Manufacture of hollow articles from thermoplastic materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING HOLLOW ARTICLES OF PLASTIC MA1SAID NOZZLE BEING MOVABLE ABOUT SAID SECOND AXIS TO TERIAL, COMPRISING THE COMBINATION WITH AN EXTRUSION DIE THROUGH WHICH A TUBE OF MOLTEN PLASTIC MATERIAL CAN BE EXTRUDED CONTINUOUSLY IN A VERTICAL DOWNWARD DIRECTION AND MEANS OPERABLE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH THE DIE TO CUT A LENGTH FROM THE PARENT TUBE, OF A MOULD SUPPORT RECIPROCABLE LENGTHWISE OF THE AXIS OF EXTRUSION, MOULD SECTIONS DISPOSED ABOUT SAID AXIS AND MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT LATERALLY RELATIVE THERETO TO PERMIT OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE MOULD AND FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH BETWEEN A DATUM POSITION AT WHICH THE MOULD IS REMOTE FROM THE DIE AND A MOULD-CLOSING POSITION ADJACENT TO THE DIE, A ROCKING ARM MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A FIRST PIVOTAL AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF EXTRUSION, A BLOWING NOZZLE CONNECTABLE WITH A SOURCE OF FLUID UNDER PRESSURE AND CARRIED BY SAID ROCKING ARM FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH AND FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A SECOND PIVOTAL AXIS LOCATED IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID FIRST PIVOTAL AXIS, FORM AN AIRTIGHT SEAL BETWEEN THE MOULD AND THE UPPER END OF A LENGTH OF EXTRUDED TUBE SEVERED FROM THE PARENT TUBE AND GRIPPED BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF THE MOULD AND TO PERMIT FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO BE ADMITTED TO THE TUBE LENGTH TO EXPAND IT AND CONFORM IT TO THE SHAPE OF THE INTERIOR OF THE MOULD, A FIRST AIR CYLINDER AND PISTON ROD CONNECTED TO THE ROCKING ARM TO EFFECT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREOF ABOUT SAID FIRST PIVOTAL AXIS, AND A SECOND AIR CYLINDER AND PISTON ROD CONNECTED TO SAID NOZZLE AND OPERABLE IN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID FIRST AIR CYLINDER TO EFFECT ROCKING OF THE NOZZLE ABOUT SAID SECOND PIVOTAL AXIS.