Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7367472 | Pneumatic vending machine A machine particularly adapted for dispensing light items packaged in symmetrical, frustum-shaped container. The items are propelled through a tubular cartridge and individually ejected by a flow of air generated by a blower under control of a toggling dual-gate mec... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7350328 | Deployable traffic sign A traffic sign system permits automatic deployment thereof from a moving vehicle. The foldable, spring-loaded sign may be deployed without assembly of the traffic sign at a desired display location. ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7337919 | Beverage lid dispenser The current invention is a lid dispensing device and method of use comprising a base unit, a lid holder operatively connected to the base unit, a blade operatively mounted to the base which moves between a first position and a second position, the blade supporting a... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7182040 | Personnel guidance and location control system A personnel location control system for controlling and guiding a group of individuals in a selected path to a waiting point and then to an activity in advance of that waiting point. The system in one embodiment relies upon a plurality of disks or like guide path-fo... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7032776 | Vending machine bucket drive control The disclosed invention is a dispensing apparatus and method for dispensing product from a vending machine. The invention employs a motor for bi-directionally rotating a dispenser bucket between two bumpers which physically obstruct and limit the rotational travel, ... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6913433 | Denesting apparatus A denesting apparatus for a stack of cup-shaped articles having peripheral outwardly extending rims includes a pair of uniquely machined rotary shafts which operate together to support the stack of nested articles and to denest and separate one article at a time as ... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6902084 | Container dispenser A dispensing machine stores and dispenses containers longitudinally within the machine up to the time that a container is released to the outlet. The containers are arranged in vertical columns within the machine with four adjacent columns making up one set. Each se... | 06/07/2005 |
| 5893482 | Product-dispensing device of a vending machine A rocker, which is pivotable for dispensing products and has a lower product support part, is arranged at the bottom of a product shaft in a product-dispensing device of a vending machine. To achieve trouble-free dispensing even in the case of bottles or ... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5799824 | Apparatus and method to deter breakage or deformation of vertically stacked containers during dispension from a vending machine An apparatus and method of deterring or reducing breakage or deformation when dispensing a vertical stack of containers. A blocking member used to restrict dispension of vertical stack containers above a container being dispensed, can have a biasing membe... | 09/01/1998 |
| 5791516 | Apparatus and method for dispensing items from a vending machine A dispensing apparatus and method for vending machines includes in one embodiment vertical vending from one or more columns. Each column is defined by two walls. A triggering mechanism at the bottom of the column is actuated by the rotation of a rod from ... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5732852 | Vending machine A vending machine (10) is comprised of a platform assembly (110) encased by a transparent envelope (150) and supported by a anti-pilfering base (80) received within a housing (20). The platform assembly (110) includes a plurality of platforms (142) dispos... | 03/31/1998 |
| 5542569 | Condiment vending machine A stack of condiment packages is loaded into a tube, and the tube is inserted into a receiver. The first package rests on a support platform, and the receiver holds the tube at a position to secure all of the packages above the first. A push block on the ... | 08/06/1996 |
| 5100019 | Feed assembly A pair of superposed inclined feed tracks have slots along their upper and lower walls respectively. Elongate gates with inturned tips are disposed along the tracks and pivoted intermediate their ends on pins. A yoke having an axis intermediate the two pi... | 03/31/1992 |
| 4976597 | Apparatus for inserting sticks into ice cream bodies Apparatus for inserting sticks into ice cream bodies filled into mould cavities open at the top and continuously or stepwise passing below the stick inserting apparatus, said apparatus comprising a stick feeding mechanism feeding sticks to a conveyor whic... | 12/11/1990 |
| 4854477 | Control device for a vending machine dispensing mechanism A control device for a dispense mechanism is provided for eliminating failure of the dispense mechanism due to goods becoming stuck therein. In a dispense mechanism of the type wherein a rotating control plate is provided for restricting the motion of dis... | 08/08/1989 |
