Abstract: There is described a vending machine for heated food portions, which includes a feeder device (1) for food portions (32) to be heated, a heating equipment (3) composed of a tray (13) wherein flexible free members (33) are moved, in order to stir the food, and a device (7) for discharging folded containers (12) to receive the heated food.

Abstract: A coin dispenser for discharging coins stored in a bucket in an automatic vending machine, a money exchanging machine, a coin-operated amusement machine such as a slot machine and the like, comprising a bucket for storing a number of coins therein which has an opening at its bottom, a rotary disk driven by a motor for receiving thereon coins supplied from the bucket through the opening, the rotary disk being adapted to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane and causing the coins placed thereon to slide outwardly with centrifugal force; and a guide wall adapted to guide the coins impelled by centrifugal force along the periphery of the rotary disk and formed with an opening for discharging the coins. The rotary disk comprises a rotary pedestal including a hub fixed to an output shaft of a motor and a plurality of frames projecting in the radial direction from the hub, and a thin disk fixed to the rotary pedestal and adapted to bear the coins thereon.

Abstract: A coin dispenser which includes a coin accommodating bucket having an opening formed at the bottom, a rotary disc disposed under the bucket so as to be rotated substantially horizontally for moving coins, which are supplied from the bucket through the opening, outside by a centrifugal force, a guide for receiving the fringes of the coins moved outside due to the rotation of the rotary disc and for inducing the coins to an outlet, a regulating board for receiving the coins in the bucket above the opening, and an elastic stirring member having a non-circular cross section which is rotated together with the rotary disc in the opening of the bottom of the bucket. The elastic member collides with the coins and flips them so that the coins are stirred, thus preventing the clogging of coins.

Abstract: A dispenser for capsules or the like utilizes a turnstile member rotatable in only a single direction to transport the capsules from a reservoir to an exit port. Fingers on the turnstile arms interleave with corresponding fingers on the dispenser housing to prevent a capsule from being rotated beyond the exit port and back into the housing. A propeller member in the reservoir orients the capsules in a predetermined orientation before they are fed into the turnstile member. A cap on the exterior of the housing which rotates the turnstile member utilizes a bayonet-type detent mechanism to bias the cap into successive dispensing positions. The cap must be pushed toward the housing to be rotatable to the next dispensing position.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a hopper structure which is in a hopper structure for separating chip parts, a swing roll is hopper body which has its lower spout merging into a lining-up cylindrical hole formed in a lining-up block. The swing roll is formed at its outer periphery with an arcuate mixing projection which has its upper end face positioned in the upper mouth of the lining-up cylindrical hole. There is provided a drive mechanism for bringing the swing roll into swinging motions of an angle smaller than the arcuate angle of the mixing projection.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically inserting flat holder sticks into individual food products such as ice cream bars, wieners, etc, that are securely held in an insertion orientation relative to a plurality of feed paths in which sticks are ejected. Comprising the apparatus is an upstanding open hopper into which a batch of unaligned sticks is indiscriminately placed. The hopper overlies a plurality of parallel arranged agitating mechanisms each power operative to orient and dispense individual flat sticks gravity supplied from the hopper into a stacked relation within a plurality of individual spaced apart feed slots. A carriage supporting an ejection bar slidably contained in each of the feed slots is actuated continually for ejecting the bottommost stick outward from the bottom of each feed slot until inserted into the recipient product externally secured in the coincident feed plane adjacent to the apparatus.

Abstract: In a sowing assembly for single-seed sowing machines, the housing forms a vacuum chamber (1). In the housing is mounted a drive shaft (4) which carries a mounting plate (7) to which is in turn releasably fixed an apertured plate (8) whose radially outer edge is supported on a seal (10) located at the edge of the vacuum chamber (1). A pot-shaped cover member (31) which is supported on the edge of the vacuum chamber (1) forms a seed holding chamber (44) which communicates with a seed receptacle (37).

Abstract: An improved pill storage and dispensing cassette includes front and back side walls, opposite end walls, and opposite top and bottom walls defining a storage chamber therein. A rotatable pill conveying wheel is positioned in the back side wall and has a plurality of openings for holding and conveying a pill to a discharge chute upon actuation of a remote vacuum source. A separator member is positioned over the openings of the conveying wheel to dislodge the pills from the conveying wheel and such that the pills fall through the chute into the desired receptacle. An adjustment shoe is provided so that only one pill is held and conveyed by each opening in the conveying wheel. A central wall is included within the cassette to divide the pill chamber into forward and rearward compartments with the pills being primarily stored in the forward compartment with a limited number of pills passing through a recessed area in the central wall to the rearward compartment for conveyance by the conveying wheel.

Abstract: A ball tossing apparatus which automatically varies the direction of successive tosses is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a ball feeding unit and a ball tossing unit. The ball tossing unit comprises a housing which is pivotally mounted on a stand. A cam shaft is mounted in the housing and has a cam which extends through the bottom wall of the housing and rests on a tilt plate mounted on the stand. Rotation of the cam shaft and cam after each toss changes the tilt angle of the housing and therefore the direction of the next toss.

