Sheet material separator and handling device

Claim 1

A SHEET MATERIAL SEPARATING AND HANDLING APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING MEANS; ATTACHING MEANS FOR SECURING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS TO A LIFTING MEANS; A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED APART ARMS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS; A GRIPPING MEANS FREELY PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID ARMS FOR RELEASABLY GRIPPING AN OPPOSITE PAIR OF EDGES ON THE TOP SURFACE OF A FLEXIBLE SHEET OF MATERIAL ON A STACK OF SHEET MATERIAL, WHEREBY WHEN THE LIFTING MEANS LIFTS SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, SAID GRIPPING MEANS WILL PIVOT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND SAID OPPOSITE PAIR OF EDGES WILL BE PEELED UPWARDLY TO BREAK THE ADHESION EFFECT BETWEEN SAID SHEET AND THE NEXT ADJACENT SHEET; ONE OF SAID ARMS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INWARDLY FROM ONE END THEREOF, AND THE OTHER OF SAID ARMS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INWARDLY FROM THE OTHER END THEREOF; MEANS FOR LIMITING THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID ARMS RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS; AND, A WEIGHT SUSPENDED FROM THE MEDIAL POINT OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE SHEET OF MATERIAL.