US1330073A - Coin-controlled vending-machine - Google Patents

Description

A. D. GROVER. com CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8,1916- Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Jlberi LU. Grover A. DJGROVEFL com CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION H'LED APR.B.1916- Pawnted Feb. 10, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

A. 0. canvas. COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, I916. 1,330,073. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

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A. D. GROVER.

' COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLE D APILB, l9l6.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- N N R JIZbert 12. am e'r, at w w #51 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

ALBERT D.

GEOVER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AUTOSALES CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDINGr-MACHINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Application filed April 8, 1916. Serial No. 89,752.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT. D. Gnovnn, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coinflontrolled Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coin-controlled vending machines and has for its object the provision of a machine of small dimensions.

and large capacity.

V ending machlnes which are adapted for use in, theaters and other places where but little space isavailable, must be of small above and other requirements, in that it is of small outside dimensions, has a coin- .controlled mechanism which is exceedlngly simple in construction and eflicient in operation, and is provided with a goods-magazine which occupies almost the full height of the casing and thereby provides the machine with amaximum capacity.

The various objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a detailed description of the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and which show an embodiment of my invention in. the formin which it is now best known to me.

' show certain parts within the casing.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1, looking from right to left, a portion of the side wall of the casing being broken away to show the gate which normally closes the delivery opening.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a rear view of the machine with the rear wall of the casingbroken away to show the working parts within, the parts being shown in normal position.

Fig. 5-is a vertical cross-sectionapproximately on line 5- -'5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross-section approximately on the broken line 66 of Fig. 4, looking downwardly.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing how the coin is looked against return movement after being carried into the machinea predetermined amount.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the parts shown in full operated position to eject a piece of goods.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section approximately on the broken line 9-9 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view approximately on the broken line l010 of Fig. 8' looking downwardly.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail view showing the ejector and gate in normal position. Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, showmg a piece of goods partly ejected from the magazine withthe gate just opened to allow the goods to pass through.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Figs. 12, with the piece of goods fully ejected, the ejecting lever having partly returned to normal position. Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail view showing how the se ment which supports the goods during the ejecting operation is trippedf by the bottom piece of goods, as the ejecting operation begins, into a position to slide readily beneath the second piece of goods; and r Fig. 15 shows how the ejecting lever is locked against return movement when the magazine is empty.

The closed outer casing of the machine is preferably made in two separable sections, which for the sake of distinction I will designate as a flat section and a box-like section. The flat or rear section'comprises a rear wall 1 having side flanges 2, a top 3 and abottom flange 4. The front or box-like sectioncomprises a front wall 5 provided with a bottom 6 and sides 7 and 8. The two sections of the casing are formedof suitable metal andwhen assembled they fit against each other to constitute a closed casing. The

11 and l sides 7 and 8 of the front or box-like section fitagainst the side flanges 2 and top 3 of the rear or flat section, and the bot-' I tom 6 of the box-like section fits over the lower flange of the flat section. Suitable locking means is provided for holding the sections in locked-relation. The construc- 7 tion of the outer casing may, of course, be varied and I mention the foregoing con- V j ent illustration the magazine is supported struction merely by way of illustration.

Within the casing is supported an upright goods-magazine designated as a whole by M. This magazine s preferably formed of sheet metal and comprlses a mam wall 9,

by the stud 12 near the bottom and by a pair of studs 13 near the top. The stud 12 also performs another function, as will appear later on. Y

I The bottom of the magazine is formed by a plate member 14: which is secured to the frame of the magazine by means of the upwardly turned rear flange 15 and the side piece 16. The flange 15 is fastened to the side wall 10 of the magazine and the side piece 16 is fastened to one of the flanges 11. The bottom plate 14 of the magazine is provided with a laterally and upwardly extending portion 17 which guides the ejected package from the delivery opening 18 at the bottom of the magazine to the discharge opening 19 formed in the side wall 7 of the casing. It will be observed that the discharge opening 18 of the magazine is below the delivery opening 19. The advantage of this construction will be explained later on.

