Machine for vending stamps and the like articles

Claim 1

A DISPENSING MACHINE COMPRISING A SUPPORT HAVING A HORIZONTAL WALL AND A FRONT WALL EXTENDING DOWN THEREFROM, A CHUTE MOUNTED ON THE HORIZONTAL WALL, EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A STACK OF ARTICLES TO BE DISPENSED ONE AT A TIME, A FRONT WALL AT THE FRONT OF THE CHUTE AND THE HORIZONTAL WALL FORMING A SLOT AT ITS LOWER END THROUGH WHICH THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE IN THE CHUTE MAY BE EJECTED, AN EJECTOR SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HORIZONTAL WALL, IN THE PLANE OF SAID SLOT, AND HAVING ITS FORNT END NORMALLY PROJECTING FORWARDLY INTO SAID CHUTE, SO THAT THE STACK OF ARTICLES IN THE CHUTE RESTS ON SAID EJECTOR AND ABOVE SAID SLOT, MANUAL CONTROLLED MEANS FOR RETRACTING THE EJECTOR TO PERMIT THE ARTICLES IN THE CHUTE TO DROP ONTO SAID HORIZONTAL WALL AND TO MOVE THE EJECTOR FORWARDLY TO MOVE THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE IN THE CHUTE THROUGH SAID SLOT, A SPRING ATTACHED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE FRONT WALL OF THE CHUTE AND THE LOWER FREE END OF THE SPRING OVERLYING AND COVERING SAID SLOT, WHEREBY SAID SPRING IS FLEXED WHEN AN ARTICLE IS EJECTED THROUGH SAID SLOT, SAID MANUALLY CONTROLLED MEANS COMPRISING AN OPERATING LEVER PIVOTED WITHIN THE SUPPORT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND HAVING A HANDLE PORTION PROJECTING THROUGH A VERTICAL SLOT IN THE FRONT WALL OF THE SUPPORT, A FIRST MEMBER PIVOTED WITHIN THE SUPPORT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS PARALLEL