Abstract: A vending machine for vending goods or services of the type requiring the insertion of coins or tokens of a certain value in order to obtain the goods or services. A ticket dispensing apparatus is associated with the machine whereby a ticket will be dispensed by the machine in addition to the vending of the goods or services. The ticket will be redeemable by the user of the machine for something of value in addition to the goods or services received. Feeding means are employed for dispensing the tickets at a ticket delivery position, the feeding means being operable by the actuating means of the machine. These actuating means are operable only upon the insertion of coins or tokens of sufficient value and, therefore, the tickets are dispensed only upon insertion of sufficient coins or tokens.

Abstract: A stacking and interleafing device for rolls of pressure sensitive adhesive tape has an inclined table adapted to hold a row of the rolls carried in a spaced relationship on a mandrel. The table supports a plurality of upright, parallel plates that separate the adjacent rolls. The plates maintain the rolls in a spaced apart relationship as the mandrel is drawn clear of the rolls and as they advance down the incline. An escapement mechanism mounted over the table successively transfers one row of stripped rolls from a storage portion of the table to a feeder portion of the table subtended by a movable drop-off mechanism. Translation of the drop-off mechanism gravity feeds the rolls, one at a time, and without contact between the rolls, to a conveyor system. A reciprocating shuttle plate receives the rolls from the conveyor system and successively carries each roll to a mandrel mounted on a rotatable stack forming arm. As the shuttle returns to receive another roll, the preceding roll drops onto the mandrel.

Abstract: Chip type circuit elements are mounted on adhesive layers provided on predetermined positions of a printed circuit board by pushing up each circuit element stack inserted in a magazine which is vertically held just below the corresponding adhesive layer and which is inserted through a corresponding through-hole defined by a lattice-shaped and horizontally placed magazine guide. This method and apparatus can quickly mount chip type circuit elements on the printed circuit board, and make possible an easy change of the circuit element pattern, without necessitating the use of an NC machine.

Abstract: A coin operated ice-making and vending machine wherein small blocks of ice made in an ice-making unit fall into a storage compartment where they are prevented from forming into larger masses, and from whence they fall into a customer held container upon actuation of a coin operated mechanism which opens a chute in the base of the storage compartment.

Abstract: A stamp vending machine has a number of stamp dispensing mechanisms. Each mechanism is capable of dispensing one or more stamps of the same denomination. The machine can dispense from one mechanism different numbers of stamps and from a number of different mechanisms stamps of different denominations in various combinations totalling the same price or different prices. This capability is provided in a programmable manner that is easily changed to other combinations of numbers of the same stamps or to the operation of different combinations of stamp dispensing mechanisms. The construction of the machine preferably includes the capability of providing a backup of one of its stamp dispensing mechanisms by another mechanism or by more than one mechanism in sequence.

Abstract: A stacking and interleafing device for rolls of pressure sensitive adhesive tape has an inclined table adapted to hold a row of the rolls carried in a spaced relationship on a mandrel. The table supports a plurality of upright, parallel plates that separate the adjacent rolls. The plates maintain the rolls in a spaced apart relationship as the mandrel is drawn clear of the rolls and as they advance down the incline. An escapement mechanism mounted over the table successively transfers one row of stripped rolls from a storage portion of the table to a feeder portion of the table subtended by a movable drop-off mechanism. Translation of the drop-off mechanism gravity feeds the rolls, one at a time, and without contact between the rolls, to a conveyor system. A reciprocating shuttle plate receives the rolls from the conveyor system and successively carries each roll to a mandrel mounted on a rotatable stack forming arm. As the shuttle returns to receive another roll, the preceding roll drops onto the mandrel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for transferring semi-conductor discs to and from a slab-form quartz boat which apparatus includes a carrier having a pair of hingedly attached shells having a plurality of opposed slots; the method including the receiving and discharge of discs by and from the slots in the carrier, into and from cooperative slots in the said quartz boat by the pivotal opening and closing of the shells of the carrier.

