US1994342A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Description

s. w. FRY 1,994,342

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B. W. FRY

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 12, 1935. 1,994,342

VENDING MACHINE Filed D90. 22, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 awe/wk 31/. 18

Mai-ch 12, 1935. a. w. FRY

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22, 1932 8 Sheet-Sheet 4 March 12, 1935. B. w. FRY 1,994,342

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet, 5

29 I 7 2.? W J0 52 W5 27 March 12, 1935. B w. FR Y VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 g MM W N w March 12,1935. B. w. FRY

VENDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Dec. 22, 1952 Patented Mar. 12, 1935 PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE Benjamin W. Fry, St.

Louis, Mo., assignor to National Vendors, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,479

5 Claims.

One object of this invention is to provide a vending machine which will permit a customer to choose from several varieties of goods to be purchased and in which a single coin mechanism 5 will be provided to control allthe several discharge mechanisms. Another object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby no goods may be withdrawn from the machine until the proper coin or coins have been deposited and the operation of one delivery mechanism to discharge a certain article will set the mechanism to prevent discharge of other articles. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby if the merchandise offered for sale'should be priced so that a single coin or an even multiple of coins will not be equal to the selling price, change will be delivered 'with each purchase so that the customer will be enabled to'obtain the goods without paying more than the price set, and a further object of the invention is to pro. vide means whereby if a customer, before completing the purchase, should decide not to obtain the goods he may have the deposited coins refunded. Other objects will appear incidentally in the course of the following description, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then particularly defined in the appended claims. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a vending machine having my present invention embodied therein,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken from front to rear of the machine in a plane adjacent and parallel with the coin mechanism,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with the casing in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the change mechanism shown in Fig. 4 with said mechanism in a different position,

Fig. 6 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, on a plane just above the delivery mechanism,

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 7--7 of Fi 6,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section similar to Fig. 2 but showing the coin mechanism in a different position,

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 6,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail section on the line 1o 1o of Fig. 6,

Fig. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the delivery mechanism,

Figs. 12 and 13 are detail views of portions of (Cl. sis-'66) the coin mechanism showing more particularly the manner in which a coin is ejected when a refund is to be eifected,

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section on the line of Fig. 12,

Fig. 15 is a vertical section on the line 1515 of Fig. 12,

Fig. 16 is a sectional view of one of the weights removed,

Fig. 17 is an end elevation thereof.

The operating mechanism is housed in a casing 1 having the upper portion of its front side closed by a swinging door 2 which is equipped with a lock, indicated at 3, of any approved form whereby unauthorized access to the interior of the machine will be prevented. ,The door is provided, near its upper edge, with a coin slot 4 through which the coins necessary to effect purchases are to be inserted, and upon the front side of the door, at the lower end thereof, is arranged a display frame 5 having an upper row of openings 6 through which wrappers or samples of the goods offered for sale may be displayed and also having a lower row of openings '7 through which the packages in the various columns or tiers may be 25 viewed and the customer thereby enabled to determine, prior to the insertion of coins, whether or not the particular goods he desires are in stock. As shown in Fig. 2, a pane of glass is mounted in the frame 5 so as to extend over the several openings 6 and 7 and labels 9, corresponding to the goods displayed in therespective columns may be pasted or. otherwise affixed to the rear side of the pane 8, as will be understood. It will also be understood that the packages of goods, such as cigarettes, indicated at 10, are arranged in vertical columns or tiers located immediately back of the door 2 and the goods in the several columns will, of course, correspond to the displays made through the respective openings 6. A delivery chute or table 11 is arranged in the lower portion of the casing and this chute or table consists of an inclined plate having an upstanding flange 12 at its lower edge and projecting forwardly from the casing so that articles dropped onto the plate will slide down to and rest against the flange 12 to be reached and withdrawn by the customer. The casing may be supported upon a base frame, indicated at 13, or otherwise arranged in position where it will be readily'accessible.

