Article delivery chute with photosensitive means to prevent stuffing

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE HANDLING CHUTE FOR USE IN AN ELECTRICALLY OPERABLE ARTICLE STORING AND ISSUING APPARATUS, COMPRISING: (A) WALLS FORMING AN UNOBSTRUCTED ARTICLE DELIVERY CHUTE WHEREBY ARTICLES CAN ENTER ONE END AND UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS OF OPERATION PASS THERETHROUGH UNDETERRED, SAID CHUTE HAVING (A) AN ARTICLE RECEIVING OPENING FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES FROM SAID ISSUING APPARATUS, AND (B) AN ARTICLE DELIVERY OPENING SPACED FROM SAID RECEIVING OPENING AND TO WHICH ARTICLES FROM SAID ISSUING APPARATUS ARE GUIDED BY SAID CHUTE; (B) A FIRST ARTICLE SENSING MEANS IN SAID CHUTE BETWEEN SAID RECEIVING AND DELIVERY OPENINGS AND COMPRISING, (A) A SOURCE OF RADIANT ENERGY (B) MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID RADIANT ENERGY IN A BEAM TRANSVERSING THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHUTE IN PLURAL PATHS FOR SENSING AN ARTICLE AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID CHUTE, SAID PLURAL PATHS OF SAID BEAM BEING SEPARATED BY LESS THAN THE SMALLEST MAJOR DIMENSION OF THE ARTICLE PASSING THERETHROUGH WHEREBY THE ARTICLE CANNOT PASS THROUGH SAID CHUTE WITHOUT INTERCEPTING THE BEAM (C) MEANS TO RECEIVE SAID RADIANT ENERGY, (D) A FIRST SWITCH, AND (E) FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH THE MEANS TO RECEIVE SAID RADIANT ENERGY OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID FIRST SWITCH TO ONE CONDITION IN RESPONSE TO RECEIPT OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY BY SAID RECEIVING MEANS, AND OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID SWITCH TO ANOTHER CONDITION IN RESPONSE TO FLUCTUATION IN SAID RADIANT ENERGY WHEREBY CONTROL OF ASSOCIATED APPARATUS CAN BE EFFECTED; (C) A SECOND ARTICLE SENSING MEANS ON SAID CHUTE BETWEEN SAID RECEIVING OPENING AND SAID FIRST ARTICLE SENSING MEANS TO DETECT FOREIGN MATTER IN SAID CHUTE BETWEEN SAID FIRST ARTICLE SENSING MEANS AND SAID RECEIVING OPENING WHICH COULD PREVENT AN ARTICLE FROM PASSING THROUGH SAID FIRST ARTICLE SENSING MEANS AFTER BEING ISSUED BY THE ISSUING APPARATUS, SAID SECOND ARTICLES SENSING MEANS COMPRISING, (A) MEANS FORMING AT LEAST ONE BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY DIRECTED ACROSS SAID CHUTE FROM ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER, (B) MEANS TO RECEIVE EACH SAID BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY, (C) A SECOND SWITCH, AND (D) SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH EACH OF THE MEANS TO RECEIVE EACH SAID BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID SECOND SWITCH TO ONE CONDITION IN RESPONSE TO RECEIPT OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY BY SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID SECOND SWITCH TO ANOTHER CONDITION IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED INTERRUPTION OF SAID BEAM WHEREBY OPERATION OF THE ISSUING APPARATUS MAY BE PREVENTED.