AU2005313850A1 - Dispensing mechanism for a vending machine - Google Patents

Description

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 "Dispensing Mechanism for a Vending Machine" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispensing mechanism for a vending machine. Background Art 5 Vending machines often suffer from a number of disadvantages including there being a limited amount of space in which products can be stored for subsequent sale. One type of vending machine commonly in use employs a horizontal spiral. In vending machines of this type a motor operates the spiral, once the user has paid 10 for and selected a product; to cause the spiral to rotate and push the product into a free fall region through which the product falls. From the free fall region the product lands in a vending bay and can be removed by the user for use or consumption. Typically the free fall region requires a considerable amount of space which 15 together with the space occupied by the motor and other components of the vending machine impinges upon the overall space that can be made available for the storage of products. The pitch of the spiral typically also has the effect of reducing the available space by up to 50%. Some vending machines use a horizontal pusher. Horizontal pushers operate by 20 sequentially pushing products from a group of products arranged in a stack. Horizontal pushers are often suitable for use with products that are uniform in shape, light and highly motile. Cigarette packets are one example. With horizontal pushers, the friction between the product being dispensed and the other products in the stack can cause both product damage and jamming. 25 Jamming may not occur on a regular basis, however, when it does occur, it can have the effect of leaving the machine in an inoperable condition until a service WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -2 call is made. The patron is also often deprived of the product that lie or she has purchased. Under some conditions products such as caramel bars are known to release viscous sticky substances. When this happens, the bars can become stuck 5 together, resulting in the machine becoming jammed. In addition products often have wrappers that can readily come apart and become entwined between the moving parts of a vending machine. It is generally problematic to convert a machine of the type that dispenses cans or bottles from deep, narrow and vertically orientated storage chambers, into one 10 that supplies both drinks and other products such as confectionary. One possible conversion technique could be to convert one of the chambers into a confectionary storage area. With this technique the arrangement of the chambers often renders most conversions impracticable. Conventional horizontal pushers require an unworkable amount of space and horizontal spiral dispensing 15 mechanisms require a large amount of space to be set aside for a free fall region and drive motors. Furthermore, the problem of confectionary sticking together along with the non-circular shape of most confectionary products typically makes conventional can type dispensers unworkable. It is against this background and the problems and deficiencies associated 20 therewith that the present invention has been developed. Disclosure of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a rocker structure for a vending machine, the rocker structure comprising a body having a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar 25 underside of a stack of products and support the stack therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and including a first abutment upstanding from the seat for pushing the product at the bottom of the stack as the product is dispensed.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -3 Preferably the body includes mounting means for hingedly mounting the rocker structure beneath the stack of products and the seat is arranged relative to the mounting means such that once a product has been dispensed the body can be rotated to a position at which the remaining products directly drop onto the seat. 5 The mounting means are preferably configured to hingedly mount the rocker at a location spaced laterally apart from the central axis of the stack. This advantageously allows for an improved dispensing action. The rocker. structure may include a first end and a second end, the first end including an outer abutment arranged such that while the product at the bottom of 10 the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is presented to support the bottom of the remainder of the stack. Preferably the remainder of the stack is not appreciably interfered with as the product at the bottom of the stack is dispensed. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a dispensing unit for a vending machine including a rocker structure adapted to support a stack of 15 products, and a drive mechanism operable to move an arm arrangement connected to the rocker structure, wherein movement of the arm arrangement in a first direction rotates the rocker from a normal condition to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and movement of the arm arrangement in an opposite direction rotates the rocker structure back to the normal condition for receiving the 20 remainder of the stack. Preferably the movement of the arm arrangement in the first direction is upward. The drive mechanism preferably comprises a solenoid unit adapted to rapidly move the arm arrangement so as to eject a product laterally away from the unit. By having a solenoid unit significant space savings can be made allowing for 25 substantially more products to be stored for subsequent sale. The rocker structure of the second aspect may include a first end and a second end, the first end including an outer abutment arranged such that while the product at the bottom of the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is presented to support the bottom of the remainder of the stack. The outer WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -4 abutment is advantageously shaped so that the remainder of the stack does not bear completely down on the rocker structure as the drive mechanism moves the arm arrangement to rotate the rocker structure back to the normal condition. