Patent ID: 6945011

Claim:
A capping device comprising: a drive shaft having an upper part and a lower part, a gear affixed to said upper part, a chuck carried by said lower part, a quick-release coupling connecting said chuck to said lower part; and said chuck comprising: a housing with a downwardly facing main recess, said recess housing a plurality of jaws defining cap receiving area, each of said jaws being pivotable between a first position and a second position, a spring urging said jaws toward said first position, said chuck housing having open at least one passageway extending through said chuck housing oriented in a manner selected from the group consisting of 1) generally axially extending and 2) in the case of a plurality of passageways, both generally axially and generally laterally extending, said at least one passageway being radially spaced from said quick-release coupling and extending through the chuck housing from the main recess in the housing to an area external to the housing for allowing access to the main recess from outside the housing for cleaning of the housing.