Method for controlled processing of blown plastic articles

Claim 2

In a method for the preparation of hollow objects of moldable organic material by providing a parison in a formable condition, locating said parison in a blow mold, and expanding said parison within said blow mold to form an expanded parison, the improvement which comprises: providing a temperature adjusting retaining mold spaced laterally from said blow mold; transferring said expanded parison to said retaining mold by means of a core including the steps of separating said expanded parison while on said core from said blow mold, aligning said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative lateral movement, engaging said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative axial movement to seat same within said retaining mold and placing said expanded parison in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold through an applied force; then separating said expanded parison from said core by relative axial movement and permitting said expanded parison to reside within said retaining mold in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold for a predetermined period of time sufficient to adjust the temperature thereof before removal therefrom said applied force being continued through at least a part of said predetermined period of time has been inserted.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein the parison is cooled while residing within said retaining mold.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein the parison is heated while residing within said retaining mold.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 including the steps of expanding said parison within said blow mold on a blow core, retaining said expanded parison within said blow mold while separating said blow core and said blow mold from each other, aligning said blow mold containing said expanded parison with a transfer core, transferring said parison thereto, and locating said transfer core bearing said expanded parison within a retaining mold.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 wherein said parison is held in a neck mold while upon said blow core.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4 wherein said transferring step is repeated by the transfer of the parison to successive transfer cores for locating within successive retaining molds.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6 wherein said parison is subjected to predetermined controlled temperature variation in all of the retaining molds.

Claim 9

The method of claim 4 wherein said parison is held in a neck mold while upon said transfer core.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein said steps are conducted concurrently.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 wherein said expansion is performed by the application of fluid pressure.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 wherein said parison is held in a neck mold while upon said core.

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 wherein the parison is formed on a blow core within a parison die spaced laterally from said blow mold, wherein said blow core with formed parison thereon and said parison die disengage by relative axial movement, and wherein said blow mold is aligned between said parison die and blow core by relative lateral movement.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 wherein said parison is heated in said parison die.

Claim 15

The method of claim 12 wherein said parison is formed by pressure molding in said die.

Claim 16

The method of claim 12 including transferring said blow core bearing said parison from said parison die to said blow mold by relative axial movement of said blow core.

Claim 17

The method of claim 12 wherein the parison is formed on said blow core by molding at least one additional layer of plastic over a previously formed liner supplied to said blow core.

Claim 18

The method of claim 16 including the engagement with said blow core of a dispenser containing a quantity of said previously formed liners.

Claim 19

The method of claim 1 wherein said parison is a previously formed parison transferred from a dispenser containing a quantity of same.

Claim 20

The method of claim 1 including the transfer of the expanded parison to successive retaining molds.

Claim 21

The method of claim 19 wherein said parison is subjected to predetermined controlled temperature variation in all of the retaining molds.

Claim 22

The method of claim 1 further including the steps of retaining said expanded parison in said retaining mold while separating said core therefrom; and removing said expanded parison from said retaining mold.

Claim 23

The method of claim 21 wherein said retaining mold containing said parison is indexed through a plurality of positions after removal of said core therefrom.

Claim 24

The method of claim 21 wherein removal is conducted by opening said retaining mold.

Claim 25

The method of claim 23 wherein said expanded parison is transferred to a transfer device before final removal.

Claim 26

The method of claim 24 wherein said transfer device comprises at least one transfer finger and said expanded parison is indexed from the area of transfer from said core to a removal area.

Claim 27

The method of claim 1 including the steps of axially aligning the core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative lateral movement, and engaging said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative axial movement.

Claim 28

In a method for the preparation of hollow objects of moldable organic plastic material by providing a parison in a formable condition, locating said parison in a first mold, and at least partially expanding said parison within said first mold to form an expanded parison, the improvement which comprises: providing a temperature adjusting retaining mold spaced laterally from said first mold; transferring said expanded parison to said retaining mold by means of a core including the steps of separating said expanded parison while on said core from said frist mold, aligning said core with expanded parison thereon with said retaining mold by relative lateral movement, engaging said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative axial movement to seat same within said retaining mold and placing said expanded parison in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold through an applied force; then separating said expanded parison from said core by relative axial movement and permitting said expanded parison to reside within said retaining mold in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold for a predetermined period of time sufficient to adjust the temperature thereof before removal therefrom, said applied force being continued through at least a part of said predetermined period of time.

Claim 29

In a method for the preparation of hollow objects of moldable organic plastic material by providing a parison in a formable condition, locating said parison in a first mold, and at least partially expanding said parison within said first mold to form an expanded parison, the improvement which comprises: providing a temperature adjusting retaining mold spaced laterally from said first mold; transferring said expanded parison to said retaining mold by means of a core including the steps of separating said expanded parison while on said core from said frist mold, aligning said core with expanded parison thereon with said retaining mold by relative lateral movement, engaging said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative axial movement to seat same within said retaining mold and placing said expanded parison in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold through an applied force; then separating said expanded parison from said core by relative axial movement and permitting said expanded parison to reside within said retaining mold in surface contact with the walls of the retaining mold for a predetermined period of time sufficient to adjust the temperature thereof before removal therefrom, said applied force being continued through at least a part of said predetermined period of time.

Claim 30

A method according to claim 27 wherein said parison is transferred to a further operation after said temperature adjustment step substantially at the temperature imposed by said retaining mold.

Claim 31

The method of claim 27 including the steps of axially aligning the core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative lateral movement, and engaging said core with expanded parison thereon and said retaining mold by relative axial movement.

Claim 32

The method of claim 27 wherein the parison is formed on a blow core within a parison die spaced laterally from said first mold, wherein said blow core with formed parison thereon and said parison die disengage by relative axial movement, and wherein said first mold is aligned between said parison die and blow core by relative lateral movement.

Claim 33

The method of claim 30 including transferring said blow core bearing said parison from said parison die to said first mold by relative axial movement of said blow core.