Patent ID: 8141920

Claim:
A gripper, comprising: a housing defining an interior area having an open configuration and having a work surface, said work surface having an opening to said interior area, said housing having opposed first and second ends; a pair of outer stationary plates positioned in said interior area and being generally fixedly coupled to said housing, each of said outer stationary plates having a plurality of generally linear first hooks extending away from said interior area past said work surface, said first hooks being angled generally parallel to one another and toward said housing first end; an inner plate positioned in said interior area between said outer stationary plates and having a plurality of generally linear second hooks extending away from said interior area past said work surface, said second hooks being angled generally parallel to one another and opposite said first hooks, said inner plate being movable between a grip configuration and a release configuration; an actuator in communication with said inner plate to selectively move said inner plate inside said interior area toward said second end to said grip configuration and toward said first end to said release configuration; wherein said housing includes: a sidewall adjacent to one of said outer plates; a first endwall at said housing first end extending from said sidewall; a second endwall at said housing second end extending from said sidewall, said second endwall having an opening to allow communication between said actuator and said inner plate, said outer stationary plates and said inner plate being between said first and second endwalls; and a cover removably adjacent said first and second endwalls, said outer stationary plates and said inner plate being sandwiched between said sidewall and said cover when said cover is adjacent said first and second endwalls.