Handheld capper / decapper apparatus and method

Abstract

Simplify capping / decapping procedures to minimize repetitive motion injuries. In a handheld capper / decapper, cap drivers in an array are driven by an array of rotary motors that drive the drivers in forward and reverse rotation to place and remove caps from threaded containers, and a common linear drive drives an ejector pin at the center of the cap driver to eject it from the driver. Single button operation is enabled by a controller that alternates between decapping and post-capping functions in response to pressing and releasing a control button. The capping function is completed with ejection by extension of the ejector pin. An ejector button may also be provided to eject the cap driver without rotating it. The cap driver is floated against a compression spring that exerts an axial force on the cap driver.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 128,683, filed December 21, 2020, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Chemical analyses and processing are often performed in test tubes, which may be capped and stored in arrays in racks of, for example, 16-96 tubes each. Historically, capping and decapping of tubes was done manually one by one, but more recently automated systems have been introduced for capping and decapping entire arrays, or rows within an array. Another option is to use handheld devices that cap and decapp an entire row of an array. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The manual process of uncapping test tubes, pipetting samples to and from the test tubes, and recapping the test tubes is a highly repetitive process that presents a risk of repetitive strain injuries. The disclosed handheld capper / decapper device seeks to simplify the capping / decapping process and minimize repetitive strain injuries. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The handheld capper / decapper device may include a housing configured to be held by hand against an array of threaded containers, such as test tubes. An array of cap drivers is supported by the housing, with the drivers configured to engage and hold the threaded caps. A motorized rotational drive drives the cap drivers in forward and reverse rotational directions to attach and remove caps from the threaded containers. An ejector pin supported by the housing extends into the cap driver. A motorized linear drive translates the ejector pin within the cap driver to eject caps from the cap driver. A motor controller controls the motorized rotational drive and the motorized linear drive in response to a control button on the housing. The controller is configured to control and alternate between actuating a decapping function and a capping function each time the control button is pressed. In the decapping function, the motorized rotational drive drives the cap drivers in a reverse rotational direction to remove caps from the threaded containers. In the capping function, the motorized rotary drive drives the cap driver in a forward rotational direction to apply a cap to the threaded container, and then the motorized linear drive translates the ejector pin within the cap driver to eject the cap from the cap driver and retract the ejector pin, thus enabling the device to be operated with a single button.

[0005] The handheld device may further include an eject button on the housing, and in response to pressing the eject button, the motor controller causes the motorized linear drive to drive the ejector pin into the cap driver and then retract the ejector pin, causing the controller to be in a state to perform a decapping function when the control button is next pressed.

[0006] In a decapping function, the motorized rotational drive may rotate in a forward direction to engage the cap driver with the cap before driving the cap driver in a reverse rotational direction.

[0007] A cap driver may be supported within a cartridge that is removably attached to the housing. The cap driver engages the ejector pin such that it is rotated therethrough by a motorized rotary driver. The ejector pin may be driven with a single constant stroke length, and the cap driver within the cartridge may be of a length complementary to the depth of the cap recess to control the depth of the stroke length within the cap. The cartridge may be held on the housing by a magnet.

[0008] The cap driver may be vertically floated against a compression spring. The motorized linear drive may have a fixed stroke length, and the drive may engage one set of ejector pins before engaging the other set of ejector pins. The motorized rotary drive may include individual rotary motors, each coupled to an ejector pin to drive the cap driver through the ejector pins, and the motorized linear drive may include a common linear motor that translates all of the ejector pins.

[0009] In a method of using the device, the cap driver of the handheld device is positioned against a threaded container. A single button on the handheld device controls the motorized rotary drive of the cap driver and the motorized linear drive of the ejector pin with a motor controller. The controller alternates between decapping and capping operations and controls each function each time the control button is pressed.

