Patent ID: 7279656

Claim:
An apparatus for perforating tubular envelopes of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising: an at least substantially drum-shaped carrier rotatable about a predetermined axis and having a peripheral portion arranged to support a plurality of articles for sidewise movement about said axis; means for directing at least one beam of radiation in a first direction at least substantially radially outwardly of and away from said axis, the at least one beam of radiation being adapted to perforate the envelopes of articles borne by said carrier; first deflecting means arranged to change the orientation of the directed beam at a location radially outwardly of said peripheral portion in a second direction at least substantially parallel to said axis and radially outwardly of adjacent successive articles at the peripheral portion of said carrier; second deflecting means arranged to change the orientation of the beam from said second direction into a third direction at least substantially toward said axis and against the envelopes of articles borne by said peripheral portion; and means for influencing the at least one beam so that the beam impinges upon said directing means while advancing at least substantially at right angles to said axis, wherein said influencing means comprises at least one stationary cylinder lens arranged to focus the at least one beam upon a line coinciding at least substantially with said predetermined axis.