Room service apparatus for dispensing articles and registering charges therefor

Claim 1

ROOM SERVICE APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF DISPENSABLE ARTICLES COMPRISING A SUPPORTING RACK, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES FORMED IN THE RACK, EACH PASSAGE BEING ASSOCIATED WITH ONE TYPE OF ARTICLE TO BE DISPENSED, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED ARTICLE SUPPORTING SWINGABLE PLATFORMS ARRANGED IN EACH PASSAGE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL ARTICLE-SUPPORTING POSITION AND A VERTICAL NON-SUPPORTING POSITION, AN ARM EXTENDING FROM EACH PLATFORM, A VERTICALLY ELONGATED SUPPORTING BAR ARRANGED FOR LONGITUDINAL SLIDABLE MOVEMENT ADJACENT EACH PASSAGE NORMALLY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE ARMS OF THE PLATFORM THEREIN TO MAINTAIN THE LATTER IN THEIR HORIZONTAL POSITION, SAID BAR HAVING VERTICALLY SPACED OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN ARRANGED WHEN THE BAR IS MOVED IN ONE DIRECTION TO RECEIVE THE ARMS AND THEREBY RELEASE THE PLATFORMS, THEREBY PERMITTING THE LATTER TO SWING TO THEIR VERTICAL POSITION, SAID OPENINGS BEING ARRANGED AT PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINALLY SPACED INTERVALS AND CORRELATED TO THE VERTICAL SPACING OF THE PLATFORMS WHEREBY THE LATTER ARE RELEASED IN CONSECUTIVE ORDER FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP, A SELECTOR SWITCH FOR EACH TYPE OF ARTCLE TO BE DISPENSED, ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH SUPPORTING BAR RESPONSIVE TO THE OPERATION OF A SELECTED ONE OF THE SWITCHES TO MOVE ITS ASSOCIATED SUPPORTING BAR IN SAID ONE DIRECTION A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FOR EACH OPERATION OF SAID ONE SELECTED SWITCH, SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE BEING CORRELATED TO THE SPACING OF