Apparatus for continuous manufacture of hollow articles

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS BLOW MOLDING OF TUBULAR THERMOPLASTIC ARTICLES, INCLUDING: (A) EXTRUSION MEANS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS PLASTIC TUBE IN A SOFTENED CONDITION ADAPTED FOR FORMING BY INTERNAL FLUID PRESSURE; (B) MEANS TO INTRODUCE A PRESSURIZED FLUID INTERNALLY OF SAID TUBE; (C) A SINGLE CONTINUOUS CONVEYOR MOVABLE THROUGH A CLOSED PATH AND LOCATED ADJACENT THE EXTRUSION MEANS, THE CONVEYOR BEING MOVABLE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE; (D) A PLURALITY OF SLIDE BARS MOUNTED TRANSVERSELY ON THE CONVEYOR; (E) A PAIR OF SEGMENTS MOUNTED IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP FOR MOVEMENT ON EACH SLIDE BAR TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AND IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYOR, EACH MOLD SEGMENT HAVING A MOLD CAVITY FACING INWARDLY TOWARD THE MOLD CAVITY IN THE OPPOSING MOLD SEGMENT, THE MOLD SEGMENT BEING MOVABLE INWARDLY INTO ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH TO FORM A TRANSVERSELY ENCLOSED MOLD LARGER THAN THE TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTIONAL SIZE OF THE PLASTIC TUBE; ADJACENT MOLD SEGMENTS ON ADJACENT SLIDE BARS BEING IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER DURING THE MOLDING OPERATION TO FORM A CONTINUOUS MOLD; (F) MEANS TO MOVE THE OPPOSED MOLD SEGMENTS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER; AND, (G) EACH PAIR OF OPPOSED MOLD SEGMENT BEING MOVABLE WITH THE CONVEYOR AT A SPEED SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE RATE OF FEED OF THE PLASTIC TUBE AND RECEIVING SAID TUBE WITHIN THE MOLD; THE PRESSURIZED FLUID BENG INTRODUCED INTERNALLY OF THE TUBE AFTER THE TUBE IS WITHIN THE MOLD TO EXPAND THE TUBE INTO CONFORMITY WITH THE SHAPE OF THE MOLD CAVITY TO FORM A CONTINUOUS TUBULAR THERMOPLASTIIC ARTICLE.