AU518480B2 - Food dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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MICROCOPY RESOLUJTION TESf (HART NAb NAL [WRIAUl4( TANA+l V.11A

I FormI Regulation 9.

1~ ~3r. COM4MONWEALTHI OF AUSTRALIA

367 55/78 PATENTS ACT 19S2-1969

APPLICATION FOR A PATENT

I/We, KEVIN JOSEPH HICKS

of 36, Northarm Road, Middle Cove, New South Wales 2068, Commonwealth of Australia,

hereby apply for the grant of a Patent for an invention entitled "FOOD DISPENSING APPARATUS"

which is described in the acr,-onanying/specification.

My address for 'service is Messrs. Griffith, Hassel Frazer, 323 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, Australia.

,10I A 140 duAC MNDN

Dated this 23rd day of June 19 77

I

of GRIFFITH, HIASSEL 1-RAZBR. (Fellows, Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia), TO: The Connissioner of Patents Conimonwealth of Australia.

1/

P.47 A.

DECLARATION FORM FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICANTS, AUSTRALIA Formn 6 Regulations 11 (1) COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952

3675 51n8 DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF AN APPLICAI"ION FOY". A PATENT

In support of the Applicc don made by me for a patent for an invention entitled:

"FOOD DISPENSING APPARATUS" KEVIN JOSEPH HICKS (Full namne) (Full address)

36, Northarm Road, Middle Cove, New South Wales, 2068, Commnonwealth of Australia, do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows:

1. 1 am the Applicant for the patent.

2. 1 am in pJsstzion of the invention, the subject of the application.

3. 1 am the vctual inventor of the inveriton.

Declared at SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, this 22nd (City and Country)

day of June, 19 77.

The Commissioner of Patents

CANBERRA.

NOTE: Initial all Deletions and Alterations.

GIFFITI{, HASSEL FRAZER,

Box 2133, G.P.O.,

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

The nrc-z~pn- 4,-

(12) PATENT ABRIDGMENT (19) AU (11) AU-B1-36 755/78

(54) FOOD DISPENSING APPARATUS -HICKS, K.J. (21) 36 755/78 518 480 (22) 24.6.77 (23) 31.5.78 (24) 24.6.77 (43) 6.12.79 (44) 1.10.81 (51)2 A47F 3/026 A47F 3/08 B65G 47/34 B65G 47/02 A47F 3/04

(74) GH (56) 11 847/61 257 209 54.7 (57) Claim 1. An article dispensing apparatus comprising a storage zone for receiving articles which are to be dispensed, a conveyor having distributed along its length holders for conveying the articles to be dispensed, means for Iriving the conveyor past the storage zone and past a dispising zone into which a said article can be moved from a said holder and from which the article can be removed, a loading zone at which an article from the storage zone can be loaded into a vacant said holder, first detecticn means for detecting whether a holder which is at any one time approaching the loading zone is vacant, loading means operable responsive to detection of a vacant holder to effect loading of an article into the vacant holder in the loading zone, second detection means for detecting the presence of a vacancy in the dispensing zone, and transfer means operable responsive to detection of a vacancy within the dispensing zone to effect transfer of an article from a holder and into the dispensing zone.

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COMMONWEALTH OF AU IF corm PATENTS ACT 1952-69

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (09 ICINAL)

367 55 FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number Lodged

Complete Specification Lodged Accepted Published Priority 49

Related Art:

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT *Name of Applicant KEVIN JOSEPH HICKS

Address of Applicant 36 NORTHAPM ROAD, MIDDLE COVE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA Actual Inventor: KEVIN JOSEPH HICKS

Griffith, Hassel Frazer, Address for Service: 323 Castlereagh St.,. SYDNEY N.S.W, 2000 AUSTRALIA

Complete Specification for the invention entitled:

"DISPENSING APPARATUS"

The following statement is a full descripti'.)n of this invention, with the best mnethod of performing it known to I

I-

a Dackaae-nrPs~ni- gwif-r-.h Al i 4-1- and more particularly, but not exclusively, to an apparatus for dispensing packets of food at a selected temperature at a point of sale.

