Patent ID: 8342374

Claim:
Apparatus for separating a packaged premium from a bandolier of packaged premiums, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of independently actuable grippers disposed to be alongside a path of the bandolier, the path having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a longitudinal axis between the first and second sides, each gripper actuable to assume an engaged position and a disengaged position, the plurality of grippers including an upstream first side gripper disposed on the first side of the path and having a first downstream speed; a downstream first side gripper disposed on the first side of the path and spaced from the upstream first side gripper in a downstream direction along the path, the downstream first side gripper having a second downstream speed; an upstream second side gripper disposed on the second side of the path and having a third downstream speed; a downstream second side gripper disposed on the second side of the path and spaced from the upstream second side gripper in a downstream direction along the path, the downstream second side gripper having a fourth downstream speed; an upstream first side gripper motive device coupled to the upstream first side gripper and independently actuable to move the upstream first side gripper downward along-side the path at the first downstream speed; a downstream first side gripper motive device coupled to the downstream first side gripper and independently actuable to move the downstream first side gripper downward along-side the path at the second downstream speed; an upstream second side gripper motive device coupled to the upstream second side gripper and independently actuable to move the upstream second side gripper downward along-side the path at the third downstream speed; and a downstream second side gripper motive device coupled to the downstream second side gripper and independently actuable to move the downstream second side gripper downward along-side the path at the fourth downstream speed; wherein, during a predetermined period of time, a difference between the second downstream speed and the first downstream speed is greater than a difference between the fourth downstream speed and the third downstream speed; wherein the path includes a portion which is disposed in a plane, each of said grippers having at least one articulable finger, the finger disposed in the disengaged position to have a free end spaced perpendicularly from said plane, each of said grippers further having an opposed surface located, in the disengaged position, to be spaced from said plane and on the other side of said plane from the end of the finger, the finger articulating to clamp a selected seal zone of a selected packaged premium between the finger end and the opposed surface when the gripper is actuated to assume the engaged position.