Apparatus for coding articles

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for coding articles of manufacture which are produced in a die or mold, such as by molding, casting or other process in which a moldable material is either flow formed or pressure formed to shape. In one form, a plurality of projectible and retractable pins or shafts are movably supported within at least one section of a mold and are selectively advanced or retracted to either partly extend across the mold or die cavity or extend completely thereacross for producing a coded array of cavities or such an array of holes extending completely through a portion of a wall of an object formed in the mold. Projection and retraction of the pins or shafts is effected by respective powered devices, such as fluidic cylinders, motors or electric solenoids. In another form, a plurality of pins or otherwise shaped devices are selectively actuated or disposed by a manipulator operating from outside the mold while the mold is open, against respective portions of the mold cavity wall. In a third form, an array of pins or an irregular configuration of a strip or plate is positioned at a selected location in the mold and retained therein by fasteners, magnets, adhesive, spot welding or other means to define a portion of the mold cavity in which a molded article is formed to shape and to thereby define the shape of a select portion of the molded article. A plurality of molded articles may be molded of the same code configuration or of configurations defining a progressing code or selected codes wherein such coding is automatically controlled by a computer or programmer controlling the device or devices which vary the shape of the mold cavity.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.