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 SEPARATE COLUMNS OF STACKED ARTICLES, SAID MAGAZINE BEING OPEN AT ITS LOWER END TO PERMIT ARTICLES TO BE DELIVERED THEREFROM, A RELEASING MEMBER DISPOSED ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID MAGAZINE AND HAVING A PAIR OF ARTICLE ENGAGING SURFACES DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY BENEATH SAID ARTICLE COLUMNS, SAID RELEASING MEMBER BEING SUPPORTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS FOR ALTERNATELY RAISING AND LOWERING SAID ARTICLE ENGAGING SURFACES TO DELIVER INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES ALTERNATELY FROM SAID COLUMNS, A HOLDING MEMBER DISPOSED ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID MAGAZINE, SAID HOLDING MEMBER HAVING AN ARTICLE ENGAGING SURFACE AND BEING SUPPORTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WHEREBY SAID SURFACE CAN BE POSITIONED BENEATH EITHER OF SAID COLUMNS, SAID HOLDING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID RELEASING MEMBER, MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID RELEASING MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID HOLDING MEMBER IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO MOVEMENTS OF SAID RELEASING MEMBER, SAID LAST NAMED DRIVE MEANS DELAYING REMOVAL OF THE SAID SURFACE OF SAID HOLDING MEMBER FROM BENEATH ONE OF SAID ARTICLE COLUMNS UNTIL SAID RELEASING MEMBER IS MOVED TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE ARTICLE ENGAGING SURFACE THEREOF WHICH IS BENEATH SAID ONE ARTICLE COLUMN IS RAISED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ELEVATION AS SAID HOLDING MEMBER SURFACE WHEREBY THE WEIGHT OF THE ARTICLES IN SAID ONE COLUMN IS TRANSFERRED GENTLY TO SAID RELEASING MEMBER FROM SAID HOLDING MEMBER.