Apparatus for vending cylindrical articles

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR VENDING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES COMPRISING: (A) A HOPPER HAVING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS SPACED APART A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF A SAID OBJECT AND BEING OPEN AT THE FRONT AND BACK THEREOF FOR FILLINGH AND EMPTYING THEREOF; (B) A LOCKABLE CASING FOR SECURING SAID HOPPER; (C) PAIRS OF STRUCK OUT SHELF MEMBERS LOCATED IN OPPOSITION TO ONE ANOTHER IN SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING AT LEAST PARTIALLY INTO SAID HOPPER, SAID MEMBERS BEING ANGLED DOWNWARDLY FROM FRONT TO BACK OF SAID HOPPER AND BEING IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO ADJACENT SAID PAIRS SEPARATED BY A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ARTICLES FOR SUPPORTING SAID ARTICLES THEREON; (D) SLOTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SIDE WALLS AT AN INCLINATION BETWEEN THE VERTICAL AND SAID DOWNWARDLY ANGLED SHELF MEMBERS; (E) A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL ROD MEMBERS, ONE FOR EACH SAID SHELF, SAID ROD MEMBERS POSITIONED ACROSS SAID HOPPER ADJACENT THE LOWER BACK END OF RESPECTIVE SAID SHELF MEMBERS AND PASSING THROUGH SLOTS DEFINED BY SAID OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, SAID SLOTS BEING ORIENTED TO GUIDE SAID ROD MEMBERS FROM AN UPPER FRONT POSITION IN REGISTRATION WITH RESPECTIVE ARTICLES ON SAID SHELF MEMBERS, DOWNWARDLY TO A LOWER BACK POSITION OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH SAID ARTICLES, WHEREBY UPON SAID ROD MEMBERS BEING IN SAID LOWER POSITION SAID ARTICLES WILL ROLL FROM SAID RESPECTIVE SHELF MEMBERS TO FORM A STACK BETWEEN SAID HOPPER AND SAID CASING, AND UPON SAID ROD MEMBERS BEING MOVED TO SAID UPPER POSITION SAID ROD MEMBERS WILL MOVE SAID RSPECTIVE ARTICLES ON SAID SHELF MEMBERS AWAY FROM SAID STACK, THEREBY TO MAINTAIN A LIMITED DEGREE OF SPACING THEREBETWEEN; (F) INTERCONNECTION BARS ADJACENT SAID SLOTS EXTERIORLY OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID BARS LINKING SAID RODS FOR MOVEMENT AS A UNITARY GATE; (G) COIN SLIDE MEANS OPERABLE TO DELIVER A SAID ARTICLE; (H) LEVERS COUPLED TO SAID INTERCONNECTING BARS AND PIVOTING ABOUT A POINT REMOTE THEREFROM ON SAID SIDE WALLS; (I) FURTHER SLOTS FORMED IN SAID SIDE WALLS ALONGSIDE SAID COIN SLIDE; (J) A CROSS BAR CONNECTED TO SAID COIN SLIDE AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FURTHER SLOTS; (K) LINK MEMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID LEVERS INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS AND TO SAID CROSS BAR, THUS TRANSMITTING MOVEMENT OF SAID COIN SLIDE TO SAID LEVER; (L) BEARING PLATES ATTACHED TO SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT SAID COIN SLIDE FOR SUPPORTING THE SAME DURING OPERATION; (M) BEARINGS ATTACHED TO SAID COIN SLIDE FOR CONTACTING SAID BEARING PLATES; (N) AND A DELIVERY MEMBER ON SAID COIN SLIDE FOR ENGAGING A SAID ARTICLE AND MOVING THE SAME FROM SAID HOPPER ON OPERATION OF SAID COIN SLIDE.