Ball bearing actuation mechanism

A ball bearing actuation mechanism for a vending machine, said mechanism comprising:

• (a) a housing having an interior chamber, outlet and overflow discharge openings communicating with said interior chamber, and an inlet passage communicating from exteriorly of said housing to said interior chamber so as to permit deposit of ball bearings one-at-a-time into said interior chamber via said inlet passage;
• (b) a gauge wheel rotatably mounted in said interior chamber of said housing below said inlet passage and adjacent to said outlet and overflow discharge openings of said housing, said gauge wheel being circular in shape and having a peripheral groove defined about a peripheral portion of said gauge wheel;
• (c) a retainer wall having a curved configuration and stationarily mounted to said housing in said interior chamber adjacent to and spaced from said peripheral groove of said gauge wheel so as to overlie said peripheral groove and form a channel between said peripheral groove and said retainer wall which extends between said inlet passage and said discharge outlet opening of said housing, said peripheral groove having a predetermined length preset to receive a preset number of ball bearings in single file fashion therein when the ball bearings are deposited into said interior chamber via said inlet passage such that any ball bearings above said preset number deposited into said inlet passage of said housing will divert to said overflow discharge outlet of said housing;
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• (d) means for rotating said gauge wheel in a predetermined one direction extending from said inlet passage to said discharge outlet opening of said housing in response to deposit of ball bearings equal to said preset number thereof in said channel such that the preset number of ball bearings move with said gauge wheel and discharge from said channel through said discharge outlet opening in said housing.