On the side wall 7 is slidably mounted a gate 20 which is held in place by studs 21 extending from the side wall of the casing. The studs 21 extend through slots 22 in the gate. This pin-'and-slot connection also limits the up and down movement of the ate. In its normal position as shown. in-

igs. 1, 2, 4: and 11, the gate20 fully covers the delivery opening 19. The position. of the gate 20 is directly under the control of the ejecting lever 23 which is pivoted on the stud 24 secured to the front wall 5 of the casing. The lever 23 may be referred to as a two-armed lever, havingan upper arm 23 and a lower arm23 the point of pivot 24 being between the two arms. The lever 23 may be provided with an extension 25 to the outer end of which is secured the lower end of a contractile spring 26, the upper endof which is secured to t e pin or stud 27 projec'ting from the side wall 8 of the casing. The spring 26 holds the ejecting lever .23 normally in the position shown in Fig. 1 and returns it to that position after each operation of the machine. Of course, any suit- '011 the front plate 5.

able spring means can be employed to maintain the e ecting mechanism in normal position and automatically restore it to that position after each ejecting operation. It will a be observed from Figs. 5 and 9 that the lever 23 is mounted and operates within the shallow space or chamber formed between terial whether the wall or plate which carries that mechanism constitutes the front 7 or the rear of the casing when secured for operation to a suitable support, such as the back of a theater chair. I

At its lower end the lever 23 is provided with a laterally and rearwardlyextending pin- 28 which projects into the magazine through the rear ,slot29 and lateral slot 30 thereof to push the bottom pieceof goods through the discharge opening 18' and the delivery opening 19 when the lever 23 is operated. The position of the ejected package is shown at PinFigs. 8 and 13. Broadly speaking, the pin 28 may be referred to as an ejecting device operatively connected withthe lever 23;

The lever 23 controls and operates the gate 20 throughthearm 31 pivoted. at 12 The arm31 is at one endprovided with a rearward-extension arranged to engage between the spaced'lugs 33 of the gate 20. The other end of the arm 31 is formed -with an irregularly shaped cam slot consisting of the portions 3%, 35

and 36. From the lever23'extends a pin37 which engages in the cam slot of the arm 31. During the normal position of the parts, as shown in Figs. 4 and 11, the pin 37 of the lever 23 rest-s at the extreme outer end of. the cam slot-that is to say, in the portion 31.

As the slot portion 34 is substantially in. an

are struck up from the pivot point 2a of the lever 23.; the-engagement of the pin 37 in the slot-portion 3 f positively locks the gate 20 in closing position. 'During the initial movement of the lever 23- toward the left. (as viewed in Figs. 4C and 11), there .is nocor responding movement of the gate 20, but as soon as the pin 37 enters the raising slot portion'35, the arm 31 isturnedclockwise (as viewed in Figs/l, 8- and 11),, and the gate 20- is raised to fully uncover the de= livery opening 19. This open position of the gate, with the corresponding position of. the pin' 37 in the cam slot, is shown in Fig.

12. The operation ofthe gate 20 is so timed with respect to the movement of the ejecting lever 23, that the gate is fully opened just as the bottom piece of goods is about to be projected through the delivery opening 19, as Fig. 12 clearly shows. Continued operation-of the ejecting lever 23 from the position shown in Fig. 12, will pushthe bottom package P through the delivery opening 19 until it reaches the position shown in Figs. 8 and 13. The position of the lever 23 at the end of its ejecting movement is shown in Fig. 8. During-the time that the pin 37 passes through the slot portion 36 there is no movement of thearm 31, because the slot portion 36, when the arm 31 is in the position shown in Fig. 12, forms approximately an arc struck up from the pivot point 24 of the lever 23 as a center. The

' slot portion 36 is, therefore, a rest or dwell portion and serves to hold the gate 20 in open position during the final forward movement of the ejecting lever as well as during the initial return movement there-.

of. Fig. 13 shows the lever 23 partially returned to normal position and about to close the gate 20. The gate will, of course, not close until the ejected piece of goods P has been withdrawn from the machine. As soon as the gate 20 is thus released, the spring 26 draws the lever 23 and the connected;

parts backto normal position.

