Method of and apparatus for handling cigarettes and like elongated articles

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ELONGATED ARTICLES, PARTICULARLY FOR STACKING CIGARETTES IN STORING DEVICES, IN COMBINATION, CONVEYOR MEANS FOR ADVANCING A SERIES OF ARTICLES IN AN ELONGATED PATH SO THAT THE ARTICLES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID PATH; AND MEANS FOR REMOVING ROWS CONTAINING PREDETERMINED NUMBERS OF ARTICLES FROM SAID PATH, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS COMPRISING VACUUM GENERATING MEANS, A MOVABLE LIFTER LOCATED ABOVE AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED EQUIDISTANT HOLDING MEANS ADJACENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PTH, SAID LIFTER DEFINING CHANNEL MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID VACUUM GENERATING MEANS AND HAVING INTAKE ENDS OPENING INTO EACH OF SAID HOLDING MEANS SO THAT SUCTION PRODUCED BY SAID VACUUM GENERATING MEANS IN SAID INTAKE ENDS LIFTS THE ARTICLES OFF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND INTO THE RESPECTIVE HOLDING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LIFTER WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS IN RESPONSE TO ACCUMULATION OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ARTICLES IN THE HOLDING MEANS.