Abstract:
A vending machine for dispensing a single publication product at a time. The vending machine includes a housing with a front wall, back wall, side walls, top wall and bottom wall. A door is hinged to the front wall on the housing and forms part of a display case for displaying information regarding the product being dispensed. An elevator is 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 is mounted within housing and forward of the elevator. The dispensing assembly includes a dispensing sled which is translatable from an upper position to a lower position. The dispensing sled is adapted to engage a publication product located on the elevator and to slide the publication product toward a dispensing area located at the bottom of the housing. An actuation arm is attached to the dispensing sled and pivotally mounted to the housing. The actuation arm projects outward from the front of the housing and is actuatable in a downward direction. The downward actuation of the actuation arm translates the dispensing sled downward. A locking mechanism controls dispensing of a publication product.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a publication vending machine configured to dispense a single newspaper and/or magazine at a time. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Single newspaper vending machines are known in the art. Exemplary embodiments of such machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,658 to Israel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,242 to Muller et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,695 to Pearson. In the Muller et al patent, a front hinged door  34  is unlatched by a coin release mechanism to provide access to the newspapers. When the door is unlatched, a newspaper dispensing device  90  becomes visible. A spring-loaded magazine located behind the device  90  brings the stack of newspapers to the level of a withdrawal gate  96 . When the door  34  is closed, lever  68  displaces a projection  84  so as to trip and release a lever  146 . The lever  146  is part of a mechanism that otherwise blocks the withdrawal gate  96 . An adjustment mechanism  94 , shown in FIG. 5 of that patent, adjusts the height of a lower section  106  of the withdrawal gate, the upper section being part of the machine frame and being stationary. The lower section is provided with a pocket  112  for accommodating the user&#39;s hand. Withdrawal of a newspaper rotates separate shaft-mounted levers  116 ,  118  forwardly. The lever  116  is arrested in the forward position by a lever  126  which moves over and rests on a stop  130 . The lever  118  then swings back to its original position, displacing a blocking lever  120  which is then spring-urged back to its original position so as to block the lever  118  from further forward displacement. When the hinged door  134  is closed, level  68  causes displacement of lever  146  and the lever  124  on which stop  130  is mounted thereby freeing lever  126  so that lever  116  can rotate back to vertical. A paddle on lever  116  displaces the blocking lever  120 , freeing lever  118  for subsequent operation. 
     The Pearson patent discloses a top loading machine of the type described in the Muller et al. patent. A narrow front access door  14  is locked and unlocked by a coin mechanism. The door  14  is swung open to gain access to the newspapers. A newspaper is withdrawn through a space between upper and lower gate sections  19 ,  20 . The lower gate section  20  is secured to a plate  25  which is vertically reciprocatable in channels  26 ,  27  by means of a suspension cable  21  wound around an adjustment shaft  22  mounted on the top gate section  19 . Newspapers are bulk loaded on a stack carrier  18  which is supported by a cable system as shown in FIG.  3 . The suspension system is responsive to opening and closing of the front access door. When the access door is open, a pawl  30  swings forward as a newspaper is withdrawn. After the newspaper is withdrawn, while the door is still open, the pawl  30  returns to its original position and a lever  51  engages and locks the shaft on which the pawl is mounted so as to lock the pawl in position and block withdrawal of the next newspaper. When the door is closed, a finger  14 L rotates lever  51  so as to release the pawl shaft. In a second embodiment of the machine, shown in FIG. 7 of the patent, the access door  14  is removed. The dispensing mechanism in this embodiment comprises a fixed gate section  80  and an adjustable gate section  81 . The mechanism includes a bail coupled to a shaft  83  journaled in the machine frame. A pawl  82  depends from the shaft and is locked in position after removal of the newspaper by a linkage assembly including a toggle  90  which is controlled by the coin mechanism. 
     The Israel patent discloses a single newspaper vending machine. The vending machine includes an elevator unit for raising newspapers after a newspaper is dispensed. A dispensing mechanism controls dispensing of one newspaper per payment. A coin mechanism controls actuation of the dispensing mechanism when a suitable amount of coins are inserted into the machine. 