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of 5 operating a vending machine including: dispensing a product at the bottom of a stack by rotating a rocker structure supporting the stack, wherein the rocker structure is rotated from a normal condition in a relatively rapid manner so as to eject the product at the bottom of the stack laterally away therefrom. The method may include presenting an outer abutment of the rocker structure to 10 support the remainder of the stack as the product at the bottom of the stack is dispensed, and relatively rapidly returning the rocker structure to the normal condition whereby the outer abutment allows the remainder of the stack to fall downwardly without bearing fully down on the outer abutment, A generally planar underside of a stack of products may be received by a seat of the rocker 15 structure. According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of operating a vending machine including: dispensing a product at the bottom of a stack of products by rotating a rocker structure supporting the products, wherein as the rocker structure is rotated, the rocker structure turns the product relative to 20 the stack so as to separate the product. therefrom. By turning the product at the bottom of the stack it is possible to break any adhesion occurring between the product being dispensed and the remainder of the stack. This is particularly beneficial with products that are known to leak sticky substances such as caramel or even with packaging glue residue. 25 The product may be turned about a pivot point spaced apart from the centre line of the stack such that the product dips downwardly away from the stack during rotation of the product in an advantageous manner. By dipping downwardly away from the stack it is possible to reduce interference between the product being WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -5 dispensed and the remainder of the stack. The pivot point may lie within the lateral extent of the stack to save space. Preferably the product at the bottom of the stack is ejected with a relatively high velocity towards a vending bay, from which the product can later be removed. 5 According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a device for dispensing products comprising: a body having a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar underside of a stack of products and support the stack therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and including an abutment which is presented 10 to support the bottom of the remainder of the stack by contacting the immediately preceding product as the product at the bottom of the stack is dispensed, wherein upon rotation of the body, the product at the bottom of the stack turns against the immediately preceding product to cause separation therefrom. The body may be adapted to be rotated about a pivot point spaced apart from the 15 centre line of the stack. The pivot is spaced inwardly from the lateral extent of the stack. According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine comprising: a storage compartment for receiving a group of products arranged one underneath the other in a stack; the vending machine including a dispensing 20 unit located below the storage compartment for dispensing products therefrom; the dispensing unit including a rocker structure having a body defining a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar underside of the stack and support the stack therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and including a first 25 abutment upstanding from the seat for pushing the product at the bottom of the stack as the product is dispensed. The rocker structure may include a first end and a second end, the first end including an outer abutment and the structure being arranged so that while the product at the bottom of the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -6 presented to support the bottom of the remainder stack. The rocker may be hingedly mounted at a location spaced laterally apart from the central axis of the stack, towards the first end of the rocker. The first abutment may provide a planar face that faces onto the product at the 5 bottom of the stack and assist with ensuring that the product at the bottom of the stack is ejected from the vending machine. The second end may include an abutment which when the rocker structure is in the normal condition operates to retain the product at the bottom of the stack, despite attempts to rock and shake the vending machine 10 The vending machine may include a plurality of storage compartments each arranged for receiving a group of products in an arrangement wherein each of the products are disposed in a respeptive group in which they are arranged one on top of the other in a stack, and a corresponding number of dispensing devices arranged at the bottom of each stack, the storage compartments being arranged 15 one behind the other and increasing in length such that the dispensing devices do not interfere with one another during the rotation and dispensing of a product from any one of the devices. The vending machine may include a tray located beneath the dispensing devices, the tray being inclined in a direction towards a vending bay from which the 20 products can be removed once dispensed. