Patent ID: 6382387
Filing Date: 2002-05-07
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
A vending machine for dispensing a product, comprising:a. a housing having a first gravity feed magazine for containing a first stack of products resting on a first blocking plate and a second gravity feed magazine for containing a second stack of products resting on a second blocking plate; b. a first weight supporting device positioned within said first magazine and on top of said first stack of products for retaining said first stack of products thereto; c. a second weight supporting device positioned within said second magazine and on top of said second stack of products for retaining said second stack of products thereto; d. a pair of currency operated mechanisms each respectively located at a bottom of said first and second magazines, each mechanism having a currency slot for accepting currency and a rotatable knob for rotating the currency into a passageway and into a currency receiving compartment and upon receiving the currency, a respective one of said first and second blocking plates is moved out of the way to dispense a product from a respective one of said first and second magazines; and e. two spring biased blocking means with a respective one spring-biased blocking means respectively installed on top of said each currency operated mechanism and located adjacent to said passageway, each respective spring-biased blocking means having a depressable portion partially extending out from said each currency operated mechanism and biased upwardly by a spring and a blocking portion located within said each currency operating mechanism, such that when a respective one of said first and second weight supporting devices depresses the depressable portion, the blocking portion is pushed into and blocks said passageway to prevent said currency from being accepted by said vending machine when that respective magazine is out of product; f. whereby when said depressable portion of said spring-biased blocking means is depressed, said blocking portion blocks said passageway into said currency receiving compartment of said vending machine when the magazine is out of product.