One of the important features of my invention is the means which I have provided for holding the second piece of goods (and, of course, the rest of the stack or column) above the discharge opening 18 of the magazine during the time that the gate 20 is open. .In this way it is impossible to obtain two pieces of goodsfrom one operation of the machine. In'the preferred form of my invention, this supporting means is in the form of a segment 38 mounted on the ejecting pin 28. The normal position of the segment 38 is that shown in Fig. 11. When the ejecting operation begins, the rear edge of the bottom piece of goods strips the segment into the position shown in Fig. 14. A further movement of the lever 23 causes the forward edge 39 of the segment to enter the slot 40 formed in the bottom plate 14 and engage the downwardly bent tongue 41 over which the segment 38 rides and is gradually and easily lifted into engagement with the second piece of goods P as best shown inv [Fig 12. In this way, the second piece of goods, and all those above it, are supported out of alinement with the discharge opening of the magazine during the ejecting operation of the lever 23. It is, therefore, absolutely impossible to withdraw the second piece of goods, even should the gate 20 be held open by some instrument after the previously ejected piece had been withdrawn. If we imagined the ejected piece P withdrawn, asshown in Fig. 13, and the gate 20 held open by a knife blade or other instrument, the second piece P woulddrop into the dotted-line position P, indicated in Fig. 12. It willbe clear-from that figure that the package P is firmly wedged or locked against withdrawal bythe extension 17 0f the bottom plate 14, the supporting segment'38 and the upper edge of the discharge opening 18'of the magazine. It will thus be seen that :the supporting segment 38 positively prevents the withdrawal of more than one piece of goods at each operation of the .machine. When the lever 23 begins its return movement, as indicated by the arrow at in Fig. 13, the segment 38 rolls under the goods in the direction. indicated by the arrow 6 in Fig. 13. In thus rolling the segment 38 causes no frictional retard- The movements of the supportingsegment 38 and gate 20 are so timed relatively to each other that the segment is in support ing position ,as long as the gate is open. In other words, the goods are always elevated against attempted withdrawal while the delivery opening 19 is left open by the ate. iifter the ejected package P, has beenwith- It will be seen from Fig. 13 that drawn and the lever 23 allowed to return,

as soon as the pin 37 enters the inclinedvslot portion 35 of the arm 31, the gate 20 begins to descend. The segment 38 remains in supporting position until the pin 37 leaves the slot portion 35 and enters the slot portion 34, but by that time the opening 19 has been closed by the gate 20.

I have provided means to lock the ejecting lever23 against full return movement when the supply of goods in the magazine is exhausted. On top of the stack of goods rests a weight o follower W which has a recess 42 on its underside. After the last package has been ejected and the parts return to normal position, the segment 38 engages in the slot 42 of the weight W and thereby locks the lever 23 with its connected parts against further locked position of the parts is shown in Fig. 15.

If desired, a spring gate 43 may be pivoted at the bottom of the magazine to close the discharge opening 18, as an additional safeguard for the goods. While the goods cannot be removed from the machine except by operation of the ejecting mechanism, quite irrespective of the gate 43, the use of this additional gate prevents the insertion of a sharp-pointed instrun'ient to mutilate the goods. 1 However, the use of the gate 43 is by no means necessary, and I mention it merely as a matter of preference.

