Article exchanging grapples

Claim 2

Article exchanging grapples for exchanging articles between a hold grapple and a fetch grapple wherein the roles of the grapples are interchangeable and each grapple comprises: fingers for gripping the surface of an article being held, said fingers being spring loaded so that the normal separation between fingers, when not biased by an article held by the fingers, is less than the width of the article to be exchanged; the tips of the fingers being shaped to provide an open space between the surface of the article held and the tip of the fingers of the holding grapple, whereby in an exchange operation the fetch grapple fingers will move along the surface of the article as the grapples are moved together until the fetch grapple fingers enter said open space and penetrate between the article and the fingers of the holding grapple.

Claim 3

The grapples of claim 1 wherein said fingers are shaped near their tip to conform to the surface of the article to be exchanged.

Claim 4

The grapples of claim 2 wherein said tip of the fingers has an inner face flattened forming a discontinuity with the remainder of the inner face at the tips of the fingers so that said fingers near their tip conform to the article surface and then open away from the article surface to provide said open space when each of said grapples is holding an article to be exchanged.

Claim 5

The grapples of claim 2 wherein said tips of the fingers have a curvature that is directed outward from the inner face of the fingers so that said fingers near their tip conform to the article surface and then open away from the article surface to provide said open space.

Claim 6

Article exchanging apparatus for exchanging objects of cylindrical, spherical, rectangular shape or any combination shape thereof comprising: first grappling means having a means for gripping the object to be exchanged; said gripping means having a means for spacing an interactive portion of said gripping means away from the surface of the object being held by said gripping means; said gripping means being spring loaded to a first position so that a mouth formed by the gripping means is less than the cross-sectional width of the object to be exchanged, said gripping means when holding an object being biased to a second position wider open than said first position; second grappling means having substantially the same means as said first grappling means; movable mounting means for moving said first and second grappling means toward each other with said gripping means of both grappling means aligned for interaction, said first grappling means holding an object and having said gripping means in said second position, said second grappling means having said gripping means in said first position; said gripping means of said second grappling means peNetrating the interactive portion of said gripping means of said first grappling means as the two grappling means move together and interact so that the object biases the gripping means of the second grappling means wider open to the second position to grip the object, and the gripping means of the second grappling means, in turn, bias the gripping means of the first grappling means wider open to release the object.

Claim 7

Article exchanging apparatus for exchanging objects of cylindrical, spherical, rectangular shape or any combination shape thereof comprising: first grappling means having a means for gripping the object to be exchanged; said gripping means having a means for spacing an interactive portion of said gripping means away from the surface of the object being held by said gripping means; said gripping means being spring loaded to a first position so that a mouth formed by the gripping means is less than the cross-sectional width of the object to be exchanged, said gripping means when holding an object being biased to a second position wider open than said first position; second grappling means having substantially the same means as said first grappling means; movable mounting means for moving said first and second grappling means toward each other with said gripping means of both grappling means aligned for interaction, said first grappling means holding an object and having said gripping means in said second position, said second grappling means having said gripping means in said first position; said gripping means of said second grappling means peNetrating the interactive portion of said gripping means of said first grappling means as the two grappling means move together and interact so that the object biases the gripping means of the second grappling means wider open to the second position to grip the object, and the gripping means of the second grappling means, in turn, bias the gripping means of the first grappling means wider open to release the object.

Claim 8

The object exchanging apparatus of claim 5 wherein said gripping means comprises: jaws shaped to conform to at least a portion of the object near the tip of the jaws; said jaws being made of a resilient material so that when the jaws are deflected from the first position by the object to be exchanged, the jaws are spring loaded.

Claim 9

The object exchanging apparatus of claim 5 wherein said gripping means comprises: rigid arms conforming near the tips of the arms to at least a portion of the object; said arms being spring loaded by a tension means attached to the arms.

Claim 10

Method for exchanging an article between two grapples wherein the grapples have fingers of substantially the same shape whereby the article exchanging grapples exchange the role of holding grapple and fetching grapple, as well as the article during the exchange operation, said method comprising the steps of: inserting the arms of the fetching grapple in an open space between the article and the arms of the holding grapple; penetrating the arms of the fetching grapple between the article and the arms of the holding grapple; gripping the article with the arms of the fetching grapple and simultaneously biasing the arms of the holding grapple with the arms of the fetching grapple so that the holding grapple releases the article whereby the fetching grapple may withdraw from the holding grapple with the article so that the article exchange is completed and the exchange of roles of the grapples is completed.

Claim 11

Method for exchanging an article between two grapples wherein the grapples have fingers of substantially the same shape whereby the article exchanging grapples exchange the role of holding grapple and fetching grapple, as well as the article during the exchange operation, said method comprising the steps of: inserting the arms of the fetching grapple in an open space between the article and the arms of the holding grapple; penetrating the arms of the fetching grapple between the article and the arms of the holding grapple; gripping the article with the arms of the fetching grapple and simultaneously biasing the arms of the holding grapple with the arms of the fetching grapple so that the holding grapple releases the article whereby the fetching grapple may withdraw from the holding grapple with the article so that the article exchange is completed and the exchange of roles of the grapples is completed.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8 wherein the step of inserting comprises: aligning the arms of the fetching grapple with the arms of the holding grapple as the grapples approach each other; sliding the arms of the fetching grapple along the surface of the article until the arms of the fetching grapple are inserted into the open space between the article and the arms of the holding grapple.