For convenience of reference, the invenicn is hereafter

described in the context of an apparatus for se)in dispensing

warmed biscuits or cookies. However, it is to be understood

that the apparatus may equally be used for dispensing other

commodities, be tney food lines or otherwise, at ambient

temperature or above or below ambient temperature.

In the food retailing industry, it is desirable that

such products as biscuits or cookies be stored and be made

available to customers under heated conditions. This for

two reasons. Firstly, a warmed product gives the impression of being "oven-fresh" and this invites greater customer

appeal. Secondly, and more importantly, heating of the

product causes absorbed moisture to be driven from the product and results in crisper and fresher-tasting products

being made available to a customer. This applies also to those products that are customarily packaged in transparent

cellophane and similar plastics material wraps. It has been

found that the very thin plastic sheet material that is used

for packaging such food products as biscuits and cookies is

porous to moisture and that ambient moisture is absorbed by the packaged product.

Similarly, it is desirable that other types of food

products be stored and be made available to customers at

temperatures below ambient.

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The present invention seeks to provide an apparatus in

which temperature control may be maintained, if required,

and which in any case provides for convenient commodity

storage and point of sale dispensing. The apparatus provides for customer self-service and does not require the attention

of selling personnel other than for loading the apparatus.

Thus, the present invention provides an article dispensing

apparatus comprising a storage zone for receiving articles

which are to be dispensed from the apparatus, and a conveyor for conveying the articles to be dispensed. The conveyor

has holders distributed along its length for conveying the

article throughout the apparatus. Means are provided for

driving the conveyor past the storage zone and past a dispensing

zone into which a said article can be moved from a said holder and from which the article can be removed. A loading

zone is provided within the apparatus and at which an article

from the storage zone can be loaded into a vacant said

holder, and a first detection device is provided for detecting

whether a holder which is at any one time approaching the loading zone is vacant. A loading device which is operable

responsive to detection of a vacant holder is provided to

effect loading of an article into the vacant holder in the

loading zone. A second detection device is incorporated in

the apparatus to detect for the presence of a iacancy in the dispense zone, and a transfer device which i operable

responsive to detection of such a vacancy is provided to

effect transfer of an article from a holder and into the

dispensing -zone.

In accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention,

the apparatus as above defined incorporates a temperature

control device together with means for regulating the temperature

of such device. When heating of the articles is required,

the temperature control device may comprise one or more

heating elements and, preferably, a blower to aid convection

currents within a cabinet housing the apparatus. In applications

requiring cooling of articles within the apparatus, the

temperature control may comprise a refrigeration plant.

130 The dispensing zone preferably comprises an inclined

surface or ramp which projects forwardly of the conveyor

path and along which the articles slide when they are

transferred from the associated holders to a vacant space in

the dispensing zone. The apparatus would normally be housed

within a cabinet and the dispensing zone is preferably

partly covered by a transparent cover so that a prospective

purchaser may view available articles. For the same reason,

a portion of the cabinet wall above the dispensing zone is

preferably formed from a transparent material panel so that

articles carrie. by holders and which are approaching the

dispensing zone may be viewed.

A lip is provided at the forwardmost edge of the dispensing

zone for retaining articles on the ramp, and the dispensing

zone is preferably sized to accommodate a plurality of

banked-up articles. When the apparatus incorporates heating or cooling, the dispensing zone is preferably arranged to be

influenced by the heating or cooling eft ct. When provided,

the cover for the dispensing zone includes an opening so

'1

that customers may remove articles from the dispensing zone.

However, the opening may itself be covered with a flap, or

retrieval of articles from the dispensing zone may be made

by way of a coin-freed mechanism. As one article is removed from the dispensing zone it

will leave a vacancy which may be filled with another article

being transferred from a holder associated with the conveyor.

Most preferably, the conveyor mechanism does not enter the

dispensing zone, and the mechanics of the apparatus are -0 concealed from persons by the cabinet structure.

The apparatus in accordance with the invention may

provide for two or more parallel streams of articles to be

carried by the conveyor. When transferred from the holders,

articles from the respective streams lie side by side in the

dispensing zone. With this structure, a double output may

be obtained in respect of a single type of article, or

different types of articles may be loaded into the respective

streams from respective storage zones.

