Abstract: A conveyor for testing successive plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers' products having non-circular (such as oval) cross-sectional outlines employs a rotary drum-shaped conveyor for sidewise transport of smokers' products toward, through and beyond a station where the products are tested by streams of a gaseous fluid entering the products at one axial end and issuing from satisfactory products at the other axial end. The end portions of the products are sealingly received in complementary sockets of elastically deformable sealing sleeves which are connected to their tubular fluid-conveying carriers in a manner to ensure that each sleeve remains in a selected position for optimum testing of the products.

Abstract: A running strip of cigarette paper or the like is provided with printed matter by the profiled peripheral surface of a printing roller which receives ink from one of several rollers including a pair of transfer rollers defining a nip which receives ink from an adjustable nozzle. The latter is movable back and forth longitudinally of the nip by an electric or other suitable motor receiving signals from a programmed control unit by way of an amplifier. The control unit regulates the speed of the nozzle and hence the distribution on, and the rate of delivery of printing ink to, the peripheral surface of the printing roller.

Abstract: Plain oval cigarettes which issue from a maker in such orientation that the minor axes of their oval cross-sectional outlines extend vertically are advanced lengthwise in the spiral groove of a trough toward an outlet where the major axes of their oval cross-sectional outlines extend vertically. The thus reoriented oval cigarettes are attracted to the undersides of receptacles which are pivotably mounted on a rotary carrier and deliver the cigarettes, without any further changes in the orientation of the major and minor axes of their cross-sectional outlines, to successive peripheral flutes of a rotary drum-shaped conveyor which transports the cigarettes in such a way that the minor axes of their oval cross-sectional outlines extend radially of the rotational axis of the drum-shaped conveyor. This ensures that the oval cigarettes are more reliably held in their flutes during advancement with the drum-shaped conveyor.