Abstract: A dispensing device for a bactericidal pellet such as chlorine tablets which is readily adapted to being placed on a hopper container for the pellets and which can dispense the pellets such as in conjunction with a well or a water recirculation system while employing a minimum number of parts. The pellet dispenser employs a unique rotor member with pellet carrying passages designed to dispense the pellets from the hopper and out of the pellet dispenser in an individual manner and without jamming. In the instance where pellets may become improperly placed in the pellet carrying passages so that the rotor does not properly move inside the rotor housing, a bi-directional self-reversing motor is utilized so that the tablet dispensing sequence will continue in an accurate manner. This is effected in part by a bidirectional rotor member which is able to dispense tablets in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner.

Abstract: The apparatus is associated with a spinning or twisting machine and removes individual textile bobbin tubes from a reservoir, such as a container which contains such bobbin tubes. The container has in its lower portion a funnel-shaped structure through which the bobbin tubes move downwardly towards an opening. As is known, there is the danger that the bobbin tubes undesirably form "bridges" and thereby the further delivery of such bobbin tubes is interrupted. Such bridge formation is avoided by providing a break-up rod or bar which is arranged substantially horizontally and parallel to the broad sides of the container, in the interior and in the region above an opening of the container. The break-up rod or bar is supported in the longitudinal sides of the container with play on all sides and in a freely rotatable manner. The thickness of the break-up rod or bar and the thickness of the bobbin tubes are of the same order of magnitude.

Abstract: A hopper type coin dispensing apparatus has a hopper for holding a supply of coins and a rotary disc for delivering the coins from the hopper one at a time and in desired quantities. The apparatus is particularly suitable for large coins, has a high dispensing efficiency, and is simple in construction. The apparatus according to the present invention prevents the rotary disc from joggling and thus eliminates any interference between a delivery knife and the engaging portions on the rotary disc and/or the coins delivered into an upper delivery zone. The apparatus prevents the inlet of the delivery chute from being blocked by the coins pushed upwardly by the powerful agitating action of an agitator.

Abstract: A dispensing device for a toxic material in tablet form includes a support member for a container for the toxic tablets which has an interior chamber including a dispensing wheel which is rotatable by means of an external handle to bring openings containing a tablet sequentially into registration with a dispensing channel in the container support member; an external handle actuates the dispensing wheel and also an agitation axle which extends through the support member into a container mounted thereon.

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: A gaming machine which incorporates an improved coin dispensing device for rapidly dispensing coins therefrom during a payout mode of operation. The improved coin dispensing device includes a vertically disposed hopper for storing a supply of coins to be dispensed, the hopper including a bottom exit for the coins. A guide member is supported adjacent the bottom exit of the hopper and includes a lower edge portion which defines a circular opening through which coins may be guided, the circular opening being of a first predetermined diameter. A rotatable feed disc is arranged vertically beneath the guide member for rotation about an axis substantially coinciding with the axis of the circular opening of the guide member. The feed disc includes a central hub element coaxially arranged with the axis of rotation of the feed disc and extending above the upper surface of the feed disc.

Abstract: This invention is a device for the discreet storage and dispensing of tampons. The device is characterized by including a storage container having a dispensing apparatus which will dispense one tampon at a time without display except when actually dispensed and wherein it is dispensed by means of an elongated member having a suitable pocket therein for said purpose. It is further characterized by being suitable to accommodate different sizes of commonly used tampons.

Abstract: A grinder apparatus for destroying disposable hypodermic syringes, needles, and the like having a feeder valve for delivering varying sized objects to a grinder which has a plurality of flexibly connected grinding means attached to a rotating shaft and an arcuate screen cooperating with the grinding means to facilitate comminuting of articles supplied by the feeder means.

Abstract: A dispenser comprising a housing having at least one chamber arranged to receive and store articles in pill, pellet, tablet or capsule form in bulk quantities. Embodied in connection with the housing is a feed device, a magazine and a dispensing device. The feed device directs articles from the chamber to load the magazine. The dispensing device is constructed and arranged to normally prevent exit of articles from the magazine and in the operation thereof to provide for passage of a predetermined quantity of articles from the magazine and from the housing. The feed device is operatively connected to the dispensing device to move in conjunction therewith and serve its function in a timed relation to the function of the dispensing device. In the operation thereof the dispensing device functions to agitate the feed device in a manner to insure that the magazine is maintained in a fully loaded condition as long as sufficient articles remain in said chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring ice cubes and the like from a first location to a remote second location, the apparatus including a conduit system communicating the two locations and a source of air for causing ice to be moved through the conduit system between the two locations; the apparatus further including diverter means whereby ice cubes being transmitted from the first location to the second location may be diverted via the conduit system to a third location. The invention further includes means for preventing damage to the ice cubes being transmitted through the conduit system due to the high velocity of air being utilized therein and also means for disposing of any melt water which may exist within the conduit system as the ice cubes are being communicated between the various remote locations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dispenser with at least one ejection opening for the individual dispensing of particles of uniform shape and size, predosed as bulk material, consisting of a cupshaped first rotational body and of a second rotational body disposed coaxially therein, whereby the dispensing of the particles is accomplished by operation of the dispenser.