[0010] The foregoing will become apparent from a more particular description of the exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various views, and in which the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a handheld capper / decapper embodying the present invention; [Figure 1B]FIG. 1B is a top view of the handheld device of FIG. 1A. [Diagram 2] 1 shows the cap driver and ejector pins being inserted into an array of caps on the end of a handheld device. [Diagram 3] 1B illustrates the alignment of the handheld device of FIG. 1A with rows of caps stored in a cap rack. [Figure 4] A close-up view of a cap driver aligned with a row of caps in a rack. [Diagram 5] 1 shows a cap driver of a handheld device applied to a row of caps in a cap rack. [Figure 6] 13 illustrates a row of caps that a handheld device engages after the caps have been removed from the cap tray. [Figure 7] 1 shows caps held by a cap driver of a handheld device aligned with a row of test tubes to be capped. [Figure 8A] 4 is a flow chart of the operation of the controller of the handheld device. [Figure 8B] 13 is a flow chart of an alternative embodiment without an eject button. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates the cap carrier cartridge removed from the handheld device. [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view of the cap driver cartridge removed from the handheld device. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a side view of the cartridge installed in the handheld device with the side panel of the device removed. [Figure 12A] FIG. 12A is an exploded view of the motorized rotary drive of FIG. 12B, both in perspective. [Figure 12B] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric rotary drive. [Figure 13] 11A-11C are cross-sectional views of adjacent cap drivers and associated caps at different stages of engagement between the cap driver and the cap; [Figure 14]11A-11C are side views of a row of caps in different stages of engagement with a row of cap drivers extending from a handheld device. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the handheld device with panels removed to show the motorized rotary and linear drives of the device. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a side view of a row of cap drivers with ejector pins fully extended. [Figure 17A] 16 is a side view of the drive of FIG. 15 showing the sequence of motion of the ejector pin. [Figure 17B] 16 is a side view of the drive of FIG. 15 showing the sequence of motion of the ejector pin. [Figure 17C] 16 is a side view of the drive of FIG. 15 showing the sequence of motion of the ejector pin. [Figure 18A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the motorized rotary and linear drive with the ejector pin in a retracted position. [Figure 18B] FIG. 18B is a perspective view similar to FIG. 18A but showing the ejector pin in a fully extended position. [Figure 19A] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a cap on a cap driver with an ejector pin in a retracted position. [Figure 19B] 1 shows the cap being removed from the cap driver with the ejector pin in the fully extended position. [Figure 20A] 11A-11C are cross-sectional views showing adjacent caps of different recess depth designs with ejector pins in a retracted position. [Figure 20B] FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 20A, but with the ejector pin in a fully extended position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Detailed Description A description of an exemplary embodiment follows.

[0013] FIG. 1A shows a handheld capper / decapper having eight cap drivers 102 extending from one end of a housing 104 and a handle 106 on the opposite end of the housing. Other numbers of cap drivers may be provided, but eight is most suitable for most applications. Control of the operation of the capper / decapper may be by a single control (operation) button 108, although an additional eject button 110 may also be included. The capping (C) or decapping (D) status of the device may be determined from LED indicators 116 and 118, respectively, on the top edge of the device 112 (FIG. 1B). Also shown is a battery level indicator 120 and a charging port 122. An ejector pin 114 extends into the driver 102 for ejecting a cap or a capped test tube from the device.

[0014] In operation, as shown in Figure 2, the cap driver, along with the ejector pin, is aligned with a row of caps 202 having threaded portions 204 that are to be screwed with complementary threads on a test tube or other container. The caps may be in a rack of ready-to-use caps or may be on top of capped test tubes prior to the decapping operation. In either case, the handheld device is aligned with the caps and set against them. Figure 3 shows the handheld device 100 aligned with a row of caps 202 on a rack 302.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the end of the housing 104 with the cap driver 102 aligned with a row of caps 202 on a rack 302.

[0016] In Fig. 5, the device 100 is set up against a row of caps 202, with the cap driver 102 pressed against the caps. The control button 108 is pressed and released to engage the caps, initiating the decapping process. The device 100 then automatically rotates the cap driver briefly in a clockwise direction to align the cap driver's functional members 206 with the spaces between the functional members in the cap recesses, so that the spring force presses the cap driver into the recesses with a light friction fit. The cap driver is then rotated in a counterclockwise direction, in a sequence common to both removing caps from a rack and decapping. This counterclockwise rotation may not be necessary when removing caps from a rack of caps if the rack does not have a thread, but is done to simplify programming of the device, as described below.

