Apparatus for manufacturing simulated aged bricks and the like

Claim 2

Apparatus for making simulated handmade or aged worn brick including: a supporting frame; a horizontally movable conveyor belt carried on said supporting frame; a substantially horizontally disposed vertically adjustable supporting plate supported by the supporting frame spaced above the conveyor belt; a plurality of roller carrier members supported between said plate and the conveyor belt by said supporting plate; a plurality of forming rollers carried by each of said roller carrier members disposed to engage the upper exposed face of green brick blocks carried by said conveyor; support means pivotally connected at its lower end to each carrier member intermediate its ends for supporting said carrier members for pivotal movement about said connection with said support means; said support means being slidably connected with said supporting plate for vertical movement of said roller carrier members toward and away from said supporting plate; and resilient means between one end of each carrier member and the supporting plate for biasing said carrier members away from said plate and for pivotal movement about the connection of said support means with said roller carrier members.

Claim 3

Apparatus for the manufacture of simulated handmade or aged worn brick comprising: an elongate base; a conveyor belt longitudinally movably supported on said base; a treating apparatus supported on said base above said conveyor belt and including: a frame mounted on said base; a substantially horizontally disposed movable plate carried by the frame and adjustable vertically above the conveyor belt in substantially parallel relation to and toward and away from said conveyor belt; a plurality of longitudinally and laterally spaced elongate roller supporting carrier members; elongate support means pivotally connected at their lower ends with each of said elongate roller carrier members intermediate the ends of said carrier members and extending slidably upwardly through said movable plate; a plurality of longitudinally spaced forming rollers carried by each of said roller carrier members; and means engageable between one end of each roller carrier member and the movable plate biasing said carrier member for said forming rollers pivotally about its connection with said support means and downwardly toward said conveyor belt into engagement with green brick blocks passing along on said conveyor belt beneath said frame and forming rollers to form the upper face of said green brick blocks to produce a desired configuration on said faces.

Claim 4

Apparatus for the manufacture of simulated handmade or aged worn brick comprising: an elongate base; a conveyor belt longitudinally movably supported on said base; a treating apparatus supported on said base above said conveyor belt and including: a frame mounted on said base; a substantially horizontally disposed movable plate carried by the frame and adjustable vertically above the conveyor belt in substantially parallel relation to and toward and away from said conveyor belt; a plurality of longitudinally and laterally spaced elongate roller supporting carrier members; elongate support means pivotally connected at their lower ends with each of said elongate roller carrier members intermediate the ends of said carrier members and extending slidably upwardly through said movable plate; a plurality of longitudinally spaced forming rollers carried by each of said roller carrier members; and means engageable between one end of each roller carrier member and the movable plate biasing said carrier member for said forming rollers pivotally about its connection with said support means and downwardly toward said conveyor belt into engagement with green brick blocks passing along on said conveyor belt beneath said frame and forming rollers to form the upper face of said green brick blocks to produce a desired configuration on said faces.

Claim 5

Apparatus for treating green brick blocks to produce a simulated handmade or worn aged surface on one face and adjacent edges of the blocks prior to curing the same, including: an elongate base; an elongate conveyor member movably supported on said base; a frame supported on the base; a supporting plate supported by said frame in a position substantially parallel to said conveyor member and movable vertically with respect to said conveyor member tOward and away from said conveyor member; a plurality of elongate roller carrier members supported by the supporting plate and also movable vertically with respect to said supporting plate and said conveyor member; a pair of longitudinally spaced forming rollers rotatably carried by each of said carrier members; elongate vertically disposed support means pivotally connected at its lower end to each of said carrier members intermediate its ends and slidably extending vertically through said supporting plate for supporting said carrier member for vertical movement thereof between said supporting plate and said conveyor member and for pivotal movement about said pivotal connection of said carrier members with the lower end of said elongate vertically disposed support means, with one of said forming rollers disposed to engage a face of a green brick block supported on the conveyor member and moved thereon to engage the forming rollers to shape the face of said green brick block as the block passes said one forming roller; means for supporting the other forming roller on said carrier member spaced rearwardly of said first roller and disposed to engage said face of said green brick block subsequently to said first forming roller to further shape the face of the block, supplementing said first roller, as the green brick block moves past the forming rollers carried by the plurality of the roller carrier members; and resilient biasing means disposed between the supporting plate and the end of said carrier member on which the first forming roller is mounted biasing said roller carrier member pivotally about its connection with the lower end of said elongate vertically disposed support means and also biasing said carrier member and said forming rollers carried thereby toward said conveyor member and the exposed face of the green brick block carried by said conveyor member to form the exposed face of the brick block in accordance with the shape of the rollers passing thereover.

