Patent ID: 6527139
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: G07D

Abstract:
A secure magazine for holding a plurality of articles to be dispensed comprising:a housing member with a cavity for storing articles and having a lid that is openable to permit access to the cavity; a lock member for locking the lid to the housing member; a gate member movably mounted in the housing member from a closed position to an open position, said gate in said open position permitting an article to be moved by a dispensing mechanism from the magazine for dispensing thereof, said gate member, when said magazine is initially loaded with articles, disposed in the closed position, a one-cycle gate operating mechanism including a moveable actuator moveable from a first position to a second position to secure the magazine to the dispensing mechanism and coupled to the gate member for moving the gate member from the initial closed position to the open position for dispensing of articles by the dispensing mechanism and back to the first position to release the magazine from the dispensing mechanism and close the gate; and a gate locking assembly for locking the gate member in the closed position after one cycle of the actuator from the first position to the second position and back to the first position.