Block molding machine with inverting mold box

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING SCREEN-WALL CONCRETE BLOCKS OF RELATIVELY LARGE FACE AREA AND RELATIVELY SMALL THICKNESS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A FRAME; A FEED DRAWER; MEANS SUPPORTING SAID DRAWER FOR HORIZONTAL SLIDING MOVEMENTS BETWEEN LOADING AND MOLD-CHARGING POSITIONS; A MOLD OF RELATIVELY SHALLOW DEPTH HAVING OPEN AND BOTTOM SIDES OF RELATIVELY LARGE AREA AND INCLUDING A STRIPPER PROVIDING A BOTTOM FOR THE MOLD DURING CHARGING; MEANS SUPPORTING SAID MOLD FOR OSCILLATORY INVERSION AND RETURN MOVEMENTS ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF THE MOLD, BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL CHARGING POSITION BELOW THE MOLD CHARGING POSITION OF SAID DRAWER, IN WHICH THE SAID OPEN SIDE OF THE MOLD IS UPWARD FOR RECEIVING FROM SAID DRAWER A CHARGE OF CEMENT MUD SHAPED BY THE MOLD INTO THE FORM OF A GREEN BLOCK, AND AN INVERTED STRIPPING POSITION IN WHICH SAID OPEN SIDE IS DOWNWARD FOR DISCHARGE OF THE MOLDED BLOCK, SAID STRIPPING POSITION BEING HORIZONTALLY SPACED FROM SAID CHARGING POSITION; A VIBRATOR UNIT MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME IN A FIXED POSITION BELOW SAID CHARGING POSITION AND ENGAGED BY SAID MOLD WHEN IN SAID CHARGING POSITION, FOR IMPARTING VIBRATION TO SAID CHARGE OF CEMENT AS THE MOLD IS FILLED; LATCHING MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOLD ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND OPERABLE TO RELEASABLY ATTACH TO THE MOLD, WHEN FILLED WITH MUD, A PALLET COVERING SAID OPEN SIDE DURING INVERSION OF THE MOLD; MEANS YIELDINGLY BIASING SAID LATCHING MEANS TO CLOSE INTO HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSITE MARGINS OF SAID PALLET AS THE MOLD MOVES AWAY FROM ITS SAID CHARGING POSITION IN AN INVERSION MOVEMENT; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME IN A POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID PALLET LATCHING MEANS AS THE MOLD APPROACHES ITS SAID CHARGING POSITION DURING A RETURN MOVEMENT, OPERABLE TO SPREAD SAID LATCHING MEANS FOR RECEPTION OF A PALLET INTO CLOSING POSITION UPON THE MOLD; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME IN POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID LATCHING MEANS AS THE MOLD APPROACHES SAID STRIPPING POSITION, OPERABLE TO SPREAD SAID LATCHING MEANS SO AS TO RELEASE SAID PALLET FROM THE MOLD; A STRIPPER PRESS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID STRIPPING POSITION OF THE MOLD ON A FIXED VERTICAL AXIS, SAID PRESS BEING OPERABLE, BY DOWNWARD MOVEMENT FROM ABOVE, TO ENGAGE SAID STRIPPER FOR EJECTING THE GREEN BLOCK DOWNWARDLY FROM THE MOLD; AND A PALLET TABLE DISPOSED BELOW SAID STRIPPING POSITION OF THE MOLD AND HAVING MEANS SUPPORTING THE SAME FOR DOWNWARD MOVEMENT IN SYNCHRONIZED RELATION TO THE STRIPPING OF THE GREEN BLOCK, TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE BLOCK DURING AND AFTER STRIPPING.