Universal vending apparatus

Claim 1

IN A VENDING MACHINE, A HOUSING PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF VERTICALLY SPACED PRODUCT DELIVERY OPENINGS; MOVABLE MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID OPENINGS AND MOUNTED ON THE HOUSING FOR INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT AND IN NORMAL BLOCKING RELATIONSHIP TO RESPECTIVE OPENINGS; SHELF STRUCTURE FOR EACH OF SAID OPENINGS AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE HOUSING FOR INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT, EACH OF SAID SHELF STRUCTURES BEING PROVIDED WITH A NUMBER OF COMPARTMENTS THEREIN SUCCESSIVELY REGISTRABLE WITH A CORRESPONDING OPENING SAID SHELF STRUCTURES HAVING OPTIONALLY VARIABLE NUMBERS OF COMPARTMENTS THEREIN AND EACH SHELF STRUCTURE BEING FURTHER PROVIDED WITH A CIRCULAR MEMBER THEREON HAVING A SERIES OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED SLOTS IN THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF; CONTROL MEANS ON THE HOUSING AND ACTUATABLE BY SAID MOVABLE MEANS TO PREVENT MORE THAN ONE MOVABLE MEANS FROM BEING MOVED AT A TIME TO A POSITION PROVIDING ACCESS TO A COMPARTMENT ALIGNED THEREWITH; POWER OPERATED MEANS COMMON TO ALL OF SAID SHELF STRUCTURES; MEANS ON THE HOUSING FOR ACTUATING SAID POWER OPERATED MEANS ONLY AFTER THE MOVABLE MEANS WHICH HAS BEEN MOVED TO AN OPEN POSITION PROVIDING ACCESS TO ONE OF THE COMPARTMENTS, HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE CLOSED POSITION THEREOF IN NORMAL BLOCKING RELATIONSHIP TO THE OPENING ALIGNED THEREWITH; MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE PRIME MOVER ACTUATED FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD; AND CONNECTOR MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID POWER-OPERATED MEANS AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE CIRCULAR MEMBER OF A RESPECTIVE STRUCTURE WITHIN THE SLOTS THEREIN FOR SELECTIVELY COUPLING THE SHELF STRUCTURE CORRESPONDING TO THE MOVABLE MEANS WHICH HAS BEEN MOVED TO SAID OPEN POSITION THEREOF, TO SAID PRIME MOVER TO EFFECT ROTATION OF THE RESPECTIVE SHELF STRUCTURE THROUGH AN ARC SUFFICIENT TO BRING THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE COMPARTMENT THEREOF INTO SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH A CORRESPONDING OPENING.