movement. T his' I will now describe the coin mechanism by means of which the'ejectinglever 23 is actuated nto ejecting position upon the deposit of a proper coin. To the front plate 5 of, the casmg lssecured a casting or framepiece designated as a whole by F: This frame-piece is held in place by suitablefasteningdevices such as screws or bolts 44 which enter the frame-piece from the inside of the casing, so as to prevent possible The fasteningremoval from the outside. members 44enter the openings 44 of the frame-piece F, as shown in Fig. 1. The

supporting frame-piece F is shallow and so does not project much beyond the front plate 5 of the casing,- as clearly shown in the drawings. On its inner side the frame-piece F is formed with a recess or chamber which forms the coin-passage 45 and in-which the rotatable coin-carrier 46 is joperatively mounted. This coin-carrier comprises a disk having opposite notches 47 which re-' slot 49 through which the pin 48 projects, 7

' as best shown in Fig. 5.

46 is' secured to the inner end of the stud The ,coincarrier 50 which projects through the frame-piece 'F and carries at its outer end a suitable form of finger piece 51.

In a -recessed portion 52 formed in the inner wall of the frame-piece F is movably mounteda latch member 53 provided with a lateral portion 54 which exjtendsinto the coin-chute 45 and is, therefore, in the path of the moving coin. The extension 54 has a beveled edge 55 which the descending coin engages to move the latch member 53 out of obstructing position. After the coin has been carried downwardly in the coin-carrier past the beveled edge 55 of the latch member 53, the coin becomes locked against return movement by the straight edge 56 of the extension 54engaging the edge of the coin. Fig. 7 shows the coin in a position in which it has just been locked against return movement by the member '53. In other words, after the coin has been carried into the machine a predetermined distance, the coin-carrier cannot be rotated reversely, but the forward movement must be completed. The latch member 53 is returned to normal position by a spring '57 mounted in the slot or recess 58 o fthe latch member. The lower endof this spring bears against a fixed lug 59 projecting rearwardly from the front wall 5 of the casing, while the upper end bears against the top of the slot or recess 58.

The operation of the coin-mechanism as so far described will now be clearly understood and maybe briefly summarized as fol lows lVhen a coin is inserted into the coinentrance slot 60, it falls on to the edge of the coin-carrier 46. If neither-cit the coinreceivingnotches 47 happento be in proper position, the coin will rest on the peripheral edge of the coin-disk 46. "When the finger; piece 51 is then rotated clockwise (as-viewed" in Fig. '1 or'counter-clockwise, as viewed from therear of the mach1ne, as;shown 1n Figs. 4" and 8), the coin will drop into one of the'notches 47 andwiil be carried by the disk 46 throughthe coin-passage 45.- The upper wall :61 ot-the coin-passage is so over the inclined edge 55 of latchmember 53'and thereby pushes the latter out of the As rotation-of the coin-carrier coni tinues, the coin is "brought against thepin 4-8- way.

curved as'to retain thedepositeid coin-O in' H the carr er. As the coin descends 1t rides of the ejecting lever 23, whereupon the lat.

ter is rocked-to eject the 'bottompiece of suitable coin box 64 "may be placed atZ-the bottom of the casing to receive the dis charged coins. V ,7

On the stud 65 projecting from the 'front plate 5- of the casing is pivoted the gravity latch 66 which carries at its upper end apin 67 projecting forwardly through the slot 68 in the plate 5 into the path of movement of the extension 54 of the latch slide 55. The latch 66 has a weighted portion 69 which normally holds the pin 67 in position to'engage the lower edge 70 of the extension 54 of the slide 513, as shown in Fig. 8..

The gravity latch 66 is provided with an arm 71 which is engaged by the ejecting lever 23,'when' the latter is'in normal posi tion as shownin Fig. '4. When the gravity latch 66 'is'so held by the lever 23, the pin 67 is out of alinement with the latch slide 53, as shown in Fig. 4. However, assoon as the lever 23' moves out or normal position,

the gravity latch 66 swings into its normal or locking'position to prevent complete downward movement of the latch slide or member 53-. Therefore, should .a coin be gravity latch 66. This occurs before the coin has reached the lockingiposit'ion shown in Fig. 7, so that reverse rotation ofthe coin-carrier is permitted to carry the coin back through'the coin-entranceslot 60 for removal by the intending purchaser. In this way the loss of the deposited coin is prevented when there are no goods in the machine.

