Patent ID: 7326046

Claim:
A cooling tube assembly that is configured for a post-molding conditioning of at least a portion of a malleable injection molded perform received therein, said cooling tube including: a conditioning body that is configured to sealingly receive said portion of said preform and to expand at least a portion of an outer surface thereof into contact with a cooled inner conditioning surface that is configured therein; said conditioning body being configured for connection with a heat dissipation path and a pressure structure; said conditioning body including a porous member comprising an inner porous portion formed from a thermally conductive first porous material that is at least partially enclosed by an outer porous portion formed from a thermally conductive second porous material having a higher porosity than said first porous material; a porous inner conditioning surface being configured along said inner porous portion that provides at least a portion of said cooled inner conditioning surface; said outer porous portion being configured for providing a fluid communication pathway between said pressure structure and said inner porous portion; said inner porous portion being configured providing a fluid communication pathway between said outer porous portion and said inner porous surface.