Patent ID: 7308338

Claim:
A robotic arm for transporting products in a product storage and dispensing system, the arm comprising: a base plate presenting an arcuate channel; a first arm segment rotatably attached to the base plate; a second arm segment with a first portion slidably engaged with the arcuate channel and a second portion rotatably attached to the first arm segment so that when the first arm segment is rotated from a first position to a second position the second arm segment moves from a substantially retracted position to a partially extended position, and when the first arm segment is rotated from the second position to a third position the second arm segment moves from the partially extended position to a more fully extended position, wherein the second arm segment is substantially parallel with a first axis of the robotic arm when in the retracted position, and is substantially parallel with a second axis of the robotic arm when in the partially extended position; and an engagement mechanism secured to the second arm segment.