     Vending machines wherein newspapers are dispensed by semi-automatic operation are also known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,250 (Watlington) there is disclosed a vending machine provided with a bridge  25  and a shaft  27  on which sharpened fingers  33  are located. See FIGS. 2 and 5. The bridge is displaceable by the operator using an actuator mechanism having a handle  41 . During forward movement of the bridge the fingers engage the top newspaper in a stack and move it to a discharge slot. The stack platform coacts with vertical racks  16  and ratchet wheels  58 . Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,475 (Etes) discloses a vending machine capable of semi-automatic operation wherein a linger  36 , which is mounted on a reciprocatable carriage impales the top paper in a stack and displaces the paper to a discharge slot. 
     Newspaper dispensing machines employing slidable dispensing mechanisms are also known, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 1,886,694 (Kelly) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,087 (Schonthal). In the Kelly patent, an automatic dispensing operation is followed by manual withdrawal of the newspaper. A frame A is displaceable together with an operating head  42  (within which a coin control mechanism is located) with respect to a discharge slot  11 . See FIG.  3 . The frame is provided with rollers  34  which rotate when head  42  is retracted by the operator so as to feed a paper to slot  11 . The paper is then grasped and withdrawn by the operator. Conversion of a semi-honior dispensing machine to a single copy machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,047 (Owens). A release mechanism  36  includes a slide plate  38  displaceable through a slot  29 . The plate  38  is spring-coupled to a coin mechanism pushrod  23 . A jaw  53  is mounted below the plate  38  to grip the forward edge of a paper. The mechanism  36  is pulled forward bringing a newspaper with it, and the paper is then grasped and withdrawn by the operator. A single paper vending machine wherein locking mechanisms are moved into and out of the newspaper path is also known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,477 (Chalabian). 
     Although the single copy vending machines disclosed in the above reterences are improvements over the popular honor-type vending machines, a need exists for an improved single newspaper/magazine vending machine which is economically feasible to manufacture and which protects the dispensed product from damage from weather. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A vending machine is disclosed for dispensing a single publication product at a time. The vending machine includes a housing with a front wall, back wall, side walls, top wall and bottom wall. A door is hinged to the front wall on the housing and forms part of a display case for displaying information regarding the product being dispensed. 
     An elevator is located within the housing and slidable from a position near the back wall toward the front wall. The elevator is adapted to contain a stack of products being dispensed. 
     A dispensing assembly is mounted within housing and forward of the elevator. The dispensing assembly includes a dispensing sled which is translatable from an upper position to a lower position. The dispensing sled is adapted to engaged a publication product located on the elevator and to slide the publication product toward a dispensing area located at the bottom of the housing. 
     An actuation arm is attached to the dispensing sled and pivotally mounted to the housing. The actuation arm projects outward from the front of the housing and is actuatable in a downward direction. The downward actuation of the actuation arm translates the dispensing sled downward. 
     A locking mechanism controls dispensing of a publication product. 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred, it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown. 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a single publication vending machine. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the right side of the vending machine according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the vending machine according to the present invention taken along lines  3 - 3  in FIG.  2 . 
     FIGS. 4A-4C are enlarged partial cross-section views of the vending machine illustrating the operation of the dispensing assembly. 
     FIGS. 5A-5B are a cross-sectional views of the left side of the vending machine illustrating the operation of the actuation arm and dispensing assembly. 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the dispensing assembly. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the blocking mechanism for preventing dispensing of articles. 
     FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate the operation of an elevator lock for use when loading the elevator with articles to be dispensed. 
     FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate the operation and features of a locking mechanism for locking the actuation arm until sufficient payment is received by a coin mechanism. 
     FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a portion of the door locking assembly. 
     FIG. 11A-11B are cross-sectional views of a disengagement mechanism for use in disengaging the door latch. 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of the top of the elevator base. 
     FIG. 13 is an alternate embodiment of the invention illustrating several vending machines mounted together. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While the invention will be described in connection with one or more preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended that the invention cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within its spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. 
     Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a single paper vending machine according to the present invention designated generally as  10 . FIG. 1 actually shows one vending machine on a stand. The vending machine  10  includes a front door  12  which is hingedly mounted to a housing  14  via hinges  16  (shown in FIG.  2 ). The housing  14  includes a front wall  18 , a back wall  20  (shown in FIG.  2 ), two opposed side walls  22 , a top wall  24  and a bottom wall  26  (shown in FIG.  2 ). The walls are attached to one another through any conventional means and are preferably attached so as to prevent water intiltration into the housing. 
