Apparatus for opening or closing a container

摘要

An apparatus for opening and closing a container (11) having a slidable shutter closure (15) moving past the apparatus, the apparatus includes: a rotatable shaft (31) having an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel of the slidable shutter, the shaft being biased against rotation in either direction; a driver (34) for bidirectionally moving the shaft from a position away from the container to a position in the vicinity of the container for opening and closing; and an extension (32) extending outwardly from the rotatable shaft along at least a portion of the shaft into a line of travel of the container, whereby the extension is adapted to engage the shutter closure of the container and move the shutter closure from an open position to a closed position or from a closed position to an open position.