Automatic mold casting machine control apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIC MOLD CASTING MACHINE HAVING MEANS FOR DIRECTING MOLTEN MATERIAL TO A FLOW VALVE AND MEANS FOR MOVING MOLDS IN SUCCESSION ALONG A PATH BENEATH THE VALVE; CONTROL APPARATUS COMPRISING ELECTRICAL ACTUATING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE VALVE OPERABLE WHEN ELECTRICAL CURRENT IS SUPPLIED THERETO TO OPEN SAID VALVE, CLOSING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE VALVE FOR CLOSING THE LATTER WHEN THE ACTUATING MEANS IS INOPERATIVE, A CONTACT FINGER MOUNTED ADJACENT THE FLOW VALVE AND NORMALLY HANGING IN THE PATH OF THE MOLDS AND EXTENDING INTO EACH MOLD WHEN IT IT BENEATH THE VALVE AS THE LATTER MOLD PASSES BENEATH THE FINGER, SAID FINGER BEING SPACED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE MOLD AND NORMALLY BEING ENGAGED BY AN END OF EACH MOLD AS SAID MOLD MOVES FROM BENEATH THE FINGER TO SLIDE OVER SAID END AND INTO THE NEXT SUCCEEDING MOLD, ELECTRICAL MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH THE FINGER FOR CUTTING OFF THE FLOW OF CURRENT TO THE ACTUATING MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID ACTUATING MEANS INOPERATIVE WHEN THE FINGER ENGAGES A MOLD ON THE MOLTEN MATERIAL IN THE MOLD REACHES SAID FINGER THEREBY ALLOWING THE CLOSING MEANS TO CLOSE THE VALVE, A BAR ENGAGING THE FINGER WHEN THE MOLDS ARE NOT MOVING AND KEEPING IT OUT OF THE PATH OF THE MOLDS, SAID ELECTRICAL MEANS RENDERING THE ACTUATING MEANS INOPERATIVE WHEN THE FINGER IS ENGAGED BY THE BAR, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS CONNECTED TO THE BAR OPERABLE WHEN THE MOLDS ARE MOVING TO DISENGAGE THE BAR FROM THE FINGER TO ALLOW SAID FINGER TO EXTEND INTO THE MOLT PATH, SAID ELECTRICAL MEANS BEING INOPERATIVE WHEN THE MOLDS STOP MOVING.