Patent Publication Number: US-7213723-B2

Title: Bulk vending machine

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to vending machines. In particular, this invention relates to a bulk vending machine for vending articles of any shape. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Bulk venders, colloquially known as “gum ball machines”, are widely used for dispensing confectioneries and other small articles of merchandise. A typical bulk vender has a hopper assembly comprising a transparent merchandise storage bin, seated over a dispensing wheel that revolves in a hopper. A plurality of product compartments are recessed into the dispensing wheel. A patron deposits the required token or coin into the coin mechanism and turns the handle, which rotates the dispensing wheel to move one of the product compartments over a dispensing chute, and thus conveys a preset amount of merchandise to the dispensing chute. The hopper assembly is located over a body which is mounted on a base, defining a secure compartment containing a cash box into which the coin mechanism ejects the deposited token or coin. Bulk venders of this type are well known to those skilled in the art. 
   Bulk vending machines tend to dispense merchandise in fairly accurate metered amounts as long as the merchandise is smooth-walled and has a relatively regular shape (e.g. is symmetrical about two or three orthogonal planes). Articles having these characteristics tend to fill the product compartments in the dispensing wheel fairly uniformly, because they drop easily into the product compartments and are self-packing so the overall product density remains substantially uniform throughout the product bin and in each product compartment. Bulk venders are therefore well suited for the unsupervised dispensing of articles such as gumballs and other hard, round or oval confectionary, because the user can virtually be guaranteed to receive the same preset amount of product with each revolution of the coin mechanism. 
   However, conventional bulk venders are relatively poorly suited for dispensing rough-surfaced articles and articles which have an irregular shape, such as toys and lollypops. These types of articles tend not to provide a uniform product density throughout the product bin and do not fall neatly into the product compartments, with the result that a different volume of merchandise (and sometimes no merchandise at all) may be dispensed with each rotation of the coin mechanism. This is unacceptable, because it introduces an element of risk into the purchase of product from a bulk vender, and consumers will not purchase merchandise from a bulk vender if there is any perceived risk that they will not receive the product that they are paying for. 
   Conventional bulk venders are also unsuitable for vending soft articles, because of the way a conventional bulk vender is configured. In order to ensure that the dispensing chute is not in direct communication with the product bin (which would result in product free-flowing through a product compartment to the user), the portion of the dispensing wheel situated over the dispensing chute is covered by a shroud. Rotation of the dispensing wheel pushes the next successive product compartment underneath the shroud, where it comes into communication with the dispensing chute and empties the product through the dispensing chute, as is well known. Soft articles (and some irregularly shaped articles) can become wedged between the trailing edge of the product compartment and the shroud, jamming the vender. This is also unacceptable, because the operators of such venders rely upon the continuous operation of the vender for revenue generation. Each time the vender jams, not only does the operator have to incur the cost of service personnel to repair the jam, but potential revenues during the interval between jamming and repair are lost. 
   As such, there are limited types and shapes of articles which can be dispensed from a conventional bulk vender without special packaging. In order to vend irregularly-shaped articles or soft articles, one or more articles must be placed into a symmetrical hard-shelled capsule. This significantly increases the cost of the product. In some cases the cost of capsule can exceed the cost of the product, making the sale by bulk vender impractical. Accordingly, bulk venders are not generally used to dispense such merchandise. 
   It would accordingly be advantageous to provide a bulk vender which is capable of dispensing irregularly-shaped and soft articles without requiring any special packaging. It would further be advantageous to provide such a vender which is entertaining to view in operation, to attract users and thus increase revenues to the vending machine operator. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a bulk vending machine which is capable of dispensing any type of article, including soft articles and irregularly-shaped articles. The vending machine of the invention is suitable for vending virtually any kind of article, irrespective of the shape or texture of the articles&#39; exterior surfaces. 
   The invention accomplishes this by providing a dispensing conduit having a revolving mouth that floats on the top of a heap of articles in the product bin. The mouth is movable between a horizontal orientation, in which the mouth can scoop articles off of the surface of the heap, and a vertical orientation in which a throat of the dispensing conduit opens to allow an article which has been captured by the mouth to fall through the dispensing chute and be dispensed to the purchaser. 
