Patent ID: 7179077

Claim:
A machine for making a concrete block, comprising: (a) a hopper operative to receive and hold a pre-determined amount of pre-mixed concrete; (b) a mold having a mold cavity proximate to said hopper; (c) a mold charge transporter operative to move a mold charge of said pre-mixed concrete in said hopper to said mold cavity; (d) a support plate positioned at a bottom of said mold cavity; (e) a vibratile plate positioned beneath said mold and supported by a plurality of springs, operative to vibrate in response to a user applied control signal, said vibratile plate having an array of holes over its surface; (f) a pressure plate located above said mold and moveable from a retracted position to an extended position in which it contacts and applies pressure to the pre-mixed concrete in said mold; and (g) an ejector plate having a plurality of upright projections extending outwardly from its mold facing surface and positioned when raised to pass through the holes in said vibratile plate and contact and lift said support plate and the concrete above said mold.