Dispenser

Claim 1

A GRAVITY-FEED DISPENSER FOR SIMILARLY SHAPED ROUND ARTICLES, COMPRISING: (A) AN OPEN TUBE FORM BODY MEMBER HAVING A LOWER DISCHARGE END AND FRONT AND REAR SIDES SPACED APART BY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO CONTAIN THEREBETWEEN AT LEAST TWO OF SAID ARTICLES IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATIONSHIP, SAID MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A PLURALITY OF SAID ARTICLES IN STACKED RELATIONSHIP; (B) MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT THE LOWER END THEREOF TO CONTROL THE DISPENSING OF ARTICLES FROM BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR SIDES THEREOF AND TO LIMIT THE REMOVABILITY OF SAID ARTICLES FROM EACH OF SAID SIDES TO ONE AT A TIME, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: (1) A DEFLECTOR FIXEDLY RELATED TO SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT SAID LOWER END BETWEEN SAID FRONT AND REAR SIDES, SAID DEFLECTOR BEING SPACED FROM EACH OF SAID SIDES BY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT SAID ARTICLES TO PASS THEREBY; (2) FRONT AND REAR PAIRS OF SUPPORT MEMBERS FIXEDLY RELATED TO SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT THE LOWER DISCHARGE END THEREOF, SAID FRONT AND REAR PAIRS OF SUPPORT MEMBERS EACH HAVING INCLINED PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID DEFLECTOR TOWARDS AND BELOW THE RESPECTIVE FRONT AND REAR SIDES WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO PARTIALLY LATERALLY OFFSET, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, THE ARTICLES ENGAGING SAID PORTIONS THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE END AND IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID RESPECTIVE FRONT AND REAR SIDES; (3) SUPPORT MEMBER PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY FROM SAID FRONT AND REAR SUPPORT MEMBERS AS CONTINUATIONS THEREOF ADAPTED TO PREVENT THE LOWERMOST OF SAID ARTICLES FROM BEING DISPENSED OUT OF SAID BODY MEMBER UNDER THE PRESSURE EXERTED UPON SAID LOWERMOST ARTICLE BY THE ARTICLES THEREABOVE; AND, (4) GUARD MEMBERS CARRIED AT THE FRONT AND REAR SIDES OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND DEFINING WITH THE RESPECTIVE SUPPORT MEMBER PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM SAID FRONT AND REAR SUPPORT MEMBERS DISCHARGE MOUTHS EACH DIMENSIONED AND DISPOSED TO PERMIT THE MANUAL REMOVAL THEREFROM OF BUT ONE ARTICLE AT A TIME.