Vending apparatus

Claim 1

VENDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, STORAGE MEANS IN WHICH A PLURALITY OF PRODUCTS CAN BE STORED IN VERTICALLY STACKED RELATION FOR REMOVAL THEREFROM, ONE AT A TIME, FROM THE LOWER END OF THE STACK, MEANS BELOW SAID STORAGE MEANS FOR REMOVING SUCCESSIVE LOWERMOST ONES OF SAID PRODUCTS FROM SAID STACK WHILE TEMPORARILY SUPPORTING THE REMAINING ONES OF SAID STACKED PRODUCTS IN SAID STORAGE MEANS, MEANS IN PROXIMITY TO SAID STORAGE MEANS PROVIDING A HEATING STATION AT WHICH SAID REMOVED, SUCCESSIVE PRODUCTS CAN BE HEATED, NORMALLY STATIONARY MEANS AT SAID STATION HAVING A REST POSITION FOR RECEIVING EACH SAID PRODUCT REMOVED FROM SAID STORAGE MEANS BY SAID REMOVING MEANS AND FOR SUPPORTING THE RESPECTIVE SAID REMOVED PRODUCTS AT SAID STATION DURING HEATING THEREOF, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR TILTING TO A DISCHARGE POSITION FOR DISCHARGING THE RESPECTIVE SAID PRODUCTS AT THE CONCLUSION OF HEATING THEREOF, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FROM ITS SAID REST POSITION TO ITS SAID DISCHARGE POSITION AND VICE VERSA, SAID MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID PRODUCTS FROM SAID STACK COMPRISING A MEMBER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS, SAID MEMBER HAVING AN ARCUATE SURFACE TERMINATING IN A PRODUCT ENGAGING FLANGE ALONG ITS LEADING EDGE IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS ROTATION, SAID MEMBER BEING NORMALLY DISPOSED IN A REST POSITION TO ONE SIDE OF SAID STORAGE MEANS SO AS TO BE CLEAR OF SAID STACK, MEANS COMPRISING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR ROTATING SAID MEMBER TO BRING ITS SAID FLANGE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWERMOST ONE OF SAID PRODUCTS IN SAID STACK AND REMOVE SAID LATTER PRODUCT FROM SAID STACK AS SAID MEMBER IS ROTATED AND ALSO TO CONCURRENTLY BRING ITS SAID ARCUATE SURFACE UNDER THAT ONE OF SAID STACKED PRODUCTS WHICH IS NEXT ABOVE SAID PRODUCT BEING REMOVED BY SAID FLANGE TO THUS CAUSE SAID MEMBER TO SUPPORT THE REMAINING PRODUCTS IN SAID STACK WHILE SAID LOWERMOST PRODUCT IS BEING REMOVED AND TRANSFERRED TO SAID NORMALLY STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEANS AT SAID HEATING STATION, SAID MOTOR HAVING A NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH IN CIRCUIT THEREWITH, MEANS FOR CLOSING SAID SWITCH TO THEREBY EFFECT ENERGIZATION OF SAID MOTOR AND ROTATION OF SAID MEMBER THROUGH A CYCLE WHICH INCLUDES REMOVAL OF SAID LOWERMOST PRODUCT FROM SAID STACK AND THEN BACK TO ITS SAID REST POSITION, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID MEMBER AS IT NEARS ITS SAID REST POSITION FOR CAUSING SAID SWITCH TO OPEN TO THEREBY STOP SAID MOTOR FOR HOLDING SAID MEMBER IN ITS SAID REST POSITION.