configured to be pivoted with respect to the supporting means between an orientation wherein the arms are configured to remove the top plate from the stacked load, and an orientation wherein the arms are not configured to remove the top plate from the stacked load; the strap-cutting mechanism, the fork lifting mechanism, and the vacuum arms being arranged such that the strap cutting of the straps around the palletized load and a depalletizing of the stacked load from the pallet are carried out using the multifunction tool without the palletized load having to be moved from one position to another.