Container capping apparatus

Claim 1

CONTAINER CAPPING APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOLLOW DOWNWARDLY OPENING CHUCK BODY ROTATABLE ON A VERTICAL AXIS, OPPOSED UPRIGHT JAWS IN SAID BODY AROUND SAID AXIS MOVABLE VERTICALLY AND RADIALLY, MEANS SUPPORTED BY THE CHUCK BODY HOLDING THE JAWS AGAINST ROTATION AROUND ITS AXIS AND FOR NORMALLY SUPPORTING THEM IN A LOWER POSITION IN THE BODY, A CAM MOUNTED IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID BODY AND HAVING AN INCLINED SURFACE BESIDE THE UPPER ENDS OF THE JAWS, MEANS PRESSING SAID ENDS RADIALLY AGAINST SAID CAM SURFACE, MEANS FOR LOWERING AND RAISING THE CHUCK BODY, AND A CAP SUPPORT MOUNTED BELOW SAID BODY FOR STOPPING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE JAWS WHEN THEIR LOWER ENDS ARE IN A POSITION TO STRADDLE A SCREW CAP ON SAID SUPPORT, FURTHER LOWERING OF SAID BODY BEING ADAPTED TO MOVE THE CAM DOWNWARD RELATIVE TO THE JAWS IN ORDER TO MOVE THEIR UPPER ENDS RADIALLY, THE CAM BEING FORMED TO MOVE SAID UPPER ENDS IN A DIRECTION THAT WILL MOVE THE LOWER ENDS OF THE JAWS INWARDLY INTO FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH A CAP, THE CAM HAVING ABOVE SAID INCLINED SURFACE A MORE NEARLY VERTICAL SURFACE FOR FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT BY THE UPPER ENDS OF THE JAWS TO HOLD THEM THERE WHEN THE LOWERED CHUCK BODY IS RAISED, WHEREBY A CAP CAN BE LIFTED FROM SAID SUPPORT, AND THE JAWS BEING FORMED FOR GREATER FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CAP THAN WITH SAID UPPER CAM SURFACE.