The lever 23 is at its upper end provided with a curved extension 72 which has teeth 73- adapted to receive the double-acting pawl 74: pivoted on the stud 75 projecting rearwardly from the front plate 5. The pawl 74: is held in normal position by a suitable spring 76 supported from the pin or stud 77 carried by the front plate 5. The twoway pawl 74 by engaging the teeth 73 prevents the return of the lever 23 until the package of goods has been fully ejected.

I have also shown coin-testing mechanism associated with the coin-carrier. to prevent operation of the lever 23 with magnetic disks and washers. This coin-testing mechanism is mounted in the recess or chamber 78.

formed inthe front wall of the supporting frame-piece F. A plate 7" covers the recess chamber 78. prises a permanent magnet 79 mounted to swing on the pin or stud 80 carried by the frame-piece F. The poles 81 of the magnet are bent to extend through an opening 82 in the frame-piece F approximately flush.

with the front wall of the coin-passage 45, as

best shown in Fig. 6. Atits lower end the magnet, or the frame on which 1t is mounted, J

carries a stop 83 which is normally out .of

alinement with the slot or recess 84 in the 7 toward the left (as viewed in Figs. 4 and latch member 53, as shown in Figs. 4 and 8. When a magnetic disk is deposited and carried past the poles of the magnet, the:

magnetic attraction will swing the magnet 8), and thereby bring the stop 83 into alinement with the slot 8% of the latch member 53. Continued movement ofthe magnetic disk in the coin-carrier will deflect the latch member 53 downwardly "until arrested by the stop 83 engaging in the slot 84. This positively locks the magnetic disk and coincarrier against further movement. However, the coin-carrier may be rotated in the reverse direction to carry the magnetic disk back through the coin-entrance slot whence it may be removed. I j

"To prevent the operation of the machine when a non-magnetic washer is deposited, I provide a pawl 85 pivotally mounted at 1ts lower end in the lug 86 whlch is arranged 1n the chamber 78 of the frame-piece F, as best shown in Fig. 1. At its outer end the pawl 85 extends through an'opening inthe framepiece into the coin-passage 45 so as to be in the path of the moving coin. spring 87 mounted on the stud 88 of the frame-piece F presses the pawl 85 and yieldingly holds it in the path of the coin. When a good coin is in the coin-carrier the pawl 85 is repressed and allows the coin to pass.

However, when a ring or washer is in the The magnetic coin tester oom- I A suitable coin-carrier, the upper end of the pawl 85 snaps into theopening of the ring or washer and thereby locks the same against further entrance into the machine. The head of the pawl is beveled on the underside so that the locked ring or washer may be Withdrawn by rotating the carrier in the reverse direction.

The above described magnetic coin-tester and washer-catcher form no part of my pres ent invention, but are the joint invention ofEarl E. Barber and myself, and formthe subject-matter of the co-pendin Grover and Barber application, Serial No.%62,810, filed April 22, 1918, and the divisional application, Serial No. 58,544, filed October 29,

Although I have herein described and shown a machine of specific construction, I would have it distinctly understood that I do not intend to be limited to the details of construction herein set forth, as it is obvious that the various'features of novelty which characterize my invention may be mechanically carried out in other ways than that set forth by way of illustration.

lever comprising an upper arm and a lower arm and pivoted at a point between its arms to operate in said shallow chamber, an ejecting device connected with the lower arm of said lever to eject the goods from the lower end of said magazine into said delivery opening for removal, a rotatable member mounted on the front wall of said casing on the outside thereof, and a second rotatable member mounted within the casing and operatively connected with said first rotatable member, said second rotatable member being adapted to become operatively connected with the upper arm of said lever, said rota table members and said lever being mounted to operate in planes substantially parallel with the plane of the casing.

