Patent attributes
A vending apparatus has a housing and at least one rotatable dispensing coil disposed within the housing. The coil is vertically oriented and rotates in a manner such that products placed between the rungs of the coil move progressively downward during rotation until each product is ejected from a bottom end of the coil. There are retaining walls surrounding the coil on opposite sides of the coil. The walls extend an entire length of the coil but do not encompass the entire circumference of the coil, so that two longitudinal portions of the coil located opposite one another are not surrounded by the retaining walls. A product having a length exceeding the diameter of the coil can be placed in the coil for vending so that the ends of the product extend beyond the coil through the two portions not surrounded by the retaining walls. The retaining walls prevent the product from rotating when the coil rotates, and keep the product moving progressively down the coil until it is ejected from the coil.
