Apparatus for the production of filter cigarettes and the like

Claim 1

AN AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROD-SHAPED SMOKERS'' ARTICLES OF DOUBLE UNIT LENGTH HAVING MULTIPLEX MOUTHPIECES OF DOUBLE UNIT LENGTH AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED TOBACCO-CONTAINING STICKS, A PAIR OF ROD-SHAPED FILTER ELEMENTS OF A FIRST TYPE AND OF UNIT LENGTH AXIALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND LOCATED BETWEEN THE STICKS, A ROD-SHAPED FILTER OF A SECOND TYPE AND OF DOUBLE UNIT LENGTH LOCATED BETWEEN THE FILTER ELEMENTS, AND A SINGLE TUBULAR WRAPPER CONSTITUTING THE SOLE MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE FILTER ELEMENTS TO THE FILTER AND TO THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE STICKS, IN COMBINATION, SEPARATE SOURCE OF FILTERS, ADHESIVE-COATED WRAPPERS AND PAIRS OF STICKS; A SEPARATE SOURCE OF FILTER ELEMENT RODS OF MULTIPLE UNIT LENGTH; MEANS FOR SUBDIVIDING EACH MULTIPLE LENGTH ROD INTO SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF FILTER ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF FILTER ELEMENTS BEING AXIALLY ALIGNED AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER; CONVEYOR MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF EQUIDISTANT PARALLEL HOLDING MEANS AND ARRANGED TO ADVANCE SUCH HOLDING MEANS SIDEWAYS; MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID FILTERS, SAID PAIRS OF FILTER ELEMENTS AND SAID PAIRS OF STICKS INTO CONSECUTIVE HOLDING MEANS OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE THUS FED ROD-SHAPED PARTS ADVANCE ONLY SIDEWAYS ALL THE WAY FROM THE RESPECTIVE SOURCES, INTO, AND ALSO WITH THE RESPECTIVE HOLDING MEANS TO FORM IN EACH HOLDING MEANS AN UNCONNECTED ASSEMBLY OF A FILTER, A PAIR OF FILTER ELEMENTS AND A PAIR OF STICKS; MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID SINGLE WRAPPER EACH TO CONSECUTIVE HOLDING MEANS; AND MEANS FOR CONVOLUTING SUCH WRAPPERS AROUND THE FILTERS, FILTER ELEMENTS AND STICKS IN THE RESPECTIVE HOLDING MEANS.