Dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEQUENTIALLY POSITIONING EACH OF A PLURALITY OF FLAT ELEMENTS AT AN OPERATIVE POSITION, COMPRISING: A FRAME; A PLATEN RECIPROCABLE ON THE FRAME TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; MEANS ON THE FRAME FOR SUPPORTING A STACK OF SAID ELEMENTS WITH THE LOWERMOST ELEMENT IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PLATEN; A PUSHER CARRIED AND PROJECTABLE ABOVE THE PLATEN FOR ENGAGING THE REAR END OF SAID LOWERMOST ELEMENT AS THE PLATEN IS ADVANCED TOWARDS SAID POSITION AND FOR PUSHING SAID ELEMENT FORWARD FROM THE STACK; AN ARM PIVOTED TO THE PLATEN AND NORMALLY UNDERLYING A FORWARD PORTION OF SAID ELEMENT AS IT IS BEING PUSHED TOWARD SAID POSITION; A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED FRAME SURFACE AT SAID OPERATIVE POSITION DISPOSED ABOVE SAID ARM WHEN SAID PLATEN IS IN SAID POSITION FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID ARM TO HOLD AN ELEMENT THEREBETWEEN; MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE FRAME ADJACENT SAID OPERATIVE POSITION AND CAMMINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ARM AS THE PLATEN REACHES SAID POSITION FOR ROTATING THE ARM TO A POSITION ABOVE SAID PLATEN AND RAISING THE OVERLYING ELEMENT UPWARDLY AGAINST SAID FRAME SURFACE AT SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; MEANS ROTATING SAID ARM FROM SAID POSITION ABOVE SAID PLATEN TO SAID NORMAL POSITION AS THE PLATEN RECEDES FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREBY SAID ELEMENT IS RELEASED; DISCHARGE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT SAID POSITION FOR RECEIVING THE RELEASED ELEMENTS; AND MEANS FOR CYCLICALLY RECIPROCATING THE PLATEN.