Article dispenser with cam actuated gate

Claim 1

In a coin operated vending machine having a frame, a magazine supported on said frame with a sloping guide surface for supporting and delivering by gravity the leading container from a row of containers, the improvement comprising a leading container gate, means for supporting said leading container gate on said frame for movement between an advanced leading container blocking position and movement to a retracted leading container release position, a row gate, means for supporting said row gate on said frame for movement between a row blocking position and a row advance position, means for operating said leading container gate and row gate to separate and release the leading container from the row and hold back the row of containers during separation, said means including a slide having first, second and third gate position controlling surfaces, said second surface being inclined and transverse with respect to said first surface and the direction of reciprocating movement of the slide and said third surface being offset from the axis of reciprocation, said first surface being at a steeper angle than said second surface to provide a fast rise time for the row gate to catch a can prior to movement thereof and wherein said third surface has a portion inclined forwardly in the direction of the path of movement of the container to urge said slide to the retracted position and toward the longitudinal axis of the slide, and means for supporting the slide on said frame for reciprocating movement between an extended and retracted position, and motor means for reciprocating said slide in a standby and vend cycle whereby said leading container gate is supported on said third surface during standby and said row gate is supported on said first surface and, upon energization of the motor means, said row gate will move into a row blocking position upon lateral movement of said slide toward said row gate as said inclined surface coacts with said gate and then said leading container gate dropping from said third surface portion by gravity and the weight of the container when the slide reaches the vend position to remove the gate from the path of the first container and upon release of the container the slide returning to the standby position.