Production of hollow moulded articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING HOLLOW ARTICLES FROM THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MANDRELS FOR SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL DISCRETE LENGTHS OF THERMOPLASTIC TUBING, A LOADING STATION INCLUDING MEANS FOR LOADING SAID MANDRELS WITH SAID TUBING LENGTHS, AN OVEN FOR HEATING MANDREL-SUPPORTED TUBING LENGTHS TO MOULDING TEMPERATURE, A MOULDING STATION INCLUDING MOULD MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MANDREL-SUPPORTED TUBING LENGTHS AT MOULDING TEMPERATURE AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID TUBING LENGTH TO EXPAND SAME INTO CONFORMITY WITH SAID MOULD MEANS TO FORM A MOULDED ARTICLE, AN UNLOADING STATION INCLUDING MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID ARTICLE FROM SAID MANDREL, SLIDES SUPPORTING SAID MANDRELS, A GUIDE TRACK SUPPORTING SAID SLIDES FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG AND EXTENDING FROM SAID OVEN TO AND THROUGH SAID MOULDING STATION, THENCE TO AND THROUGH SAID UNLOADING STATION AND THEREAFTER TO AND THROUGH SAID LOADING STATION TO SAID OVEN, A DRIVE CONVEYOR EXTENDING WITHIN SAID OVEN, SAID CONVEYOR INCLUDING TRANSVERSE GUIDES FOR RECEIVING SAID SLIDES FOR CONVEYANCE THROUGH SAID OVEN IN SIDE-BY-SIDE SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING SAID DRIVE CONVEYOR, MEANS OPERATIVE WHEN SAID DRIVE CONVEYOR IS AT REST FOR DISCHARGING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SLIDES FROM SAID DRIVE CONVEYOR INTO SAID GUIDE TRACK WHILE ADVANCING SAID SLIDES IN THE LATTER TO FEED A CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF SAID SLIDES FROM SAID GUIDE TRACK INTO SAID DRIVE CONVEYOR, AND MEANS CO-ORDINATING THE OPERATIONS AT SAID STATIONS WITH THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDES IN SAID GUIDE TRACK.