Abstract: A machine for vending newspapers, magazines and the like including a housing having a dispensing opening and a dispensing gate in the opening, a tray for supporting a stack of papers and tray elevating mechanism for urging the tray upwardly until the top paper in the stack is adjacent the level of the dispensing opening, a feed mechanism operative through a dispensing stroke to feed the end paper at least part way off the stack into the dispensing opening, and gate control mechanism operative to prevent opening of the gate between dispensing cycles and operative when the feed mechanism is moved in its dispensing stroke to enable opening of the gate, the gate control mechanism also including mechanism operative whenever the dispensing gate is held open after the feed mechanism has completed its dispensing stroke, for preventing elevation of the support tray toward the dispensing opening to thereby impede the access to the papers in the stack through the dispensing opening.

Abstract: A coin responsive mechanism for controlling operation of a dispensing machine including a coin chute adapted to receive coins of several different denominations to provide a gravity drop for coins from a coin receiving slot to a coin stop, the coin chute having slots at opposite sides with a first gauging pawl mounted for movement through the slot in one side to block upward movement of a first combination of coins in the chute and a second gaugingpawl mounted for movement to the slot in the other side of the chute to block upward movement of the second combination of coins in the chute. The gauging pawls are adjustable along the chute to adapt the mechanism to respond to a wide variety of combination of coins of different sizes and different denominations.