Material grasping apparatus

Abstract

An improved material grasping apparatus such as a grapple especially adapted for grasping and moving irregularly shaped, fragile material such as refuse packed in plastic bags or the like. The grapple includes a pair of jaws pivotally connected to each other and each having confronting material receiving cavities. Each jaw has spaced, rigid end members and a flexible, deformable material engaging element extending between and connected to the end members to at least partially close the respective material receiving cavity. Each such element is substantially unbacked whereby it may deform to the shape of a fragile, irregularly shaped object when the jaws are closed thereon. The invention contemplates the provision of a power source for opening and closing the jaws as well as mounting of the grapple on a boom which, in turn, is mounted on a refuse collecting truck.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.