Apparatus for preparing molded articles

Claim 1

IN A MOLDING APPARATUS, A FRAME DEFINING A STATION, A HORIZONTAL TURNTABLE HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING VERTICALLY THERETHROUGH AND CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT TO CAUSE SAID OPENING TO ENTER AND LEAVE SAID STATION, AND ON SAID FRAME AT SAID STATION: A SOURCE OF MOLDABLE MATERIAL, MOLD FILLING AND EMPTYING MEANS DISPOSED ABOVE THE TURNTABLE, A MOLD HAVING A LOWER MOLD PART WITH FLAT UPPER SURFACE SUPPORTED BY THE TURNTABLE IN EXTENSION OVER SAID OPENING WITH HORIZONTAL CLEARANCES AT OPPOSITE EDGES AND HAVING AS UPPER MOLD PART NORMALLY RESTING ON SAID LOWER MOLD PART AND EXTENDING OVER SAID CLEARANCES AT OPPOSITE SIDES, ELONGATED HORIZONTALLY-EXTENDING UPPER-MOLD-PART-LIFTING ELEMENTS NORMALLY DISPOSED BENEATH SAID TURNTABLE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID CLEARANCES, RESPECTIVELY, ACTUATOR MEANS OPERABLE TO LIFT SAID LIFTING ELEMENTS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING PAST SAID LOWER MOLD PART INTO CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID UPPER MOLD PART TO RAISE SAME INTO A COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID MOLD-FILLING-AND-EMPTYING MEANS WHEREBY A MOLDED ARTICLE DISPOSED IN SAID UPPER MOLD IS DISLODGED AND DROPPED ONTO SAID LOWER MOLD PART ON THE TURNTABLE, CLAMPING MEANS FOR HOLDING THE UPPER MOLD PART ABOVE THE TURNTABLE WHILE THE UPPER-MOLD-PART-LIFTING ELEMENTS ARE RETRACTED TO POSITION BENEATH THE TABLE TOP, MOLDEDARTICLE-EJECTING MEANS ACTUABLE TO SWEEP BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER MOLD PARTS THROUGH THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE UPPER-MOLD-PART-LIFTING ELEMENTS TO MOVE THE MOLDED ARTICLE FROM ATOP THE LOWER MOLD PART AND OUTWARDLY OF THE APPARATUS, A LOWER-MOLD-PART-LIFTING ELEMENT NORMALLY DISPOSED BENEATH THE TURNTABLE BETWEEN THE UPPER-MOLDPART-LIFTING ELEMENTS, AND ACTUATOR MEANS OPERABLE TO LIFT SAID LOWER-MOLD-PART-LIFTING ELEMENT UPWARDLY THROUGH THE TURNTABLE OPENING INTO CONTACT WITH THE LOWER MOLD PART TO RAISE SAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE UPPER MOLD PART FOR CLOSING THE BOTTOM OF SAME FOR FILLING OF THE MOLD BY SAID MOLD FILLING AND EMPTYING MEANS AND FOR LOWERING OF THE FILLED MOLD IN TOTO ONTO THE TURNTABLE OVER ITS OPENING FOLLOWING UNCLAMPING OF THE UPPER MOLD PART.