Apparatus for feeding stubs

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING RODLIKE ARTICLES COMPRISING A GUIDE MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGE, A CONDUIT THROUGH WHICH RODLIKE ARTICLES ARE FED LENGTHWISE AND IN LINE BY AIR FLOWING THERETHROUGH AND CONNECTED TO THE GUIDE MEANS SO THAT EACH SUCCESSIVE FOREMOST ARTICLE IS EJECTED FROM THE PASSAGE BY THE AIR, A STOP MEMBER IN LINE WITH THE PASSAGE TO ARREST THE LENGTHWISE MOTION OF THE FOREMOST ARTICLE AND SPACED MORE THAN THE LENGTH OF THE ARTICLE FROM THE PASSAGE, SUPPORT MEANS FOR THE ARTICLE LOCATED BETWEEN THE PASSAGE AND THE STOP MEANS, A CONVEYOR, THE CONVEYOR HAVING CHANNELS ARRANGED ATHWART ITS DIRECTION OF MOTION, THE CONVEYOR BEING LOCATED IN RELATION TO THE LINE OF TRAVEL OF THE ARTICLES HAVING THE PASSAGE SO THAT ITS CHANNELS ARE PARALLEL WITH THE ARTICLES AND ALWAYS LATERALLY DISPLACED THEREFROM, A PUSHER MEMBER, FIRST OPERATING MEANS FOR THR PUSHER MEMBER TO MOVE IT IN ALTERNATION BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE PUSHER MEMBER MOVES INTO THE LINE OF THE ARTICLES TO PUSH THE FOREMOST ARTICLE LATERALLY OUT OF THE LINE OF ARTICLES TO BE RECEIVED IN A CHANNEL OF THE CONVEYOR, AND A RETRACTED POSITION IN WHICH THE PUSHER MEMBER IS WITHDRAWN OUT OF THE LINE OF THE ARTICLES.