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Claim 1

IN MATERIAL GRASPING AND LIFTING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH BOOM MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID APPARATUS, A MATERIAL GRASPING UNIT INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSED COOPERATING GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY FACING JAW MEMBERS ADAPTED FOR RELATIVE SWINGING MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID BOOM TO OPEN AND CLOSE SAID JAWS, SAID JAWS BEING CAPABLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ENCLOSING AN ARTICLE THEREWITHIN, SAID JAWS CONSISTING OF UPPER FRAME PORTIONS NORMALLY IN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER WHEN THE JAWS ARE OPENED AND GRASPING MEMBERS EXTENDING GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY DOWNWARDLY FROM THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID FRAMES, MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID JAWS, AND MEANS FOR FREELY SUSPENDING SAID UNIT FROM THE END OF SAID BOOM FOR FREE SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID UNIT WITH RESPECT TO SAID BOOM ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID BOOM, THE POINT OF PIVOTAL INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN SAID BOOM AND SAID UNIT BEING OFFSET FROM THE HORIZONTAL GEOMETRICAL CENTER OF SAID UNIT WITH THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID UNIT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID POINT OF PIVOTAL INTERCONNECTION, THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID UNIT ALSO BEING OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO SAID GEOMETRICAL CENTER AND CORRESPONDING TO SAID POINT OF PIVOTAL INTERCONNECTION SO THAT THE UNIT IS IN CONSTANTLY BALANCED CONDITION WHEN FREELY SUSPENDED FROM THE BOOM, REGARDLESS OF THE MOVEMENTS OF THE BOOM, SAID POINT OF INTERCONNECTION ALSO BEING DISPOSED AT OR BELOW THE HORIZONTAL CENTERLINE OF SAID ALIGNED UPPER FRAME PORTIONS.