The conveyor preferably comprises a pair of spaced-

apart parallel endless chains which are bridged by and which

carry the holders. The holders would normally comprise

trays. Most preferably, the conveyor moves continuously, in

operation of the apparatus, and loading/unloading of the

articles to and from the holders is effected whilst the

conveyor is moving. When two or more parallel streams of

articles are conveyed through the apparatus, a single conveyor

system is preferably still used, and the articles are carried

upon trays which have a width appropriate to the number of required streams. However, it would in this case be necessary to have loading and unloading detectors the first and second detectors referred to above) associated with each of the streams, to accommodate the situation where more articles are dispensed from one of the streams than the other(s).

The invention will be more fully understood from the

following description of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus

for use in dispensing packeted biscuits or cookies, a plurality

of the biscuit or cookies being located in each packet. The

description is given with reference to the accompanying

drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the apparatus,

Figure 2 shows a side elevation view of the apparatus

with side covers of a cabinet thereof removed,

Figure 3 shows, in perspective, a portion of a loading

mechanism of the apparatus, such mechanism being shown

isolated from associated parts of the apparatus,

Figure 4 shows a side elevation view of a portion of

the loading mechanism as illustrated in Figure 3, the mechanism

being shown in a non-operational condition,

Figure 5 shows a view of the mechanism as shown also in

Figure 4, but with the mechanism in an operative condition,

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of one of a number of

holders for supporting and conveying the biscuit or cookie

packets throughout the apparatus,

Figure 7 shows an electrical circuit appropriate to a

control system for the conveyor mechanism of the apparatus,

and

I ;I

Figure 8 shows an electrical circuit appropriate to

heater and motor controls associated with the apparatus.

As shown in Figure i, the package dispenser comprises a

cabinet 10 in which two streams of packages 11 and 12 are

stored, conveyed and exhibited, and from which the packages

may be manually dispensed or extracted. The cabinet includes

two integral portions 13 and 14, the first (13) of which

includes package storage zones and the other (14) of which

incorporates a dispensing zone 15 and a lower drive mechanism cabinet 16. Side entry doors 17 and 18 are provided at both

sides of the cabinet and a front entry door 19 is provided

at the front portion of the cabinet below the dispensing

zone 15. A rear entry door or removable panel (not shown)

is also provided at the back of the cabinet.

Two display areas are provided in the cabinet, one of

which being the dispensing zone 15 and the other being a

vertical face 20 above the dispensing zone. Both of these

display areas are covered by transparent panels 21 and 22.

The transparent panel 21 is provided with an opening 23 through which the packages 11 or 12 may be removed from the

dispensing zone

Above the vertical face 20 of the cabinet is a control

panel 24 which incorporates switches, controllers and indicator

lamps which are referred to later. In operation of the dispensing apparatus, the two

streams of packages 11 and 12 are continuously conveyed

through the cabinet until such time as a vacancy is created in the dispensing zone 15 as a result of a person taking one or more of the packages 11 or 12 from the dispensing zone.

Thereafter, a new package is transferred from the main

conveyor system into the dispensing zone, and the package

transferred from the conveyor system is replaced with another

from a storage zone within the cabinet. This operation is

described in greater detail below, with reference to Figures

2 to 8 of the drawings.

SWithin the cabinet portions 13 and 14 are two conveyor

A-P0 chains 25, one of which is behind the other as viewed in the

direction of Figure 2. The conveyor chains are spaced apart

by almost the full width of the cabinet, they run parallel

with each other and they extend around respective sets of

axle-mounted idler sprockets 26 to 29. The conveyor chains 25 also extend around respective drive gear wheels 30. Each

of the conveyor chains is endless and moves up the rear of

the cabinet portion 13, across the top of the same cabinet

portion, down the front face 20 of the cabinet portion 13,

into the cabinet portion 14 and then across the Lt:!tom 31 of the cabinet. A continuous drive is imparted to the conveyor

chains 25 by a geared motor 32 by way ofa driving chain 33.

The driving chain 33 engages with a driving sprocket 34

which is fixed to the gear wheel

The driving chain 33 also engages with a driven sprocket 35 (see Figure 3) which is fixed to a loading mechanism

drive which is referred to below.

