Vending and temperature modification device

Claim 1

A BEVERAGE VENDING AND TEMPERATURE MODIFICATION DEVICE COMPRISING A HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING STRUCTURE FOR MOUNTING A PLURALITY OF BEVERAGE-RELATED PACKAGES OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE AND SHAPE IN STAKCED RELATION THEREIN, A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE THEIR LENGTH IN SAID HOUSING AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF AND ADJACENT SAID STRUCTURE MOUNTING EACH STACK OF THE PACKAGES, A RESILIENT BLOCK MOUNTED ON THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF ARMS ADAPTED TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE A LOWER PORTION OF THE STACK OF PACKAGES FO THE SUPPORT OF THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE STACK OF PACKAGES, A PAIR OF ADDITIONALLY GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE THEIR LENGTH ON SAID HOUSING AND CLOSELY PARALLEL EACH OTHER AT SAID OPPOSITE ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID STACK MOUNTING STRUCTURE, A SHOE ON THE LOWER END PORTION OF EACH OF SAID PAIR OF ADDITIONAL ARMS NORMALLY UNDERLYING AND SUPPORTING ALL OF THE PACKAGES IN THE STACK, ABUTMENT MEANS ON THE UPPER ENDS OF ALL OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MENTIONED ARMS. COIN-RESPONSIVE MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING THE RELEASE OF PACKAGES FROM SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR EACH STACK, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A MOVABLE OPERATING ROD, FIRST MEANS ON SAID OPERATING ROD OPERATIVE WHEN SAID ROD IS INITIALLY MOVED TO ENGGE WITH THE ABUTMENT MEANS ON SAID PLURALITY OF ARMS TO MOVE THE RESILIENT BLOCKS THEREON TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE SIDES OF A LOWER PORTION OF THE STACK OF PACKAGES FOR THE SUPPORT OF SAID MAJOR PORTION THEREOF, SECOND MEANS ON SAID OPERATING ROD OPRATIVE FOR CAUSING A COIN WHEN PLACED THEREAGAINST TO SEQUENTIALLY PIVOT SAID ADDITIONAL PAIR OF ARMS DURING FURTHER MOVEMENT OF SAID ROD TO WITHDRAW SAID SHOES THEREON FROM SUPPORTING POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE LOWERMOST PORTION OF THE STACK OF PACKAGES FOR RELEASE THEREOF FROM THE STACK AND HOUSING, SPRING MEANS OPERATIVE TO RETURN SAID MOVABLE OPERATING ROD AND SAID PAIR OF ARMS TO THEIR INITIAL POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE STACK-MOUNTING STRUCTURE AFTER RELEASE OF THE LOWERMOST PORTION OF THE STACK, SAID HOUSING HAVING COMPONENT WALL MEANS FORMING SUPPORT MEANS FOR LIQUID SUPPLY CONTAINERS THEREON, SAID SUPPORT MEANS OF SAID HOUSING COMPONENT WALL MEANS HAVING TEMPERATURE-MODIFYING MEANS SUPPORTED THEREBY FOR MODIFYING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LIQUID SUPPLY CONTAINERS, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF HEATING ENERGY TO SAID TEMPERATURE-MODIFYING MEANS, EACH OF THE PACKAGES SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING BEING FUNCTIONALLY RELATED TO THE LIQUID OF SAID LIQUID CONTAINERS FOR ULTIMATE INTIMATE ASSOCIATION THEREWITH..