Article handling apparatus

Claim 1

FRUIT HANDLING APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES: AN EXTENDABLE AND RETRACTABLE FINGER UNIT WHICH IS ADAPTED TO TRANSFER FRUIT FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER, SAID FINGER UNIT INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED INFLATABLE FINGERS WHICH WHEN INFLATED COMPRESSIVELY SEIZE THE FRUIT AND WHEN DEFLATED RELEASE THE FRUIT, SAID FINGERS EACH HAVING AXIALLY SPACED CONSTRICTIONS THEREIN WHICH DIVIDE EACH FINGER INTO SECTIONS; MEANS FOR INFLATING SAID FINGERS WHEN SAID FINGER UNIT IS EXTENDED AND FOR DEFLATING SAID FINGERS WHEN SAID FINGER UNIT IS RETRACTED; A PIVOTAL PNEUMATIC UNIT, SAID PNEUMATIC UNIT EMBODYING A CYLINDER AND PISTON ASSEMBLY WHICH IS CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF AIR AND WHICH IS ALSO CONNECTED TO AND ACHIEVES EXTENSION AND RETRACTION OF SAID FINGER UNIT; AND ANOTHER PNEUMATIC CYLINDER AND PISTON ASSEMBLY WHICH IS ALSO CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF AIR AND WHICH IS CONNECTED TO AND ACHIEVES PIVOTING OF SAID PNEUMATIC UNIT.