Cigarette weight controller

Claim 1

IN A CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING MACHINE, A SUCTION WHEEL, HAVING A HOLLOW CENTRAL SHAFT DEFINING ITS CENTRAL AXIS AND A PERIPHERAL GROOVE PERMEABLE TO AIR FOR CONVEYING TOBACCO THROUGH WHICH SUCTION IS APPLIED FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID WHEEL, SAID PERIPHERAL GROOVE HAVING AT LEAST ONE SIDE DEFINED BY AN ANNULAR EDGE, AN ANNULAR FLANGE ELEMENT, SAID ANNULAR EDGE BEING CARRIED BY SAID FLANGE ELEMENT, A SUPPORTING ELEMENT INTEGRAL AND ROTATABLE WITH SAID SUCTION WHEEL, SAID FLANGE ELEMENT BEING MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT AND AXIALLY SLIDABLE THEREON RELATIVE TO SAID WHEEL, MEANS FOR DETECTING VARIATIONS IN THE WEIGHT OF CIGARETTES PRODUCED BY SAID MACHINE AND FOR CREATING A SIGNAL INDICATIVE THEREOF, MOTOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL, AND MEANS COUPLING SAID FLANGE ELEMENT TO SAID MOTOR MEANS THEREBY TO SHIFT SAID ANNULAR EDGE AXIALLY OF SAID WHEEL SO AS TO VARY THE WIDTH OF SAID PERIPHERAL GROOVE IN RESPONSE TO SAID SIGNAL.