[0017] 6, the caps 202 are shown being held by the cap drivers 102 on the ends of the housing 104. A panel of the housing has been removed to show the interior of the device, which will be described below. As shown, the row of ports 602 in the rack 302 is left empty.

[0018] FIG. 7 shows a row of uncapped test tubes 702 in a rack 704 and the apparatus 100 aligned with a row of caps 202 in preparation for capping the test tubes.

[0019] FIG. 8A is a flow chart of the programmed operation of an electronic controller, such as a microprocessor, within the device 100. The device need only perform two basic functions: decapping and capping (including recapping) of specimen containers. Two secondary functions, removing caps from the rack and ejecting caps, for example into a waste bin, can be performed by the decapping and capping functions, respectively. All four operations can be performed by a single control button 108, with one press for each successive operation. With a single button press, the eject function is performed using the recapping function, which includes ejecting the capped test tube. However, if it is desired that the cap driver not be rotated during the eject function, a second button 110 can be provided to perform only the ejection.

[0020] When the device is powered on at 802, LED (D) on the end of the device 112 is illuminated. When the control button 108 is first pressed and released at 804, the device enters a decapping function 806. Each cap driver motor is rotated clockwise to align the functional members 206 with the spaces between the functional members in the cap recess so that the cap driver 102 can be pushed into the cap recess under spring force, as described below. Because the caps are oriented differently, the cap drivers push into each cap at different times. The cap driver motor then rotates counterclockwise to either uncap the test tube or remove the cap from the cap tray. At the end of the decapping function, LED (C) is illuminated and LED (D) is extinguished, indicating that the capping (recapping) function is ready to proceed.

[0021] The device can be set to a recapping function after decapping, since only one of two functions is performed when a cap is held in the cap driver: either recapping to place the cap back on the tube, or ejecting to discard the cap. As previously mentioned, since the recapping function 808 includes an ejection step after the cap is threaded onto the tube, the recapping function can also serve as an ejection function, and no unnecessary rotational actuation of the cap driver is performed. Alternatively, the eject button can be pressed while the device is in C-mode, where capping can be performed, and after ejection at 814, it returns to D-mode.

[0022] During capping (recapping) of a test tube, a cap already held in the cap driver is pressed against the test tube. At 808, the operating button 108 is pressed and released. During the recapping function 810, each cap driver motor rotates clockwise and moves away from the functional member 206, allowing the cap driver 102 to seat in the cap recess and thread the cap onto the test tube. Because the threads of the cap and test tube may be in different orientations, the timing at which the cap fully threads onto the test tube may differ. To account for these different timings, the individual motors driving the cap drivers are stopped when the appropriate capping torque is reached.

[0023] The caps are friction-fitted into the cap drivers. To allow the user to remove the device from the capped test tubes without applying a pulling force, the ejector pins extend and push the respective cap drivers away from the caps and therefore the capped test tubes. The ejector pins are then retracted for the next decapping operation, LED (C) goes out and LED (D) lights up, completing the recapping function.

[0024] Since the cap driver is now empty of caps, the next action requires that a cap be removed either from the cap tray or from a row of capped test tubes. As previously described, the decapping function is used to remove a cap from the cap tray, so the instrument is properly in decapping mode (D) and can perform the decapping function when the operation button is pressed again.

[0025] When the eject button 110 is pressed at 812, the device has just completed a decapping function and a cap is likely still held in the cap driver, but the eject button can be pressed after power up, after a decapping function, after a recapping function, or even after a previous eject function. After performing a decapping function, any caps held on the device are ejected. After other functions, the device safely performs an eject function 814. In the eject function 814, the ejector pins are extended under motor control to push the caps out of the cap driver. This automatic ejection requires no force from the user other than pressing and releasing the eject button. After automatic ejection, the ejector pins are retracted, LED (C) goes out and LED (D) lights up, indicating the device is free of caps and ready to perform the decapping function.