     At least one of the side walls  22  includes a hinged service door  28  which permits access to the inside of the vending machine for loading and unloading articles to be dispensed and for accessing a coin mechanism. It is also contemplated that the entire side wall could operate as the service door. A lock  30  is preferably mounted to the service door to prevent access to the interior of the machine. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, a side cross-sectional view of the vending machine  10  is shown. The vending machine  10  includes an elevator  32  which is mounted with the housing  14  and is translatable from a position near the back wall  20  of the housing toward the front door  12 . The elevator  32  includes a base  34  which is slidably mounted on one or more guide shafts  36 . Two guide shafts  36  are shown in FIG. 2, one positioned vertically above the other. The guide shafts  36  are attached to the back wall  20  of the housing  14  and extend forward to a dispensing assembly  38 . The base  34  includes holes near its sides through which the guide shafts  36  pass. The guide shafts  36  operate to guide the base  34  from a position near the back wall  20  forward toward the dispensing, assembly  38 . The elevator  32  is shown loaded with articles for dispensing (generally designated “A”) such as periodicals or newspapers. 
     A biasing member  40 , such as a spring, is located on each guide shaft  36  between the base  34  and the back wall  20 . The biasing member  40  is sized larger than the hole in the base  34 , thus resulting in the biasing member  40  being retained between the base  34  and the back wall  20 . The biasing member  40  biases the base  34  toward the dispensing assembly  38  and away from the back wall  20 . The biasing members  40  are chosen so that the initial compression on each spring when the elevator is unloaded (i.e., when the base  34  is empty and is in its position closest to the dispensing assembly  38 ), provides a desired residual force toward the dispensing assembly  38 . When the elevator  32  is loaded, the weight of the articles cause the biasing members  40  to compress forcing the base  34  toward the back wall  20 . The biasing members  40  provide the requisite amount of contact between the articles A and the dispensing mechanism  38 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front door  12  is hinged to the front wall  18  via a spring  16 . The spring  16  is preferably a torsion spring which biases the front door  12  toward the front wall  18 . The front door  12  includes a handle  42  to facilitate opening and closing of the door  12 . The front door  12  also includes a frame  44  within which a transparent panel  46  is mounted. The transparent panel  46  can be made from glass, plastic or any other suitable transparent material, and is mounted to the frame  44  in any conventional manner. 
     As shown in FIG. 4A, a display frame  48  is attached to the inside of the front wall  18  and defines, in combination with the transparent panel  46  and the frame  44 , a display case  50  for retaining one or more articles which are being dispensed by the machine. The display frame  48  includes a rear wall  52  which is visible through the transparent panel when no article is contained within the display case  50 . The forward face of the rear wall  52  may include indicia for displaying a suitable message, such as the phrase “Sold Out”, when there are no longer any articles left to be dispensed. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, a recessed opening,  54  is formed in the bottom of the front door  12  and is designed to facilitate grasping of a dispensed article. 
     Referring again to FIG. 2, at least one rearwardly extending door latch  56  is attached to the back of the front door frame  44  and operates to lock the front door  12  to the housing  14  until all the articles A stored on the elevator  32  have been removed. The details of the door latch  56  and associated locking mechanism will de discussed below. 
     An actuation arm  58  is pivotably mounted to the back wall  20  of the housing  14  and extends through a slot  60  formed in the front wall  18 , preferably adjacent to the front door  12 . The actuation arm  58  preferably includes a hand grip  62  to facilitate grasping of the arm  58 . As will be discussed in more detail hereinafter, the actuation arm  58  controls dispensing of articles A from the machine  10 . The actuation arm  58  is adapted to be pivoted by an operator of the machine through a small arc from an upper initial position (shown in FIG. 5A which is a right side view of the machine) to a lower dispensing position (shown FIG.  5 B). One or more springs  64  are attached to the actuation arm  58  and the housing and are adapted to bias the arm  58  into its initial position (FIG.  5 A). 
