Manufacture of mouthpiece cigarettes

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES WHEREIN A STUB AND AT LEAST ONE CIGARETTE LENGTH ARRANGED END TO END AND FORMING COMPONENT PARTS OF A GROUP ARE UNITED BY AN ENCIRCLING UNITING BAND, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED MEMBERS HAVING OPPOSED SURFACES DEFINING BETWEEN THEM A PASSAGE, PUSHER MEANS TO PUSH A GROUP SIDEWAYS INTO SAID PASSAGE, THE SAID OPPOSED MEMBERS BEING SO SPACED APART THAT THE SAID OPPOSED SURFACES GRIP THE GROUP BETWEEN THEM, AND BEING ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVELY TO ONE ANOTHER SO AS TO CAUSE THE GROUP TO ROLL THROUGH THE PASSAGE, MEANS TO FEED A UNITING BAND FOR APPLICATION TO THE GROUP SO THAT THE BAND IS WRAPPED AROUND THE GROUP WHILE THE LATTER IS ROLLING, AND A PAIR OF OPPOSED ELEMENTS ARRANGED TO ENGAGE OPPOSITE CYLINDRICAL SURFACES OF THE GROUP WHILE THE LATTER IS BEING PUSHED SIDEWAYS BY THE SAID PUSHER MEANS, SO AS TO OFFER FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE TO SIDEWAYS MOVEMENT OF THE GROUP, WHEREBY THE GROUP IS MAINTAINED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT DURING SAID SIDEWAYS MOVEMENT.