Claim 6

Apparatus for treating green brick blocks to produce a simulated handmade or worn aged surface on one face and adjacent edges of the blocks prior to curing the same, including: an elongate base; an elongate conveyor member movably supported on said base; a frame supported on the base; a supporting plate supported by said frame in a position substantially parallel to said conveyor member and movable vertically with respect to said conveyor member tOward and away from said conveyor member; a plurality of elongate roller carrier members supported by the supporting plate and also movable vertically with respect to said supporting plate and said conveyor member; a pair of longitudinally spaced forming rollers rotatably carried by each of said carrier members; elongate vertically disposed support means pivotally connected at its lower end to each of said carrier members intermediate its ends and slidably extending vertically through said supporting plate for supporting said carrier member for vertical movement thereof between said supporting plate and said conveyor member and for pivotal movement about said pivotal connection of said carrier members with the lower end of said elongate vertically disposed support means, with one of said forming rollers disposed to engage a face of a green brick block supported on the conveyor member and moved thereon to engage the forming rollers to shape the face of said green brick block as the block passes said one forming roller; means for supporting the other forming roller on said carrier member spaced rearwardly of said first roller and disposed to engage said face of said green brick block subsequently to said first forming roller to further shape the face of the block, supplementing said first roller, as the green brick block moves past the forming rollers carried by the plurality of the roller carrier members; and resilient biasing means disposed between the supporting plate and the end of said carrier member on which the first forming roller is mounted biasing said roller carrier member pivotally about its connection with the lower end of said elongate vertically disposed support means and also biasing said carrier member and said forming rollers carried thereby toward said conveyor member and the exposed face of the green brick block carried by said conveyor member to form the exposed face of the brick block in accordance with the shape of the rollers passing thereover.

Claim 7

Apparatus of the character set forth in claim 3 including: irregular roughened faces on the forming rollers engagable with the exposed face of the green brick block passing beneath said rollers for indenting the face of the brick to provide a roughened worn aged appearing surface on the block.

Claim 8

Apparatus of the character set forth in claim 3 including: means for adjusting one of said forming rollers longitudinally of each of said elongate roller carrier members toward and away from the other forming roller to position the forming rollers to simultaneously engage the opposite edges of the exposed faces of green brick blocks of various thickness.

Claim 9

Apparatus of the character set forth in claim 3 wherein said elongate vertically movable support means pivotally supports said roller carrier member below the supporting plate for positioning said one forming roller to be engageable with the exposed face of the green brick block to be treated prior to engagement of the other forming roller therewith; said vertically movable support means also supporting said roller carrier member for movement vertically with respect to the supporting plate and with respect to the face of the green brick block to be treated to permit said other forming roller to engage said exposed face of said green brick block and said one forming roller to be tilted downwardly about the pivotal connection of said support means with said roller carrier member by said resilient biasing means as said one forming roller passes off the surface of the brick block to be treated to round the trailing edge of the face of the block being treated; and said resilient biasing means biasing said end of said roller carrier member having said one first forming roller thereon away from the supporting plate toward the brick block being treated to cause said one forming roller to round the leading edge of the face of the block being treated.

Claim 10

An apparatus of the character set forth in claim 6 including: means for supporting said supporting plate adjustably on said frame tO move said supporting plate toward and from the conveyor member and the brick blocks moving beneath the forming rollers to position the forming rollers at a position suitable to engage the exposed face of the green brick blocks of differing width.

Claim 11

Apparatus of the character set forth in claim 3 wherein the roller carrier comprises: an elongate inverted U-shaped frame having the rollers disposed between the side plates of the inverted U, with the forming surfaces thereof exposed beyond said side plates of said supporting frame.