[0026] The automatic rotation of the cap driver and automatic linear drive of the ejector pin allows for a simple one-button operation with minimal physical force required by the user. An optional eject button allows the ejection function without rotating the cap driver, saving power and time.

[0027] Figure 8B is a flow chart of the operation of a device that does not include an eject button. The decapping function 806 and the recapping function 810 are the same as those in Figure 8A. The eject function is omitted. As previously mentioned, this function is instead performed by the recapping function 810.

[0028] The internal structure and operation of device 100 will now be described.

[0029] To facilitate ease of use with different cap styles, an eight-way cap driver 102 is supported within the cap driver cartridge of Figure 9 and is interchangeable within the cartridge. The cap driver 102 includes splines 904 on its upper end, and the cap driver is rotated by a drive hub 1002 (Figure 10) that projects from the housing 104 and fits between the splines. To mate the cartridge 902 with the housing 104, the cartridge is moved toward the housing 104 along the ejector pin 114, which passes through a central hole in the cartridge 902 that runs the length of the driver 102.

[0030] FIG. 10 shows the side panel removed from the housing 104, showing the drive hub 1002 which fits into the splines 904 of the cap driver 102. The ejector pins 114 extend into the hub and can translate within the hub. When the cartridge 902 is moved all the way up against the base of the housing 104, it is held there by magnets 1004 which attract the retaining plates 1006 on both ends of the cartridge. Thus, one only has to pull with enough force to overcome the strength of the magnets. The cartridge 902 can be easily removed from the housing 104 and a new cartridge with a different style cap drive can be easily installed. The cap drivers in the cartridge can also be replaced as described below to allow the cartridge to be adapted to different cap styles.

[0031] 11, the cartridge 902 is held by a magnet at the base of the housing 104. In this position, the ejector pins 114 extend entirely through the cap driver 102, and the cap driver splines 904 are positioned on either side of each drive hub 1002.

[0032] FIG. 12B shows a motorized rotary drive for driving the hub 1002 which drives the individual cap drivers 102. As shown in FIG. 11, the drive hub 1002 is set into a pair of splines 904 of the cap driver. Although not shown in FIG. 11, the cap driver drive shaft 1202 extends through the cartridge 902. FIG. 12A shows an exploded view of the motorized rotary drive up to the hub 1002. In each drive, the ejector pin 114 is rotated in a drive train by an individual DC motor with a gear head 1204, which in turn can rotate the hub 1002. Axial movement of the ejector pin 114 through the cap driver is also provided, and a motorized linear drive for the ejector pin is described below.

[0033] A functional member (not shown) in the central bore of the torque spline 1206 locks with a flat 1208 on the drive shaft 1209 of the DC motor 1204. The torque spline in turn locks with a functional member (not shown) in the central bore of the ejector hub 1210. Splines 1207 on either side of the groove 1212 allow the ejector hub 1210 to rotate while also allowing the hub 1210 to move axially along the splines 1206. The ejector pin hub 1210 has a circumferential groove 1220 at its upper end which defines a flange 1222, the functional member being described with respect to the linear drive of Figures 15, 17, 18A and 18B. Splines 1214 on the ejector pin hub 1210 mate with splines 1216 fixed to the drive hub 1002, allowing the drive hub 1002 to rotate with the ejector hub 1210 while allowing the ejector pin to translate axially within the drive hub. In the assembly of FIG. 12B, the ejector pin extends through the drive hub 1002 and the splines 1216 compress a compression spring 1218 against the ejector pin hub 1210. The spring 1218 applies pressure through the drive hub 1002 to the cap driver 102, forcing it into the cap as described below.

[0034] Figure 13 shows the lower ends of two of the drive trains of Figure 12B held within a cartridge 902 and pressed against the cap 202. The cap driver drive shafts 1202 extend through ports 1301 in the cartridge 902. They are free to move up and down within the cartridge port, restricted only by a flange 1306 on their lower ends and a C-clip 1302 set in a groove 1304 on their upper ends.

