Abstract: To replenish containers that are relatively inacessible and/or perform advancing or oscillating movements with thin, cut-to-size wire pieces, such as lead-in wires to be filled into hoppers of stem making machines for electric light sources related to the rate of depletion of the wires, the wires are charged in this replenishing apparatus into storage containers e.g. hoppers, which are temporarily stationary and remote from their actual working positions, and the depleted storage containers are replaced at predetermined intervals with the thus charged full containers.

Abstract: The invention concerns monitoring of stems of electrical light sources during manufacture. Each stem is positioned or passes between two nozzles blowing compressed air in a direction where a hole in the pinch should be. The parallel axes of symmetry of the nozzles are arranged in a common plane, to intercept at an angle of or less than 180.degree., there being an angle of at most 85.degree. between the common plane and a reference plane that is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the stem. A flow-sensing device is disposed above the nozzles. Flow of compressed air detected by the device is indicative of stem quality, that is the presence of a hole on at least one side of the pinch and, is thus used to separate satisfactory stems from unsatisfactory ones.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device for maintaining the relative phase shift between an endless conveyor and a rotary or rotatingly indexing table and/or additional conveyors attached thereto, wherein the endless conveyor has a fixedly journalled drive wheel and a displaceably journalled tensioning wheel, process tools e.g. holders, jaws and similar fixtures being attached to the conveyor at equal spacing along its length and being associated with the rotary or indexing tables and/or additional conveyors elements driven synchronously, by means of a common drive, with the conveyor, the drive shafts of the table(s) and/or additional conveyors being linked by a shaft coupling, consisting of an axially fixed sleeve and an axially movable sleeve, the sleeves having complementary helicoidal bearing surfaces with a predetermined pitch of thread, and a transmission, a predetermined transmission ratio connecting the displaceably guided bearing of the sprocket wheel and the axially movable sleeves of the shaft coupling.