     The actuation arm  58  is attached to the dispensing assembly  38 . More particularly, a linkage  66  is attached to the actuation arm  58  and to a dispensing sled  68 . The dispensing sled  68  is translatably mounted to the dispensing assembly  38 . The linkage  66  is designed to convert the arcuate motion of the actuation arm  58  into translation of the dispensing sled  68 . The translation of the dispensing sled  68  feeds the article located on the top of the elevator  32 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 4A through 4C, details of the operation of the dispensing sled  68  and the structure of the dispensing assembly  38  are shown. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention in FIG. 4A, the dispensing sled  68  includes two guide wheels (shown in phantom and identified by the numeral  70 ) mounted on either side of the sled  68 . The guide wheels  70  are located within rails  72  that extend from an upper end of the dispensing assembly  38  to a lower discharge end  74  located in the recessed opening. The rails  72  (guide the sled  68  from an upper, initial position (FIG. 4A) to a lower dispensing position (FIG. 4B) at the discharge end  74  of the dispensing assembly  38 . The rails  72  are mounted to a fixed support  78 . 
     The dispensing sled  68  also includes one or more contact fingers  76  which are attached to the sled  68 . The fingers  76  extend rearward and downward as shown. The fingers  76  are spring biased into the position shown in FIG. 4A by a torsion spring (not shown). A stop  77  limits the backward swinging of the finger. The details of the construction and operation of the fingers  76  can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,658, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The fingers  76  have sharp ends or tips and are designed and oriented to engage the forward facing surface of the top article on the elevator  32 . 
     A fixed support  78  is attached to the housing  14  and has rollers  80  rotatably mounted within idler bearings. The rollers  80  protrude through the back of the fixed support and are designed to contact the top article on the elevator  32 . The rollers  80  roll along the surface of the top article while it is being dispensed. thereby easing the sliding of the top article out of the machine. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the dispensing assembly  38  taken along lines  6 — 6  in FIG. 4A, and shows the details of the fixed support  78 . The dispensing sled  68  is attached to the fixed support  78  through one or more springs  82 . The springs  82  bias the dispensing sled  68  into its uppermost or initial position (FIG.  4 A). When the actuator arm  58  is in its lowermost position (FIG.  5 B), the linkage  66  translates the dispensing sled  68  to its dispensing position (FIG.  4 B), thus, extending the springs  82 . When the actuation arm  58  is released, the extended springs (both springs  64  and springs  82 ) force the arm and sled into their respective uppermost positions. 
     In order to prevent an article from slipping out of the machine prior to being dispensed, the present invention incorporates a blocking mechanism  84  shown in FIGS. 4A and 6. The blocking mechanism  84  includes at least one blocking lever  86  which is mounted to a shaft  88 . The shaft  88  is rotatably mounted within journals. More preferably, there is a blocking lever  86  mounted on either side of the dispensing sled  68 . Each blocking lever  86  extends through a slot formed in the support  78 . The blocking lever  86  and shaft  88  are prevented from rotating by a latch  90  which is also pivotally mounted to the support  78 . The latch  90  includes a recess which is designed to capture the blocking lever  86  to prevent it from pivoting. The latch  90  is biased toward the blocking lever by a torsion spring  92 . 
     When the blocking lever  86  is in its blocked or locked position (i.e., facing backward as shown in FIG.  4 A), the articles cannot pass downward into the dispensing area. Rotation of the blocking lever  86  downward from its blocked position is prevented by the latch  90 . 
     Attached to the dispensing sled  68  is a bracket  94 . As shown in FIG. 7, the bracket  94  includes a roller  96  which is mounted on a lateral edge. When an article is being dispensed, the dispensing sled  68  begins to slide downward. As the dispensing sled  68  moves downward, it translated the bracket  94  in the same direction. As the bracket  94  moves, the roller  96  contacts a cam surface  98  on the latch  90 . The movement of the roller  96  causes the latch  90  to pivot away from the blocking lever  86  and, at the same time, compresses the torsion spring  92 . When the latch  90  pivots far enough, the blocking lever  86  is released from the recess. Further translation of the dispensing sled  68  cause the bracket  94  to contact the blocking lever  86 , causing the blocking lever  86  and shaft  88  to rotate within the bearings, thus unblocking the dispensing area. A spring  100  is attached to the shaft  88  for biasing the shaft  88  back to its non-rotated position. Thus, when the dispensing sled  68  is translated back to its original position, the spring  100  causes the shaft  88  to rotate back, thereby moving the blocking lever  86  back into its blocking position. At the same time, the torsion spring  92  causes the latch  90  to pivot back to its original position, locking the blocking lever  86  in the blocked position. 
