Abstract: A coin operated vending machine comprises a housing having upright walls, a base, a top, and a partition between the base and top dividing the housing into an upper product bin and a lower cashbox. The partition defines an aperture therethrough to provide communication between the bin and cashbox and has a spindle protruding upwardly from the central portion thereof. A dispensing wheel is provided having a hub with bearing means at the center thereof for engaging the spindle and supporting the wheel upon rotation thereof about the spindle, and having a rim with a plurality of gear teeth about the circumference of the bottom edge thereof. A coin activated gear mechanism is positioned in an upright wall of the housing in the vicinity of the partition, said mechanism having a handle attached to one end of a shaft and a transmission gear attached to the other end thereof. Structure is provided for locking a delivery chute in place thereby restricting access to the cashbox.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing high viscosity thermoplastic materials such as resins, sealants and hot melt adhesives from drums. The apparatus comprises a functional hollow cylinder vertically disposed with a screw extending through its length. The cylinder is attached to a movable platen which is positioned to enter the open container through the top and adapted to move downward to the container bottom. Heating means, for example, a serpentine heated coil is attached to the underside of the platen. In operation, the thermoplastic material in the container is melted or highly softened enabling the screw to "lift" the material in the upright cylinder to an opening or outlet provided in the upper portion of the cylinder.

Abstract: A dispensing closure valve for a container comprising a stem for attachment to the container, and stem having an annular wall defining an opening and a closure having an annular wall, a radial wall engaging the free end of said stem, a transverse wall being curved and defining a convex surface facing inwardly of the container. The closure includes a downwardly and inwardly inclined integral annular portion defining a sealing surface at the juncture of the axial wall and transverse wall. The stem has a downwardly and outwardly inclined surface engaged by the downwardly and inwardly inclined sealing surface of said closure. An actuator comprising a tab extending axially from the inner surface of the transverse wall for manipulation of the closure to flex the axial wall and the transverse wall and thereby permit the contents to flow between the wall of the stem and the wall of the closure.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing a comparatively fine, particulate material uniformly over a subjacent surface. The disclosed apparatus comprises a hopper assembly adopted to be mounted over the surface. The hopper assembly has sides defining a downwardly open, horizontally extending, elongated discharge mouth. An elongated, cylindrical drum member extends the length of the mouth. Wiper blades extend from the sides of the hopper assembly into engagement with the drum. A multiplicity, of narrow, shallow grooves extend circumferentially about the drum. The grooves are sized such that the particulate material will not normally flow therethrough except upon rotation of the drum. For this reason structure is provided for selectively rotating the drum in at least a first direction to cause discharge of the particulate material. To produce uniform dispersion of the particulate material, divider-deflector members are associated with each groove.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically separating stacks of nested, cup-shaped containers having outwardly projecting lips around the rims thereof so that individual containers are continuously supplied to a point of use. The apparatus includes a separating mechanism for continuously separating the containers in a stack. This separating mechanism utilizes holding shoes for supporting the stack by means of shoes which contact the lip of the lowermost container. The apparatus also includes a conveyor mechanism which advances stacks of containers to a staging station. A gate arrangement is provided at the staging station to create a separation between adjacent stacks of containers and to drop consecutive ones of the stacks into the separating mechanism.

Abstract: A coin operated dispenser for spraying desired fragrances interiorly of an automobile or vehicle. Preferably the dispenser includes a generally cubical, rigid, cabinet adapted to be mounted to a rigid support. Containers of fragrances to be dispensed are disposed within the cabinet. A compressor delivers air pressure to a coin operated control system for selectively outputting desired fragrances through a remote manually actuable spray gun. Customers are attracted by a visually pleasing display module associated with the cabinet. The module includes a rigid enclosure having a top, a bottom, and a translucent front permitting the visual inspection of its interior. Preferably a pair of cylindrical containment compartments disposed within the enclosure extend between the top and bottom thereof. Each containment compartment includes a bottom mounted, preferably cylindrical fluid control compartment and a top mounted cylindrical fluid control compartment.

Abstract: An article dispensing machine, such as a newspaper vending machine, operable in response to insertion of an appropriate coin, or plurality of coins, has a mechanism which edge engages and dispenses one uppermost article, such as a newspaper, to the purchaser when a mechanism actuator unlocked by insertion of the coins, is manually operated. Upon return to its original position after dispensing one newspaper the actuator cannot be operated again until unlocked by another insertion of appropriate coins.

Abstract: An apparatus for metering required proportions of different fluid ingredients to make a required mixture (e.g. a colored paint) includes a rack of storage containers for the ingredients, each provided with a valve-controlled outlet and a receiving container mounted on a weighing device which is presentable to a chosen sequence of storage containers in turn to receive the required contribution from each. Metering of the necessary ingredient additions is effected automatically by a valve actuator carried by the support for the weighing device. Data processing control to optimize operation is described.

Abstract: A vend control circuit for a multi-channel vendor, including a credit entry circuit, a plurality of selection switches actuatable for selecting different vend selections, a plurality of vend motors, each vend selection having a vend motor associated therewith, a plurality of vend channels each of which may have a different, pre-established vend price associated therewith, a master control circuit for accumulating total credit entered, which master control circuit sequentially compares the total credit entered against the vend prices of each of the vend channels and produces for each such comparison a vend channel authorization signal if the total credit deposited at least equals the vend price, a delivery control circuit for effecting energization of a particular vend motor when a vend selection switch with which such particular vend motor is associated is actuated during the time that a vend channel authorization signal is being produced for the vend channel to which the actuated switch belongs, and a monito

Abstract: An automatic coin-operated card dispenser is provided in which solid state circuitry is utilized to cause the delivery of cards or tickets to customers from several vertical card stacks. Deposit of a coin causes a power pulse to be delivered to a geared motor which drives a slide plate forward to push a card from a card stack. The motion of the slide plate releases a power switch that powers the motor for the remainder of the cycle, whereupon the power switch is turned off until a new power pulse occurs.