The two conveyor chains 25 are bridged by and support a

series of holders 36 which are distributed along the extent

8

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of the conveyor chains and which are transported through the

cabinet portions 13 and 14 by the conveyor chains. The

holders, one of which is shcwn in Figure 6, are pivotably

mounted to the spaced-apart conveyor chains 25 so that they

may turn at various points during their conveyance through

the cabinet. The holders 36 would normally be located at

equi-spaced intervals along the extent of the conveyor

chains 25 but some of the holders are omitted from the

arrangement shown in Figure 2.

Each holder, as shown in Figure/3-comprises an open-

topped tray which is sufficiently wide to hold two of the

packages 11 and 12, and the holder is provided with a central

partition 37 to separate the two packages. A hollow spigot

38 is located at each end of the holder and it is arranged

to receive an inwardly projecting pivot pin portion 39 of an

adjacent one of the conveyor chains

Two slots 40 and 41 are located in the base 42 of the

holder at each side of the partition 37, the slots being

located below the packages 11 and 12 and being provided for

a reason to be hereinafter stated.

A walled compartment 43 is located within the cabinet

portion 13 and it defines a storage zone for packages 11, 12

which are to be loaded into vacant ones of the holders 36.

The compartment 43 extends for almost the full width of the

cabinet and, although not so shown in the drawings, is sub-

divided into two compartments for respective stacks of the

packages 11ii and 12. The compartment 43 has side access

openings, which lie in planes parallel to the doors 17 (see

9

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Figure 1) to permit stacking of packages into the compartment.

A floor 44 is located at the base of the compartment 43

and upon which the lowermost one of a stack of the packages

11, 12 sits. Also, openings 45 and 46 are provided in the walls of the compartment 43 adjacent the floor 44, to permit

loading of a stored package into a vacant holder.

Thus, a loading zone exists in the bottom of the cabinet

portion 13 and in which the packages are loaded one-by-one

into successive vacant ones of the holders 36. In this loading zone, the lowermost one of the stack of packages is

pushed from the stack and into a vacant holder 36 during the

ti.~e that the holder is being conveyed through the loading

zone.

As is best seen from Figures 3 to 5, two parallel and

similar loading mechanisms 47 anrid 48 are used for this purpose, one mechanism being o-.erable on the stack of packages

11 and the other being operable on the stack 12. Both of the loading mechanisms 47 and 48 operate in the same way,

although not necessarily together since packages from one stack only may need to be loaded at any one point in time.

Each of the loading mechanisms 47 and 48, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, comprises a pusher carriage 49 which is

slidable in side rails (not shown) between a retracted and a

forward position. When in the forward position the leading end 50 of the carriage projects through the opening 45 of

the stack compartment 43 and acts to expel the lowermost

package from the stack.

The trailing end 51 of the carriage is connected by way

of a motion translating arm 52 to a crank arm 53, and the

crank arm is in turn connected to a driven bevel gear 54 by

way of a shaft 55. The bevel gear 54 is bearing mounted to a supporting plate 56 which is pivotable in an upward direction

to effect meshing engagement between the driven bevel gear

54 and a driving bevel gear 57. The driving bevel gear 57

is mounted to a shaft 58, to which the previously mentioned

sprocket 35 is coupled. The driving bevel gear 57 rotates continuously due to drive imparted from the motor 32.

In operation of the loading mechanism, the plate 56 is

pivoted upwardly to cause meshing engagement of the bevel

gears 54 and 57, and the crank arm 53 is thereby caused to

turn through one revolution. This in turn causes the pusher t carriage 49 to move forward, as shown in Figure 5, and then 15 i

return to the starting position shown in Figure 4. To t

accommodate translation of the rotary motion of the crank

arm to linear motion of the carriage, the motion translating t

arm 52 is fitted at its respective ends with ball joints. Pivoting of the plate 56 is effected by way of a solenoid

59, the control of which is hereinafter described. t Two groups of two fingers 60 (see Figure 2) are pivotably

mounted behind the vertical panel 20 of the cabinet and are

actuable to effect transfer of a package 11 or 12 from its

holder 36 into the dispensing zone 15. Respective fingers

of each pair are positioned so as to correspond with the C

slots 40 and 41 (see Figure 6) in the package holders 36. C

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way Thus, when pivoted in an upward direction in the manner pa

shown in Figure 2, the fingers 60 act to lift the package 11 ho

by or 12 from its holder and the package then slides into the sh to dispensing zone 15. co