     Referring now to FIG. 9A, an actuation arm locking mechanism  102  is shown. The arm locking mechanism  102  is configured to prevent actuation of the arm  58  until the requisite amount of money has been deposited in the machine  10 . The locking mechanism  102  includes a coin mechanism  104  mounted within the housing  14 . The coin mechanism preferably includes a battery operated solenoid  106 . Coin mechanisms arc well known in the art and, therefore, only the specifics of the coin mechanism  104  as it relates to the present invention will be discussed. The solenoid  106  includes a plunger  108  which extends out of a solenoid housing  110 . An internal spring (not shown) biases the plunger  108  into its extended position. The solenoid  106  is operative for retracting the plunger  108  upon receiving a requisite amount of coins. 
     FIG. 9B is an enlargement of a portion of the coin mechanism  104  and locking mechanism  102 . A trip lever or cam lock  112  is rotatably mounted to a locking bracket  114  below the solenoid  106 . The earn lock  112  includes a locking seat  116  and a cam surface  118 . The solenoid  106  is positioned such that the plunger  108  seats within the locking seat  116  when the plunger  108  is extended as shown. 
     A locking latch  120  is attached to the housing  14  and engaged with the actuation arm  58 . More particularly, the locking latch  120  is pivotally attached to latch bracket  250 . The latch bracket  250  is attached to a support rod  252  which is pivotally attached to the top wall  24  of the housing  14 . A spring  254  is attached to the locking latch  120  and a flange on the latch bracket  120 . The spring urges the latch  120  to pivot upwards (counter-clockwise) as shown in the figures. A contact pin  256  is formed on the actuation arm  58  and is located so as to contact the support arm  252  as shown in FIG.  9 A. The rotation of the actuation arm  58  urges the support rod  252  to pivot about its pivot point  258  and, thus, translate the locking latch  120  in the direction of the arrow. As shown, the locking latch  120  includes a detent  126  and a lip  128 . 
     FIG. 9B shows the location of the locking latch  120  when it is in its locked position. As shown, a flange  130  on the locking bracket  114  is located within the detent  126  of the locking latch  120 . As such, lateral movement of the locking latch  120  is inhibited by the contact between the lip  128  and the flange  130  on the locking bracket  114 . Since the locking latch  120  is engaged with the actuation arm  58 , arcuate motion of the arm is inhibited and, therefore, the dispensing assembly  38  cannot be actuated. 
     FIG. 9C illustrates the arm locking mechanism in the unlocked position. When a predetermined amount of coins are deposited in the coin mechanism  104 , the solenoid  106  is actuated, retracting the plunger  108 . Once the plunger  108  is retracted from the locking seat  116  on the cam lock  112 , the asymmetry of the cam lock  112  causes it to pivot about its pivot point  115 . As the cam lock swings clockwise about the pivot  115 , the cam surface  118  on the cam lock  112  contacts the locking latch  120  and the cam lock hits the stop  117 . At this point, lateral motion of the latch  120  will cause the latch  120  to hit the cam surface  118  and force it against the stop  117 . Since the cam lock  112  cannot pivot any further, the locking latch  120  is forced to pivot about its pivot point  260  on the latch bracket  250 . This results in the detent  126  moving down from the locking bracket  114  such that the lip  128  no longer engages with the flange  130 . In this unlocked position, the locking latch  120  is free to translate laterally. Consequently, the actuation arm  58  is no longer locked and is, therefore, free to rotate. 
     After an article is dispensed, the actuation arm  58  is spring biased back to its upper position. This causes the locking latch  120  to translate back toward the locking bracket  114 . As the tip end  132  of the locking latch  120  contacts the cam surface  118 , it forces the cam lock  112  to counter-rotate. As the cam lock  112  rotates counterclockwise, it compresses the plunger  108  until it springs back into the locking seat  116 . Further lateral movement of the locking latch  120  causes the tip end  132  to contact the flange  130 . This contact causes the locking latch  120  to rotate just enough to allow the flange  130  to fall within the detent  126  once again locking the actuation arm  58 . 