The machine is designed primarily for selling cigarettes although it may be utilized to sell any goods which may be put up in flat packages, such as indicated at 10 and arranged one above another in a column or tier, the drawings showing a machine having six columns or tiers 14 the front sides of which are open or provided with vertical slots, indicated at 15, whereby the goods in the respective columns may be viewed through the glazed openings 7, as will be understood. Weights, indicatedat 16, are placed on the top packages in the several columns, as shown, so that the descent of the packages after each selling operation will be assured. When the weight appears at any one opening 7, the customer will, of course, be notified that the goods in the corresponding column are nearly exhausted and, if the column should appear to be clear, the customer will, of course, be advised to refrain from attempting to obtain goods from the corresponding column. The bottom of each weight is provided with an inverted U-shaped guide 17 and when the goods in any particular column are exhausted the weight will drop onto the rod 34 with the guide spanning said rod and the rear edge 18 of the guide will engage the plate 36 so that when a purchase is attempted by pulling the corresponding knob 35, the front end 19 of the weight 16 will impinge against the rear side of the front wall of the column and thereby prevent further operation of the mechanism. The several columns are held rigidly in their proper relation by braces or cross bars 20 and 21 secured to their inner or rear walls, the lower cross bar 21 being also secured to a back plate 22, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and said plate 22 is secured at its lower corners to side frames 23 which have their lower portions extended both rearwardly and forwardly, the forwardh projecting portions being extended forwardly beyond the lower edge of the door 2 and connected by a box-like front frame 24 while the rearwardly extending portions extend to near the back of the casing and are connected by a bracing plate 25. The side frames are provided near their front ends with studs 26 which are engageable through open-ended slots or vertical notches 27 formed in supporting ledges or frames 28 which are provided on the inner faces of the side walls of the casing 1 whereby to form pivotal supports for the columns and the frames connecting and bracing them. The rear extensions of the side frames 23 are also provided with studs 29 which are adapted to rest upon the shelves or ledges 30 formed on the end walls of the main casing 1 so that the columns and the frames sustaining them will be firmly supported in an upright position within the casing and may be rocked forwardly out of the casing, when the door 2 is opened, as a unit, as will be understood upon reference to the dotted lines in Fig. 2. A brace 31 may extend between the back plate 22 and the back bar 25, as shown in Fig; 6, to impart additional rigidity to the structure. It may be noted at this point that the package-delivering mechanism and the coin controlled mechanism are all mounted upon the frame sustaining the columns in which the packages are placed and, consequently, the entire operating mechanism will be sustained upon one supporting structure and may be rocked forward as an entirety, as has been stated.