[0035] When the handheld device is applied to a row of caps 202, the cap driver 102 initially rests on the caps as shown on the left side due to interference between the rotating member 206 of the cap driver and the functional member 1308 of the cap recess 1310. In this state, the cap driver presses the drive hub 1002 upwards, which floats upward and hits the spring 1218. When the cap driver 102 is rotated and the functional member presses it into the cap recess, the force applied by the compression spring 1218 presses the cap driver downwards, overcoming the friction and the cap driver enters the upper recess of the cap as shown on the right side of FIG. 13. In this way, with the floating cap driver acting on the compression spring 1218, each cap driver is individually sealed into the cap recess, which is made possible by the rotating member and does not require the user to apply force. FIG. 14 shows an 8-row cap driver set into the cap recess at different insertion stages.

[0036] 15 shows a motorized linear drive that drives the ejector pins downward to disengage the cap from the cap driver 102. Each of the flanges 1222 of the ejector hub 1210 rests on a horizontal drive plate 1502. This drive plate is in turn driven vertically in a lead screw 1506 by a rotary motor 1504. The motor 1504 is fixed to a bracket 1505. When the plate 1502 is driven downward, it contacts the lower surface of the groove 1220 of the ejector hub 1210, thus driving the ejector pins downward.

[0037] The motor 1204 and its associated torque spline 1206 are mounted to a fixed bracket 1508. Translation of each ejector hub 1210 about the torque spline allows the ejector pin 114 to translate downward while the motor 1204 remains stationary.

[0038] A feature of this device is that the ejector pins are staggered so that the caps are ejected at different times rather than all at once. By further delaying the start of cap ejection, less force is required to push the caps out. In the disclosed device, the four caps in the center position of the array of eight caps are ejected first, and the remaining four caps, i.e., the two caps on each side, are ejected with a delay. By ejecting only four caps first, the force required is reduced and the momentum generated is utilized to eject the remaining caps, which leads to less motor force required to initiate the movement of the remaining caps. Figure 16 shows the staggered arrangement of the ejector pins during ejection. During the ejection movement, the four central pins extend beyond the two pins on each side.

[0039] Figures 17A-C show the mechanism for achieving the offset actuation. An additional plate 1702 is positioned below the plates 1502 of the central four ejector hubs 1210. Figure 17A shows the system with the ejector pins retracted. When the ejector plate 1502 is moved downwards, the additional plate immediately presses against the undersides of the grooves 1220, as shown in Figure 17B, initiating the downward movement of the central four ejector pins. Because the ejector plate 1502 is narrower than the ejector hub grooves 1220, there is a short delay before the ejector plate hits the undersides of these ejector hub grooves 1220, as shown in Figure 17C. The end ejector pins then move downwards, but at a slightly higher position relative to the central pins, as shown in Figure 16.

[0040] 17A-C also show a controller 1704 and limit switches 1706 and 1708 on board 1710.

[0041] Figures 18A and 18B show the system of Figure 15 in a retracted position (Figure 18A) and an extended ejection position (Figure 18B). In the retracted position of Figure 18A, the plate 1502 is in a raised position with the lead screws 1506 fully exposed below the plate 1502. The plate supports all eight ejector hub flanges 1222, holding the ejector pins all at the same height in the raised position.

[0042] In Figure 18B, plate 1220 has been lowered by lead screw 1506, with plate 1702 pressing against the underside of center ejector pin hub grooves 1220 and plate 1502 itself pressing against the end ejector pin hub grooves 1220, lowering the center four ejector pins a small amount past the two ejector pins at each end of the array. In Figure 18B, spring 1218 is compressed, exposing the upper portion of end grooves 1220 and exposing grooves 1212 of torque spline 1206 as the ejector pins move downward from the fixed spline and motor assembly.

[0043] Figure 19A shows the cap driver 102 in the recess of the cap 202, with the ejector spring 114 in a contracted position. In Figure 19B, the ejector spring 114 is fully extended and pushes the cap 202 off of the cap driver 102. Of course, during the capping operation, the cap 102 is threaded onto a test tube, and ejection disengages the cap driver 102 from the capped test tube.

[0044] The cap driver 102 is designed to accommodate a particular type of cap. One aspect of the design is that the bottom end of the driver below the flange 1306 is appropriately sized and has the appropriate functional member for press-fitting into the cap recess and for proper alignment with the functional member 1308 in the cap recess. Another aspect of the design is to allow the ejector pin 114 to translate a constant length regardless of the depth of the recess. To that end, for caps with shallow recesses as shown on the left side of each of Figures 20A and 20B, the cap driver 102a has a larger flange 1306a. For caps with deep recesses as shown in cap 202b, a shorter flange 1306b is provided. Figure 20A shows the ejector pin 114 retracted into a fully engaged cap driver. In Figure 20B, both pins 114 extend the same distance, each engaging the bottom of their respective cap recess with the same travel distance, even though the recess in cap 202a is much shallower than cap 202b.

[0045] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the embodiments contained in the appended claims.

Claims

1. a housing configured to be manually held against the array of threaded vessels; a control button on the housing; an array of cap drivers supported by the housing and configured to engage and retain threaded caps; a motorized rotational drive that drives the cap driver in forward and reverse rotational directions to install and remove caps from the threaded container; an array of ejector pins supported by the housing, the ejector pins extending through the cap driver; and a motorized linear drive that drives the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject the cap from the cap driver; a motor controller for controlling the motorized rotary drive and the motorized linear drive in response to the control button, the controller being configured to control and alternate between decapping and capping functions each time the control button is pressed; Including, In the decapping function, the motorized rotational drive drives the cap driver in a reverse rotational direction to remove the cap from the threaded container; A handheld capper / decapper device, wherein in the capping function, the motorized rotational drive drives the cap driver in a forward rotational direction to apply a cap to the threaded container, and then the motorized linear drive drives the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject the cap from the cap driver, and then retracts the ejector pin.

2. 2. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 1, further comprising an eject button on the housing, wherein the motor controller, in response to pressing the eject button, causes the motorized linear drive to drive the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject a cap from the cap driver and then retract the ejector pin, and then causes the control button to enter a state in which it will perform the decapping function when the control button is next pressed.

3. 3. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 1 or 2, wherein in the decapping function, the motorized rotation drive rotates in a forward direction to engage the cap driver with the cap before driving the cap driver in a reverse rotation direction.

4. 3. A handheld capper / decapper device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap driver is supported within a cartridge that is removably attached to the housing, and the cap driver engages with the ejector pin so as to be rotated by the motorized rotary driver through the ejector pin.

5. 5. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 4, wherein the motorized linear drive drives the ejector pin with a single constant stroke length, and the cap driver within the cartridge has a complementary length to the cap to control the depth of the stroke length within the cap.

6. 5. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 4, wherein the cartridge is held in the housing by a magnet.

7. 3. A handheld capper / decapper device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap driver is vertically suspended against a spring.

8. 3. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the motorized linear drive has a fixed stroke length, and the motorized linear drive engages one set of ejector pins before engaging another set of ejector pins.

9. 3. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 1, wherein the motorized rotary drive includes individual rotary motors, each of which is coupled to an ejector pin to drive the cap driver through the ejector pin, and the motorized linear drive includes a common linear motor that drives all of the ejector pins.

10. 1. A method for capping / decapping a threaded container with a handheld device, comprising: Positioning a cap driver on the handheld device against the threaded container; controlling, via a motor controller, a motorized rotational drive of the cap driver and a motorized linear drive of an ejector pin supported within the housing, with a single button on the handheld device, the controller alternately activating and controlling one of the decapping and capping functions each time the control button is pressed; driving the cap driver in a reverse rotational direction to remove the cap of the threaded container in the decapping function; in the capping function, driving the cap driver in a forward rotational direction to apply a cap to the threaded container, followed by driving the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject the cap from the cap driver, and then retracting the ejector pin; The method includes:

11. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: pressing an eject button on the handheld device to cause the motorized linear drive to drive the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject a cap from the cap driver and retract the ejector pin, thereby placing the control button in a state that will perform the decapping function when the control button is next pressed.

12. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein in the decapping function, the motorized rotation drive rotates in a forward direction to engage the cap driver with the cap before driving the cap driver in a reverse rotation direction.

13. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: mounting the cap driver in a cartridge that is removably attached to the housing, the cap driver engaging the ejector pin and being rotated by the motorized rotation drive through the ejector pin.

12. The method according to claim 11.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the motorized linear drive drives the ejector pin with a single constant stroke length, and the cap driver in the cartridge has a complementary length to the cap to control the depth of the stroke length within the cap.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cartridge is held in the housing by a magnet.

16. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the cap driver is vertically suspended against a spring.

17. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the motorized linear drive has a fixed stroke length, and the motorized linear drive engages one set of ejector pins before engaging another set of ejector pins.

18. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the motorized rotary drive includes individual rotary motors coupled to the ejector pins to drive the cap drivers through the ejector pins, and the motorized linear drive includes a common linear motor that drives all of the ejector pins.

19. a housing configured to be held by hand against the array of threaded vessels; an array of cap drivers supported by the housing within a removable cartridge and configured to engage and retain threaded caps, the cartridge being held in the housing by a magnet; and an array of ejector pins supported by the housing, the ejector pins extending through the cap driver; and a motorized linear drive that drives the ejector pin through the cap driver to eject the cap from the cap driver; a motorized rotation drive coupled to the ejector pin that engages the cap driver and drives the cap driver in forward and reverse rotational directions to apply and remove the cap from the threaded container; 1. A handheld capper / decapper device comprising:

20. a housing configured to be held by hand against the array of threaded vessels; an array of ejector pins supported by the housing; an array of cap drivers supported by the housing and configured to engage and retain threaded caps, the ejector pins extending through the cap drivers and engaging the cap drivers for rotational driving; a respective drive motor configured to rotate the drive ejector pin to rotate the cap driver in forward and reverse directions to install and remove the cap from the threaded container; a common linear drive motor for translating the ejector pins through the cap driver to eject the caps from the cap driver; 1. A handheld capper / decapper device comprising:

21. 21. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 20, wherein the cap driver is supported in a cartridge that is removably mounted to the housing, and the cap driver engages the ejector pin and is rotated through the ejector pin by the respective drive motor.

22. 22. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 21, wherein the motorized linear drive drives the ejector pin with a single constant stroke length, and the cap driver within the cartridge has a complementary length to the cap and controls the depth of the stroke length within the cap.

23. 22. The handheld capper / decapper device of claim 21, wherein the cartridge is held in the housing by a magnet.

24. A handheld capper / decapper device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the cap driver is suspended vertically against a spring.

25. A handheld capper / decapper device as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the common linear drive motor has a constant stroke length and the motorized linear drive engages one set of ejector pins before engaging the other set of ejector pins.

26. A handheld capper / decapper device as described in any one of claims 20 to 23, further comprising an array of ejector pin hubs, each ejector pin hub configured to be rotated by one of the individual drive motors and axially translatable relative thereto, each ejector pin hub coupled to rotate a cap driver and coupled between the common linear drive motor and ejector pins to translate the ejector pins through the cap driver.

27. A device comprising: a housing configured to be held by hand; an array of drive motors within the housing; an array of ejector pin hubs, each ejector pin hub configured to be rotated by, and axially translatable relative to, one drive motor of the array of drive motors; an array of ejector pins, each of the ejector pins 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, such that rotation of the cap drivers in forward and reverse directions allows the cap to be placed on and removed from the threaded container, the ejector pins extending through the cap drivers; a common linear drive motor for translating the array of ejector pin hubs to translate the ejector pins through the cap driver and eject caps from the cap driver.

28. A handheld capper / decapper device as described in claim 27, wherein the cap driver is supported in a cartridge that is removably mounted to the housing, and the cap driver is rotated through the array of ejector pin hubs by the array of drive motors.

29. A handheld capper / decapper device as described in claim 27 or 28, wherein the cap driver is vertically suspended against a spring positioned between the cap driver and the ejector pin hub.

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