Apparatus for heating and dispensing food articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND DISPENSING LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED DISCRETE FOOD ARTICLES, AND APPARATUS COMPRISING: HOUSING MEANS INCLUDING A DISCHARGE OPENING MEAN; MAGAZINE MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID HOUSING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO STORE SAID FOOD ARTICLES IN STACKED RELATION; CONVEYOR MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID MAGAZINE MEANS AND SAID DISCHARGE OPENING MEANS; HEATING MEANS JUXTAPOSED TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO HEAT FOOD ARTICLES BEING TRANSFERRED BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; DISPENSING MEANS COOPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MAGAZINE MEANS AND ACTUATABLE TO DISPENSE ONE OF SAID FOOD ARTICLES FROM THE STACK IN SAID MAGAZINE MEANS AND ONTO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; DRIVING MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO TRANSFER A FOOD ARTICLE FROM SAID MAGAZINE MEANS TO SAID DISCHARGE OPENING MEANS; SAID CONVEYOR MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART MEMBERS, WITH A FOOD ARTICLE NORMALLY ABUTTING AGAINST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS DURING SAID TRANSFER; AND ACTUATING MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID DISPENSING MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID DISPENSING MEANS AND THEREBY DISPENSE A FOOD ARTICLE FROM SAID MAGAZINE MEANS BETWEEN ADJACENT MEMBERS ON SAID CONVEYOR MEANS;