Device for combining streams of rod-shaped objects

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR COMBINING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS, COMPRISING CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS IN PARALLEL ROWS AND IN A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL LINES AND IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THEIR LENGTHS, A FIXED PLATFORM SUPPORT HAVING AN ABUTMENT EDGE WALL MOUNTED IN SUCH MANNER AS TO RECEIVE SAID OBJECTS WHEN ESCAPING FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, A ROTARY DRUM HAVING UPPER AND LOWER OPEN FACES, SAID DRUM HAVING AN AXIS OF ROTATION, AND HAVING RADIAL PROJECTING MEMBERS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID OBJECTS, SAID RADIAL MEMBERS HAVING CONNECTING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A LENGTH SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID OBJECTS THEREBY FORMING ZIGZAG WALLS DELIMITING RADIAL COMPARTMENTS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID OBJECTS, SAID DRUM BEING MOUNTED IN SUCH MANNER AS TO HAVE ITS LOWER OPEN FACE PARALLEL WITH SAID FIXED PLATFORM SUPPORT, SAID LOWER FACE BEING SPACED AWAY AT A SMALLER DISTANCE FROM SAID SUPPORT THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS, MEANS FOR PUSHING SAID OBJETS LENGTHWISE ON SAID SUPPORT IN THE RADIAL DIRECTION OF SAID COMPARTMENTS AWAY FROM SAID AXIS OF ROTATION TO BRING SAID OBJECTS INTO A SINGLE ROW IN ABUTMENT WITH SAID EDGE WALL OF SAID SUPPORT, AND DELIVERY MEANS FOR MOVING SAID OBJECTS AWAY FROM SAID SUPPORT.