     As discussed above, the front door  12  has one or more door latches  56  that operate to lock the front door  12  to the housing  14 . More particularly, the door latches  56  are part of a door locking assembly  140  shown in FIGS. 2,  4 C,  10 ,  11 A,  11 B and  12 . In addition to the door latches  56 , the assembly  140  includes a door lock pivot arm  142  which engages with a detent  144  formed in the door latch  56  (see, FIG.  10 ). The arm  142  is pivotally mounted to a support bracket  146  which, in turn, is mounted to the housing  14 . A spring  148  biases the door lock pivot arm  142  into engagement with the detent  144  in the door latch  56 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4C,  11 A,  11 B and  12 , the door locking assembly  140  also includes a disengagement mechanism  150 . The disengagement mechanism  150  includes a rod  152  which extends across a portion of the rear surface of the base  34 . The rod  152  is preferably retained within one or more cages  154  that are mounted to the rear surface of the base  34  and which permit limited downward motion of the rod  152 . One or more slots  162  are formed in the base  34  adjacent to the rod  152 . The slots  162  are located in alignment with the fingers  76  on the sled  68  such that the fingers  76  extend through the slots  162  when there are no articles on the base  34 . The number of slots preferably corresponds to the number of fingers  76 . 
     The rod  152  is connected to two L-shaped links  156  preferably by two wires  158  attached to either end of the rod  152 . The L-shaped links  156  are pivotally attached an upper portion of the base  34 . One leg of each L-shaped link  156  is configured to extend through slots  160  forked in the upper part of the base  34  when the shaped links  156  are pivoted. 
     The operation of the door locking assembly  140  will now be discussed. After the last article has been removed from the elevator  32 , the fingers  76  slide into the slots  162  behind the rod  152  as shown in FIGS. 4C and 11A. The next actuation of the dispensing assembly  38  causes the finger  76  to slide the rod  152  downward within the cage  154 . The rod, in turn, pulls the wires  158  which cause the L-shaped link  156  to pivot. As the arm on the L-shaped pivot passes through the slot  160 , it contacts the door lock pivot arm  142 , causing it to pivot up and out  95  of the detent  144  in the door latch  56  (schematically shown in FIG.  11 B). At this point, the door latch  56  is unlocked. 
     When the door latch  56  is unlocked, compression springs located between the front door and the front wall  18  of the housing  14  cause the front door  12  to open a small amount (e.g., approximately 2 inches). The purchaser can then open the front door fully and pull out the last article contained within the display case  50 . The spring force of the torsion springs  16  will cause the front door  12  to close fully and the door locking assembly to re-engage with the door lock pivot arm  142 , once again locking the front door  12 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, in order to load the elevator  32 , the operator pushes the base  34  toward the back wall  20  compressing the springs  40 . The operator then engages an elevator lock to hold the base  34  near the back wall  20  until the loading process is complete. One embodiment of the elevator lock  200  is shown in FIG.  8 A. The elevator lock  200  includes a bracket  202  mounted to an inner wall of the housing  14  adjacent to the elevator. The elevator lock  200  also includes an L-shaped pivot arm  204  with the shorter segment of the L-shaped arm being pivotally attached to the bracket  202 . Rotation of the pivot arm  204  is limited by a stopping surface  206  which contacts the bracket  202  after the pivot arm  204  is rotated through a small arc. The stopping surface  206  is positioned so as to permit the longer segment of the L-shaped pivot arm  204  to protrude slightly beyond the bracket  202  and, thereby, prevent the base  34  from sliding past the bracket  202 . 
     In use, the operator retracts the base  34  and rotates the pivot arm  204  until it protrudes past the bracket  202  as shown in FIG.  8 B. The operator then loads the elevator  32 . Once the elevator  32  is loaded, the operator counter-rotates the pivot arm  204  thereby releasing the base  34 . 
     It is contemplated that multiple units of the vending machine described above can be stacked and/or arranged on a common base as shown in FIG. 13 
     While the invention will be described in connection with one or more preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended that the invention cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within its spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims.