Electronic robot key distributor

An apparatus having a plurality of individual storage compartments for receiving and storing articles, comprising:

• means for allowing access to such compartments one at a time and to articles stored therein and upon return of such articles access to the same compartments for again storing them therein, said individual storage compartments for said articles being arranged in an array having a cylindrical exterior surface rotatable about the central axis of said cylindrical surface, and a separate exterior opening in said surface to each individual compartment;
• an enclosure surrounding said storage compartment array, wherein, a movable access port in said enclosure which upon alignment with a selected storage compartment permits individual access to that particular storage compartments in said array, a longitudinally extending slot in said enclosure with at least a component of the length thereof parallel to said central axis, a belt received in said slot and comprising a series of contiguous transversely extending plate links, one portion of said belt having at least one of said plate links apertured to define an opening in said belt with the others of said plate links forming said belt extending on either side of said opening being unapertured and preventing access through said belt except through said opening, said opening forming said access port, track means mounted to said enclosure movably retaining said belt in said slot contiguous with an exterior surface of said enclosure, means for positioning said array with respect to said enclosure by rotation of said array about said axis, means for moving said belt with respect to said enclosure with at least a component of movement parallel to said axis, to define a unique position for each compartment with respect to said access port to provide access to each individual compartment respectively, actuating means for said positioning means and said moving means, each said article being assigned a value corresponding to one of said storage compartments, and means for controlling said actuating means in accordance with said selected assigned values for access to said respective compartments storing said articles.