Automatic record press

Claim 1

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels comprising: a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which a record is delivered by a transport means in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of the record; a pressing station and a hole-forming station, said pressing station pressing a record and simultaneously forming a concentrically disposed protuberance; and said hole-forming station including a means of centering said record with respect to the hole-forming apparatus by location on said protuberance prior to the formation of the hole.

Claim 2

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels comprising: a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which a record is delivered by a transport means in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of the record; a pressing station and a hole-forming station, said pressing station pressing a record and simultaneously forming a concentrically disposed protuberance; and said hole-forming station including a means of centering said record with respect to the hole-forming apparatus by location on said protuberance prior to the formation of the hole.

Claim 4

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different equidistantly spaced processing stations to which a record is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of the record and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a material-receiving station, a label-applying station, and a press station, said transport means including record-engaging means operable simultaneously to carry all of the records from all of said stations at which processing has been performed in their respective stages of manufacture to the next ones of said stations in said step-by-step progression, said transport means being reciprocable on said frame structure in a path at least equal to the distance between adjacent ones of said stations and having holding means which are positioned, when said transport means is at the end of its said path of travel from which it moves to transport records progressively through said apparatus, to supportingly engage records at said material-receiving station, said label-applying station, said press station, and operative to transport all of said records so engaged simultaneously to the next station in a progression of operations, said holding means engaging said records at said material-receiving station and said label-applying station being means for undirectionally engaging said record for transport to said next station, whereby said record is positively encouraged to travel to said next station upon the forward motion of said transport means, but may readily slip out of said holding means upon the rearward movement of said transport means, said holding means engaging said records at said material-receiving station, said label-applying station and said press station by the plastic deformation of said records resulting from the processing performed at each of said stations.

Claim 5

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different equidistantly spaced processing stations to which a record is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of the record and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a material-receiving station, a label-applying station, and a press station, said transport means including record-engaging means operable simultaneously to carry all of the records from all of said stations at which processing has been performed in their respective stages of manufacture to the next ones of said stations in said step-by-step progression, said transport means being reciprocable on said frame structure in a path at least equal to the distance between adjacent ones of said stations and having holding means which are positioned, when said transport means is at the end of its said path of travel from which it moves to transport records progressively through said apparatus, to supportingly engage records at said material-receiving station, said label-applying station, said press station, and operative to transport all of said records so engaged simultaneously to the next station in a progression of operations, said holding means engaging said records at said material-receiving station and said label-applying station being means for undirectionally engaging said record for transport to said next station, whereby said record is positively encouraged to travel to said next station upon the forward motion of said transport means, but may readily slip out of said holding means upon the rearward movement of said transport means, said holding means engaging said records at said material-receiving station, said label-applying station and said press station by the plastic deformation of said records resulting from the processing performed at each of said stations.

Claim 6

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which said plastic material is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of a record, and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a label-applying station, said label-applying station having a pair of cylindrical label-supplying magazines disposed at opposite sides of the path of travel of said plastic material transported to said label-applying station by said transport means, each of said magazines having a closure member at the plastic-material-engaging end thereof, and each of said closure members having a D-configuration opening therein exposing a corresponding area of one of said labels for engagement with said plastic material, said D-configuration opening being disposed in the direction of the path of travel of said plastic material said apparatus, and said label-applying station further having pressure-applying devices operative to effect simultaneous engagement of the obverse sides of the exposed ones of the supplies of labels in said magazines to opposite sides of said plastic material with resultant simultaneous adhesion of one each of the labels to one each of the opposite sides of said plastic material.

Claim 7

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which said plastic material is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of a record, and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a label-applying station, said label-applying station having a pair of cylindrical label-supplying magazines disposed at opposite sides of the path of travel of said plastic material transported to said label-applying station by said transport means, each of said magazines having a closure member at the plastic-material-engaging end thereof, and each of said closure members having a D-configuration opening therein exposing a corresponding area of one of said labels for engagement with said plastic material, said D-configuration opening being disposed in the direction of the path of travel of said plastic material said apparatus, and said label-applying station further having pressure-applying devices operative to effect simultaneous engagement of the obverse sides of the exposed ones of the supplies of labels in said magazines to opposite sides of said plastic material with resultant simultaneous adhesion of one each of the labels to one each of the opposite sides of said plastic material.

Claim 8

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which said plastic material is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of a record, and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a label-applying station, said label-applying station having a pair of cylindrical label-supplying magazines disposed at opposite sides of the path of travel of said plastic material transported to said label-applying station by said transport means, each of said magazines having a closure member at the plastic-material-engaging end thereof, and each of said closure members having a D-configuration opening therein exposing a corresponding area of one of said labels for engagement with said plastic material, said D-configuration opening being disposed in the direction of the path of travel of said plastic material said apparatus, and said label-applying station further having pressure applying devices operative to effect simultaneous engagement of the obverse sides of the exposed ones of the supplies of labels in said magazines to opposite sides of said plastic material with resultant simultaneous adhesion of one each of the labels to one each of the opposite sides of said plastic material, said plastic-material-engaging end of each of said magazines further having a compliant member attached thereto extending from adjacent said plastic-material-engaging end of each of said magazines to a position rearward of said magazines and defining a converging channel in said path of travel of said plastic material, and said converging channel defining a free separation distance of said compliant members which is less than the thickness of said plastic material being delivered to said label-applying station so that said compliant members engage said plastic material as it is being delivered to said label-applying station and prevent the subsequent rearward movement of said plastic material upon the rearward movement of said transport means.

Claim 9

An apparatus for manufacturing complete phonograph records from a supply of moldable plastic material and a supply of labels, said apparatus including a frame structure supporting a plurality of different processing stations to which said plastic material is delivered in step-by-step progression for the performance of the various successive processes involved in the manufacture of a record, and a transport means movable on said frame structure along a path of travel defined by said stations, said processing stations including a label-applying station, said label-applying station having a pair of cylindrical label-supplying magazines disposed at opposite sides of the path of travel of said plastic material transported to said label-applying station by said transport means, each of said magazines having a closure member at the plastic-material-engaging end thereof, and each of said closure members having a D-configuration opening therein exposing a corresponding area of one of said labels for engagement with said plastic material, said D-configuration opening being disposed in the direction of the path of travel of said plastic material said apparatus, and said label-applying station further having pressure applying devices operative to effect simultaneous engagement of the obverse sides of the exposed ones of the supplies of labels in said magazines to opposite sides of said plastic material with resultant simultaneous adhesion of one each of the labels to one each of the opposite sides of said plastic material, said plastic-material-engaging end of each of said magazines further having a compliant member attached thereto extending from adjacent said plastic-material-engaging end of each of said magazines to a position rearward of said magazines and defining a converging channel in said path of travel of said plastic material, and said converging channel defining a free separation distance of said compliant members which is less than the thickness of said plastic material being delivered to said label-applying station so that said compliant members engage said plastic material as it is being delivered to said label-applying station and prevent the subsequent rearward movement of said plastic material upon the rearward movement of said transport means.