Apparatus for checking coins and reading cards in an article vending machine

An apparatus for checking coins and reading subscriber cards offered by purchasers in payment for articles to be vended from a vending machine comprising:

• a housing having spaced apart top and bottom wails attached to a pair of spaced apart side wails with a coin slot for inserting one of the coins and a card slot for inserting one of the subscriber cards formed therein, a chute for receiving the coin and the card, formed inside said housing having an upper end in communication with both said coin slot and said card slot and having an open lower end, a first coin channel for receiving the coin from said chute, formed inside said housing and having an open upper end in communication with said open lower end of said chute and having an open lower end, and a card channel formed inside said housing and being in communication with said chute for receiving a portion of the subscriber card inserted into said card slot;
• a first switch mounted in said housing adjacent to said first coin channel for generating a first signal upon sensing the coin received from said chute;
• a second switch mounted in said housing in said card channel for generating a second signal upon sensing the subscriber card inserted into said card channel through said card slot;
• and
• a control circuit having inputs connected to said first switch and to said second switch and being responsible to said first signal and to said second signal for generating a signal enabling the vending machine to vend the article wherein when an object inserted into one of said coin slot and said card slot becomes stuck in said chute, the other one of said coin slot and said card slot is not blocked for receiving the coins and the subscriber cards respectively.