Product storage space apportioning apparatus for product dispensing

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for increasing the product storage capacity of selective product dispensing machines, which must handle a plurality of generally cylindrical product types with one or more product types being accommodated in significantly greater quantity than others, while retaining the operational reliability of staggered stack releasing for all product types. The apparatus utilizes a lower zone of the total product storage space available within a cabinet of any given size to provide staggered stack chambers of appropriately limited height for a maximum number of product types to be selectively handled, and utilizes the remaining upper zone of the available storage space to accommodate a maximum number of stored products of one or more preferred product types to be made available in greater quantity than others, with the preferred type products stored on superimposed inclined shelves and fed by gravity to the upper end of corresponding staggered stack compartments. A most preferred product is stored in large quantity within the upper zone, both upon a plurality of inclined shelves in each of a pair of sets thereof and within a corresponding pair of vertical column chutes respectively arranged to receive products from the shelves of the corresponding shelf set and to deliver such products to a corresponding side of the upper end of the associated staggered stack chamber.