2. In a vendmg machine, a shallow and substantially rectangular outer casing provided with a delivery opening in its lower portion, an upright magazine supported within saidcasing and having a discharge openmg at its lower end, there being a shallow space or chamber between said magazine and the front wall of the said casing, a

lever pivoted on the front wall or plate of said casin to operate insaid shallow chamber in a p ane parallel with the plane of the casing, said lever comprising an upper arm and a lower arm between which the lever I is pivoted, an ejecting device connected with i the lower arm of said lever to eject the goods from the lower end of said magazine into 7 said delivery"opening fo'rremoval, and

' hand-operable rotary mechanism mounted on the front plate of said casing for engaging the upper arm of said lever and thereby actuatm the same mto e ecting position, said mec ianism belng rotatable ma plane or planes parallel with the plane of, the casing.

3. In a vending machine, anuprightmagazine for the vend'ible goods, said magazine having a discharge opening at its lower end, a movable member having means for push- I ing the bottom package through said dis- I charge opening,

a segment swingingly I mounted on said member for supporting the stack of oods above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation of; said mem her, and means engaging said segment for automatically swinging -it into supporting position during the ejecting operation of said member.

- 4:. In a vending machine, an upright magazine for the vendible goods, said magazine having a discharge openin at its lower end, a pivoted lever having a ateral pin or extension for engaging the bottom package and pushing the same through said discharge opening, a device movably mounted on said lever and carried thereby, over the bottom of said magazine underneath the stack of goods to support the same above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation of said lever, and means for automatically movingsaid device into supporting position during the ejecting operation of said lever. i I

5, In a vending machine, an upright magazine forthe vendible goods, said magazine having a discharge opening at its lower end,

a pivoted lever having a lateral pin or extension for engaging the bottom package and pushing the same through said discharge opening, a segment swingingly mounted on said pin or extension for supporting the stack of goods above said discharge opening during the ejectingoperation of said lever, and means for automaticallyswingingsaidsegment into supporting positlon during the ejecting operation of said lever. V v V 6. In a vending machine, a'casing having an upright goods-magazine slightly spaced from the front wall thereof, said magazine havmga lateral discharge opening at; its

' lower end and a slot across the lower end of its front wall, a lever pivotally mounted in the'shallo-w space between the front wall of the casing andthe front wall of said magazine, and a transverse extension at; the

lower end of said lever and adapted to sweep 7 "across thebottomof said magazine to push the lowermost package out of said lateral discharge opening, said extension projecting into the magazine through said slot.

7 In a vending machine, a casing having an upright goods-magazine slightly spaced from the front wall thereof, said magazine having a lateral discharge opening at its lower end and a slot across the lower end ofv its front wall, a lever pivotal'ly mounted n the shallow space between the front wall of said discharge opening during the ejecting operation of'said lever.

8. In a vending machine, a casing having an upright goods-magazine slightly spaced from the front wall thereof, said magazine having a lateral discharge opening at its lower end and a slot across the lower end of .its front wall, a lever pivotally mounted in the shallow space between the front wall of the casing'and the front wall of said magazine, a transverse extension at the lower end of said leverand adapted to sweep across the bottom of -said magazine to push the lowermost package out of said lateral discharge opening, said extension projecting into the magazine through said slot, and" a segment pivoted on said extension for supporting the stack of goods above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation of said lever. r

9. In a vending machine, a closed outer casing having a delivery opening in one of its side walls, an upright goods-ma azine having a lateral discharge opening below said delivery opening, means for ejecting the bottom package from said magazine, means for guiding the e ected packageup- .wardly from said discharge openingthrough said delivery opening, andmeans for supporting the goodsin-the magazine above said discharge opening during the ejecting opera-tion, whereby a second piece 'of goods partly withdrawn before the ej'ectingmeans returns to normal position becomes wedged against complete removal between said guiding' and said. supporting means.

