Apparatus for dispensing articles alternately from two adjacent columns

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR DISPENSING ELONGATED ARTICLES OF GENERALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION, A MAGAZINE FOR STORING AT LEAST TWO COLUMNS OF STACKED ARTICLES, SAID MAGAZINE BEING OPEN AT ITS LOWER TO PERMIT ARTICLES TO BE DELIVERED THEREFROM, AND MECHANISM POSITIONED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID MAGAZINE FOR RELEASING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES ALTERNATELY FROM SAID COLUMNS, SAID MECHANISM INCLUDING THREE ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS, TWO OF SAID ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY BENEATH SAID COLUMNS, MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY RAISING AND LOWERING SAID TWO ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID TWO ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED WHEN RAISED TO PREVENT THE DELIVERY OF AN ARTICLE FROM THE ARTICLE COLUMN ABOVE THAT MEMBER AND WHEN LOWERED TO PERMIT THE DELIVERY OF AN ARTICLE FROM THE ARTICLE COLUMN ABOVE THAT MEMBER, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS EFFECTING RAISING AND LOWERING OF SAID TWO ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS ALTERNATING SEQUENCE TO RELEASE ARTICLES ALTERNATELY FROM SAID CLOUMNS, THE THIRD OF SAID ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS BEING SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT FROM A POSITION BENEATH ONE OF SAID COLUMNS TO A POSITION BENEATH THE OTHER OF SAID COLUMNS, SAID THIRD ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID OTHER MEMBERS, AND DRIVE MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID THIRD MEMBER WITH SAID FIRST TWO MEMBERS FOR ALTERNATELY MOVING SAID THIRD MEMBER FROM ITS POSITION BENEATH ONE OF SAID CLOUMNS TO ITS POSITION BENEATH THE OTHER OF SAID COLUMNS IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO MOVEMENTS OF SAID FIRST TWO MEMBERS, SAID DRIVE MEANS DELAYING REMOVAL OF SAID THIRD MEMBER FROM BENEATH ONE ARTICLE COLUMN UNTIL THE ONE OF SAID FIRST TWO MEMBERS WHICH IS BENEATH SAID ONE COLUMN IS RAISED TO ENGAGE THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE SUPPORTED BY SAID THRID MEMBER, THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE ARTICLES IN SAID ONE COLUMN IS TRANSFERRED GENTLY TO SAID ONE MEMBER FROM SAID THIRD MEMBER.