Newspaper vending machine

A newspaper dispensing machine having in combination:

• a. a container for a plurality of horizontally disposed newspaper stored in a vertical stack, said container having a front wall with a horizontally disposed newspaper dispensing slot defined therein,
• b. a dispensing mechanism mounted under said stack of newspapers, said dispensing mechanism including an inclined slide for supporting newspapers thereon, said slide having a leading edge and means for moving said slide from a first position directly under said stack of newspapers, to a second position displaced horizontally toward said front wall with said slide leading edge located outside of said container so that a newspaper supported on said slide is moved through said slot into a dispensing location, said slide carrying a series of pointed members for contacting a newspaper and dispensing same, said pointed members extending upwardly and forwardly at an angle of about 45.degree. to said slide,
• c. cam means for raising said pointed members as said slide advances from the first position to the second position, said cam means retracting said pointed members as said slide moves from the second position to the first position, said cam means including a plurality of resilient mountings fixed to said slide with said pointed members being connected to said resilient mountings so that as said slide moves forwardly, the resilient mountings cause the points of said pointed members to be oriented to extend above said slide to engage a newspaper for dispensing same and as said slide moves rearwardly, said resilient mountings move to permit said pointed members to move into an inactive position wherein said pointed members merely slide on a newspaper,
• d. said slot having a top wall and being located near the bottom of said front wall,
• e. a movable bar mounted on said front wall adjacent said slot top wall and having a lip which extends downwardly so that the lower end thereof is located beneath said top wall,
• f. a plurality of flexible downwardly extending fingerlike members mounted in a plurality of spaced apart rows on said movable bar at positions located behind said front wall and above said slot, said rows of members each being spaced from said front wall, said members extending downwardly to a position slightly below said lip lower end and spaced from said slide a distance slightly less than a newspaper thickness so that said members are pushed toward said front wall by a newspaper being moved on said slide and flex to permit the passage of said newspaper thereunder, said member extending beneath said lip a sufficient distance so that the bottom newspaper of said stack is permitted to move out through said slot while a second newspaper stacked on top of said bottom newspaper is contacted and held a predetermined distance away from said slot and is prevented from reaching said slot.