Patent ID: 6352174
Filing Date: 2002-03-05
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
A dispensing machine for dispensing rectangularly shaped containers with flexible side walls, said machine comprising:(a) a housing with an outlet for said containers, said housing containing a plurality of shelves that are sloped toward a vertical channel, said shelves being constructed so that said containers will slide laterally along said shelves on one side toward said channel; (b) said channel extending from below a lowermost shelf past an uppermost shelf, said channel providing an exit passage for containers from said shelves to said outlet; (c) said channel containing a plurality of paddles spaced vertically apart from one another, each paddle being capable of supporting a limited number of containers within said channel; (d) said paddles being arranged to move simultaneously to lower one container, for each paddle, at a time from a space in said channel immediately above each paddle to a space in said channel immediately below each paddle; (e) each shelf having a first gate located at a lower end thereof to control entry of containers from that shelf to said vertical channel, there being no shelf immediately opposite each paddle, each first gate having guide means on a side thereof facing said vertical channel, those gates of said first gates that are located immediately adjacent to said paddles being offset inward toward said shelves to provide greater width to said channel; (f) barriers being located in said vertical channel, one barrier being located at each access area where a shelf has been omitted to prevent a container in said vertical channel from exiting said channel prematurely through said access area; (g) with activation means, accessible from outside said housing, to cause said paddles to move simultaneously, thereby moving all containers within the channel downward one space at a time and moving a lowermost container to said outlet.