10:11! a vending machine, a closed outer casing having-a delivery opening n one .of its side walls, an uprightgoods-magazine havm a lateral discharge open ng below said c'elivery opening, means for ejecting the bottom package from said magazine, and meanswhereby a second piece of" goods removed from its normal position in the maga-' zine before saidfej ecting' means returns to normal position is locked against complete removal,

discharge opening, a segment pivotally mounted on said member'it'or supporting the stack of goods above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation of said mem her, and a weight or follower in said magazine adapted to engage said supporting means and thereby lock said member against full return movement when the magazine is empty.

12. In a vending machine, an outer casing provided with a delivery opening, an upright magazine for containing the vendible goods and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a hand-operable device having means for engaging the bottom package and pushing it part way through said discharge and delivery openings, so that the ejected package remains supported in the delivery opening of the casing until removed, means connected with said device and independent of said ejecting means for supporting the stack of goods above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation, a movable gate for normally closing said delivery opening, and operative connections between said device and said gate for automatically moving said gate into open position during the ejecting movement of said device, said connections being such thatsaid device is held locked in actuated position until the gate is released by the removal of the ejected article.

13. In a vending machine, an outer casing provided with a delivery opening, a movable gate for normally closing said opening, an upright magazine for containing the vendible goods and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a hand-operable device having means for engaging the bottom package and pushing it part way through said discharge and delivery openings, means mounted on said device and independent of said ejecting means for supporting the stack of goods above said discharge opening during the ejecting operation, and operative connections between said device and said gate I F or automatically moving said gate to open position during the ejecting movement of said device, said connections automatically locking said device against return movement while said gate is in open position.

ll. In a vending machine, a shallow and substantially rectangular casing consisting of a flat section and a box-like section separably held together, a magazine supported within said casing for containing a stackof vendible goods, there-being a shallow space or chamber between said magazine and the front wall or plate of said box-like section,

a lever pivoted intermediate its ends on said rront plate to operate in said shallow chamber in a plane parallel with the plane of the casing, an ejecting device connected with one'end of saidlever' for discharging the goods from the lower end of said magazine, andhand-operable rotary mechanism mounted on thefront of said box-like'sectlon and "adapted to be connected with the other end said lever for discharging the goods from the lower end of said magazine, a supplemental casmg secured to the front wall of said main casing, said supplemental casing being provided with a shallow recess, a

member operable in said recess and adapted to be connected with the other end of said lever to operate the same,'and hand-operable means carried by said supplemental casing for operating said member.

16. In a vending machine, a casing having a delivery opening, a movable gate for normally closing said opening, a magazine for the vendible goods, a pivoted lever for ejecting the goods from said magazine, a pivoted arm connected at one end with said gate and having a cam slot at its other end, and a pin projecting from said lever into said cam slot to operate said arm and gate during the movement of said lever, said cam slot being so constructed and arranged that in the normal position of the lever said gate is locked in closed position.

17. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a delivery opening, a movable gate for norm ally closing said delivery opening, a magazine for the vendible goods having a discharge opening, hand-operable mechanism having a member for engaging the goods and ejecting them through said discharge and delivery openings, connections between said mechanism and said gate for moving said gate into open position during the ejecting movement of said mechanism, and means carried by said mechanism and independent of said member for preventing the withdrawal of a second piece of goods while said. gate is open. f

,18. In a vending machine, an upright magazine for containing the vendible goods, means for ejecting the bottom piece of goods from said magazine, a swinging antifriction device movable beneath the goods to support them during the ejecting operation, and meansfor automatically raising said device into supporting posltion during the ejecting operation, I V

19.: In a, vending machine, upright magazine for containing the vendible goods, means for ejecting the bottoinpiece of goods from said magazine, aiswinging antifnction device carried by said meansvand movable beneath the stack of goods t0 1 p i-t hem during the ejecting operation, an means for automatically ragi-singsaid device into suppo1'tingj position dur ng the ej ecting opera- ALBERT I); GR'ov R;

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