Wire bending machine

Claim 1

WIRE FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A WIRE ROTATING HEAD HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS OF ROTATION, A PAIR OF WIRE BENDING HEADS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD ALIGNED WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD, EACH WIRE BENDING HEAD HAVING A SUPPORTING CARRIAGE MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OR THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD AND HAVING AN AXIS OF ROTATION PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD, SAID WIRE BENDING HEADS INCLUDING WIRE ABUTTING MEMBERS FOR ENGAGING THE WIRE WHEN THE BENDING HEAD IS ROTATED TO PRODUCE BENDS THEREIN, EACH BENDING HEAD CARRIAGE HAVING A PIVOTED LATCH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY, LATCH ABUTMENT MEMBERS MOUNTED IN THE PATH OF THE LATCH MEMBERS WHEN THE CARRIAGE IS MOVED, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ENGAGEMENT OF THE LATCH WITH ONE OF THE ABUTMENT MEMBERS FOR INTERRUPTING THE MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE CARRIAGES TOWARD THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO INTERRUPTION OF MOTION OF THE CARRIAGE FOR ACTUATING THE WIRE BENDING HEAD WHEREBY THE LOCATION OF THE LATCH ABUTMENTS SERVES TO CONTROL THE POSITIONING OF BENDS IN THE WIRE BEING FORMED, PROGRAMMING MECHANISM INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND SETS OF INDEXING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY AN INDEX MEMBER AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT OF THE INDEX MEMBER, LATCH MEANS ENGAGEABLE AND DISENGAGEABLE WITH THE INDEXING ELEMENTS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO COMPLETION OF AN ACTUATION OF A BENDING HEAD FOR RELEASING THE LATCHING MECHANISM AND PERMITTING PROGRESS OF THE INDEX CARRYING MEMBER AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN INDEXING ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE FIRST SET OF INDEXING ELEMENTS FOR CONTROLLING THE EXTENT OF ROTATION OF THE WIRE ROTATING HEAD, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SECOND SET OF INDEXING ELEMENTS FOR INITIATING ACTUATION OF THE WIRE BENDING HEAD.