The box-like frame 24 which connects the side frames 23 has a bottom 32 which extends inwardly and in the normal position terminates below the several columns, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 2. Extending across the entire front of the main casing and secured to the side walls of said casing and to said bottom plate 32 is a barrier 33 which terminates above the chute or delivery plate 11 in such relation thereto that the space between the lower edge of the barrier 33 and the delivery plate is just suflicient for one package to pass. The presence of this barrier prevents the insertion of wires or other-implements to extract goods without the prepayment of the required coin or coins. The lower ends of the several columns are disposed substantially in the horizontal plane of the top of the box-like frame 24 and slidably mounted in said frame 24 are a series of pull rods 34 equipped at their front ends with knobs 35 which normally lie against the front of said frame, as shown in the drawings, and the several pull rods are so located that each rod is centrally below a column of packages and the bottom package in the column normally rests on the rod, as shown in Fig. 2. At the rear end of each pull rod there is secured a transverse plate 36 which projects at opposite sides of the rod and is provided with guide recesses or notches 37 in its lower edge, the purpose of which will presently appear. There is also secured to the inner or rear end of each pull rod a bracket 38 having a stem 39 secured to and depending from the rod and an arm 40 projecting forwardly from the lower end of said stem under and parallel with the rod and in spaced relation thereto, this arm 40 having openings 41 formed therethrough and spaced equidistantly in the length of the same. Upon the bottom 32 of the frame 24 there are provided guides 42 between which the arms 40 enter and move during the operation .of the device and at the sides of the guides 42, parallel with and projecting forwardly beyond the same, are tracks 43 which are adapted to enter the notches 37 in the plates 36 to permit passage thereof when the rods are reciprocated. The rear ends of the tracks 43 are beveled, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 11, the purpose of which will presently appear. Extending between the side frames 23 and mounted upon the bottom plate 32 are a series of stop bars which serve to prevent withdrawal of more than one pull rod at one time. The bar 44 at one side of the device is secured rigidly to the bottom plate 32 and has square ends, its inner end being disposed imme.- diately at one side of the path of the arm 38 carried by the adjacent pull rod. Alined with this bar or block 44 is a longer block or bar 45 which stop plate 44. A short stop plate 48 completes theseries of stop plates or bars and corresponds to the stop plate 44 in being rigidly secured upon the bottom plate 32 but has its inner rear corner beveled, as shown at 49, whereby the cooperating arm 38 may enter between it and the end of the adjacent bar 45, as will be understood. By referring to Fig. 6 particularly, it will be understood that the combined lengths of the several stop members 44, 45 and 48 is equal to the distance between the side frames 23 less the thickness of one arm 38. Consequently, when any pull rod is drawn forward, the corresponding arm 38 will, be caused to engage a beveled corner on one stop plate or bar and push the same aside so that a space will be opened between it and the abutting bar or plate sufllcientto permit the arm 38 to pass forward. The remaining stop plates or bars will be crowded together so that adjacent bars will abut, as will be understood from Fig. 6, and, consequently, should an attempt be made to pull forward a second pull rod the effort will be resisted because the corresponding arm 38 will abut the rear edge of the stop bar in front of it. Mounted upon one end of the stop bar 48 and each of the bars 45 is a dog 50 which is pivoted between its ends upon one of the bolts or screws which holds the subjacent stop bar in place, a spacer 51 being mounted around the bolt so as to maintain the dog in proper spaced relation to the stop bar so that neither member'will interfere with the action of the other. The dog 50 will be rocked about its pivot by the engagement of the forwardly moving'arm 38'and will successively engage the openings 41 in said arm to prevent backward movement of the arm and the pull rod. It will, consequently, be necessary to pull the rod forward to the extreme limit of its movement in order topermit the dog to clear the rear end of the arm and it will be understood that the plates 36 have their lower edges disposed above the horizontal planes of the several dogs so that as they move forward they will clear the ,dogs and permit the dogs to spring into position at the rear of the arms. A retractile spring 52 attached to the dog and to a fastening of the stop plate or to a bracket 53 on the stop plate rocks the dog about its pivot when the arm 38 is at the forward limit of its movement so that, upon the ensuing rearward movement of the arm, the arm will swing the dog into a reversed position and the rearward movement of the rod will be permitted but forward movement of the same will be prevented and a complete rearward movement of the rod will be necessitated. The plates 36 have their upper edges flush with the upper sides of the respective pull rods and they serve to support the packages in the respective columns, as will be understood. During the travel of a pull rod and the attached plate, the lowermost package will be maintained in a level position until the rod and the plate clear its front endwhereupon it may drop to a position at the rear of the plate. Extending across the machine, between the side frames 23, and passing through the spaces between the several pull rods and the arms below the same, is a bar 54 which is secured at its ends to the end members 55 of a frame 56 which carries the delivery shelf '7 in which the clearance openings 19' are formed. An intermediate connecting bar 58 may be provided, if preferred, in order torei'nforce the structure,as shown in Fig. 6, and the delivery shelf 57 projects downwardly and forwardly from the rear side of the frame, as clearly shown, the inclination or angle of the shelf being the same as the bevel on the ends of the tracks 43. It will now be understood that when a rod 34 is pulled forward, the stem 39 depending from said rod will impinge against the cross bar 54 and the cross bar, the frame 56 and the shelf 5'? will then move forwardly with the pull rod. As the frame moves forwardly, the lowermost package in the corresponding column will overbalance at its rear end when the plate 36 has passed the center of the package so that the rear end of the package .will drop down to the shelf 5'? at the rear of the plate. The package, however, cannot pass out at this time inasmuch as its descent will be partly arrested by the tracks 43 and when the rod has reached the limit of its forward movement, so that the plate 36 clears the front side of the package, the shelf will be in engagement with the rear beveled ends of the tracks and the package will be supported, as shown in Fig. 8. When the rod is then pushed inwardly or is permitted to recede under the influence of a' spring which may be provided, the package will be pushed rearwardly 0133 the tracks 43 and when its front edge or end has cleared the tracks it will rest in the position shown in Fig. 2 and will thereupon slide off the shelf and down the delivery plate 11 to the position indicated by dotted mes.

