Vial closure remover with gripping, removing, and releasing mechanisms

摘要

n apparatus for removing a screw cap or a compressibly deformable closure from a container, wherein the screw cap or compressibly deformable closure includes a closure wall across an opening of the container, the apparatus comprising: a) a container grip means for gripping the container and subsequently releasing the container when the screw cap compressibly deformable closure has been removed; b) closure grip means which include jaws which can grip the screw cap or compressibly deformable closure and remove a gripped screw cap from the gripped container during a relative separation movement of the jaws and container, wherein the separation movement may comprise either a rotational motion of the closure grip means, or a pulling motion of the closure grip means in the long diaxial direction of the container or a combination of the two motions; c) the container grip means and screw cap or compressibly deformable closure grip means being moveable into a position relative to each other such the screw cap or compressibly deformable closure of a container gripped by the container grip means can be gripped and removed by the jaws d) wherein the screw cap or compressibly deformable closure grip means includes a rigid member which is moveable into a position between the jaws and into contact with the closure wall, whereby the contact of the said rigid member with the closure when the closure is compressibly deformable closure confers rigidity on the closure to facilitate the gripping of the closure by the jaws and the removal of the closure by the jaws.