Abstract: A security door assembly for use in an automatic document dispensing device having a user access compartment for conveying documents to a user through an opening in the user access compartment is provided. The security door is pivotally mounted to the user access compartment for rotation between a first position in which the security door closes the opening in the access compartment to prevent documents from being withdrawn therefrom and a second position in which the security door is contained within the user access compartment to allow the user to gain access to the compartment through the opening therein for removal of documents. The door assembly further includes structure for rotating the security door between the first and second positions. Structure is also provided for locking the security door in the first or closed position and for automatically opening the security door when a foreign object is encountered in the path of rotation of the security door.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine for delivering stackable containers having edible product therein. A container discharge station--especially for cones--is provided with at least one stack of containers disposed in a position vertically above an arm for clampingly engaging the containers and movement of the containers below a product dispensing nozzle and into a delivery chamber. The cones are dropped one at a time from the one or more stacks through an opening in a plate into operative engagement with the arm. A guide structure is located vertically between the at least one container stack and the arm, guiding the dropping of the containers into association with the arm so that the containers will not be misaligned or inverted during dropping and will be positively guided into operative association with the arm.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine for delivering soft ice cream or the like to ice cream cones or other containers. A pivotally mounted arm receives a cone and then moves to a product-dispensing station. The product is dispensed into the cone until a weight-responsive structure associated with the arm senses the predetermined weight of the product and stops delivery of the product to the cone. Then the arm is moved so that it deposits the cone in a delivery chamber and then is moved out of the delivery chamber back to a position to receive another cone. Mechanical latch structures are provided for latching the door to the delivery chamber in closed position until the arm has been completely withdrawn from the delivery chamber and a rod connects the arm to the latch for effecting unlatching of the door in response to movement of the arm so that the door is unlatched after the movement of the arm out of the delivery chamber.

Abstract: A hot melt adhesive gun capable of dispensing relatively large volumes of molten adhesive and comprising a hot melt chamber and a pressurized air chamber separated by a moveable element which isolates the chambers one from the other. Molten adhesive from an associated bulk supply is fed into the hot melt chamber by means of a supply nozzle temporarily plugged into a valved inlet passage of the gun only when necessary to charge the gun with a fresh supply of molten adhesive. Upon actuation of the gun trigger, pressurized air in the air chamber, drives the moveable element forward to cause adhesive to flow out of the nozzle. Upon release of the trigger, adhesive flow from the nozzle valve is discontinued. The novel gun also includes a pressure relief valve and relief port to allow the escape of trapped gas which can build up in the melted adhesive and which exceeds a predetermined pressure level.

Abstract: A safety door mechanism for use in combination with delivery bins of dispensing machines. A dispensing chamber having a top supply opening and a front delivery opening is provided with a delivery door pivoted about a horizontal axis near the top of the delivery opening and with a supply door pivoted about a horizontal axis near the front of the supply opening. The delivery door is normally positioned by gravity to close the delivery opening, while the supply door is positioned by gravity to normally clear the supply opening. A mechanical linkage cooperatively interconnects the doors so that when the delivery door is manually opened the linkage closes the supply door at a closing rate which initially exceeds the opening rate of the delivery door, and in a manner such that the supply opening is substantially closed before the delivery opening is accessible.

Abstract: A mechanism for automatically and sequentially feeding each of a plurality of pins, for supporting aperture masks adjacent the glass face plates or viewing panels of color television picture tubes, to a mechanism or gun for insertion of each of the pins into the glass of the face plates or viewing panels. The mechanism includes a rotatable turret or cylindrical pin magazine or canister which holds a relatively large quantity or plurality of the pins vertically stacked in columns adjacent the outer periphery of the turret or magazine for the pin feeding operations and which can readily and rapidly be removed from the mechanism and replaced by another full turret or pin magazine when the first one is empty of pins.

Abstract: The flow of containers along a first conveyor providing a supply of unfilled containers to a filling machine is interrupted, with containers from the first conveyor being transferred to a second conveyor which, in turn, supplies containers to a filling machine. Each time a container is delivered from the secondary conveyor into the filling machine an additional container is transferred from the first conveyor to the secondary conveyor. Timing of containers entering the secondary conveyor is controlled to avoid interference with dispensing apparatus placing containers into the filling machine.