Mechanism for vending articles from inclined support

Claim 1

A VENDING MACHINE COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF INCLINED, ELONGATED SUPPORT STRUCTURES EACH DISPOSED FOR SUPPORTING A NUMBER OF ARTICLES IN A LINE THEREON; DISPENSING MEANS AT THE LOWERMOST END OF EACH SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR RELEASING THE LOWERMOST ARTICLE FROM A SUPPORT STRUCTURE EACH TIME THE RESPECTIVE DISPENSING MEANS IS ACTUATED AND AS THE REMAINING ARTICLES ON THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE MOVE TOWARD THE LOWERMOST END THEREOF; ELONGATED ACTUATING MEANS MOUNTED ON EACH OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR RECIPROCATION LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND OPERABLY COUPLED TO A RESPECTIVE DISPENSING MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE LATTER TO DISPENSE SAID LOWERMOST ARTICLE FROM ONE OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURES AS THE ACTUATING MEANS MOUNTED THEREON IS RECIPROCATED; SHIFTABLE DRIVE MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID DISPENSING MEANS AND DISPOSED TO BE SELECTIVELY ENGAGED BY ANY ONE OF SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE LATTER IN RESPONSE TO SHIFTING OF SAID DRIVE MEANS; POWER MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID DRIVE MEANS; AND CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING COIN RESPONSIVE MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING SELECTIVE COUPLING OF ONE OF THE ACTUATING MEANS TO SAID DRIVE MEANS AND FOR ACTUATING SAID POWER MEANS ONLY AFTER DEPOSIT FOR PROPER COINAGE IN SAID MECHANISM.