Patent ID: 7992702

Claim:
An apparatus for transporting flexible containers from a rotary machine to a conveyor, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of gripping assemblies, each gripping assembly having a pivoting member and one or more jaws constructed and arranged to receive and retain a container, the jaws being selectively movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the jaws can receive or release the container when the jaws are in the open position, and the jaws can retain the container when the jaws are in the closed position, and wherein the jaws have a receiving position and a releasing position; a first rotating assembly constructed and arranged to rotate the gripping assemblies about a first axis; the gripping assemblies being constructed and arranged to rotate the jaws 90° about a second axis between the receiving position and the releasing position, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis; and a rod; the pivoting member being connected to the jaws such that when the pivoting member pivots about the second axis, the jaws pivot about the second axis; the pivoting member being displaceable rotatably around the rod and slidably along the length of the rod; the rod extending around the first axis; the rod having a variable distance from the first axis and a variable height, such that as the pivoting member is displaced along the length of the rod from proximate the rotary machine toward the conveyor, the pivoting member rotates about the rod and pivots about the second axis, thus pivoting the jaws.