Apparatus for forming metallic ring members

Claim 1

FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A PAIR OF PROJECTING LIPS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A WORKPIECE THEREBETWEEN FOR SUPPORTING THE WORKPIECE WHEN SAID ELEMENTS ARE IN A FIRST POSITION, THE LIPS OF ONE ELEMENT PROJECTING TOWARD THE LIPS OF THE OTHER ELEMENT SO THAT THE ELEMENTS ENGAGE THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WORKPIECE WHEN THE ELEMENTS ARE IN SAID FIRST POSITION, A FORMING DIE MOVABLE THROUGH A PATH BETWEEN AN INITIAL POSITION AND A POSITION AT WHICH THE DIE FORMS THE WORKPIECE, THE LIPS OF EACH PAIR BEING SPACED APART IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID PATH, A FURTHER POSITION OF SAID DIE ALONG SAID PATH BEING SUCH THAT THE DIE IS RECEIVED BY AND FIRMLY SEATED UPON THE WORKPIECE BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS BEING RECIPROCAL AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID LIPS ARE DISENGAGED FROM SAID WORKPIECE, A PAIR OF CAMS FIXED WITH RELATION TO SAID DIE AND MOVABLE THEREWITH, SAID CAMS HAVING CAM SURFACES ADAPTED TO LOCATE AND HOLD SAID ELEMENTS IN SAID FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID DIE IS BETWEEN SAID INITIAL AND FURTHER POSITION AND TO RELEASE SAID ELEMENTS FOR MOVEMENT AWAY FROM SAID FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID DIE IS BETWEEN SAID FORMING POSITION AND SAID FURTHER POSITION, SPRING MEANS YIELDABLY HOLDING SAID ELEMENTS IN SAID FIRST POSITION, AND LATCH MEANS ARRANGED TO AUTOMATICALLY LOCK SAID ELEMENTS IN SAID SECOND POSITION UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID ELEMENTS THERETO, AND PROJECTIONS UPON SAID CAMS POSITIONED TO DISENGAGE SAID LATCH MEANS AS SAID DIE MOVES INTO SAID FURTHER POSITION FROM SAID FORMING POSITION.