   In the preferred embodiment rotation of the coin mechanism actuates a clutch, which engages a user-accessible handle to the dispensing conduit. Revolution of the dispensing conduit by turning the handle causes the mouth to revolve around the heap of articles, scooping up one or more articles in its path. The mouth is preferably provided with an adapter configured to accommodate the specific shape of the article being vended. Also, in the preferred embodiment a second user-accessible handle permits rotation of the mouth between horizontal and vertical orientations and the mouth has two operative positions: when horizontal the mouth is in a capturing position capable of capturing an article; once the article has been captured the user can rotate the mouth to a vertical position, which allows the captured article to fall through the dispensing conduit into a dispensing chute, which is accessible to the user. 
   In the preferred embodiment the head is supported by a cable which is weighted by counterweights, reducing the effective weight and allowing the head to remain on top of the heap of articles to facilitate the capture of an article by the mouth. 
   The present invention thus provides a vending machine, comprising a product bin for storing articles, disposed above a secure compartment, a dispensing chute in communication with a neck, the dispensing chute being accessible to a user and the neck being movable substantially vertically within the product bin, a mouth movable between a capturing position and a dispensing position, to be respectively in communication with articles the product bin and with the neck, the mouth being capable of revolving about an axis of the neck, and an actuator for actuating a mechanism to revolve the mouth about the axis of the neck, whereby when the mouth is in the capturing position, revolution of the mouth captures an article from the top of the articles, and when the mouth is rotated to the dispensing position the article is dispensed through the neck and the dispensing conduit. 
   The present invention further provides a method of vending an article in a bulk vender comprising a product bin for storing articles disposed above a secure compartment, a mouth in communication with a neck in communication with a dispensing chute accessible to a user, the mouth being movable substantially vertically within the product bin and rotatable between a capturing position in which the mouth is communication with articles the product bin and a dispensing position in which the mouth is in communication with the neck but not the articles in the product bin, comprising the steps of: a moving the mouth to the capturing position; b. enabling a revolving mechanism and revolving the mouth about the product bin to capture at least one article; c. moving the mouth to the dispensing position, such that the captured article is dispensed through the neck into the dispensing chute; and d. preventing further revolution of the mouth after the captured article has been dispensed until the revolving mechanism is enabled. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention, 
       FIG. 1  is a partially cutaway perspective view of a bulk vender embodying the invention with the top and top securing bracket removed for purposes of illustration, 
       FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional side elevation of the bulk vender of  FIG. 1  showing the product bin substantially full, 
       FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional side elevation of the bulk vender of  FIG. 1  showing the product bin substantially empty, 
       FIG. 3A  is a partially cutaway perspective view of the mouth rotation mechanism, 
       FIG. 3B  is a partially cutaway perspective view of the vender showing the head supported in the product bin, 
       FIG. 3C  is a side elevation showing the manner of supported the head, 
       FIG. 4  is a partially cutaway perspective view of the dispensing conduit revolution mechanism, 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the clutch for the dispensing conduit revolution mechanism, 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the mouth rotation mechanism, 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the mouth in a capturing position, 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the mouth in an intermediate position, 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the head equipped with an adaptor suitable for capturing and dispensing a lollypop, with the mouth in a capturing position, 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the head of  FIG. 9  with the mouth in a dispensing position, 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the mouth equipped with an adaptor suitable for capturing and dispensing a gumball, 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the dispensing chute, 
       FIG. 13A  is a side elevation showing the dispensing chute in the rest position, and 
       FIG. 13B  is a side elevation showing the dispensing chute in the dispensing position. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   A bulk vending machine  10  according to the present invention conventionally comprises a transparent product bin  12  seated over a secure compartment  14 . The product  12  is separated from the secure compartment  14  by a floor  16 . The secure compartment  14  contains the coin mechanism  20 , the cash box (not shown) into which coins  1  are deposited by the coin mechanism  20 , and the mechanisms which connect the user-operated knobs to the operative portions of the vender  10 . The secure compartment  14  may be separated by a divider  19  from a base compartment  18  containing the dispensing chute  150 , to prevent a user from gaining access to the secure compartment  14 ; however, in the preferred embodiment the dispensing chute  150  itself provides a mechanism for preventing access to the inside of the base compartment  18 , as is described in detail below. 
