Hand-held capper/decapper device and method

A method of capping/decapping threaded receptacles with a handheld device comprising:

• positioning cap drivers on the handheld device against the threaded receptacles;
• with a control button on the handheld device, controlling motorized rotary drive of the cap drivers and motorized linear drive of ejector pins supported in a housing through a motor controller, the controller alternating between decap and cap functions and controlling one of the functions with each press of the control button,
• in the decap function, driving the cap drivers in reverse rotary direction to decap the threaded receptacles, and
• in the cap function driving the cap drivers in forward rotary direction to cap the threaded receptacles, followed by driving the ejector pins through the cap drivers to eject the caps from the cap drivers and then retracting the ejector pins.

A hand-held capper/decapper device comprising:

• a housing configured to be held by hand against an array of threaded receptacles;
• an array of cap drivers supported by the housing in a removable cartridge and configured to engage and retain threaded caps, the cartridge being retained on the housing by magnets;
• an array of ejector pins supported by the housing, the ejector pins extending through the cap drivers;
• motorized linear drive that drives the ejector pins through the cap drivers to eject caps from the cap drivers;
• and
• motorized rotary drive that engages the cap drivers to drive the cap drivers in forward and reverse rotary directions to cap and decap the caps on and from the threaded receptacles.

A hand-held capper/decapper device comprising:

• a housing configured to be held by hand against an array of threaded receptacles;
• an array of cap drivers supported by the housing and configured to engage and retain threaded caps;
• an array of ejector pins supported by the housing, the ejector pins extending through the cap drivers;
• individual drive motors configured to rotate the cap drivers in forward and reverse rotary directions to cap and decap the caps on and from the threaded receptacles;
• and
• a common linear drive motor that translates the ejector pins through the cap drivers to eject caps from the cap drivers.

A hand-held capper/decapper device comprising:

• a housing configured to be held by hand;
• an array of drive motors in the housing;
• an array of ejector pin hubs, each ejector pin hub configured to be rotated by and be axially translatable relative to a drive motor of the array of drive motors;
• an array of ejector pins, each supported by one of the ejector pin hubs;
• an array of cap drivers, each configured to be rotated by an ejector pin hub of the array of ejector pin hubs and configured to engage and retain a threaded cap, rotation of the cap drivers in forward and reverse rotary directions enabling capping and decapping of the caps on and from threaded receptacles, the ejector pins extending through the cap drivers;
• and
• a common linear drive motor that translates the array of ejector pin hubs to translate the ejector pins through the cap drivers to eject caps from the cap drivers.