Patent ID: 7641202

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a jaw member configured to apply a gripping force to an article, the jaw member disposed in a selected angular alignment with a central axis and comprising respective proximal and distal ends, a first inclined surface adjacent said proximal end and a second inclined surface adjacent said distal end, the second inclined surface substantially parallel to the first inclined surface and non-parallel to the central axis, wherein the first and second inclined surfaces face away from the central axis in a common direction; and a support structure comprising a first guide surface in contact with the first inclined surface and a second guide surface in contact with the second inclined surface, wherein relative movement of the jaw member with respect to the support structure induces respective movement of the first inclined surface along the first guide surface and respective movement of the second inclined surface along the second guide surface so that the jaw member remains in said selected angular alignment with the central axis while advancing in a direction orthogonal to the central axis.