Patent Application
20110059199
The present description relates to blocks such as cementitious blocks including pavers having sloped sides. More specifically but not exclusively, the present description n relates to a mold for blocks with movable cavity walls.
There is known in the art of variety of molds for providing blocks which have sloped sides. Such blocks are usually made of cementitious materials and used as pavers or as wall retainers and alike and they have a generally rectangular shaped configuration with a larger generally flat face opposite a smaller generally flat face with the walls there between being generally sloped. The front and back ends are usually flat and straight.
A drawback of many of the blocks provided through conventional molds is that it is very difficult to provide an imprint on the larger face.
A drawback with the molds for providing blocks with sloped sides is that they use a variety of hydraulic or pneumatic systems that are expensive to install and to maintain and very easy to damage and costly to repair.
There remains a need for improved systems to provide molds with sloped sidewalls.
It is an object of the present description to provide a mold for blocks having movable cavity walls.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mold for molding material into blocks comprising:
a main body comprising at least one pair of spaced apart lateral walls with at least one pair of spaced apart divider walls extending therebetween so as to define at least one cavity for receiving material therein, at least one of the walls being movable inwardly into the cavity; and
a movable actuator element for acting on the movable wall, the movable actuator element extending outwardly of the main body such that when moved inwardly it so acts on the movable wall as to move it inwardly into the cavity.
In an embodiment, the movable actuator element is positioned adjacently the movable wall. In an embodiment, the movable actuator element is outwardly biased. In an embodiment, the movable actuator element is connected to a spring for being outwardly biased thereby. In an embodiment, the movable actuator element comprises a push member that pushes the movable wall inwardly into the cavity as the movable actuator element is moved inwardly. In an embodiment, the push member along the length of the movable actuator element is adjustable so as to vary the degree that the movable wall is pushed into the cavity. In an embodiment, the outward position of the movable actuator element relative to the main body is selectively adjustable so as to provide for moving the movable wall to a corresponding position into the cavity. In an embodiment, the movable actuator element is adjustable between at least first and second positions, the movable actuator element extending outwardly of the main body to a greater degree in the second position than in the first second position, wherein when the movable actuator element is moved inwardly from the second position it moves the movable wall inwardly into the cavity to a greater degree than when moved inwardly from the first position.
In an embodiment, the main body comprises a top face and a bottom face, the movable actuator element extending outwardly from the bottom face, such that when moved upwardly it causes the movable wall to move inwardly into the cavity.
In an embodiment, the movable wall is pivotally mounted to the main body. In an embodiment, the movable wall comprises a movable portion thereof pivotally mounted to another immovable portion thereof. In an embodiment, the cavity comprises an open top face to receive a press so as to compact the material, the immovable wall portion comprising a recessed end adjacent the cavity top. In an embodiment, the movable and immovable wall portions are offset relative to one another so as to provide a recess therebetween. In an embodiment, the movable wall comprises a rear side comprising a lever that is pushed by the movable actuator element when moved inwardly in the main body.
In an embodiment, the mold further comprises at least two side by side the cavities separated by a wall section, the wall section comprising the movable wall and an adjacent second movable wall, the movable actuator element being interposed between the two adjacent movable walls, wherein when the movable actuator element is moved inwardly it so acts on the adjacent movable walls as to move each one into a respective the side by side cavity.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mold comprising:
a plurality of spaced apart wall sections;
a plurality of lateral walls extending between each pair of adjacent wall sections thereby defining adjacent rows of cavities, each cavity providing for receiving material therein to be compacted, each wall section comprising adjacent movable walls for being moved into a respective one of two adjacent cavities; and
a plurality of movable actuation elements, each element interposed between a pair of adjacent movable walls and extending outwardly of the main body such that when moved inwardly it so acts on the adjacent movable walls as to move each one inwardly into a respective one of two the adjacent cavities.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mold for blocks comprising:
a main body comprising at least one pair of spaced apart lateral walls with at least one pair spaced apart divider walls extending therebetween so as to define at least one cavity having open top and bottom faces for receiving material therein, at least one of the walls being movable inwardly into the cavity; and
a vertically movable actuator element for acting on the movable wall, the actuator extending downwardly such that when it is moved upwardly it so acts on the movable wall as to move it inwardly into cavity.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the appended drawings:
Generally stated, in embodiment there is provided a mold for blocks comprising a body that includes at least one cavity with open top and bottom faces for receiving material therein to form a block. The cavity is formed between a pair of spaced apart lateral walls and a pair of spaced apart divider walls extending between the pair of spaced apart walls. At least one of these walls is movable into the cavity so as to provide a block with at least one sloped side. This lateral wall is movable by a mechanical actuator element that extends outwardly from the main body such that when it is moved inwardly it so acts on this movable wall as to move it inwardly into the cavity.
