Apparatus for imparting combined sidewise and rotary movements to receptacles for rod-shaped smokers' products

Abstract

Apparatus for imparting rotary and sidewise movements to receptacles for cigarettes has a rotary conveyor carrying pairs of levers pivotable about discrete axes which are parallel to and surround the axis of the conveyor. One lever of each pair is pivotable about the respective discrete axis relative to the conveyor under the action of a stationary cam which is tracked by a follower on the lever, and each pair of levers carries two shafts for a receptacle. The shafts are caused to turn the respective receptacles through at least 360.degree. while the receptacles are located at a perforating station where the wrappers of the cigarettes therein are perforated by a stationary laser; at such time, the cam causes the corresponding pair of levers to pivot their receptacles counter to the direction of rotation of the conveyor so that the cigarettes are held against orbital movement while the respective receptacles are being rotated by gear trains installed in selected levers and receiving motion from pivots for such levers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.