Feeding mechanism for forming machines

Claim 1

FEED MEANS FOR ROTATING AND ADVANCING A ROD-LIKE WORKPIECE IN REPEATED, INTERMITTENT, INCREMENTS THROUGH DIES HAVING CURVED DIE FACES DEFINING A THROAT OF SUCH FORM THAT WHEN THE DIES CLOSE IN ON THE WORKPIECE RADIALLY THEY NOT ONLY GRIP IT BUT ALSO REPEL IT; SAID MEANS COMPRISING A CLUTCH HAVING A CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING AND ADVANCING DRIVE FACE MEMBER; AND ALSO A DRIVEN FACE MEMBER; CONNECTING MEANS OPERATIVELY AND POSITIVELY CONNECTING THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER TO THE WORKPIECE; AND A SPRING BIASING THE CLUTCH FACE MEMBERS INTO CLUTCHING ENGAGEMENT; SAID SPRING BEARING AGAINST THE DRIVING CLUTCH FACE MEMBER AND AGAINST SAID CONNECTING MEANS WHEREBY THE DIES, REPELLING THE WORKPIECE AS THEY CLOSE IN ON IT, CAUSE THE REPELLED WORKPIECE TO REPEL THE CONNECTING MEANS MOMENTARILY TO DISENGAGE THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER FROM THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER OF THE CLUTCH AND THUS DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH; AND DISCONNECT THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER FROM THE WORKPIECE AND ALSO TO STRESS THE SPRING, WHICH, A MOMENT LATER, AFTER THE DIES RELEASE THE WORKPIECE, MOVES THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER TO THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER TO REENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND RECONNECT THE WORKPIECE AND THE DRIVEN CLUTCH FACE MEMBER TO THE DRIVING CLUTCH FACE MEMBER.