   Articles  2  in the product bin  12  are dispensed to the user by being captured by a head  70  comprising a mouth  80 , the head  70  being movable substantially vertically within the product bin  12  so that the mouth  80  remains at the top of the heap of articles  2  in the product bin  12 . According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a tubular dispensing conduit  30  projects through the floor  16 . The dispensing conduit  30  is retained in a fixed position over the dispensing chute  150  and extends through the secure compartment  14  to approximately the level of the floor  16 . The dispensing conduit  30  is rotationally fixed adjacent to its lower end to a dispensing conduit gear  32 . The dispensing conduit  30  is revolved by a dispensing conduit drive gear mechanism  60 , illustrated in detail in  FIG. 5 , which is engaged to the dispensing conduit gear train  31  when the coin mechanism  20  is rotated, in the manner described in detail below. The gear mechanism  60  is rotated by a user-accessible dispensing conduit drive handle  62  via shaft  64  disposed through the wall of the secure compartment  14 . Thus, when the gear mechanism  60  is engaged to the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , as described in detail below, rotation of the dispensing conduit drive handle  62  translates into revolution of the dispensing conduit  30 . 
   Movably mounted over the dispensing conduit  30 , preferably in telescoping relation, is a tubular neck  40 . The neck  40  is slidably mounted through a neck rotation gear  50 , and rotationally fixed relative to the gear  50  by ribs  42  which slide through complementary axial recesses  52  formed along the hub of the gear  50 , best seen in  FIG. 3A . The gear  50  is rotationally mounted to the floor  16 , for example trapped in a slot  54   a  milled into the peripheral edge of opening  54  and circumscribing the gear  50 . Thus, rotation of the neck rotation gear  50  revolves the neck  40 , while at the same time the neck  40  can move freely axially through the neck rotation gear  50  and telescopically over the dispensing conduit  30 . 
   Mounted on top of the neck  40  is the head  70 , comprising a mouth  80  rotationally mounted to a throat  90 . The throat  90  is mounted to the neck  40 , for example by an annular collar  96  which may comprise collar portions  96   a ,  96   b  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The mouth  80  preferably comprises a tubular elbow  82  having an exposed end  84  for receiving an article  2  from the product bin  12  and a concealed end  86 , best seen in  FIG. 6 , contained inside the throat  90  and rotationally mounted to the throat  90 . 
   In order to promote the extraction of an article  2  off of the top surface of the heap of articles  2 , which both facilitates the capture of an article  2  and reduces abrasive decomposition of other articles  2  in the storage bin  12 , means for maintaining the head  70  on top of the articles  2  is provided. In the preferred embodiment the head  70  is supported in the product bin  12  by a cable  120 , best illustrated in  FIGS. 3B and 3C , which suspends the head  70  to reduce the effective weight of the head/neck assembly to just a few ounces. The head/neck assembly is thus supported by the cable  120 , but not fully suspended, so the head/neck assembly will descend under the influence of gravity as the heap of articles  2  in the product bin  12  diminishes, but the effective weight of the head/neck assembly is too small to apply any significant force to the heap of articles  2 , which might otherwise damage the articles  2  in the product bin  12  as the neck  80  is rotated. 
   Preferably the cable  120  is removable to allow for servicing and maintenance, for example being affixed to the mouth  80  by nut  121  trapping enlargement  121   a  and engaged to threaded post  123 . In the embodiment shown the cable  120  is fed through pulleys  124  mounted within the bracket  122  that secures the top  13  (shown in  FIG. 3C ), through one of the extrusions  126  forming the frame for the product bin  12  (and optionally trapped therein by appropriately configured plugs, not shown), and into the secure compartment  14 . Within the secure compartment  14  the cable  120  is affixed to weights  128 , which are preferably individually removable cumulatively serve as an adjustable counterweight  130 . In this fashion the effective weight of the head/neck assembly can be set as required for the particular articles being vended, so that the mouth  80  always remains “floating” on top of the heap of articles  2  and does not become submerged within the heap of articles  2 . It will be appreciated that the cable supporting system may not be necessary with every type of articles, and some types of articles will by their nature support the head  70  without the need for additional support. 
