Dough mold press

A toy extrusion device for use with moldable dough-like material includes an extruder housing, a container defining an extrusion chamber movably mounted in the housing for movement between loading and extruding positions. The container has opposed end portions respectively defining a filling or loading opening and an extrusion opening therein. A plunger is slidably mounted in the housing in position to enter the filling opening of the container in its first position to urge the play materials in the extrusion chamber through the extrusion opening. A manually operable lever is pivotally mounted on the housing for operating the plunger. The lever and the plunger have cooperating means formed thereon for converting pivotal movement of the lever into linear movement of the plunger whereby the plunger may be reciprocated into and out of the extrusion chamber.

The present invention relates to extrusion devices and more particularly to 
an extruder for use with dough-type moldable and extrudable play material. 
Among the large variety of children's toys and play things, one continually 
successful and popular type of product consists of molding material by 
which children can model and form various types of articles and 
characters. Clay of course is one molding material which immediately comes 
to mind and has been used for generations by children as a play thing, but 
in more recent times dough-like products which have a softer and more 
malleable texture, such as for example the "SHAPE AND PLAY" dough-type 
product currently manufactured and sold by the Ideal Toy Corporation, have 
achieved a great deal of popularity. These dough-type products can be used 
by children to form innumerable shapes and articles. They are typically 
molded by hand, or even used with performed plastic molds. 
In order to expand the possible uses of this type of material and the types 
of articles that can be formed therewith, in order to further enhance the 
value of this material and its usefulness in entertaining children, the 
present invention provides an extrusion mechanism which permits the 
material to be extruded through a die to form any of a multiplicity of 
shapes. Since the toy is to be used by small children, it is an object of 
the invention to provide an extruder for the dough-type material which is 
relatively simple to load and operate, even by a small child. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an extruder which has a very 
simple drive mechanism. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an extruder 
which is readily formed from molded plastic materials, and easy to 
assemble. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an extruder 
for dough-like material which is relatively simple in construction and 
durable in use. 
According to one aspect of the present invention the extruder, which is 
intended to be used with moldable dough-type play material, includes a 
housing having an extrusion plunger slidably mounted therein for 
reciprocal movement in a straight or linear path of travel between first 
and second positions towards and away from a container defining an 
extrusion chamber which holds the play material. This container is 
pivotally mounted on the extruder housing for movement between first and 
second positions with respect to the housing, these positions 
corresponding to extrusion and loading positions respectively. 
The container has opposed end portions which respectively define a filling 
opening and an extrusion opening, and it is located in the housing such 
that the filling opening is aligned with the path of travel of the plunger 
in the first position of the housing, to permit the plunger to enter the 
filling opening and urge the play material in the extrusion chamber 
through the extrusion opening. 
A drive lever is pivotally mounted on the housing for pivotal movement on 
an axis spaced from and extending generally perpendicular to the direction 
of travel of the plunger. The lever and plunger have cooperating means 
formed thereon for converting pivotal movement of the lever into linear 
movement of the plunger so that the plunger can be reciprocated into and 
out of the extrusion chamber, and the plunger will extrude material in the 
chamber through the extrusion opening, as it moves into the extrusion 
chamber.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, an 
extruder 10 is illustrated which includes a housing 12 in which a drive 
plunger 14 is slidably mounted. The plunger is reciprocated in a generally 
vertical linear path of travel by a lever 16 which is pivotally mounted in 
the housing. The lever and plunger include cooperating means 18 which 
convert the rotary or pivotal movement of the lever into linear movement 
of the plunger, thereby to move the plunger vertically, into and out of an 
extrusion chamber 20 defined in a container 22. The latter is adapted to 
hold the dough-like material which is to be extruded by the aid of the 
device 10. If desired, a die 24 can be mounted on the container 22, as 
described hereinafter, to provide a plurality of different shapes or forms 
through which dough-like material can be extruded from the extrusion 
chamber 20. 
Housing 12 is formed from two substantially identical and complementary 
molded plastic shells 26, 28 which are secured together in any convenient 
manner, as for example by rivets 30 or the like. 
The housing includes an extension portion or stem 32 whose lower end is 
adapted to be inserted in the socket 34 of a support stand 36, thereby to 
support the extruder device in a vertical and stable position. The support 
stand 36 may take any desired form, and does not form a part in the 
present invention. 
The complementary housing sections 26, 28 have guide slots 38 formed 
therein (see FIG. 5) defined between cooperating pairs of inwardly 
extending flanges 40. These slots 38 receive laterally extending flanges 
42 formed on opposite sides of plunger 14, thereby to guide the plunger in 
a linear and generally vertical path of travel during oscillation of lever 
16. 
Plunger 14 is preferably formed as a molded one-piece plastic element which 
has, at least at the upper portion thereof, a generally U-shaped 
cross-section, as seen in FIG. 5, including a pair of legs 14' which 
extend towards lever 16, so that the opening 43 between the legs faces the 
lever. The lower portion of plunger 14, as seen in FIG. 2, is U-shaped in 
cross-section, but with the U facing in the opposite direction, and with 
the bottom end 44 of the plunger being closed off by an integral push 
plate 46. 
Container 22 is generally rectangular in cross-section, and the internal 
extrusion chamber defined therein is generally complementary in 
cross-section to push plate 46. The container is pivotally mounted by a 
pair of integral pins 48 (only one of which is seen in FIG. 1) formed on 
its two opposite sides, which are received in complementary openings or 
recesses 50 formed in housing halves 26, 28. 
The upper end 52 of the container has an opening formed therein which 
permits access to the interior, and which allows the plunger to enter 
extrusion chamber 20 when container 22 is pivoted into the position shown 
in FIG. 3. 