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of two specific embodiments thereof, as shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 25 Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view in elevation of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the invention; WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -7 Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view in elevation of the vending machine shown in Figure 1, with a product of the vending machine being shown in the process of being dispensed; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the vending machine shown in Figure 1; 5 Figure 4 is a perspective view of a dispensing device used in the vending machine shown in Figure 1; Figures 5, 6 and 7 are further perspective views of the dispensing device shown in Figure 4; Figures 8 to 11 are side, plan, bottom and rear views of the dispensing device 10 shown in Figure 4; and Figure 12 is a perspective view of a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the invention. Best Mode(s) for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown an existing drink vending machine 15 10 that has been converted into a vending machine that is capable of dispensing both drinks and confectionary. The vending machine 10 is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention and is able to accommodate a relatively large number of packaged confectionary products. In the arrangement the confectionery products are provided in the form of 20 individually packaged chocolate coated caramel bars. The vending machine 10 includes a dispensing device 12 comprising an ejector rocker structure 14 that is advantageously configured to prevent jamming. As is best seen from Figure 4 the ejector rocker 14 includes a mounting means 15 that allows the ejector rocker 14 to be hingedly mounted beneath a stack of 25 confectionary products.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -8 As can be seen in Figures 4 to 11 the ejector rocker 14 includes a first end 16 and a second end 18. Between the first and second ends 16, 18 the ejector rocker 14 includes two lateral sides 20, 22. In use the ejector rocker 14 is configured to dispense products in the general direction marked D in the drawings. 5 The mounting means 15 are provided in the form of two male hinge members 19 each.extending proximally midway along the lateral sides 20, 22 of the ejector rocker 14. As can be seen from Figure 4 the hinge members 19 are closer to the first end 16 than second end 18. The hinge members 19 define an axis of rotation 24. 10 The ejector rocker 14 further includes a support member 26 that is adapted to support a stack of confectionary products from below. The support member 26 provides a seat 28 which, when the ejector rocker 14 is in a normal condition, extends in a horizontal plane. In the normal condition,, as shown in Figure 1, the support member is able to support a stack of confectionary products 30 15 thereabove with a generally planar underside of a stack of products 30 being in face-to-face relation with a generally planar surface of the seat 28. Each of the confectionary products 30 is provided in the form of a packaged caramel product covered in chocolate. Each product is individually wrapped and has a flat rectangular base and slightly curved upper shoulders . The size and 20 configuration of seat 28 conforms to the shape and size of the base of each confectionary product 30. In this case the length to height to width ratio of each confectionery product 30 is approximately 10:2:3. Returning to Figures 1 and 2 it can be seen that in the vending machine 10 the ejector rocker 14 is hingedly mounted by the male hinge members 19 beneath the 25 stack of confectionary products 30 such that the axis 24 thereof is disposed to the right of the centre of gravity of the stack 30 towards the first end 16. A drive mechanism 32 is operable to rotate the ejector rocker 14 from a normal condition in which the rocker 14 retains a product 34 at the bottom of the stack to a second condition in which the rocker 14 has been rotated to eject the product WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 34. By having the dispensing device 12 underneath the vertical stack of products 30 more storage space is provided. A stop 35 and a return spring 36 operate in combination to bias and hold the ejector rocker 14 in the normal condition in which, as would be apparent, the seat -5 28 of the ejector rocker 14 is horizontal with respect to the extension of the stack 30. The return spring 36 is positioned so as to extend from beneath the ejector rocker 14 and to connect to the ejector rocker 14 at a connecting means 38 located on the first end 16. An arm 40 of drive mechanism 32 is connected to the ejector rocker 14 at the connection means 38. In use the drive mechanism 32 10 places the arm 40 in tension to overcome the bias of return spring 36 and rotate the ejector rocker 14 in a manner in which the first end 16 moves upwardly and the second end 18 moves downwardly. The arm 40, spring 36 and stop 35 provide an arm arrangement. The stop 35 is positioned beneath the ejector