Wire forming machine

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR BENDING A LENGTH OF WIRE COMPRISING: A BASE, A POWER INPUT, A SUPPORTING FRAME MOUNTED TO THE BASE AT A FIRST, OR INPUT, END THEREOF; A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ROLLERS DRIVEN BY THE POWER SOURCE AND MOUNTED TO THE UPPER "NEAR" PORTION OF THE FRAME AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LEADING END OF AN ADVANCING LENGTH OF NON-RECTILINEAR WIRE THEREBETWEEN; MEANS FOR SO JUXTAPOSING THE ROLLERS IN THE VERTICAL PLANE AS TO APPLY VARYING DEGREES OF RECTILINEARIZING COMPRESSION TO THE ADVANCING WIRE; MEANS DRIVENLY-CONNECTED TO THE POWER MEANS AND LOCATED FORWARDLY OF SAID PLURALITY OF ROLLERS FOR ENGAGING AND ADVANCING SAID WIRE, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, FIRST BENDING ROLLER MOVABLE MOUNTED AT THE OUTPUT END OF THE APPARATUS FOR MOVEMENT IN THE VERTICAL PLANE WHILE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FORWARD END-PORTION OF SAID ADVANCING WIRE; A LOBULAR FIRST CAM DISPOSED IN THE VERTICAL PLANE SUB-ADJACENT SAID FIRST BENDING ROLLER; MEANS DRIVINGLY-CONNECTING SAID CAM TO THE PREVENTING MEANS; A CAM-FOLLOWER OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SAID CAM AND DRIVINGLY-CONNECTED TO THE MOUNT OF SAID FIRST BENDING ROLLER SO AS TO EFFECT VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREOF THEREBY TO BEND SAID WIRE IN THE VERTICAL PLANE; A SECOND LOBULAR CAM MOUNTED COAXIALLY WITH THE FIRST CAM; AN ELONGATE, ROTATABLE, BIFURCATED MEMBER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AT A LOCUS OUTWARDLY OF THE VERTICALBEND EFFECTING ROLLER AND NORMALLY ENGAGING THE BENT PORTION OF SAID WIRE; A SECOND CAM FOLLOWER OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SAID SECOND CAM; LINKAGE INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SECOND CAM FOLLOWER AND THE LOWER END OF THE BIFURCATED MEMBER, SAID LINKAGE BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED WITH REFERENCE TO THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND CAM FOLLOWER AND THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE BENT PORTION OF THE WIRE AS TO EFFECT ROTATION OF THE BIFURCATED MEMBER ABOUT ITS MAJOR, OR LONGER AXIS, WHEREBY TO BEND THE PREVIOUSLY VERTICALLY BENT LEADING PORTION OF SAID WIRE, THE BENDING TAKING PLACE IN THE LATERAL AND HORIZONTAL PLANES SO AS TO RECURVE THE LEADING PORTION OF WIRE UPON ITSELF; A THIRD CAM MOUNTED COAXIALLY WITH THE TWO AFORESAID CAMS; A CAM FOLLOWER EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM; VERTICALLY MOVABLE SHEARING MEANS MOUNTED TO THE APPARATUS INTERMEDIATE THE TWO OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF; AND LINKAGE MEANS CONNECTING THE INNER END OF THE CAMFOLLOWER TO THE SHEARING MEANS TO SEVER THE SO-BENT PORTION OF THE WIRE FROM THE TRAILING PORTION OF THE WIRE.