Patent ID: 7766644

Claim:
An injection mold, comprising: a mold base having a confronting surface; a slide member having a complementary confronting surface; a connecting structure slidably linking the slide member to the mold base for a movement of said slide member between an out-mold position and an in-mold position; the connecting structure further configured to maintain a gap between the confronting surface and the complementary confronting surface during at least a portion of the movement of the slide member between the out-mold position and the in-mold position so that wearing of the confronting surface and the complementary confronting surface are reduced; the connecting structure is further configured to enable a positive contact between the confronting surface and the complementary confronting surface in response to an applied clamping force between the slide member and the mold base; wherein the connecting structure includes: a connecting member connected to the slide member; a gib having a block through which a tubular bushing is slidably arranged; the tubular bushing having a flange that provides an upper stop to limit a travel of the block; a portion of the tubular bushing received within a complementary bore defined through a top portion of a plate, of the mold base, to a depth that permits the block a limited degree of freedom to slide on the tubular bushing between the upper stop and a lower stop provided by a top surface of the plate; a guide arranged in the block, the guide configured to cooperate with the connecting member to accommodate a sliding of the connecting member; a compressible member arranged between the mold base and the block to urge the block against the upper stop and in this way urge the slide member upwardly to form the gap.