Apparatus for molding plastic articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING MOLDED PLASTIC ARTICLES EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE CAVITY THEREIN OF A PREDETERMINED SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS, COMPRISING RIGID MOLD MEANS FOR DEFINING THE OUTSIDE OF THE ARTICLES TO BE MOLDED, AND A CORE ASSEMBLY FOR FORMING SAID CAVITY IN EACH OF SAID ARTICLES, SAID CORE ASSEMBLY HAVING AN OUTSIDE CONFIGURATION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PORTION WHICH WILL MECHANICALLY PREVENT SAID CORE ASSEMBLY FROM BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE CAVITY IN ONE OF SAID ARTICLES WITHOUT VARIATION IN THE OUTSIDE SHAPE OR SIZE OF SAID CORE ASSEMBLY OR DAMAGE TO OR MODIFICATION OF THE SHAPE OF THE ARTICLES BEING MOLDED; SAID CORE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID CORE PORTION WHICH IS TAPERED TO RELATIVELY SMALLER LATERAL DIMENSION TOWARD ITS OUTER END, AND A ONE-PIECE LINER PORTION OF A PREDETERMINED MATERIAL AND HAVING AN INWARDLY TAPERING INSIDE CAVITY CONFORMING TO THE OUTSIDE CONFIGURATION OF SAID CORE PORTION, SAID LINER PORTION BEING DISPOSED IN A POSTION SURROUNDING SAID CORE PORTION TO FORM SAID CORE ASSEMBLY DURING THE MOLDING OF AN ARTICLE IN SAID MOLD MEANS, AND THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID LINER PORTION WHEN ASSEMBLED WITH SAID CORE PORTION AS SAID CORE ASSEMBLY ON THE ONE HAND AND SAID MOLD MEANS ON THE OTHER DEFINING THE SPACE WHICH PLASTIC MATERIAL MAY OCCUPY DURING THE MOLDING OF AN ARTICLE; THE INWARDLY TAPERING INSIDE CAVITY OF SAID LINER PORTION PERMITTING WITHDRAWAL OF SAID CORE PORTION THEREFROM FOLLOWING THE MOLDING OF A PLASTIC ARTICLE, AND THE MATERIAL OF SAID LINER PORTION BEING SUCH AS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID UNDER THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS USED DURING THE MOLDING OF A PLASTIC ARTICLE, BUT TO PERMIT THE SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL OF SAID LINER PORTION FROM SAID CAVITY IN AN ARTICLE WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE MOLDED ARTICLE , NOTWITH STANDING THE SHAPE AND DIMENSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS OF SUCH CAVITY AS AFORESAID AFTER SAID CORE PORTION HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM SAID LINER PORTION.