Patent ID: 7168149

Claim:
An apparatus for folding a hinged molded part formed in a mold, the molded part having a base portion and a lid portion that engages the base portion when the part is folded at a hinge located between the base portion and the lid portion, the apparatus comprising: a part-removal apparatus proximate the mold and having a portion that, in use, grips one of the base portion or the lid portion of the molded part and moves the molded part out of the mold when the mold is open; and at least one deflector connected to the mold such that, in use, the defector engages the other of the base portion or the lid portion of the molded part as the molded part is moved out of the mold to initiate folding of the lid portion to the base portion at the hinge in advance of closure of the lid portion to the base portion, the deflector further folding the molded part as the mold closes.