:ection 5 The fingers 60 are actuated by a solenoid 61 and associated

ir lever arm, the solenoid being energized in a manner to be sh i7 described below. One solenoid and one pair of fingers 60 is fi led associated with each stream of packages and holders 36. The cal

is solenoids and lever arms (but not the fingers) are located onE

adjacent the respective side walls of the cabinet so as not 10 AlE

is to interfere with passage of the holders 36. lo

As is most clearly seen from Figure 2, the holders 36 pac :o are tilted during most of the extent of their conveyance abc

:her through the apparatus. This is for two reasons. Firstly, swi

ien 15 it permits a slightly more slender construction of cabinet 15 arm

than would otherwise be necessary, and secondly it permits hpl

display of packages within the holders which are at any one adj

ing time to be seen through the front panel 22 of the cabinet, sen

A heater/blower unit 62 is located in the low cabinet sto

enoid 20 portion 16, and this unit acts to heat all air spaces within

the cabinet. Warm air movement throughout the cabinet is car

tably induced by the blower and also by the pumping action of the is

re holders 36 as they move through the cabinet. syn<

s The operation of the apparatus has been described in pre

3 25 part in the preceding portion of this specification. The 25 and

le operation is now further described with reference to the caus

circuit diagrams of Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows electrical

connections that are relevant to automatic loading of vacant 3) i

12

u package holders and automatic transfer of packages from the holders into vacant sites in the dispensing zone. Figure 8 shows electrical connections that are applicable to the conveyor motor and heaters.

Referring firstly to Figure 7 and to Figure 2, which

shows the position of some of the switches of Figure 7. A

first area switch 70 is located near the bottom of the

cabinet portion 13 and acts to sense the position of successive

ones of the holders 36 as they progress through the apparatus.

Also, a package-present switch 71 is located adjacent the

loading zone 72 of the apparatus and acts to sense whether a

package is carried by a holder which is at any one time

about to enter the loading zone. This package-present

switch senses the presence of a package by having its contact

arm positioned to project through the slots 40 or 41 in the cc( .3) hpldErs. Furthermore, a storage zone switch 7 Yis located

adjacent the bottom of the compartment 43 and serves to

sense if the compartment is not holding any packages in

store.

If a holder which is entering the loading zone is not

carrying a package, swikch 71 closes. Also, when a holder

is in the appropriate position, switch 70 closes to act as a

synchronizing switch. Then, if at least one package is

present in the storage zone the switch 73 wil be closed, and a relay 74 will be energized. Energization of the relay

causes relay contacts 75 and 76 to ciose.

With closure of contact 76, a solenoid 59 (see Figure

3) is energized and the loading mechanism is operated to

13

I 3

I r cause loading of a package from the storage zone into the

vacant holder. During this period the holder continues to

be moved by the conveyor chains

A latching switch 77 is located adjacent the carriage

47 (see Figure 3) and is held open when the carriage is in

the retracted position of Figure 4. However, when the

carriage moves forward to effect loading of the vacant

holder, the switch 77 closes to sustain energization of the

relay 74, until the carriage returns again to its retracted

position. This latching is necessary because of the continuous

movement of the holders during the loading operation.

Once the carriage has returned to its rest position,

the latching switch 77 opens and the relay 74 de-energizes.

This in turn causes de-energization of the solenoid 59.

If the storage zone is free of stored packages, the

switch 73 will open to prevent energization of the relay 74

and, by opening, causes a refill-necessary lamp 78 to 'ight.

A similar switching function occurs adjacent the dispensing

zone 15, where packages are to be transferred to a vacant

spot in the dispensing zone from a holder.

A second area switch 79 is located adjacent the upper

end of the cabinet portioii 13 and it acts to sense the

position of successive ones of the holders as they progress

towards the dispensing zone and to synchronize the dispensing operation. Also, a package-present sensing switch 80 is

located just before the dispensing zone d acts to detect

for the presence of a package in a holder approaching the

dispensing zone in the same manner as the switch 71. Finally,

1-3

a package-present switch 81 is located in the dispensing

zone and acts to detect whether any vacancy exists within

the dispensing zone.