rocker 14 toward the first end 16 so 15 that the ejector rocker 14 is prevented from being caused to rotate around under the action of the spring 36 to a position at which the seat 28 slopes downwardly from the second end 18 to the first end 16. The stop 35 and return spring 36 operate to bias the ejector rocker 14 towards maintaining the normal condition. In the vending machine 10 the products 30 are stored in a vertically orientated 20 storage chamber 42 so as to lie one on top of the other in the stack formation. The storage chamber 42 comprises a chute 43 having vertically extending chute walls 45 and 47. The chute walls 45 and 47 maintain the stack 30 in a vertical disposition and guide the remainder of the stack 30 downwardly along a delivery path, once the product 34 at the bottom of the stack has been dispensed. In this 25 way the remainder of stack 30 advances in single file under the influence of gravity down the chute 43 towards the ejector rocker 14. An opening 48 is provided at the lower end of the storage chamber 42, adjacent the second end 18 of the ejector rocker 14. The opening 48 allows the lowermost package 34 to be dispensed from the stack 30 through what otherwise would be WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 10 part of the chute wall 45. In this embodiment the opening 48 extends above the top of product 34 to allow for product 34 to be dispensed in a rotated condition. The chute wall 45 above the opening 48 is selectively moveable towards and away from the other chute wall 47. This enables the width of the chute 43 to be 5 changed according to the width of the products to be dispensed. The vending machine 10 includes a vending bay (not shown) located below the ejector rocker 14, close to the front of the vending machine 10. The products 30 are expelled with velocity from the ejector rocker 14 into the vending bay during a dispensing operation, after which the user retrieves the product. 10 The drive mechanism 32 is generally vertically orientated with respect to the storage chamber 42. The drive mechanism 32 comprises a solenoid unit 44 that is disposed against the chute wall 47 above the first end 16 of the ejector rocker 14, in a compact manner. The drive mechanism 32 is actuated by a solenoid which has the benefit of being simpler, cheaper and more reliable than an electric 15 motor device. A simple electronic control system (not shown) is provided to activate the solenoid at high speed. The solenoid controls the speed of the ejector rocker 14 to efficiently dispense product 34 and actively retain the remaining stack of products 30 during the dispensing operation. The speed of the rocker 14 also controls the descent of the 20 remaining stack of products 30 into the ejector rocker 14 ready for the next dispensing operation. The relatively high speed and change in direction of movement of the solenoid unit 44 provides the velocity of the ejector rocker 14 and ensures that product 34 resting on the rocker 14 continues its rapid travel due to inertia even after the rocker 14 changes its direction of movement, the product 25 34 thereby being ejected laterally away from the remainder of the stack. The high velocity of the solenoid unit 44 is very useful for products such as caramel bars 34 which are often firmly stuck together. The rotational speed of the rocker 14 may be up to ten times faster than a cradle type can and bottle dispensers.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 11 At the first end 16 of the ejector rocker 14 a member 50 extends above the support member 26. The member 50 extends above the seat 28 by about 75% of the height of each package of confectionary 30. As the member 50 is shorter than each of the packages 30 different products of a varying heights can be 5 accommodated without a change of the rocker. To avoid jamming the member 50 should be shorter than the height of the product. The member 50 provides an abutment 52 that in use faces onto the lowermost package 34. The member 50 also provides an outer abutment 54 in the form of a plurality of curved outer abutments 56 that are used to support the remainder of 10 the stack 30 while the product 34 at the bottom of the stack 30 is dispensed. To dispense the product 34 the ejector rocker 14 is moved from the normal condition shown in Figure 1 such that the first end 16 moves upwardly and the second end 18 moves downwardly. This causes product 34 to rotate against the product 60 second from the bottom of the stack 30, and be ejected under its own 15 momentum. In terms of product 34, the rotation of rocker 14 serves to ensure that the product 34 slides downwardly away from the remainder of the stack 30 during the rotation such the interference between the product 34 and product 60 is kept to an amount whereby neither of the products undergoes any damage. This serves to alleviate 20 the weight and friction on the product 34 which could cause the packaging of product 34 to tear. It is to be appreciated that the positioning of the hinge member 19 and the axis of rotation 24 provides a notable advantage. By being spaced from the centre line of the stack 30 a smaller frictional force is applied by product 34 to the immediately 25 preceding product 60 as the product 34 is dispensed. In operation the product 34 is twisted relative to the preceding product 60. Thereafter product 60 comes into contact with the outer abutment 54.