Delivery mechanism for vending machines

Claim 1

IN A DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO DISPENSE THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE FROM A SELECTED ONE OF A ROW OF COLUMNS CONTAINING STACKS OF ARTICLES TO BE DISPENSED, AN APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME INCLUDING AN UPPER HORIZONTAL SURFACE EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID ROW OF COLUMNS AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE GUIDE SLITS THEREIN, ONE FOR EACH COLUMN; A PLURALITY OF DELIVERY SLIDES POSITIONED UPON SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACE AND ADAPTED TO RECIPROCATE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE THEREON, ONE OF SAID SLIDES NORMALLY BEING POSITIONED BENEATH EACH OF SAID COLUMNS SO AS TO SUPPORT A STACK OF ARTICLES; A PLURALITY OF GUIDE MEMBERS, ONE AFFIXED TO EACH SLIDE, SAID MEMBERS BEING ACCOMMODATED RESPECTIVELY IN SAID TRANSVERSE SLITS SO AS TO PROJECT DOWNWARDLY BENEATH SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACE; A RECIPROCATING BAR EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID ROW OF COLUMNS AND POSITIONED BENEATH SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACE; A PLURALITY OF COUPLING MEANS ONE OF WHICH IS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS AND EACH ADAPTED UPON ACTUATION TO COUPLE ITS ASSOCIATED DELIVERY SLIDE TO SAID BAR; MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONDITIONING SAID SLIDES AND COUPLING MEANS FOR ACTUATION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SOLENOIDS AND A PLURALITY OF LATCH-RELEASE MECHANISMS CONTROLLED THEREBY, ONE FOR ACTUATING EACH OF SAID COUPLING MEANS; AND MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID BAR IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE WHEREBY THE DELIVERY SLIDE CORRESPONDING TO THE SELECTED COLUMN WILL BE CARRIED ALONG THE PATH OF ITS RESPECTIVE GUIDE SLIT SO AS TO BE MOVED FROM BENEATH ITS STACK OF ARTICLES AND THENCE WILL BE RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL POSITION WHEREBY THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE FROM SAID SELECTED COLUMN WILL BE EJECTED.