The opposite end or lower wall 53 of container 22, as shown in FIG. 3A, has 
a smaller opening 54 formed therein defining an extrusion opening through 
which dough-like play material is extruded upon operation of plunger 14. 
In addition, lower end 53 of the container 22 has a pair of inwardly 
directed lips or flanges 55 which define a slot 56 between the bottom wall 
53 of the container and the flange, which slot is adapted to slidably 
receive the die plate 24. In use the child will position the selected die 
configuration on plate 24 beneath extrusion opening 54 so that the 
resultant extrudate has the selected cross-sectional shape. 
In order to fill the extrusion chamber 20 the child pivots container 22 
until the open end 52 thereof faces outwardly, and he then places the 
dough-like play material 60 in the container in the desired amount. Once 
extrusion chamber 20 is loaded, the child pivots the container to its 
vertical position wherein the open end 52 of the container is aligned with 
push plate 46 on the bottom of plunger 14. By holding the container 22 in 
this position, and then operating lever 16 as described hereinafter, 
plunger 14 is lowered from its first raised position illustrated in FIG. 2 
into the upper end of the container 22, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Further 
downward movement of plunger 14, upon further rotation of the lever 16, 
urges the plunger against the play material 60 in the extrusion chamber. 
This produces an extruding force on the play material which pushes the 
play material through the extrusion opening 54 and the selected opening in 
die plate 24, thereby forming the extrudate 62, as seen in FIG. 4. By 
returning lever 16 to its original position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, 
plunger 14 is removed from within the container 22 and the container is 
free to be pivoted outwardly again by the child for reloading. 
If desired, although not absolutely necessary, the housing shells 26, 28 
may be provided with stop members or bosses 64 on their inner side walls, 
positioned to engage the rear wall 66 of container 22, in order to define 
a limit position at which the open end 52 of the container aligns with the 
push plate of plunger 14. 
The cooperating means 18 formed on the plunger and lever 16 for converting 
the rotary or pivotal movement of the lever into reciprocal movement of 
the plunger includes pairs of slots 66 formed on the oppositely facing 
sides of the parallel legs 14' on the upper end of the plunger. These 
slots are defined by generally U-shaped embossments 68 which open towards 
lever 16 so that the slots have openings at their ends facing the lever. 
The slots 66 on opposite legs 14' are located in lateral alignment with 
each other and they are spaced vertically with respect to one another 
along the path of travel of the plunger. This is illustrated most clearly 
in FIGS. 2-4. 
In addition, cooperating means 18 includes a sector shaped portion 70 
formed on lever 16 which has pairs of oppositely extending pins 72 formed 
thereon. These pins are arcuately spaced from one another, through a 
distance of approximately 60.degree., and they are respectively associated 
with slots 66. Lever 16 is pivotally mounted by an integral pin 74 formed 
thereon and having opposite ends received in pivot pockets 76 formed in 
housing halves 26, 28 (see FIG. 5). The lever is dimensioned, and its 
pivotal mounting is located, such that the lower pair of pins 72 enter the 
lower slots 66 in the plunger, as seen in FIG. 2, when the lever 16 is in 
its extreme counterclockwise position as illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein the 
lever engages an edge 78 of an opening 80 in the top 82 of the housing, 
through which the lever extends. In this position the lower pins 72 are 
well within lower slots 66, near the front wall or bight portion 84 of the 
plunger. 
Upon pivotal movement of lever 16 in a clockwise direction, in order to 
depress plunger 14, the lower pair of pins 72 will move in an arcuate path 
against the lower leg of the embossments 68 defining lower slots 66. This 
will drive the plunger downwardly. Because the plunger is confined to move 
in a straight path, and because the pins of course move in an arcuate 
path, a position will be achieved where the lower pins 72 will move out of 
lower slots 66. However, at that point, the upper pair of pins 72 have 
already entered their associated upper slots 66 and become engaged with 
the lower leg of upper embossments 68. Thus, as the lower pins move out of 
lower slots 66, upper pins 72 become engaged near the bight portion of the 
upper embossments 68 with the lower leg of those embossments, whereby 
continued clockwise rotation of lever 16 is transmitted directly to 
plunger 14 by these upper pins, and the plunger continues to move 
downwardly to its fully depressed position illustrated in FIG. 4. In this 
manner the downward movement of the plunger extrudes the dough-type 
material from the extrusion chamber 20 through the extrusion die. 
When plunger 14 has reached its fully depressed position illustrated in 
FIG. 4, and the child desires to remove the plunger in order to free the 
extrusion chamber for refilling, lever 16 is rotated in an opposite, or 
counterclockwise direction as seen in the drawings, and the cooperation of 
pins 72 and slots 66 takes place again in the opposite direction. With 
this counterclockwise rotation of the lever 16, pins 72 engage the upper 
legs of their associated embossments 68, defining their associated slots 
66, in a sequential manner, in the reverse order from that which has 
previously been described. Thus the plunger is raised by the 
counterclockwise rotation of the lever, until the plunger has returned to 
its upper or first position, illustrated in FIG. 2. The container 22 is 
then freed from the plunger and a child can manually pivot the container 
outwardly, as shown in FIG. 2, for reloading. 
Accordingly, it is seen that a relatively simply constructed durable 
extrusion device is provided which can be operated even by a small child 
with a minimum of manual dexterity. The extruder is easily loaded and the 
extrusion chamber is readily aligned, even by a small child, with the 
plunger. The pin and slot arrangement for driving the plunger provides a 
compact and yet durable motion transmission mechanism which serves to 
multiply the forces applied by a child to the lever, to a degree 
sufficient to extrude the play material from the extrusion chamber. 
Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been 
described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be 
understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, 
but that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one 
skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of this 
invention.