From the coin slot 4 in the door 2, a coin tube or chute 59 leads downward at the rear of the several columns to conduct the inserted coin to a" slug ejector 60 which, in itself, forms no part of the present invention and the detail construction of which is immaterial. The action oflthe slug ejector is to divert any slug and all devices, other than the proper coins, which may be inserted in an effort to cheat the machine. Legitimate coins will be delivered to and descend through a second coin chute 61 while the slugs and illegitimate devices will be thrown to one side of the coin chute 61 and will drop through the open space at the rear of the columns onto the delivery plate 11 and, consequently, will be returned to the person depositing them. The present machine is intended to be operated by the insertion of two coins and, therefore, a switch 62 is provided in the lower coin chute to direct the coins alternately to opposite sides of the chute and deliver them to coin mechanisms which are provided in duplicate below the coin chute. The switch 62 is shown as a lever pivoted near its lower end within the coin chute and of such length that it will extend upwardly through slots in the side of the chute from its pivot. The coin dropping through the chute will, of course, im-- pinge upon the upper inclined sm'face of the lever and will be thereby directed toward one side of the chute and its weight will cause the lever to rock and deliver the coin into one coin mech-' anism while its upper end will be projected through the opposite side of the chute and, consequently, a second coin dropping through the chute will be directed in a like manner onto coin mechanism at the opposite side. On the back of the frame 56 is a lug 63' to which is pivoted the lower end of a lever 64 which extends upwardly at the side of a plate 65 which is secured to and projects rearwardly from the back plate 22 and has guide lugs 66 on its sides which receive the lower end of the coin chute 61 so that the coin will be directed onto the top edge 80' of the lever 80. A bracket 68 is secured upon the side of the plate 65 and held in spaced relation thereto so that the space between this bracket or plate and the supporting plate 65 will constitutea continuation of the coin chute and direct the coin positively to the top edge 80 of the lever 80. An arcuate slot 69 is formed through the plate 65, and the upper end of the lever 64 has a lateral arm '70 which extends through the slot so as to engage the coin in theoperation of the device, and it will be understood, upon reference to Figs. 14 and 15, that the bracket 68 and the lever 80 are provided in duplicate upon the two curved, and an upwardly extending notch 71 ex-- tends from the upper wall of said slot at the rear of the bracket 68 to accommodate studs 72 upon latches '73 which are pivoted near their rear ends and rest at their lower front ends on stops 67, provided on plate 85, each latch being normally held in the path of the arm '70 by a retractile spring '74 attached thereto and suitably anchored. The slot 69 is concentric with the fulcrum of the lever 64 which is coincident with one end of a bar or rock shaft disposed transversely at'the rear of the columns and equipped near its opposite end with a crank 76 to which is attached one end of a contractile spring 77 which has its upper end anchored upon any fixed part of the apparatus so that it will serve to automatically return the parts to normal position after a sale has been effected. It will be understood upon ref: erence to Fig. 2 that the upper end of the lever 64 is normally at the front end of the slot 69 and when a coin has traveled through the coin chutes it will rest in advance of the pin or stud '12 and upon the rear top edge of lever 80 at the rear of the arm 70 on the lever 64. The stud 72 will be slightly above the horizontal plane of the center of the coin and, consequently, when the pull rod is drawn forward and actuates the frame 56, the lower end of the lever will be swung forwardly and the upper end thereof with the arm '70 rocked rearwardly so that the coin will be pushed against the stud 72 and will rock the latch into the position shown in Fig. 8, the coin being pushed rearwardly off the rear top edge 80' of lever 80 and delivered into the discharge chute 78 which directs it into the coin box 79 placed in the lower end of the main casing, back of and below the delivery plate 11. When the pull rod is released, the spring '77 will return the parts to the initial positions, the arm '70 riding under the latch '13 .and the spring '74 resetting the latch, as before.

The angle lever 80 is pivotally' mounted at one corner upon the side of the plate 65 and immediately above the pivot or fulcrum 81 of this angle lever a beveled rib 82 is formed on the plate. The angle lever has one arm projecting downwardly, as shown at 83, and the forward movement of this arm and the lever is limited by a stop pin or stud 84 provided on the supporting plate 65. The rear arm of the angle lever extends into the space between the supporting plate 65 and a bracket or plate 85 which is secured upon the plate 65 below the slot 69 and has its upper edge corresponding with the lower wall of the slot, the

stop rest 67 being carried by this plate or bracket 85. A slot 86 is formed in the bracket or plate 85 concentric with the fulcrum 81 and extends upwardly close to the stop rest 67, and the rearwardly projecting arm of the lever 80 has a lug 87 formed thereon which projects through and plays in said slot 86. A spring 88 is attached to the lug 87 and is anchored below'the same so that it tends to hold the lever 80 normally in its lower position, shown in Fig. 8. A lever 89 is fulcrumed between its ends on the side of the lower portion of the supporting plate .65 and has its upper end provided with a laterally extending arm 90 which plays in an arcuate slot 91 formed in the supporting plate, the lateral arm 90 being disposed in front of the depending arm 83 of the angle lever so that if the arm 90 be rocked rearwardly the end of the lever 89 is pivoted to a pull rod 93 which extends forwardly above the frame 56 and through the front box-like frame 24 between two of the knobs 35. I thus provide means whereby a refund of the deposited coin may be effected should the purchaser, for any reason, desire to withdraw from his contemplated transaction. It frequently happens that a would-be customer will deposit a coin before he discovers that the goods he wants are not in stock or he may discover, after he has deposited the coin, that he has no change left and the provision of this refund mechanism will permit him to effect a return of the deposited coins.

