Tobacco manipulating machines

Claim 1

A TOBACCO MANIPULATING MACHINE COMPRISING FEEDING MEANS TO FEED TOBACCO TO FORM A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO FILLER ROD, AN AIR PERVIOUS CONVEYOR TO CONVEY THE FILLER ROD LENGTHWISE, OPPOSED SIDE WALLS BETWEEN WHICH THE FILLER ROD IS CONVEYED BY THE CONVEYOR, MEANS TO PASS AIR INTO AND THROUGH THE FILLER ROD AND THE CONVEYOR IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE LENGTHWISE DIRECTION OF THE FILLER ROD, WHILE THE LATTER IS MOVING THROUGH THE MACHINE, THE OPPOSED SIDE WALLS COOPERATING WITH THE CONVEYOR TO CONFINE THE FILLER ROD LATERALLY AROUND PART OF ITS PERIPHERY, THE WALLS DEFINING A FLOW PATH FOR THE AIR FROM THE SIDE OPPOSITE TO THAT CONSTITUTED BY THE AIR PERVIOUS CONVEYOR, WHEREBY THE WHOLE CROSS-SECTION OF THE FILLER ROD IS TRAVERSED BY THE AIR, DETECTOR MEANS TO DETECT VARIATIONS IN THE UNIFORMITY OF THE MOVING FILLER ROD, THE DETECTOR MEANS COMPRISING MEANS TO DETECT VARIATIONS IN A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE AIR FLOW, WHICH VARIATIONS RESULT FROM DIFFERENCES IN THE RESISTANCE TO THE PASSAGE OF AIR THROUGH THE FILLER ROD AT DIFFERENT POSITIONS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE MOVING FILLER ROD, A TRIMMING DEVICE POSITIONED TO REMOVE SURPLUS TOBACCO FROM THE FILLER ROD, AND MEANS TO VARY THE OPERATION OF THE TRIMMING DEVICE SO AS TO CAUSE IT TO REDUCE VARIATIONS IN UNIFORMITY OF THE TRIMMED FILLER ROD, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AND ACTUATED BY THE SAID DETECTOR-MEANS.