Patent ID: 8061555

Claim:
A vending machine, of the type wherein a user can withdraw a selected product amongst a plurality of products from the vending machine, said vending machine comprising: a storage area for the plurality of products consisting of a rack of vertically arranged shelves ( 11 ), the shelves being divided into a plurality of cells each of which contains a select number of said plurality of products arranged in a row and wherein said selected product is in a forefront position of one of said plurality of cells; and a dispensing device for dispensing said selected product which includes: a vertically movable frame ( 21 ) having a collection tray ( 26 ) arranged in front of said plurality of cells and a horizontally movable pusher ( 23 ) with a push plate ( 25 ) disposed to act on a hindmost of the select number of said plurality of products contained in said plurality of cells, whereby vertical movement of the vertically movable frame positions the horizontally movable pusher and the collection tray in alignment with the shelf in which the cell containing the selected product is disposed, and transverse horizontal movement of the horizontally movable pusher positions the horizontally movable pusher in alignment with the cell containing the selected product so that the push plate acts on the hindmost of the select number of said plurality of products contained in the cell containing the selected product causing the selected product to fall into said collection tray, and further vertical movement of said vertically movable frame positions the collection tray at an opening from which the selected product can be withdrawn, and a detector device disposed in the collection tray for controlling a stroke of the push plate ( 25 ) detects the selected product as it falls into the collection tray and signals the push plate ( 25 ) to end its stroke when the selected product is deposited in the collection tray so that an immediately following product in the cell which contained the selected product remains in the cell.