The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 20, 1999
Abstract
The present invention relates to a multi-stage, post-mold cooling method and apparatus used in conjunction with an injection molding machine having an aggressive cycle time and a high output. The apparatus of the present invention includes a thermal conditioning device/station with cooling tubes for keeping separate the preforms of each batch and effecting cooling of the molded preforms, several separated cooling levels for simultaneously cooling multiple batches of preforms, and internal devices for automatically transferring each batch of molded preforms from one cooling level to the next. In a preferred embodiment, the thermal aconditioning device/station is partially sealed to create a controlled temperature environment for conditioning the molded articles. In another embodiment, the thermal conditioning device/station includes a level for re-heating the preforms.