The mold 10 includes a generally rectangular body 11 having four lateral sides 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D, and including an open top and bottom faces 14 and 16, respectively. The mold 10 includes three rows 18 of cavities 20.
Each cavity 20 provides for molding material therein into a block structure 21 (see
With respect to
Turning to
The Figures show that the mold 10 includes longitudinal actuator assembly 26 mounted at each lateral side of the divider walls 24 for actuating the side walls 22. The longitudinal actuator assemblies 26 are fixedly mounted between adjacent rows 18 and at the lateral sides 12B and 12D.
With respect to
A row of lateral longitudinal actuator assemblies 26 and lateral walls 22 define wall sections, each adjacent pair of wall sections includes plurality of divider walls 24 extending therebetween.
Turning to
The mechanical actuator assembly 36 includes an actuator element in the form of pin member 38, which can include a threaded body, being movably mounted to a longitudinal rod 40 within the bracket 32 and including an opposite free end portion 41. The pin member 38 also includes a top shaft element 42 carrying a spring member 44. The spring 44 is sandwiched between shoulders 46 and 48 formed by the pin member 30 and rod 40 respectively. As such, the pin member 38 is biased downwardly so as to protrude outwardly from the bottom open face as shown in
In this respect, the movable wall portions 30 include respective levers 52 on their rear sides 54. The levers 54 have longitudinal body 56 with the top end 58 that is pivotally mounted to the rod 40 and lower recessed end 60.
When the pin member 38 is in the downward position between two movable wall portions 30, the cylindrical push member 50 is positioned between the recessed ends 60 of adjacent levers 54 which provide an inverted v-space therebetween. When the pin bottom free end portion 41 protruding through the tubular guide 39 from the bottom open face 16 of the mold 10 engages a surface the pin member 38 is moved upwards. The foregoing causes the cylindrical push member 50 to move upwardly between the levers 54 thereby pushing the levers 54 away from each other.
When the mold 10 above is in the above described configuration placed on a surface with its pins 38 upwardly moved and its lateral walls 22 being sloped, cavities 20 are filled with material to be molded therein. A top press will push onto the material in the cavities 20 via the top open face 14.
A top press P engages the open top face 14 in order to pressurize the material within the cavities 20 as well as to provide an imprint on the block top face 27. As is shown in
When the mold 10 is lifted after the material has been provided with enough time for curing in order to provide solidified blocks 21, the pins 38 drop downwardly hence moving the cylindrical push members downwardly as well and allowing the wall portions 30 to move back into the generally straight position as the cylindrical push member is positioned between the recessed ends 60 of the two adjacent levers of the adjacent walls 30.
As shown in
The position of the push member 50 can be adjusted along the pin member 38 so as to provide moving the walls more or less into the cavities, thereby defining greater or lesser slope angles on the block 21. For example, the push member 50 in
Of course, a variety of mold structures including the movable walls of described herein can be provided. In one non-illustrated embodiment a mold with a plurality of cavities including movable walls which are moved by an actuator that so acts to move the wall when the mold is positioned on a surface can be provided. These non-illustrated embodiments include a plurality of cavities in which only some of the walls are movable. As shown herein a cavity is bounded by open top and bottom faces as well as four side walls. It is within the scope of the description to provide any one of those side walls to be movable or any two of the side walls or any three of the side walls or even all four of the side walls.
The various features described above can be combined in a variety of ways to provide other non-illustrated embodiments within the scope of the present description. Although the present description hereinabove has been provided by way of non-restrictive illustrative embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the scope, spirit and nature of the appended claims.
The present application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/272,270 filed on Sep. 4, 2009 and incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61272270 | Sep 2009 | US |