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 12 In this arrangement the axis 24 is located within the region below the lateral extent of the stack 30. Together with the curvature of the outer abutment 54, this means that during the course of forward movement, the outer abutment 54 does not reach the bottom surface of product 60 until the product 34 has undergone a 5 dramatic change in angular orientation. Furthermore, the curvature of the outer abutment 54 serves to ensure that the full gravity of the remaining stack 30 is not applied on the outer abutment 54 during its reversing movement. The gravity applied to the outer abutment will of course depend on the speed at 10 which the solenoid moves the rocker 14 back to the normal condition. The higher the speed of the solenoid unit 32 the less friction will occur between the outer abutment 54 and the product 60. The solenoid unit 32 utilises a conventional solenoid at its normal speed of movement. This has been seen to be sufficient. Advantageously no speed reducers, gears, belts or pullies are required. During 15 the course of reverse movement of the rocker 14 to its normal position the remaining stack 30 falls continuously downwardly so as to land flat on the seat 28. The high speed of the return of rocker 14 ensures that there is a steady fall into .the seat 28. The second end 18 includes a sloped abutment 58. The sloped abutment 58 is 20 inclined with respect to the seat 28 and prevents the product 34 moving from seat 28 into the vending bay in situations where the vending machine 10 is vigorously shaken or where attempts are made at pilfering. As the drive mechanism 32 moves the ejector rocker 14 against the bias of spring 36, the seat 28 of ejector rocker 14 moves from horizontal to extend downwardly 25 from the first end 16 to the second end 18 at an angle of about 45 degrees to the horizontal. At this position the abutment 58 is moved from a condition that prevents product 34 being dispensed to a condition in which the abutment 58 does not prevent the product being dispensed.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -13 The abutment 52 ensures that the product 34 does not remain back towards the first end 16 but is rather rotated and dispensed in a controlled manner. The abutment 52 drives the product 34 during the dispensing operation such that the product 34 is twisted and ejected from the rocker structure 14, and consequently 5 dispensed by the vending machine 10. The outer abutments 56 are configured so that during the rotation of the product 34 they are moved into a position at which they come into contact with the base of product 60. This is clearly shown in Figure 2. In this way the outer abutments 56 are presented to the bottom of the remainder of the stack of products 30 so as to 10 restrain the stack 30 and provide support thereto whilst the product 34 at the bottom of the stack is rotated and dispensed. The outer abutments 56 are arranged and configured to limit the friction against the product 60 throughout the forward and backward rotation action, while still sufficiently supporting the weight of the product stack 30. 15 The speed at which ejector rocker 14 is rotated is fast enough to ensure that the product 34 is ejected with velocity away from the ejector rocker 14 once the sloped abutment 58 has progressed to about horizontal. The velocity is high enough to ensure that the product 34 reaches a vending bay. The spring 36 dampens the rotation of the ejector rocker 14 and reverses it back 20 to its normal position when the solenoid is no longer energized. Whilst the rocker 14 is reversing to its normal position the outer abutments 56 support the remainder of the stack 30. At the normal position the outer abutments 56 disengage from supporting the remainder of the stack 30 so as to create sufficient space to allow the stack to drop downwardly under the influence of gravity into the 25 seat 28 of the ejector rocker 14 ready for dispensing again. Thus the vending machine 10 as with most vending machines is able to dispense products in a sequential manner. If the confectionary does become stuck together then the dispensing operation readily breaks any connection between the product 34 being dispensed and the 30 remainder of the stack 30. The ejector rocker 14 is able to separate the WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 14 dispensing product 34, angularly from the vertical stack of products using the rotation described. This results in a slight twisting of the product being dispensed and breaks any adhesion. This is especially useful in situations where caramel has oozed from the packaging and has become firmly solidified through 5 subsequent refrigeration. Furthermore, the simplicity of the construction of the rocker 14 reduces the possibility of loose fitting wrappers becoming caught and torn during a dispensing operation. Referring to Figure 12 there is shown a deep, narrow and vertically orientated storage chamber 62 of a converted vending machine in accordance with a further 10 preferred embodiment. The chamber 62 includes five stacks of products extending into the chamber. The chamber 62 is in effect divided into five distinct chambers 62A to 62E that are equivalent to chamber 42 described in relation to the first embodiment. A dispensing device is fitted into each of the chambers 62A to 62E as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The dispensers hang on a set of drawer 15 runners. As can be seen from the Figure 12 the chambers 62A to 62E increase in length depth-wise into the chamber 62. Chamber 62B is longer than chamber 62A and so on. This ensures that the ejector rocker 14 of chamber 62A does not interfere with a package being dispensed from an equivalent ejector rocker 14 of chamber 20 62B, and so on. To assist with packages of confectionary being dispensed, a tray 64 is disposed between the chambers 62A to 62E so as to be inclined in a direction downwardly away from chamber 62E to chamber 64A and then towards a vending bay from which products can be removed. The tray 64 needs to have minimal slope as the 25 products are ejected towards the vending bay with some velocity. This, in turn creates more space for product storage. By having the dispensing devices directly underneath the vertical stack of products 30 more product variety is provided by allowing more units to be clustered together to fit into the depth of the available chamber space.