Cigarette-making machinery

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS ROD MACHINE, SUCH AS A CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE, APPARATUS FOR REJECTING SHORT RODS, COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING RODS WHICH ARE MOVING ENDWISE AWAY FROM A CUT-OFF MECHANISM, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST SUPPORT AND A SECOND SUPPORT SO SPACED FROM EACH OTHER THAT NORMAL LENGTH RODS ARE SUPPORTED THEREBY DURING PART OF THEIR ENDWISE MOVEMENT, WHILE SHORT RODS HAVING A LENGTH LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORTS FAIL TO COME WITHIN THE RANGE OF SUPPORTING ACTION OF THE SECOND SUPPORT DURING THEIR ENDWISE MOVEMENT AWAY FROM THE CUTOFF MECHANISM AND THUS FALL FROM THE APPARATUS DUE TO THE ACTION OF GRAVITY, WHEREIN THERE IS INCLUDED MEANS FOR SPACING THE RODS IN REGULAR SEQUENCE AS THEY MOVE ENDWISE, COMPRISING A ROTATING SUCTION WHEEL WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH SUCTION PORTS ARRANGED TO ENGAGE THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF THE RODS, THE LINEAR SPEED OF THE WHEEL AT THE POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE WHEEL AND THE RODS BEING IN EXCESS OF THE LINEAR SPEED OF THE END-TO-END RODS SO THAT THE LATTER ARE SUCCESSIVELY MOVED APART BY THE SAID WHEEL AND THUS SPACED IN REGULAR ENDWISE SEQUENCE.