Patent ID: 6279719
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
A vending machine for dispensing a single publication product, the vending machine comprising:a housing with a front wall, back wall, side walls, top wall and bottom wall;a door hinged to the front wall on the housing, the door being part of a display case for displaying a copy of the product being dispensed;an elevator located within the housing and slidable from a position near the back wall toward the front wall, the elevator adapted to contain a stack of products being dispensed;a dispensing assembly mounted within housing forward of the elevator, the dispensing assembly including a dispensing sled translatable from an upper position to a lower position within the housing, the dispensing sled adapted to engage a publication product located on the elevator and to slide the publication product to a dispensing area located at a lower portion of the housing;an actuation arm attached to the dispensing sled and pivotally mounted to the housing, the actuation arm projecting outward from the front of the housing and actuatable from a first position to a second position, the actuation of the actuation arm adapted to translate the dispensing sled downward;a locking mechanism for preventing dispensing of a publication product; anda door locking assembly preventing access to the product in the display case until after the last product on the elevator has been dispensed.