   The exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  is provided with an adapter  72  configured to capture a single article  2  from the heap of articles  2  in the product bin  12 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3A  the articles  2  are lollipops, which are irregularly-shaped by the provision of a ball of confectionary at one end of a stick. Accordingly, the adapter  72  is configured with claws  72   a  projecting from a scoop  72   b  to most readily capture a lollipop. It will be appreciated that different types of articles  2  may require differently configured adapters to maximize opportunities for capturing the article  2  as the mouth  80  is revolved around the product bin  12 , for example the scoop-shaped adaptor  74  illustrated in  FIG. 11  which is particularly suitable for capturing a gumball. The configuration of the adapter is a matter of selection, determined by the type and shape of article  2  being vended and the number of articles  2  desired to be dispensed with each cycle of the coin mechanism  20 . 
   The mouth  80  is rotatable between a capturing position, in which the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  is oriented generally axially horizontally as shown in  FIG. 9 , and a dispensing position in which the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  is oriented generally axially vertically as shown in  FIG. 10 . Preferably an opening  88  in the side wall of the elbow  82  near the concealed end  86  of the mouth  80  comes into alignment with the neck  40  only when the mouth  80  is in the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 10 , so that when the mouth  80  is lowered from the dispensing position, the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  is positioned to capture an article  2 , but the opening  88  is out of alignment with the neck  40 , closing off the neck  40  and effectively blocking the dispensing conduit  30 . This prevents a user from obtaining multiple articles  2  by continuous revolution of the dispensing conduit  30  with the mouth  80  in the capturing position. 
   To further prevent the unintentional vending of multiple articles  2  during a single dispensing cycle of the coin mechanism  20 , the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  is blocked (or partially blocked) by a finger  92  when the mouth  80  is in the capturing (horizontal) position. The finger  92  may be fixed to the collar  96  on which the throat  90  is mounted, and configured and oriented such that throughout the path of rotation of the mouth  80  from the capturing position shown in  FIG. 9  until just before the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 10 , the finger  92  intrudes through a hole in the adapter  72  and blocks the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80 . The finger  92  will thus prevent a captured article  2  from entering the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , until the mouth  80  has reached the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 3B . Once the mouth  80  has reached the dispensing position, the finger  92  has receded from the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80  (see  FIG. 3A ) and allows the captured article  2  to fall into the mouth  80  to be dispensed to the user. Preferably the finger  92  has a bent or hooked end  92   a , preventing dislodgement of the finger  92  from the adapter  72 . 
   The mouth  80  is rotated between the capturing and dispensing positions by a set of teeth  41  formed in the top rim of the neck  40 , engaging a mouth rotation gear  98  affixed to the concealed end  86  of the mouth  80 . Since the mouth  80  is only required to rotate about 90°, it is only necessary to provide teeth along the circumference of part of the mouth rotation gear  98 . It is also only necessary to provide teeth  41  along part of the rim of the neck  80 , however to avoid requiring service personnel to align the neck  40  when loading the product bin  12  it may be preferable to provide teeth  41  around the entire rim of the neck  80  as shown in  FIG. 6 . A stop  91  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) should be provided to prevent the mouth  80  from over-rotating in either direction. 
   The neck rotation knob  58  is permanently coupled to the neck rotation gear  50  via shaft  51  and bevel gear  59   a . Thus, even without depositing a coin into the coin mechanism  20 , the mouth  80  can be rotated between the capturing and dispensing positions. However, without revolving the dispensing conduit  30  to move the mouth  80  about the product bin  12 , it is not likely that the adapter  72  could capture an article  2 . Accordingly, while in an alternative embodiment (not shown) it is also possible to use the clutch mechanism to block or disengage the neck rotation knob  58  at the same time as the dispensing conduit drive knob  62 , this would ordinarily be unnecessary. 
