Non-jamming agitating and dispensing apparatus for a vending machine

Claim 1

A NON-JAMMING AGITATING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR MERCHANDISE ARTICLES CARRIED WITHIN A MERCHANDISE RECEPTACLE OF A MERCHANDISE VENDING MACHINE, COMPRISING: A HOUSING HAVING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED RECESS PROVIDED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE BOTTOM WALL PORTION, SAID BOTTOM WALL PORTION INCLUDING A DISPENSING APERTURE ADAPTED TO BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH A DISPENSING CHUTE MEANS OF CONVENTIONAL MERCHANDISE VENDING MACHINE, SAID BOTTOM WALL PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED BEARING MEANS ON THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF; DISPENSING MEANS LOCATED IN SAID RECESS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BEARING MEANS, SAID DISPENSING MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DIRECTED DISPENSING ORIFICES THEREIN CIRCULARLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND PROVIDED WITH INTERVENING NON-APERTURED PORTIONS; DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DISPENSING MEANS TO BRING SAID DISPENSING ORIFICES INTO SUCCESSIVE ALIGNMLENT WITH SAID DISPENSING APERTURE; A NON-JAMMING MERCHANDISE AGIATOR AND COLLECTOR IN SUPERIMPOSED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID DISPENSING MEANS AND ROTATABLY MOVABLE THEREWITH AS A UNIT, SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DIRECTED DISPENSING O PENINGS THEREIN CIRCULARLY SPACED APART AND PROVIDED WITH SEPARATING NON-APERTURED PORTIONS, SAID PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DIRECTED DISPENSING OPENINGS OF SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR BEING IN VERTICAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE CORRESPONDING VERTICALLY DIRECTED DISPENSING ORIFICES OF SAID UNDERLYING DISPENSING MEANS AND SAID PLURALITY OF SEPARATING PORTIONS OF SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR BEING POSITIONED IN VERTICALLY OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO THE CORRESPONDING INTERVENING PORTIONS OF SAID UNDERLYING DISPENSING MEANS, SAID SEPARATING PORTIONS OF SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR COMPRISING INCLINED WEDGE MEMBERS EACH HAVING A BASE PORTION AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UPSTANDING REAR WALL PORTION THEREOF AND A SUBSTANTIALLY DOWNWARDLY DIVERGINGLY INCLINED FRONT PORTION THEREOF EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR PROVIDED BY DRIVING OPERATION OF SAID DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DISPENSING MEANS AND SAID AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR, SAID INTERVENING PORTIONS OF SAID DISPENSING MEANS BEING HORIZONTALLY STEPPED AND EACH HAVING A FRONT UPPER PORTION ADAPTED TO IMMEDIATELY UNDERLIE THE CORRESPONDING SEPARATING PORTION OF SAID UPPER AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR MEANS AND EACH HAVING A LOWER PORTION POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY BEHIND SAID UPSTANDING REAR WALL PORTION OF SAID INCLINED WEDGE COMPRISING SAID CORRESPONDING SEPARATING PORTION OF SAID UPPER AGITATOR AND COLLECTOR MEANS AND LYING AT A LEVEL SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN SAID FRONT UPPER STEPPED PORTION.