As has been stated, the machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended to be operated upon the deposit of two coins and the coin-releasing mechanism which has been described is, therefore, provided in duplicate. When the packages offered for sale in the machine are priced at twenty cents, for example, the deposit of two dimes will permit a customer to obtain a package. It frequently happens, however, that the packages will be priced at seventeen cents, for example, and I, therefore, provide means for delivering the proper change to the customer and, upon the upper edge of the display frame 5, I provide a displayplate 94 where the price of the goods offered may be displayed. A change-making mechanism is also provided at the back of the columns, this change-making mechanism consisting of a box 95 having both its ends open and having a plurality of vertical partitions or dividing strips 96 therein whereby its interior is subdivded into a plurality of vertical columns. The box is pivotally mounted near its upper end upon the upper brace bar 20 by inserting a pivot rod 97 through mating lugs 98 and 99 formed on the box and the bar, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4. Notched lugs 100 are provided upon the back plate 22 and in these lugs is seated a rod 101 which supports fingers 102 extending rearwardly therefrom under the respective columns of the box 95, the fingers being loosely mounted upon the pin or rod 101 so that they may readily accommodate the different angular positions assumed by the box in the operation of the machine. Secured to the lower end of the box 95 is a shelf 103 which moves with the box and is spaced from the lower end of the same. This shelf is provided with a back wall 104 having slots through which the fingers 102 project, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and depending end flanges 105 are provided on notches 106 engage over studs 107 provided on the ends of cranks 108 rising from the rock shaft 75 so that whenever the shaft is rocked by the actuation of the lever 64, the cranks 108 will be likewise rocked and oscillation imparted to the box 95. A coin chute 109 is provided below the box 95 and the shelf 103 and a delivery plate 110 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the upper end of said chute, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.- The lower end of the chute 109 is open and is located over the frame 56 so that coins dropping through the chute will be directed onto the delivery plate 11 and may be taken up by the customer. Normally, the box 95 with the coins therein is in the position shown in Fig. 4. The lever 64 being se-.

cured to the rock shaft 75, whenever the lever is rocked the shaft will be rocked and, of course, the crank 108 will be rocked. To obtain a. steady movement of the rock shaft and further support the same, a lever or rocking arm 111 is secured to the end thereof remote from the lever 64 and the-arm 76 may be secured to this lever 111, the lower end of the lever being pivoted to a lug 112 on the frame 56. When a pull rod is drawn forward and the lever 64 consequently rocked as has been described, the crank 108 will be rocked from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 and the box 95 will, of course, be swung rearwardly accordingly. The fingers 102 are held relatively stationary upon the plate 22 and, consequently, the ends of the fingers are withdrawn from under the coins in the several columns of the money-changing box and the coins will drop onto the shelf 103. The bottom coin in each column will be held in a position resting on the shelf with the front edge of the coin against the adjacent end of the finger 102 so that with the return of the column to its normal position, the bottom coin will remain relatively stationary and will be ejected as the shelf 103 passes entirely under the finger 102, and consequently the coin will slide to the chute 109 and thence pass to the delivery plate. Assuming that the packages are priced at 17 as indicated in the drawings, the customer will be required to deposit two dimes in order to obtain a package. Three of the columns in the coin box will be filled with coppers or l pieces in preparation for the days business. Therefore, every time a package is withdrawn through the operation of the delivery mechanism, three coppers will be released from the coin-changing box and will be delivered to the customer with his package. The coins to be placed in the coin box for change purposes will, of course, be determined by the price set upon the goods. For instance, if the goods are priced at fifteen cents, one column .of the box would be filled with nickels and the other columns would remain empty, or if the goods were priced at fourteen cents, for instance, the column intended to receive nickels would be filled and one of the other columns would be filled with coppers so that at each sale a nickel and one cent change would be delivered to the purchaser. If the packages were priced at twenty cents, the money-changing box would be left empty. Inasmuch as the lever 64 is pivoted to the frame 56 and said lever cannot rock unless a coin be inserted to release the latch '73, it will be seen that no goods can be obtained without the deposit of the proper coin. If any one pull rod 34 be drawn forward, the movement will be exceedingly limited and the stem 39 will be at once brought against the crossbar 54 so that unless a coin had been inserted to permit the lever 64 to release the latch '12 the forward movement would be at once checked. This same lost motion connection will prevent movement being transmitted from the coin mechanism to the delivery mechanisms other than the one controlling the particular package desired inasmuch as when the cross bar 54 is engaged by one stem 39 it is immediately drawn forward from the other stems and said other stems, with their pull rods and plates 36, will remain stationary. If it then be attempted to draw any other pull rod forward, the attempt will be frustrated by the presence of the stop plates or bars 45, as has been explained.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly compact machine whereby a customer may receive a I preselected package upon deposit of coins according to directions which will appeal; adjacent the coin slot, and, if the price of the package should not be the same as the value of the deposited coins, the proper change will be delivered to the customer. A single coin mechanism controls the operation of all the delivery mechanisms and the delivery mechanisms are of such a type that the operation of any one will automatically block the operation of the others.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:- 1. In a vending machine, a plurality of delivery mechanisms each including means for maintaining packages in superposed relation, a reciproca tory pull rod below and normally supporting the superposed packages, an article supporting element fixed on the inner end of the pull rod, and

