Rotary injection moulding machine

Claim 1

A ROTARY INJECTION MOULDING MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR DISC; MEANS MOUNTING SAID DISC FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CENTRAL AXIS; A PLURALITY OF MOULD STATIONS ARRANGED AT EQUI-ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS ON SAID DISC; A PLURALITY OF LOWER MOULD MEMBERS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID STATIONS; SAID LOWER MOULD MEMBERS BEING DIVIDED INTO NUMERICALLY EQUAL GROUPS OF FIRST AND SECOND LOWER MOULD MEMBERS; A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY ORIENTED MOULD CLAMPING MECHANISMS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID STATIONS; MEANS SUPPORTING EACH MECHANISM IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH A RESPECTIVE STATION; AN UPPER MOULD MEMBER CARRIED BY EACH MECHANISM FOR CLAMPING TO A LOWER MOULD MEMBER IN THE ASSOCIATED STATION; A CIRCULAR CONVEYOR RADIALLY JUXTAPOSED WITH SAID DISC FOR ROTATION ABOUT SAID AXIS, MEANS ROTATING SAID DISC AND SAID CONVEYOR IN OPPOSED DIRECTIONS ABOUT SAID AXIS; FIRST AND SECOND INJECTION MEANS DISPOSED AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID DISC; MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID FIRST INJECTION MEANS RADIALLY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID DISC; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SECOND INJECTION MEANS IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID DISC; SAID UPPER MOULD MEMBERS AND SAID FIRST LOWER MOULD MEMBERS BEING FORMED TO CONJOINTLY PROVIDE, WHEN CLAMPED TO EACH OTHER, A LATERALLY OPENING GATE FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID FIRST INJECTION MEANS; SAID SECOND LOWER MOULD MEMBERS BEING FORMED TO CLOSE SAID UPPER MOULD MEMBERS, WHEN CLAMPED THERETO, AND WITH A VERTICALLY OPENING GATE COOPERABLE WITH SAID SECOND INJECTION MEANS; FIRST AND SECOND STOPS POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE EACH OTHER AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID CONVEYOR FOR ABUTMENT BY LOWER MOULD MEMBERS MOVING ALONG SAID CONVEYOR; SAID FIRST AND SECOND STOPS SEPARATING SAID FIRST LOWER MOULD MEMBERS FROM SAID SECOND LOWER MOULD MEMBERS; SAID FIRST STOP BEING POSITIONED, WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID DISC, BY A DISTANCE IN ADVANCE OF SAID FIRST INJECTION MEANS SUCH THAT, WHEN A STATION ON SAID DISC ID ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST INJECTION MEANS, THE SUCCEDDING STATION ON SAID DISC IS ALIGNED WITH A FIRST LOWER MOULD MEMBER ENGAGED WITH SAID FIRST STOP AND POSITIONED ON SAID CONVEYOR; SAID SECOND STOP BEING CORRESPONDINGLY POSITINED RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND INJECTION MEANS AND SAID SECOND LOWER MOLD MEMBERS; SAID ROTATING MEANS INTERRUPTING ROTATION OF SAID DISC AND SAID CONVEYOR AS A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE STATIONS ON SAID DISC ARE ALIGNED, RESPECTIVELY, WITH SAID FIRST INJECTION MEANS AND SAID SECOND INJECTION MEANS.