Abstract: A ferrule delivery system for placing a ferrule in a desired position on a flat surface quickly and with ease is disclosed. The system includes an elongated shaft having a tapered end and a delivery end, ferrules loaded on the outer circumference of the shaft, and two sets of ball bearings and two O-rings attached to the shaft for retaining the ferrules on the shaft and for releasing a ferrule from the shaft as needed when a plunger slidably mounted within the shaft and extending outwardly from the delivery end of the shaft is depressed. The present invention also discloses a method for loading a plurality of ferrules onto the outer circumference of the shaft easily and without much effort.

Abstract: A container which is filled with an array of parallel hollow cylinders of cigarette paper is opened at the top and is overlapped by a retractible temporary cover prior to being partially inverted onto a downwardly sloping top wall of a magazine. The cover is thereupon retracted and the top wall is pivoted to permit entry of cylinders from the interior of the container into a chamber of te magazine. Such cylinders are thereupon caused or permitted to enter the flutes of an indexible drum-shaped conveyor which transports the cylinders seriatim to a station where successive cylinders receive rod-like fillers of particulate material, such as comminuted smokable material.

Abstract: A vending rack for a vending machine is formed of a housing, a path for a merchandise defined in the housing and having an inlet side and an outlet side, an inlet regulating device situated at the inlet side of the path for regulating a size of the merchandise to be supplied to the path, a vending mechanism situated near the outlet side of the path, and an outlet regulating plate situated at the outlet side of the path. The position of the outlet regulating plate is adjusted according to the size of the merchandise. A connecting rod is situated between the inlet regulating device and the outlet regulating plate. The connecting rod is movably attached to the housing so that when one of the inlet regulating device and the outlet regulating plate is moved to adjust the size of the merchandise, the other of the inlet regulating device and the outlet regulating plate is moved to thereby adjust the inlet regulating device and the outlet regulating plate in one adjustment.

Abstract: A dispenser for condoms includes a box-like structure with two side walls, a front wall, a back wall, and a slanting floor. The condoms are loaded through the top of the dispenser and gravity fed through a dispensing slot at the bottom of the dispenser. A second embodiment includes a loading tool which facilitates the orderly loading of packages of condoms within the dispenser. The loading tool includes a loading platform and a detachable handle. The detachable handle is inserted through a vertical slot in the rear of the dispenser and attached to the loading platform disposed within the dispenser. The loading platform is lowered within the dispenser as condoms are stacked on the loading platform.

Abstract: A tablet dispenser comprises a tubular protective housing that has a guide shaft provided with longitudinal tracks for tablets that can be inserted in the form of a columnlike stack. A pressure-loaded ram for one end of the stack of tablets, feeds the tablets along the longitudinal tracks to an ejector that engages the stack adjacent to its other end, by which the tablets, which are guided between lateral guides adjacent to the ejector, can individually be displaced transversely to the longitudinal direction of the stack. In order to simplify the assembling and to increase the reliability in function and/or operation, the spring biasing the ram is accomodated in a spring shaft that is disposed beside the shaft for guiding and accomodating the tablets. The spring biases a guiding member that is guided in the spring shaft and carries the ram on an arm that extends out through a longitudinal slot through which the two shafts communicate with each other.

Abstract: A bottled beverage vending machine storage column modified by including a controlled containment system to dispense irregularly shaped bottles having spherical surface areas from a dispenser tray at the bottom of the column for discharge of the bottled beverages from a collection door without damage to the bottles. The controlled containment system includes a pair of opposed bottle neck guide tracks, one of which is adjustable in width to provide for temporary holding of the bottles in suspension and the other of which includes removable and telescopic segments, to keep the bottles from turning sideways when the bottles are stacked alternately, neck to bottom in a stack.

Abstract: A storage magazine for use in coin operated automatic vending machines composed of a plurality of side-by-side vertical storage columns or magazine sections, each having at least two back-to-back aligned serpentine tracks which store a plurality of cylindrical articles and gravitationally feed the same to an underlying discharge ramp common to both tracks. The ramp cooperates with a wedge feed system for operatively integrating articles discharged from each of the tracks into a single column in which the articles from the individual tracks are arranged in alternating order for first-in, first-out vending by a single coin operated vend mechanism.

Abstract: Integrated circuit components are loaded in Indian file in carrier tube and retained in position by headed pin at each end of the tube. The invention provides a spring bale to locate the tube in position on a support pillar, along which the tubes are fed under gravity, the spring bale providing a cam track for automatic engagement with a pin head so as to displace the pin to a position in which the chips can feed as the tube is assembled to the pillar without requiring any separate manipulative action.