Patent ID: 8662555

Claim:
A gripper for capturing and transporting a food product comprising: a plurality of arms comprising three or more arms, each of the plurality of arms having a first end portion that cooperate with each other to capture the food product by pressure exerted between the first end portions, each of the plurality of arms having a second end portion opposite the first end portion and adapted to pivot between a first pivot position and a second pivot position, in the first pivot position the first end portions cooperate with one another to capture the food product, in the second pivot position the first end portions of do not cooperate with one another so as not to capture the food product; a single expandable fluid chamber having an unexpanded state and an expanded state, the single expandable fluid chamber assuming the expanded state upon the introduction of a fluid into the chamber, in the expanded state portions of the single expandable fluid chamber simultaneously act on the second end portions of the plurality of arms to cause the plurality of arms to assume the first pivot position, in the unexpanded state the plurality of arms assume the second pivot position; and a single elastic assembly that acts simultaneously on all of the second end portions of the plurality of arms to continuously urge the second end portions inward toward the single expandable fluid chamber.