Vending machine with counting mechanism

Claim 1

A vending machine comprising a hollow base, a merchandise container supported by said base and releasably secured thereto, a dispensing wheel mounted for rotation beneath said container and rotatable to merchandise dispensing positions, said dispensing wheel having a plurality of teeth around the periphery thereof, a coin actuated mechanism including a plate and a handle rotatably carried thereby and a first gear operatively attached to said handle and a means on said plate for precluding rotation of said handle except upon receipt of a predetermined coin, means for removably mounting said coin actuating mechanism on said base with said first gear engaging the teeth of said dispensing wheel, said rotation-precluding means being operative upon receipt of a coin to enable said handle to be rotated to rotate said dispensing wheel to a merchandise dispensing position thereof, and a counting mechanism mounted in said base and including a numerical display device and a second gear therefor, said second gear engaging the teeth of said dispensing wheel and responsive to rotation thereof to cause a corresponding change in the number displayed by said display device, said coin actuating mechanism and said counting mechanism being entirely independent from each other and independently engaging said dispensing wheel, whereby said coin actuating mechanism can be removed for servicing thereof without affecting the engagement of said counting mechanism with said dispensing wheel.