Vending apparatus with visible spiral ball track

Claim 1

A DISPENSING MACHINE HAVING, IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING HAVING A TRANSPARENT FRONT WALL IN A VERTICAL PLANE, A SPIRAL TRACK MOUNTED TO ROTATE IN A VERTICAL PLANE PARALLEL TO AND BEHIND SAID WALL AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A BALL FOR DESCENT FROM AN ENTRANCE POSITION ADJACENT THE AXIS OF ROTATION TO A RELEASE POSITION AT THE OUTER PERIPHERAL EXTREMITY OF THE TRACK AS THE TRACK ROTATES, AN EXIT OPENING IN SAID FRONT WALL ADJACENT SAID RELEASE POSITION FOR THE EXIT OF A BALL GRAVITATING FROM THE TRACK, A SLIDE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A COIN ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AND MOUNTED ON THE HOUSING TO SHIFT BETWEEN AN OUTER COIN RECEIVING POSITION AND AN INNER COIN DISCHARGE POSITION, A BALL RESERVOIR SUPPORTED IN SAID HOUSING ABOVE SAID AXIS AND HAVING A BOTTOM OPENING, A BALL DELIVERY MEMBER MOUNTED BENEATH SAID RESERVOIR TO RECEIVE A BALL GRAVITATING THROUGH SAID BOTTOM OPENING AND MOVABLE FROM THE OPENING TO SAID ENTRANCE POSITION TO DELIVER THE BALL TO SAID TRACK, A CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID SLIDE AND SAID MEMBER OPERABLE TO SHIFT THE MEMBER TO TRANSFER A BALL TO SAID ENTRANCE POSITION AS AN INCIDENT TO INWARD SHIFTING OF THE SLIDE, MANUALLY OPERABLE TURNING MECHANISM HAVING A HANDLE ON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AND CONNECTED TO SAID SPIRAL FOR TURNING THE SAME TO DELIVER A BALL FROM SAID ENTRANCE POSITION TO SAID RELEASE POSITION, YIELDABLE MEANS URGING SAID SLIDE OUTWARDLY, A RELEASABLE LOCK MECHANISM RENDERED EFFECTIVE AS AN INCIDENT TO MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE TO ITS INNER POSITION AND OPERABLE TO HOLD THE SLIDE IN SUCH POSITION, SAID TURNING MECAHANISM HAVING A CONNECTION WITH SAID LOCK MECHANISM FOR RELEASING THE SLIDE AS AN INCIDENT TO AND NEAR THE END OF TURNING OF SAID SPIRAL TO DELIVER A BALL TO SAID RELEASE POSITION, AND A SECOND RELEASABLE LOCK MECHANISM NORMALLY OPERABLE TO PREVENT ACTUATION OF SAID TURNING MECAHANISM BUT CONNECTED TO SAID SLIDE FOR RELEASE OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM TO PERMIT ACTUATION OF THE TURNING MECHANISIM WHEN THE SLIDE HAS BEEN SHIFTED INWARDLY FROM ITS OUTERMOST POSITION AND FOR ACTUATING THE MECHANISM TO LOCK THE SPIRAL AFTER IT HAS TURNED THROUGH A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF REVOLUTIONS.