Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSING STACKED ARTICLES COMPRISING: VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER WALL MEANS, SAID UPPER WALL MEANS HAVING AN OPENING FORMED THEREIN; GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID ARTICLES ONTO A SUPPORT SURFACE THEREFOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING POST MEMBERS EACH HAVING A HORIZONTAL MOUNTING SURFACE AND SIDE DEFINING AN ELONGATED CONTINUOUS SURFACE AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID MOUNTING SURFACE OF SAID POST MEMBERS TO THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID UPPER WALL MEANS AT SPACED INTERVALS AROUND SAID OPENING, SAID POST MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED WITH SAID SIDES RESPECTIVELY SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIMETER OF SAID OPENING AND WITH A PORTION OF EACH OF SAID POST MEMBERS OVERHANGING SAID OPENING, SAID SIDES RESPECTIVELY FACING INWARDLY AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE SAID ARTICLES THEREBETWEEN; A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY HAVING THEIR UPPER END REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID GUIDE MEANS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID POST MEMBER OVERHANGING PORTIONS TOWARD SAID LOWER WALL MEANS WITH THEIR INWARDLY FACING SURFACES RESPECTIVELY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THEIR INWARDLY OF SAID POST MEMBER SIDES AND FORMING EXTENSIONS THEREOF THEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE SAID ARTICLES THEREBETWEEN; A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING DISPENSING PLATE MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING SAID ARTICLES POSITIONED WITHIN SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS AND HAVING SPACED NOTCHES FORMED IN ITS PERIPHERY, SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID NOTCHES THEREBY GUIDING SAID PLATE MEMBER FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT, SAID PLATE MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM TRANSVERSE DIMENSION BETWEEN SAID POST MEMBER OVERHANGING PORTIONS WHEREBY UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATE MEMBER THROUGH SAID OPENING IS PREVENTED; SPRING MEANS BEARING AGAINST THE LOWER SIDE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER FOR URGING THE SAME UPWARDLY; AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING SAID LOWER ENDS OF SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS TO SAID LOWER WALL MEANS.