   Revolution of the dispensing conduit  30  is prevented unless a coin has been deposited into the coin mechanism  20  by a clutch associated with the gear mechanism  60 , best seen in  FIG. 5 . The gear mechanism  60  is mounted on a pin  64   a  so as to be axially moveable between a position remote from the dispensing conduit gear train  31  (comprising planetary gears  31  and  32 ) and a position engaged with the dispensing conduit gear train  31 . A dispensing conduit drive gear  66  is mounted in a shaft portion  61   b  which slidably receives shaft portion  61   a  coupled to the dispensing conduit revolution knob  62 . Thus, the shaft portion  61   b  supporting dispensing conduit drive gear  66  can thus move axially relative to the knob  62 , allowing the drive mechanism  60  to move toward and away from dispensing conduit gear train  31 , but the shaft portions  61   a  and  61   b  are rotationally fixed relative to one another. 
   Rotating the coin mechanism  20  by turning handle  20   a  actuates the clutch to bring the gear mechanism  60  into engagement with the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , by rotating a cam  20   b  which forces a lever  64  to overcome the biasing force of tension spring  65   a  and cause the gear mechanism  60  to swing on its mounting pivot  64   a , such that the dispensing conduit drive gear  66  engages the dispensing conduit gear train  31 . 
   A latch  68 , biased toward the mounting arm  65  by a spring  68   a , snaps into an engaged position when the hook  68   b  clears the lower end of the mounting arm  65 , latching the gear mechanism  60  into the engaged position. Although the gear mechanism  60  is biased toward the disengaged position by the tension spring  65   a  urging the mounting arm  65  in a direction away from the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , the latch  68  retains the gear mechanism  60  in the engaging position as the dispensing conduit revolution knob  62  is rotated. This rotates the dispensing conduit drive gear  66  against gear  33 , which in turn rotates gear  32  to cause the dispensing conduit  30  to revolve. The dispensing conduit  30  is rotationally coupled to the neck  40  by ribs  37  projecting from a bushing or sleeve  37   a , best seen in  FIG. 3A , so the neck  40  rotates as the dispensing conduit  30  rotates, which causes the head  70  to revolve in the product bin  12 . 
   The cam  20   b  is oriented to force the gear mechanism  60  into the engaging position immediately after the coin has been accepted by the coin mechanism  20 . For example, in a coin mechanism such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,235, issued Mar. 11, 1997 to Schwarzli, which is incorporated herein by reference, a diameter measuring dog measures the coin during the rotational cycle of the mechanism and allows&#39; the mechanism to rotate past the acceptance point only if a coin of the correct size has been deposited. This particular coin mechanism is referred to by way of example only, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any coin mechanism capable of forcing the gear mechanism  60  into the engaging position is suitable for use in the vending machine  10  of the present invention, and the invention is not intended to be limited to any particular coin mechanism  20 . 
   From the operator&#39;s standpoint, it is desirable to vend only a single article with each coin  1  deposited into coin mechanism  20 . However, the user must be satisfied that the vending machine  10  will remain operable until an article  2  has been dispensed, otherwise users will not use the vending machine  10 . In the preferred embodiment, the invention provides mechanism for releasing the clutch to disengage the dispensing conduit drive mechanism  60  only in response to an article  2  dropping through the dispensing conduit  30  into the dispensing chute  150 . 
   In the preferred embodiment the clutch release mechanism comprises a flap  110  positioned beneath the dispensing conduit  30 , biased to a position blocking the bottom of the dispensing conduit  30  and pivotable to an open position (shown in  FIG. 2A ) whereby the dispensing conduit  30  is in communication with the dispensing chute  150 . A connecting rod  112  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) pivots with the flap  110  and allows a spacer bar  114  hanging on a pivot  114   a  to move under the influence of gravity to a position between the latch  68  and a cam wheel  69  mounted on the shaft portion  61   b  so that it rotates with the shaft  61 . The spacer bar  114  thus fills a space between the latch  68  and the cam wheel  69 . 
