Patent ID: 8651321

Claim:
A gumball machine, comprising: a gumball container that contains a plurality of gumballs; a neck portion coupled to the gumball container, the neck portion having a switch and gumball dispensing assembly that includes an actuator that is operatively coupled to a switch; an elongated transparent housing having an upper end coupled to the neck portion, and a lower end, the housing having therein an electrical strip that extends vertically within the housing, the switch electrically coupled to the electrical strip; a base coupled to the lower end of the elongated housing and having a bottom portion that is seated on a surface; a speaker positioned inside the base and electrically coupled to the switch via the electrical strip to produce sound when the switch is turned on; a plurality of lighting elements arranged in series along the electrical strip and electrically coupled to the switch to produce flashing light when the switch is turned on; and a power supply housed inside the base and electrically coupled to the switch, the speaker and the lighting elements via the electrical strip; wherein the actuator is a knob, and the switch and gumball dispensing assembly comprises a gear coupled to the knob, and a rotating platform that has a circumferential skirt, with a bump provided on the edge of the skirt, such that turning of the knob causes the gear to engage a portion of the platform to rotate the platform, and rotation of the platform causes the bump to engage the switch to turn on the switch, which also causes a gumball to be dispensed from the gumball container, such that flashing lights and sound are produced simultaneously as a gumball is being dispensed.