an arm in advance of said element secured to the pull rod and arranged below and parallel therewith, tracks arranged to be engaged by the article supporting element during the reciprocation of the pull rod to prevent twisting of said element, and a plurality of stops disposed adjacent the paths of the arms and shiftable laterally by engagement of one arm whereby to be extended into the paths of all the other arms to prevent operation of the latter.

2. In a vending machine, a plurality of delivery mechanisms arranged side by side and each including means for maintaining packages superposed in a column, a pull rod slidable horizontally beneath the packages and normally supporting the same, a package-supporting element fixed transversely to the inner end of the pull rod, a forwardly extending arm carried by the pull rod at the front of said element and disposed below and in spaced parallel relation to the rod, fixed guides to be engaged by said element and arm, a plurality of transversely disposed stop plates slidably mounted in advance of the arms and adjacent the paths thereof, the combined lengths of the stop plates being slightly less than the combined widths of the delivery mechanisms, and a stationary abutment at one end of the series of stop plates, some of the plates having their ends beveled and projecting into the paths of the adjacent arms whereby any plate may be engaged by an arm and shifted transversely whereby the adjacent plates will be caused to abut and resist forward movement of the arms other than the selected actuating arm.

3. In a vending machine, a plurality of delivery mechanisms arranged side by side and including reciprocable pull rods and plates at the inner ends of the pull rods normally supporting goods to be delivered, said pull rods being selectively operable to effect discharge of goods, and a delivery frame having a portion arranged in the path of movement of the plates at the inner ends of the pull rods whereby to be actuated by any of the pull rods and having a shelf carried by the rear side of said frame and downwardly and forwardly inclined whereby upon forward movement of a pull rod the package resting thereon will be permitted to drop to the shelf and upon rearward movement of the pullrod will be discharged from the shelf.

4. In a vending machine, a plurality of delivery mechanisms arranged side by side and each including a reciprocable pull rod and a packageengaging plate at the inner end-of the rod, the

pull rods and said plates supporting articles to be sold, tracks below the pull rods and in advance of the package-engaging plates to be engaged by the plates and prevent turning movement thereof and to partly support a package dropping at the rear of theplate when the pull rod and plate are drawn forward, said tracks having theirrear;

ends beveled, and a delivery frame disposed at the rear of the plates and having a member extending across the paths of all the plates in advance thereof whereby the frame may be actuated by any pull rod and plate, said frame-having a downwardly and forwardly inclined shelf at its rear side adapted to engage the beveled ends of said guides whereby to cooperate therewith in supporting an article, said article upon rearward movement of the push plate and frame being caused to rest solely upon the inclined shelf and be thereby discharged.

5. In a vending machine, a casing, internal supporting members on the end walls of the casing having vertically disposed notches adjacent the front of the casing, a plurality of columns arranged side by side and connected to form a unit, a plurality of delivery mechanisms each operable to effect discharge of an article from the corresponding column, the delivery mechanisms bein connected to the lower ends of the columns to constitute a unit therewith, and front and rear studs on the sides of the columns and delivery mechanisms, the rear studs being adapted to rest on the supporting members on the casing and the forward studs being adapted to engage in the notches in said supports whereby the columns and delivery mechanisms may be rocked forwardly through the front of the casing as a unit.

BENJAMIN W. FRY. [1. 8.]

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