Patent ID: 7185932

Claim:
A grasping device comprising: a first claw comprising at least one grasping finger, a second claw comprising at least one grasping finger, said second claw being mounted in opposition to said first claw, a triggering element comprising a trigger point, and a means for providing tension that urges said first and second claws toward a closed position; wherein said grasping device includes means for locking said first claw and said second claw in an open position wherein said grasping fingers of said first claw are separated from said grasping fingers of said second claw, said means for locking comprises a pair of protruding tabs on said triggering element that are received in receiving holes in said first and said second claws, and when said trigger point is brought into contact with an object to be grasped, said triggering element releases said means for locking by moving said protruding tabs out of said receiving holes in said first and said second claws, thereby releasing said first and said second claws so that said first and said second claws are urged by said means for providing tension from said open position toward a closed position, in which said at least one grasping finger of said first claw overlaps said at least one grasping finger of said second claw, said first and said second claws thereby enclosing the object to be grasped.