Abstract: A device for dispensing the covers used in playing the game of bingo which has an elongated tubular magazine, resilient means within the magazine to advance the covers, and a rotating member at the dispensing end of the magazine to dispense the forwardmost cover. The covers are stored within the magazine at an inclined angle and the magazine has means to faciliate placement of the covers directly onto the bingo card.

Abstract: A device for locking a slot machine handle for causing the rotation of reels until a coin is inserted, is disclosed. When a coin is inserted, a solenoid is activated to move an interlock lever from a first position to a second position. When the interlock lever is in the first position, it holds a locking pawl in engagement with a locking member provided on the same shaft as the handle. When the interlock lever is brought to the second position, it is held in this position until the handle is returned to the initial position. With the interlock lever in the second position, the locking pawl is allowed to be disengaged from the locking member by a spring.

Abstract: An improved gate driving link mechanism is provided, this mechanism being originally designed for opening and closing a flapdoor type discharge gate of a weighing hopper of top-charge and bottom discharge type, used in a combination weighing device such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,492, the improvement of which is to add an intermediate bell crank for confining overshoot of the opened gate to avoid unwanted time loss which affect high speed operation of the device and undesirable shock and vibration which affects accuracy of measurement.

Abstract: A container for dispensing syrup in a post-mix beverage dispenser including a flow rate control tube with a first open end vented to the atmosphere through the container bottom and a second open end of the tube disposed at a selected distance above a discharge opening of the container. The second open end of the container is retained in a socket laterally offset from the discharge opening, so that the container may be filled with syrup through the discharge opening without interference from the second open end of the tube.

Abstract: A parts feeder which executes the selection of articles and lets those selected articles transfer to the fixed trough (in-line feeder) smoothly, at the time of which linear transfer of the articles is effected not within the bowl, but at the in-line trough section connected directly to the bowl, wherein the transfer and conveyance of many different kinds of articles is conducted on only one apparatus by replacing the in-line troughs as needed.

Abstract: A bill packet discharging apparatus, which comprises a plurality of bill packet accommodating cases accommodating respective different denomination bill packet stacks and a bill packet feed-out mechanism for feeding out the lowermost bill packet in a given bill packet accommodating case through an outlet provided at the lower end of the case. The bill packet fed out from the case by the feed-out mechanism is conveyed upwards by an elevator mechanism and then led to a bill packet discharging outlet provided adjacent to the top of the apparatus.

Abstract: A lock mechanism (12) discriminates between "valid" and "invalid" keys that are mounted to grocery carts (114). A valid key (98) includes a key portion (106) that passes through an ingress template opening (21) and into the lock mechanism (12). The lock mechanism (12) includes a first door (42) and a second door (62) through which the key (98) must pass. Opening the first door (42) causes a door latch (50) to engage the second door (62) so that the second door (62) cannot be opened while the first door (42) is open. Once the first door (42) closes the second door is "enabled" to open, the door latch (50) returning to its original position. A depth gauge (66) is acted upon by the lowermost portion (112) of the key (98) so that the depth gauge (66) disengages from the second door (62) to allow the second door ( 62) to open once it is engaged by the valid key (98). Opening the second door (62) cocks a vend bar (40) which is connected to a vend mechanism within a dispenser column (14).

Abstract: A newspaper vending machine having a plurality of inclined slides mounted so that their top surfaces lie in a common plane and a plurality of friction belts, one between each pair of slides. The slides have a low coefficient of friction with paper while the friction belts have a high coefficient of friction with paper. The friction belts are movable from a normal position below the top surfaces of the slides to an elevated position above the latter surfaces and slightly rearwardly of their normal position. A pressure plate biases a vertical stack of newspapers positioned on the slides in a downward direction along the slides toward a discharge chute. Transporting structure is located between the discharge chute and the slides for engaging the bottom edge of the leading newspaper and removing the newspaper to and discharging it into the discharge chute.

Abstract: A metering system is provided for automatically controlling and monitoring corrosive liquids. The system includes a pneumatically or electrically actuated valve and a meter upstream of the valve. The meter includes a device for transmitting an electrical signal proportional to the flow through the meter to a controller means which receives the signal and counts the volume units of flow. The controller also includes a device to transmit an electrical signal to stop the flow of corrosive liquids at a predetermined volume level. The system includes a timer for activating the system at a preset time and a valve actuator means. A method for automatically controlling and monitoring the flow of corrosive liquids is also provided.

Abstract: A vending machine in the style of a slot machine has a slot machine function, with an internal slot machine mechanism of typical construction and a series of symbol reels which display symbols through a window. When a coin is inserted in the vending machine, a vending device in the housing is activated to dispense an article from a storage hopper to an outlet, and the coin insertion is also effective to switch off an "insert coin" indicator light, switch on a "pull handle" indicator light, de-activate a normally-activated lever lock which normally prevents a slot machine handle on the housing from being pulled, and activate a coin lockout so that any further coins inserted during the operation of the machine will be rejected to a coin return. The article is vended to the dispensing outlet within a predetermined time interval after coin insertion; meanwhile the operator pulls the slot machine handle, the reels are rotated, and the slot machine mechanism successively stops the reels in the normal manner.