Method and apparatus for testing rod shaped articles

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR DETECTING DEFECTS IN CIGARETTES AND SIMILAR ELONGATED ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES OF THE TYPE HAVING COMPRESSIBLE END PORTIONS, COMPRISING A TESTING UNIT; A CLASSIFYING UNIT, CONVEYOR MEANS MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID TESTING AND CLASSIFYING UNITS FOR CONVEYING SAID ARTICLES SIDEWAYS IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE AND IN A PATH EXTENDING ALONG SAID TESTING UNIT AND THENCE ALONG SAID CLASSIFYING UNIT, SAID TESTING UNIT INCLUDING STRESSING MEANS FOR EXERTING A PREDETERMINED STRESS ON AN END PORTION OF EACH ONE OF SAID ARTICLES, SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE RESISTANCE OF SAID ARTICLES TO THE STRESSES EXERTED DURING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SENSING MEANS, AND MOVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SENSING MEANS FROM A POSITION LOCATED OUTSIDE OF SAID PATH TO A POSITION LOCATED IN SAID PATH AND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE END PORTIONS OF CONSECUTIVE ARTICLES IN SAID PATH, AND AGAIN TO A POSITION OUTSIDE OF SAID PATH; AND SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SENSING MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL RESPONSIVE TO DETECTION BY SAID SENSING MEANS OF