| 4776487 | Control device for a vending machine dispensing mechanism An article dispenser for dispensing articles from a vending machine is disclosed. The article dispenser includes an article storage area which has a bottom opening through which articles are dispensed and an article dispensing mechanism which dispenses th... | 10/11/1988 |
| 4747515 | Apparatus for mounting on a land vehicle for the distribution of markers An apparatus for dispensing markers for distribution in a terrain. The apatus is designed as an add-on unit for mounting on the rear of a self-propelled land vehicle. The markers are units of a foldable type comprising each a base plate and a visible mar... | 05/31/1988 |
| 4690301 | Apparatus for individually depositing articles An apparatus for individually depositing articles comprises a cylinder with a plurality of accommodating apertures, each of which is adapted to accommodate a single article only from a supply. The apparatus is adapted to retain the articles in the apertur... | 09/01/1987 |
| 4618053 | Mechanism for delivering fastener elements to fastener-assembling apparatus A mechanism, for delivering two different kinds of fastener elements to a fastener-assembling apparatus, comprises a pair of hoppers for containing the two different fastener elements separately, and a pair of pick-up plates pivotally and vertically movab... | 10/21/1986 |
| 4574980 | Vending machine dispensing mechanism An article dispenser for dispensing articles from a vending machine includes an article storage area which has a bottom opening through which articles are dispensed and a front opening through which articles are loaded in a manner to form two vertically a... | 03/11/1986 |
| 4565300 | Dispensing mechanism for vending machines or the like An article dispenser for vending machines is disclosed. The article dispenser includes an article storage area which has a bottom opening through which the articles are dispensed and a front opening through which the articles are loaded to form two vertic... | 01/21/1986 |
| 4542834 | Dispensing mechanism for vending machines An article dispenser for dispensing articles from a vending machine is disclosed. The article dispenser includes an article storage area which has a bottom opening through which articles are dispensed and a front opening through which the articles are loa... | 09/24/1985 |
| 4509658 | Anti-theft device for tandem column vendor A vendor for sequentially vending in alternation successive lowermost articles, such as beverage cans, from at least two stacks which are arranged in tandem, using a shared generally semi-cylindrical angularly indexable cradle having a stepped edge, where... | 04/09/1985 |
| 4484465 | Braking device for axially receiving and transversely discharging rolled bars The braking channel comprises a fixed channel section for each strand of bars, provided with two open-bottom chambers which are normally covered up by the sliding surfaces of a pendulum structure, the effect of which will brake the bars and let them come ... | 11/27/1984 |
| 4462517 | Fastener-attaching apparatus In a fastener-attaching apparatus equipped with a feeder for selectively delivering two different component pieces of fasteners from two separate feed hoppers to an attaching point, the improvement in the feeder which comprises a pair of tracks having a p... | 07/31/1984 |
| 4354616 | Alternate column circuit reciprocator for multiple column vending machines A circuit reciprocator or alternator arrangement for alternately operating two vend motor-driven stack mechanisms loaded with the identical product brand from a single common customer-operable selector switch. An on-on type switch having SPDT contacts for... | 10/19/1982 |
| 4354615 | Alternator mechanism for dispensing machine An article dispensing apparatus including a plurality of spaced vertically disposed inclined shelves, each shelf having a first and second side by side supporting surface adapted to support an associated first and second row of articles. First and second ... | 10/19/1982 |
| 4298138 | Tandem column vender apparatus A rotary cradle extends from front to back of a compartment for holding columns of articles to be dispensed. The cradle is of generally semi cylindrical hollow shape having a straight axial leading edge and a stepped trailing edge and mounted to be rotate... | 11/03/1981 |
| 4238025 | Device for replacing defective articles The device for automatically replacing defective cigarette packets discarded from a feeding line on which the packets advance in a single row comprises a pair of gravity-feed reserve hoppers, containing each a stack of reserve packets, and a transferring ... | 12/09/1980 |
| 4120423 | Cigarette dispenser A cigarette dispenser comprising a casing having a plurality of dispensing means each movable to dispense a cigarette through a dispensing opening, slide means operable to actuate said dispensing means, and cam means associated with said slide means where... | 10/17/1978 |
| 4019650 | Tandem column vender apparatus A vending machine having a compartment dimensioned to hold two pairs of columns of cylindrical articles with the columns of each pair arranged with their articles in axial alignment, front to rear, and the two pairs being vertically staggered and horizont... | 04/26/1977 |