Abstract: A hopper for a cigarette-packing machine has a number of vertical channels each accommodating a single column of cigarettes, with their axes horizontal. Plungers reciprocating across the lower ends of the channels remove a selected number of cigarettes from each channel during each forward stroke. During each return stroke of the plungers, vanes interdigitated with the plungers support the cigarettes in the channels above the plungers, said vanes lowering before the next forward stroke of the plungers to control descent of the cigarettes on to a base plate.To allow faster operation of the hopper without increasing the speed of vane lowering so that cigarette descent is not sufficiently controlled, the plungers are pivotally mounted to permit them to be downwardly inclined during their return stroke and then allow vane lowering to begin earlier in each operating cycle.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for delivering two sulfur pellets or pills to the interior of hot glass containers which are moving on a conveyor. The pill delivery apparatus is supplied, through a magazine, with pills to a gating mechanism. The gating device which is pneumatically actuated, isolates two pills from the magazine, places the pills in the inlet to a delivery tube and then air under pressure, which actuates the gating device, is delivered to the two pills to pneumatically dispatch the pills through the delivery tube. The delivery tube has its delivery end positioned over the bottle conveyor so that the pills enter through the finish or neck of the bottle.

Abstract: An improved straw dispenser dispenses a plurality of straws simultaneously into the open tops of a corresponding number of beverage containers in a container making machine. The dispenser has a plurality of dispensing stations, each containing a rotary index wheel which picks up a succession of straws from a hopper and delivers them one after another into a separate chute which guides the straws into a separate delivery tube positioned directly above a beverage container. The index wheels at all of the stations index in response to a signal from the container making machine in synchronism to drop a set of straws into those tubes. Gates at the lower ends of the tubes open simultaneously and drop the set of straws then in the tubes into containers positioned below them before the new set of straws reaches the tubes.

Abstract: An adjustable multiple container dispensing apparatus in which first and second sets of container dispensing cams are arranged in first and second rows to define a plurality of container dispensing throats with four cams arranged to engage and dispense containers in each dispensing throat and with the cams of the first and second sets adjustable toward and away from each other to vary the size of the dispensing throat for dispensing different size containers. First and second sets of stack guide members are mounted for adjustment with the first and second sets of container dispensing cams to adjust the size of the container magazines simultaneous with adjustment of the size of the container dispensing throats.

Abstract: A coin-controlled, manually operable golf ball vending machine. The vending machine has a ball hopper and a ramp below the hopper defining a ball dispensing opening between them. A gate rotatably mounted at the opening, extends partially thereacross in its closed position to cause the balls to bridge the opening and is swung into the mass of balls to break up the bridging of balls for releasing them down the ramp when the actuating lever is pulled. The balls on the ramp are received in descending ballways for introduction into ball tubes formed in a rotatable cylinder extending across the bottom of the ballways. The actuating lever is operatively linked to both the gate and the cylindrical ball receiver for simultaneously rotating the gate to release balls down the ramp and the ball receiver for dumping balls therefrom. The actuating lever is maintained inoperative by a coin-releasable locking mechanism.

Abstract: A number of discs are simultaneously dispensed into a culture dish from a dispenser having an array of self-contained dispensers locked in apertured sockets on a base frame. The individual dispensers are simultaneously operated by an actuating plate which engages actuating pins on each of them. The height of the dispenser above the culture dish is adjustable by cam and follower engagement of the base plate within a height-adjusting ring. Indicia and yieldable detents are provided for indexing the height of the base plate. The individual dispensers each include a chute-incorporating body, cover, slide plate, spring and tubular cartridge. The open tops of the chutes provide visual confirmation that a disc has been discharged from each of the dispensers. Weights and spring clips in the cartridges push the discs successively into firm contact with the dispensing slide plates for dependably delivering them into the dispenser chutes.