Dual serpentine track magazine for coin operated can vendors

Abstract

A magazine having multiple columns for storing cylindrical articles, such as canned beverages, in a coin operated vending machine. The magazine is fabricated preferably of sheet metal to include a plurality of vertical planar wall members held in parallel spaced relation by intervening transverse spacers and connector rods forming a plurality of vertical article storage columns therebetween. Opposing faces of each of two adjacent wall members are provided with a pair of laterally spaced non-overlapping serpentine rail assemblies. Opposing pairs of such rail assemblies between adjacent wall members are registeringly aligned to form two non-overlapping serpentine tracks which are designed to support cylindrical articles, such as beverage cans and the like. Each such serpentine track gravitationally feeds articles to an independently operable vending mechanism located at its lower end and each such track is equipped with a novel article stop mechanism capable, when actuated, to isolate the vending mechanism from the weight of the canned articles in an overdisposed serpentine track. Each of the rail assemblies in a storage column is fabricated from a plurality of curvelinear and straight rail segments, the individual segments being unified into a serpentine configuration by attachment to one face of a supporting wall member. The rails so fabricated on opposite sides or faces of the same wall member are registeringly aligned back-to-back with the correspondingly aligned segments thereof joined to the intervening wall member, preferably at common attachment points.