Method and apparatus for manipulating rod shaped articles

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING FILTER SECTIONS AND SIMILAR ROD SHAPED ARTICLES OBTAINED BY SERVING EACH OF A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE RODS OF MULTIPLE UNIT LENGTH WHEREBY EACH ROD YIELDS A ROW OF COAXIAL SECSTIONS, COMPRISING A CONVEYOR HAVING A PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE AND A PLURALITY OF HOLDER MEANS ON SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, SAID HOLDER MEANS FORMING A SINGLE FILE AND EACH ARRANGED TO RECEIVE ONE SECTION OF A ROW AND TO ADVANCE THE ROWS IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY TO THE AXES THEREOF, SAID ROWS BEING RECEIVED IN SELECTED HOLDER MEANS OF SAID CONVEYOR SO THAT EACH PAIR OF CONSECUTIVE ROWS IS SEPARATED BY N-1 EMPTY HOLDER MEANS WHEREIN N IS THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS IN A ROW; SHUFFLING MEANS FOR DISPLACING ALL BUT SAID ONE SECTION OF EACH CONSECUTIVE ROW WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR, WHILE THE SECTIONS REMAIN SUPPORTED BY SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, AND INTO ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OF SAID EMPTY HOLDER MEANS SO THAT THE SECTIONS OF EACH ROW ARE STAGGERED TRANSVERSELY WITH REFERENCE TO EACH OTHER ON SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, SAID SHUFFLING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SHUFFLING MEMBERS ARTICULATELY SECURED TO AND ARRANGED TO MOVE WITH SAID CONVEYOR, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR, EACH OF SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS COMPRISING FORKED PORTIONS HAVING PRONGS CONSITUTING STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND FOR MOVING THE RESPECTIVE SECTION WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR AND INTO REGISTRY WITH AN EMPTY HOLDER MEANS IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF THE SHUFFLING MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE CONVEYOR, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE THE RESPECTIVE SECTIONS COUNTER TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR; AND SHIFTING MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE THUS MOVED SECTIONS OF CONSECUTIVE ROWS INTO ALIGNED EMPTY HOLDER MEANS SO THAT ALL SECTIONS OF EACH CONSECUTIVE ROW FORM ON SAID CONVEYOR A SINGLE FILE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING FILTER SECTIONS AND SIMILAR ROD SHAPED ARTICLES OBTAINED BY SERVING EACH OF A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE RODS OF MULTIPLE UNIT LENGTH WHEREBY EACH ROD YIELDS A ROW OF COAXIAL SECSTIONS, COMPRISING A CONVEYOR HAVING A PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE AND A PLURALITY OF HOLDER MEANS ON SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, SAID HOLDER MEANS FORMING A SINGLE FILE AND EACH ARRANGED TO RECEIVE ONE SECTION OF A ROW AND TO ADVANCE THE ROWS IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY TO THE AXES THEREOF, SAID ROWS BEING RECEIVED IN SELECTED HOLDER MEANS OF SAID CONVEYOR SO THAT EACH PAIR OF CONSECUTIVE ROWS IS SEPARATED BY N-1 EMPTY HOLDER MEANS WHEREIN N IS THE NUMBER OF SECTIONS IN A ROW; SHUFFLING MEANS FOR DISPLACING ALL BUT SAID ONE SECTION OF EACH CONSECUTIVE ROW WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR, WHILE THE SECTIONS REMAIN SUPPORTED BY SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, AND INTO ALIGNMENT WITH ONE OF SAID EMPTY HOLDER MEANS SO THAT THE SECTIONS OF EACH ROW ARE STAGGERED TRANSVERSELY WITH REFERENCE TO EACH OTHER ON SAID PERIPHERAL CONVEYOR FACE, SAID SHUFFLING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SHUFFLING MEMBERS ARTICULATELY SECURED TO AND ARRANGED TO MOVE WITH SAID CONVEYOR, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR, EACH OF SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS COMPRISING FORKED PORTIONS HAVING PRONGS CONSITUTING STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING AND FOR MOVING THE RESPECTIVE SECTION WITH REFERENCE TO SAID CONVEYOR AND INTO REGISTRY WITH AN EMPTY HOLDER MEANS IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF THE SHUFFLING MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE CONVEYOR, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID SHUFFLING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE THE RESPECTIVE SECTIONS COUNTER TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR; AND SHIFTING MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE THUS MOVED SECTIONS OF CONSECUTIVE ROWS INTO ALIGNED EMPTY HOLDER MEANS SO THAT ALL SECTIONS OF EACH CONSECUTIVE ROW FORM ON SAID CONVEYOR A SINGLE FILE.