Device for winding helical springs

Claim 1

WIRE COILING APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A BASE STRUCTURE, FIRST FEEDING MEANS DEFINING A RECTILINEARLY ELONGATED WIRE FEEDING CHANNEL; FIRST BEARING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CHANNEL; SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING SECOND BEARING MEANS, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS ALIGNED WITH SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS; A CYLINDRICAL MANDREL CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, ONE END OF SAID MANDREL BEING FREE FOR PERMITTING COILED WIRE TO BE REMOVED AXIALLY FROM SAID MANDREL, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID MANDREL BEING ALIGNED WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CHANNEL; SECOND FEEDING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHANNEL, SAID SECOND FEEDING MEANS DIRECTING WIRE FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHANNEL TOWARD SAID MANDREL TO BE COILED THEREON; MEANS DEFINING AN ARCUATE GAP BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND SAID BASE STRUCTURE CONCENTRIC WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CHANNEL, THE WIRE BEING COILED PASSING FREELY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID GAP DURING ITS PASSAGE FROM SAID SECOND FEEDING MEANS TO SAID MANDREL DURING ROTATION OF SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS; MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID FIRST FEEDING MEANS TO CAUSE SAID SECOND FEEDING MEANS TO COIL WIRE AROUND SAID MANDREL; AND MEANS FOR CAUSING MAGNETIC FLUX TO TRAVERSE SAID GAP FOR RESTRAINING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND SAID MANDREL AGAINST ROTATION.