Vending machine divided helix apparatus

Claim 1

In a vending machine having a cabinet and within one portion of which is an item discharge chute for dispensing items to be withdrawn from the machine, a plurality of item discharge units mounted in a side-by-side, horizontally disposed arrangement, each item discharge unit comprising: tray means having side walls, a rear wall, a bottom and a front end open to the discharge chute, said tray means including a front ledge portion extended forwardly and downwardly toward the chute and beyond the front end of said helical means; drive means mounted in said machine and having a drive shaft inserted through said rear wall and toward said front end, said drive means customer controlled for predetermined incremental operation; driven means connected to said drive means and rotatable tHerewith, said driven means including a disc and sleeve integral therewith, with said sleeve secured to said drive shaft; divider means mounted within said tray means intermediate said side walls and extended longitudinally of said tray means, one end thereof mounted on said driven means in a non-rotatable manner, and the other end of said divider means secured to said bottom at the front end thereof, said divider means including a rear end extending normal to the axis of said drive shaft, said rear end also having an opening formed therein which is larger than said sleeve, whereby said rear end is fitted over and rests upon said sleeve and said sleeve is inserted through said opening; helical means having a plurality of convolutions disposed within and extended the length of said tray means, said helical means secured at the rear end thereof to said driven means so as to be rotatable thereby and supported on said divider means, the arrangement such that articles to be dispensed are placeable completely to each side of said divider means between adjacent convolutions and are discharged alternately from said front end in response to operation of said drive means; and wherein said front ledge portion of the tray means has a slot formed therein, and said divider means includes an element, the front end of which has a tab inserted through said slot, the bottom of said tab resting upon the bottom of said slot, said tab having a passage formed therein, and an elongated pin extended parallel to and under the said front ledge portion of the tray portion transversely of said tray means and inserted through said passage for locking said element to the front of said tray means.