   When the flap  110  is in the closed position shown in  FIG. 2B , the rod  112  holds the spacer bar  114  away from the space between the latch  68  and a cam wheel  69 , and the cam  69   a  passes through the space without touching any other structure. However, when the flap  110  is opened by an article  2  falling through the dispensing conduit  30 , the spacer bar  110  drops into the space and next time the cam  69   a  passes the latch  68  it pushes the spacer bar  114  against the latch  68  in the unlatching direction, which in turn pushes the latch  68  to unhook the latch  68  from the gear mechanism  60 . The spring  65   a  then pulls the gear mechanism  60  out of engagement with the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , releasing the clutch and disconnecting the knob  62  from the dispensing conduit gear train  31 . 
   This prevents any further revolution of the mouth  80  in the product bin  12 . In order to re-engage the gear mechanism  60  to the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , a coin  1  must be deposited into the coin mechanism  20  and the coin mechanism  20  must be rotated until the cam  20   b  again engages the clutch by forcing the dispensing conduit gear mechanism  60  into engagement with the dispensing conduit gear train  31 . 
   The dispensing chute  150  in the preferred embodiment comprises an open-ended trough pivotally mounted near the floor of the base compartment  18 , as at  152 . In the preferred embodiment means is provided for preventing a user from accessing the inside of the base compartment  18 . The open end  150   a  of the dispensing chute  152  is accessed by manually opening access door  154 , which is hinged to the vender body as at pivots  155  and articulated to side walls of the dispensing chute  152  via arms  156  fixed to the door  154 . The arms  156  thus pivot with the door  154  as the door  154  is raised to the dispensing position. The free ends of the arms  154  are provided with bushings or rollers  158 , which are trapped in grooves  160  formed in or through the side walls of the dispensing chute  152 . The shape of the grooves  160  is such that as the door  154  is opened the rollers  158  riding along the grooves  160  raise the dispensing chute  152  from the rest position shown in  FIG. 13A  to the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 13B . 
   Preferably the flap  110  overlaps the closed end  150   b  of the dispensing chute  152 . This serves to ensure that the flap  110  and the dispensing chute  152  do not interfere with one another in operation; that the flap  110  closes properly when the user retrieves their purchase from the dispensing chute  152 , to reset the clutch release mechanism for the next user; and that the user cannot access the dispensing conduit  30  while the access door  154  is open. 
   The invention thus operates as follows: A service person grasps the head  70  and manually raises the neck  40 , either by grasping the neck  40  or by drawing the counterweight  130  toward the bottom of the base compartment  18  so that the cable  120  raises the neck  40 . The service person fills the product bin  12  with articles  2 , then lowers the head  70  onto the top of the heap of articles  2  and locks the vender  10  by engaging a lock (not shown) through the top  13  to the threaded post  123  on the top securing bracket  122 . 
   A user deposits a coin  1  into the coin mechanism  20  and rotates the handle  20   a . This rotates the cam  20   b , which forces the gear mechanism mounting arm  65  to pivot toward the dispensing conduit  30 , and thus forces the gear mechanism  60  (and particularly dispensing conduit drive gear  66 ) into engagement with the dispensing conduit gear train  31  comprising gears  32  and  33 . 
   The user lowers the mouth  80  to the capturing position by rotating the neck rotation knob  58 , which rotates the neck rotation gear  50  via shaft  59  to rotate the neck  40 . As the neck  40  rotates the teeth  41  around the upper rim of the neck  40  engage the teeth around the periphery of the mouth rotation gear  98 , to rotate the mouth  80  down to the capturing position shown in  FIG. 9 . 
   The user can then turn the dispensing conduit drive handle  62 , causing the mouth  80  to revolve on the surface of the heap of articles  2  in the product bin  12 . This forces the adapter  72  forward against the heap of articles  2  until an article  2  is captured by the adapter  72 . The finger  92  prevents the article  2  from entering the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80 , so the article is held in the adapter  72 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . To dispense the article  2  the user rotates the neck rotation knob  58 , which rotates the mouth rotation gear  98  through neck rotation gear  50  and neck  40  to raise the mouth  80 . As the mouth  80  is rotated toward the dispensing position the finger  92  recedes from the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80 . At the dispensing position, shown in  FIG. 3A , the finger  92  has substantially receded from the exposed end  84  of the mouth  80 , and the article  2  drops into the elbow  82 . 
   As the user continues to turn the neck rotation knob  58 , the opening  88  in the concealed end  86  of the mouth  80  comes into alignment with the upper end of the neck  40  and the article  2  drops through the neck, and then through the dispensing conduit  30 . 
