Patent ID: 6942122

Claim:
An article dispensing apparatus, comprising: an enclosure ( 12 ) defining therein an internal storage cavity and having an access path ( 210 ) that leads to an article delivery port ( 22 ); an article holder ( 216 ) within said internal cavity for holding a plurality of selectable article ( 223 ) to be dispensed; an article grasping and extracting mechanism ( 218 , 224 , 508 ) for grasping to and removing a selected one of said plurality of selectable articles from said article holder in response to one or more dispense control signals; a positioning mechanism ( 218 , 228 / 230 , 234 / 236 ) operatively connected with said article grasping and extracting mechanism for moving said article grasping and extracting mechanism within said enclosure in response to said one or more dispense control signals; and a controller ( 212 ) operatively connected with said article grasping and extracting mechanism and with said position mechanism for producing and providing said one or more dispense control signals thereto to cause said article grasping and extracting mechanism and said positioning mechanism to cooperatively remove a said selected article from said article holder and transport said selected article to said access path ( 210 ) leading to said delivery port; wherein, said article grasping and extracting mechanism includes a suction hose having one end coupled to a source of suction, and a free end adapted to grasp an article by use of suction force created by said source of suction; a vacuum release mechanism is coupled to said suction hose for providing an opening to said suction hose so as to cause a quick release of said suction force from said suction hose, mad consequently quick release of the grasped article, when said vacuum release mechanism is activated; and said vacuum release mechanism is activated by mechanical contact caused by a portion ( 218 ) of one of said article grasping and extracting mechanism or said positioning mechanism, said mechanical contact occurring when said article grasping and extracting mechanism has reached a point in its movement so that the grasped article ( 223 ) has been transported to said access path ( 210 ) leading to said delivery port ( 22 ).