Article dispensing mechanism

Claim 1

IN A MULTI-COLUMN VENDING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF DISPENSING MECHANISMS EACH HAVING A FINGER FOR EFFECTING OPERATION THEREOF, A LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE SELECTOR BAR HAVING A PLURALITY OF TABS ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH THE FINGERS OF SUCCESSIVE DISPENSING MECHANISMS UPON SUCCESSIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTS OF THE SELECTOR BAR, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID SELECTOR BAR TRANSVERSELY THEREOF AND THEREBY ACTUATING THE DISPENSING MECHANISM WHOSE FINGER IS IN REGISTRY WITH A TAB ON SAID SELECTOR BAR, AND MECHANISM FOR MOVING SAID SELECTOR BAR LONGITUDINALLY FROM ONE OF SAID POSITIONS TO THE NEXT UPON SUCH TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MECHANISM COMPRISING A RATCHET PAWL PIVOTED ON A STATIONARY STRUCTURE AND TWO SETS OF RATCHET TEETH WHICH ARE ENGAGED SUCCESSIVELY BY SAID PAWL UPON THE MENTIONED TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT TO EFFECT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE SELECTOR BAR, ONE SET OF SUCH RATCHET TEETH EFFECTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION AND THE OTHER SET EFFECTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.