A device to center and align to the wormscrew of a corkscrew the neck of a bottle of any diameter whatsoever from which the cork is to be extracted, wherein a receptacle cone is located at the base of a collection tube and is retractable with respect to the latter in order to allow the neck of a bottle to abut always centered against the base of the tube in order to have a constant and determinate abutment position to correctly remove the cork and to be able to determine precisely and in advance how much the wormscrew has to penetrate into the cork itself.

A pipette control arrangement consists of a housing assembly adapted for operatively housing a pump assembly and for operatively connecting a pipette to the pump assembly via a flexible air tube. The pump assembly is adapted to independently accommodate a plurality of volume specific removable cylinder-plunger systems. The pipette control arrangement may further include a quick release trigger operated mechanism for rapidly and or in large volumes dispensing liquid from an attached pipette.

A fully automatic jar opener for loosening a threaded cap includes a bottom jar retainer including substantially horizontal clamps automatically movable along a horizontal plane between an open position and a jar clamping position. The clamps, while in the jar clamping position, hold a jar substantially without slippage and a top jar retainer holds the cap substantially without slippage when the cap is subjected to a twisting force. A vertical drive automatically adjusts the relative vertical positions between the bottom and top retainers to apply a holding force on the cap. The automatic jar opener includes at least one motor for applying the twisting force to the top retainer, for moving the clamps along the horizontal plane, and for adjusting the relative vertical position between the retainers. A controller automatically controls the motor and enables loosening of the cap with one single, discrete user command.

An apparatus for the sterile filling of containers sterilizes the containers before supplying them, with their caps on, to a substantially airtight chamber for filling. A precision lead screw precisely positions each container under the appropriate capping/uncapping mechanism and the appropriate filling needle. Filling and capping of each container is individually controlled so that each container is filled with a precise amount of liquid, and each cap is applied with the proper torque. The minimized number of components of the system minimizes the potential openings through which unfiltered air may enter the apparatus. Keeping the containers capped except while they're actually being filled minimizes the opportunity for any bacteria or viruses to enter the container.

A fully automatic jar opener for loosening a threaded cap includes a bottom jar retainer including substantially horizontal clamps automatically movable along a horizontal plane between an open position and a jar clamping position. The clamps, while in the jar clamping position, hold a jar substantially without slippage and a top jar retainer holds the cap substantially without slippage when the cap is subjected to a twisting force. A vertical drive automatically adjusts the relative vertical positions between the bottom and top retainers to apply a holding force on the cap. The automatic jar opener includes at least one electrically-controllable pneumatic actuator for moving for moving the clamps along the horizontal plane, and at least one motor for applying the twisting force to the top retainer and for adjusting the relative vertical position between the retainers. A controller automatically controls the pneumatic actuator and the motor and enables loosening of the cap with one single, discrete user command.