If a vacancy does exist in the dispensing zone and a

holder c?roaching such zone is occupied by a package, all

switches 79, 80 and 81 close to cause energization of the

solenoid 61. This, as abovementioned, causes actuation of

the transfer fingers 60 and the package is transferred from

its holder and into the dispenrs zone. Thereafter, the

jr vacated holder will be filled with a new packre as it next

enters the loading zone 72.

A portion of the circuitry shown in Figu. L i duplicated

so that the two streams of packages 11 and 12 may ue loaded

and be transferred independently of one another. However,

it is to be understood that both streams are conveyed

continuously, regardless of any loading/transferring functions.

Referring now to the circuit diagram of Figure 8. This

includes an over-current switch/which functions solely as a

protective device. A double-gang, three-position switch 83

is located in the circuit and is used for switching either

the conveyor motor 32 alone, or the conveyor motor together

with heater controls. The heater controls include the

blower motor 62 (referred to previously), a temperature

selector/controller 84, thermal-overload relay 85 and two

heater elements 86 and 87. The heater elements are associated

with the blower 62 and one of them is independently controlled

by a sinummerstat device 88.

temperatures below ambient.

sing Circuit condition indicator lamps 89 and 90 are also

vithin provided.

The various control switches, indicator lamps and

and a temperature regulator as shown in Figure 8 are mounted on

je, all 5 the console 24 of the cabinet, together with the indicator

)f the lamp 78 as shown in Figure 7.

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Claims (1)

1. An article dispensing apparatus comprising a storage

zone for receiving articles which are to be dispensed, a

conveyor having distributed along its length holders for

conveying the articles to be dispensed, means for driving

the conveyor past the storage zone and past a dispensing

zone into which a said article can be moved from a said

holder and from which the article can be removed, a loading

zone at which an article from the storage zone can be loaded

into a vacant said holder, first detection means for detecting

whether a holder which is at any one time approaching the

loading zone is vacant, loading means operable responsive to

detection of a vacant holder to effect loading of an article

into the vacant holder in the loading zone, second detection

means for detecting the presence of a vacancy in the dispensing

zone, and transfer means operable responsive to detection of

a vacancy within the dispensing zone to effect transfer of

an article from a holder and into the dispensing zone.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and including further

detection means for sensing the presence of an article in a

holder which is at any one time approaching the dispensing

zone, the transfer means being operable only if the presence

of a said article within an associated holder is so sensed.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 and

including a cabinet housing all but the dispensing zone, and

means for controlling the temperature within the cabinet.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the temperature

control means includes at least one heating element.

An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein

the cabinet includes two portions, a first one of which

houses the storage zone and the loading zone and the second

of which projects ahead of the first portion and has a

surface thereof constituting said dispensing zone.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dispensing

zone is in the form of a covered ramp surface.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

claims, wherein the conveyor comprises a pair of spaced-

apart endless conveyor elements between which theholders

are suspended, the holders being in the form of open-topped

receptacles and being pivotably mounted at each end thereof

to an adjacent said conveyor element.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding

claims, wherein a continuous drive is applied to the conveyor

and wherein, during operation of the apparatus, loading and

transferring of a said article into and from a said holder

is effected whilst the conveyor continues to move.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the loading

means comprises a carriage which is actuable to push a

lowermost said article from a stack of articles within the

storage zone and into a vacant said holder which is at any

one time moving through the loading zone.

An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transfer

means comprises at least one finger which is actuable to

pass through a slot in the base of said holders and to move

an article from its holder as the holder passes the dispensing

zone.

)er of and

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11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first herein and second detection means comprise electric switch devices h which are located in circuit with first and second solenoid second operated actuators respectively, the first actuator being a operable to cause engagement of a drive for the carriage and

the second actuator being operable to cause actuation of the dispensing finger(s).

12. An article dispensing apparatus substantially as shown ing in the accompanying drawings and substantially as hereinbefore -d- described with reference thereto. lers

topped DATED this 29th day of May, 1978 iereof KEVIN JOSEPH HICKS By tent Attorey ing

monveyor of IFFITH HASSEL FRAZER ig and Fellows, Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia lder

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