   As the article  2  drops through the bottom end of the dispensing conduit  30  it strikes the flap  110 , forcing the flap  110  to the open position shown in  FIGS. 2A and 13A . As the flap  110  opens, the connecting rod  112  recedes toward the dispensing conduit  30  and allows the bottom end of the spacer bar  114  to swing into the space between the latch  68  and the cam wheel  69 . Further rotation of the dispensing conduit drive knob  62  turns the cam  69   a  against the spacer bar  114 . The spacer bar  114  in turn pushes against the latch  68  and unlatches the latch  68  from the gear mechanism mounting arm  65 . The spring  65   a , which is in a tensioned condition whenever the gear mechanism  60  is engaged to the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , forces the gear mechanism  60  to disengage from the dispensing conduit gear train  31 , thus preventing further revolution of the dispensing conduit  30 . This completes the dispensing cycle. 
   If the vending machine  10  is not completely reset after the dispensing cycle is complete, for example if the user simply removes the dispensed article  2  and does not further turn the dispensing conduit drive knob  62  to unlatch the latch  68  and release the clutch, the vending machine  10  will be completely reset when the next user tries to turn the dispensing conduit drive knob  62  unless the coin mechanism  20  is rotated to return the cam  20   b  back to the engaging position. 
   When the user opens the access door  154  to access the open end  150   a  of the dispensing chute  152  and retrieve their merchandise, the rollers  158  ride along the grooves  160  to raise the dispensing chute  152  to the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 13B . This changes the attitude of the dispensing chute  150  so that the article  2  rolls down toward the open end  150   a , and closes the flap  110 . When the user releases the access door  154  the dispensing chute  150  returns to the rest position shown in  FIG. 13A  under the influence of gravity, but the flap  110  remains closed. 
   As articles  2  are dispensed from the product bin  12 , the height of the heap of articles  2  diminishes. Because the neck  40  slides in telescopic relation to the dispensing conduit  30 , the head  70  is always maintained on the top of the heap of articles  2  in a “floating” fashion by the cable  120 . Optionally one or more agitators (not shown), may be provided to agitate the articles  2  as the neck  40  revolves and thus to maintain a substantially uniform product density throughout the product bin  12 . As the articles  2  are depleted the neck  40  slides progressively lower over the dispensing conduit  30 , until the product bin  12  is substantially empty as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
   Because the neck  40  rotates with the dispensing conduit  30 , it is possible to rotate the mouth  80  between the capturing and dispensing positions by simply locking the mouth rotation gear  50  against rotation, and as the dispensing conduit  30  continues to revolve the mouth  80  will automatically move. However, in the preferred embodiment a mouth rotation knob  50  is provided so that the mouth  80  can be rotated between the capturing and dispensing positions independently of the revolution of the dispensing conduit  30 , thus giving the user an additional degree of control over the capture of an article  2 . 
   It is also possible to provide a mouth resetting mechanism (not shown), which may be actuated by the opening of the flap  110  or revolution of the dispensing conduit  30 , so that the mouth  80  automatically returns to the capturing position at the end of a dispensing cycle. However, this is optional and detailed instructions (pictorial or otherwise) can be provided to show the user how to move the mouth  80  to the capturing position in order to capture an article  2 . Moreover many users, particularly young users, will prefer to have total control over the position of the capturing mechanism. 
   As a safety feature, in the preferred embodiment the gear  66  can move slightly axially along the shaft portion  61   b , just enough to disengage from the gear  33  even when the clutch mechanism is engaged. Thus, if the revolving dispensing conduit  30  jams during use and the user tries to force the dispensing conduit drive knob  62  too hard, rather than damaging the mechanism the spring  61   c  will compress and the gear  66  will slip out of engagement with gear  33 . Also, if the teeth of the gear  66  are not exactly aligned with the teeth of the gear  33  when the cam  20   b  forces the gear mechanism  60  into the engaging position, the spring  61   c  will compress until the user starts to rotate the dispensing conduit drive handle  62 , at which time the gear  66  will slip into engagement with the gear  33 . 
   Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.