Article vending machine with a sold-out indicator

Claim 1

A DISPENSING MACHINE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HOUSING, A DISPENSER MECHANISM IN THE HOUSING FOR DELIVERING AN ARTICLE FROM THE DISPENSING MACHINE DURING EACH CYCLE OF OPERATION, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING AN OPENING ADJACENT A WALL FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES FROM A STORAGE CABINET, A COMBINED DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE BETWEEN A STORAGE CABINET EMPTY POSITION AND A NORMAL OPERATING POSITION, MEANS BIASING SAID DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE TO THE SAID STORAGE CABINET EMPTY POSITION, SAID BIASING MEANS REGULATED SO THAT THE WEIGHT OF A SINGLE ARTICLE BEING DISPENSED ON SAID DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE IS SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE FORCE EXERTED BY THE SAID BIASING MEANS AND HOLD IT IN ITS NORMAL OPERATING POSITION, SAID DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE BEING DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY INCLINED AND POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF ARTICLES ENTERING SAID HOUSING THROUGH SAID OPENING, A STAR WHEEL JOURNALLED FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT IN THE HOUSING ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID STAR WHEEL HAVING UNIFORMLY AND ANGULARLY SPACED GROOVES EXTENDING AXIALLY THEREIN FOR RECEIVING AND TRANSPORTING AN ARTICLE TO BE DISPENSED, LATCHING MEANS FOR STOPPING THE STAR WHEEL WITH AN UPPERMOST GROOVE OFFSET FROM THE VERTICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS ROTATION WHEREBY THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF ARTICLES DEFLECTED THEREIN BY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE WILL BE SPACED FROM THE VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE HORIZONTAL AXIS OF THE STAR WHEEL IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS ROTATION THEREBY EXERTING A TORQUE ON THE STAR WHEEL WHICH IS ADAPTED TO CAUSE IT TO ROTATE THROUGH A CYCLE OF OPERATION, THE LOWER INNER EDGE OF SAID DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE TERMINATING ABOVE THE AXIS OF THE STAR WHEEL BUT SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE THEREOF WHEREBY ARTICLES MOVING ONTO THE SHELF FROM SAID STORAGE CABINET ARE DEFLECTED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE STAR WHEEL WITH A RESULTING FORCE VECTOR PASSING ABOVE THE AXIS OF THE STAR WHEEL TO AUGMENT THE FORCES CAUSING ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE STAR WHEEL, AND SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DEFLECTING AND SHELF PLATE AND ACTUATED BY ITS MOVEMENT FROM A NORMAL OPERATING POSITION TO A STORAGE CABINET EMPTY POSITION, SAID SWITCH MEANS ADAPTED TO EFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE DISPENSING MEANS AND OPERATE A STORAGE CABINET EMPTY INDICATOR.