Wire forming machine

Claim 1

A WIRE FORMING MACHINE ADAPTED TO FORM A LENGTH OF WIRE INTO GENERALLY U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION WITH OVERLAPPING END PORTIONS AND TO DEPOSIT SAID FORMED LENGTH OF WIRE UPON A FLAT UNSLIT PACKAGING STRIP TO BE AFFIXED THERETO, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING; A MACHINE FRAME; POWER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME; WIRE FEED MEANS MOUNTED ON SID FRAME AND OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID POWER MEANS, SAID WIRE FEED MEANS ADAPTED TO STRAIGHTEN THE WIRE LENGTHS AND TO CUT THE WIRE INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS; WIRE FORMING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID MACHINE FRAME AND OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID POWER MEANS, SAID FORMING MEANS ADAPTED TO SHAPE THE LENGTH OF WIRE INTO GENERALLY U-SHAPED FROM WITH OVERLAPPING ENDS, SAID FORMING MEANS FURTHER ADAPTED TO DEPOSIT SAID FORMED WIRE UPON THE UNSLIT PACKAGING STRIP FOR AFFIXING THERETO; TRANSPORT MEANS FOR SAID PACKAGING STRIP ADAPTED INTERMITTENTLY TO MOVE SAID STRIP ALONG IN STEPPED MOVEMENT SO THAT THE FORMED WIRE WILL BE DEPOSITED AT SPACED INTERVALS FLATLY ALONG THE SURFACE OF SAID STRIP; AND STRIP STORAGE, PUNCH AND FEED MEANS ADAPTED AUTOMATICALLY TO FEED PUNCHED STRIPS TO SAID PACKAGING STRIP TRANSPORT MEANS, SAID STRIP STORAGE MEANS INCLUDING A MAGAZINE TO STORE A PLURALITY OF STRIPS IN STACKED RELATION THEREIN, SAID MAGAZINE HAVING AN OPENING AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID FEED MEANS INCLUDING A SLIDE MEMBER ADAPTED RECIPROCALLY TO MOVE INTO AND OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH THE OPENING OF THE MAGAZINE TO MOVE THE BOTTOM STRIP OF SAID STACK OF STRIPS INTO POSITION IN REGISTRATION WITH THE PUNCH MEANS, SAID PUNCH MEANS IN SEQUENCE EXTENDING INTO SAID POSITIONED STRIPS TO PUNCH OPENINGS AT PREDETERMINED POSITIONS IN SAID STRIP, THE PUNCHED STRIP BEING MOVED IN THE NEXT FEED OPERATION INTO POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID TRANSPORT MEANS TO MOVE THE STRIP ALONG TO RECEIVE THE FORMED WIRE LENGTHS.