Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
289 words
In a plastic injection molding system including a metal part having an external cylindrical surface and having a central flow passage therein extending along the axis of said external cylindrical surface, controlled heating means for said metal part including an electric heater around said external cylindrical surface, thermocouple means responsive to the temperature of said metal part, a temperature sensing circuit connected to said thermocouple means and a current supply source for said electric heater controlled from said thermocouple sensing circuit, said heater comprising an elongated metal sheath and at least one heater wire extending longitudinally within said sheath, said thermocouple means comprising a pair of wires of dissimilar metals extending longitudinally within said sheath, insulating material within said sheath for insulating said heater and thermocouple wires from said casing and from each other, connection means at one end of said sheath for electrical connections between said heater and thermocouple wires and said current supply source and temperature sensing circuit, and junction means at the opposite end of said sheath spaced from said one end thereof for interconnecting said pair of thermocouple wires to form a junction for measurement of the temperature thereat, said elongated sheath being in the form of a helical coil structure with said connection means and said junction means being at opposite axial ends of said coil structure formed by said sheath between said one end of said sheath and said opposite end spaced from said one end thereof, and said helical coil structure having convolutions in engagement with said external cylindrical surface off said metal part for direct transmission of heat from said heater wire to said metal part and for sensing of the temperature of said metal part by said thermocouple junction means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
289 words
In a plastic injection molding system including a metal part having an external cylindrical surface and having a central flow passage therein extending along the axis of said external cylindrical surface, controlled heating means for said metal part including an electric heater around said external cylindrical surface, thermocouple means responsive to the temperature of said metal part, a temperature sensing circuit connected to said thermocouple means and a current supply source for said electric heater controlled from said thermocouple sensing circuit, said heater comprising an elongated metal sheath and at least one heater wire extending longitudinally within said sheath, said thermocouple means comprising a pair of wires of dissimilar metals extending longitudinally within said sheath, insulating material within said sheath for insulating said heater and thermocouple wires from said casing and from each other, connection means at one end of said sheath for electrical connections between said heater and thermocouple wires and said current supply source and temperature sensing circuit, and junction means at the opposite end of said sheath spaced from said one end thereof for interconnecting said pair of thermocouple wires to form a junction for measurement of the temperature thereat, said elongated sheath being in the form of a helical coil structure with said connection means and said junction means being at opposite axial ends of said coil structure formed by said sheath between said one end of said sheath and said opposite end spaced from said one end thereof, and said helical coil structure having convolutions in engagement with said external cylindrical surface off said metal part for direct transmission of heat from said heater wire to said metal part and for sensing of the temperature of said metal part by said thermocouple junction means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 1 wherein said central passage extends longitudinally through said metal part for receiving plastic at one end thereof and for flow of the plastic from the opposite end thereof, said connection means being adjacent said one end of said part and said junction means being spaced from said one end of said part.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 2, said metal part being in the form of a bushing for runnerless plastic injection molding with said central passage being a single longitudinally extending passage through said bushing for flow of plastic directly from said opposite end into a mold cavity.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 1, a cap member on the outside of said metal part having an internal surface, the outside of said helical coil structure being in inwardly spaced relation to said internal surface of said cap member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
83 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 1, said insulating material being a compacted mineral material, the degree of compaction of said mineral material and the physical properties of said sheath and said wires being such as obtained by assembling wires and mineral material in a sheath and then repeatedly performing drawing and annealing operations to reduce the diameters of the sheath and wires assembled therein to a small fraction of the initial diameter thereof while compacting the mineral material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 1, said junction means comprising weld means joining the ends of both of said thermocouple wires to said sheath.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 6, said weld means being effective to define a closed end wall of said sheath.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 6, said wires including a pair of heater wires in said sheath and weld means interconnecting the ends of said pair of heater wires at said opposite end of said sheath.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 4, said cap member including generally cylindrical wall means defining said internal surface, and end wall means connecting opposite ends of said generally cylindrical wall means of said cap member and said external cylindrical surface of said metal part on opposite ends of said helical coil structure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
81 words
In a plastic injection molding system as defined in claim 1, said helical coil structure having a construction such as produced by its being tightly wound during formation thereof with adjacent convolutions being then in direct engagement with each other for facilitating positioning of convolutions relative to each other and to said external cylindrical surface upon installation thereon so as to obtain uniform transmission of heat to said metal part along the length thereof and to minimize outward transfer of heat.