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 15 Furthermore, by stacking products vertically on top of each other, wasted space between products is greatly reduced. By virtue of the other chambers in the vending machine supplying drinks and chamber 62 being the only chamber of the machine that supplies confectionary, the number of confectionery products stored 5 in the machine is kept in relative proportion to the number of drinks for catering purposes and attempting to maximise profitability. With a horizontal pusher the weight of vertical stack products being in the range of three kilograms could in combination with other factors cause a package to tear or jam. With the present embodiment it is feasible to dispense the products despite 10 the weight of the vertical stack and without the weight and friction of the stack on the product 34 causing the packaging thereof to tear. Furthermore the present embodiment provides a commercially feasible solution in which a vending machine is provided having a dispensing mechanism that is not overly complex while the number of products inthe machine is relatively high in comparison to the, 15 size of the machine. There is no issue of there having to be sufficient space for a horizontal pusher to fully retract and then fully engage the length or width of the product being dispensed (depending on the orientation of the stacked products). In such a case the horizontal space required would be double the length or width of the product. 20 The invention is not to be considered as being limited to vending machines but could also be applied to other environments in which objects are delivered from a vertical stack. In one embodiment the invention provides a dispensing device that can be incorporated into new vending machines or retro-fitted into certain existing vending machines. With such machines a chamber is removed and replaced with 25 a cluster of dispensers. Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word comprises" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -16 The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent 2004907049 entitled "Dispensing Mechanism for a Vending Machine". Australian Provisional Patent 2004907049 is hereby fully incorporated by reference.

Claims (24)

1. A rocker structure for a vending machine, the rocker structure comprising a body having a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar underside of a stack of products and support the stack 5 therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and including a first abutment upstanding from the seat for pushing the product at the bottom of the stack as the product is dispensed,

2. A rocker structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body includes mounting means- for hingedly mounting the rocker structure beneath the stack of 10 products, the seat being arranged relative to the mounting means such that once a product has been dispensed the body can be rotated to a normal position allowing the remaining products to directly drop onto the seat.

3. A rocker structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein the mounting means are configured to hingedly mount the rocker at a location spaced laterally apart 15 from the central axis of the stack.

4. A rocker structure as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the rocker structure includes a first end and a second end, the first end including an outer abutment arranged such that while the product at the bottom of the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is presented to support the bottom of the 20 remainder of the stack.

5. A dispensing unit for a vending machine including a rocker structure adapted to support a stack of products, and a drive mechanism operable to move an arm arrangement connected to the rocker structure wherein movement of the arm arrangement in a first direction rotates the rocker from a normal condition 25 to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and movement of the arm arrangement in an opposite direction rotates the rocker structure back to the normal condition for receiving the remainder of the stack. WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -18

6. A dispensing unit as claimed in claim 5 wherein the drive mechanism comprises a solenoid unit adapted to rapidly move the arm arrangement so as to eject a product laterally away from the unit.

7. A dispensing unit as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the rocker structure 5 includes a first end and a second end, the first end including an outer abutment arranged such that while the product at the bottom of the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is presented to support the bottom of the remainder of the stack, the outer abutment being shaped so that the remainder of the stack does not bear completely down on the rocker structure 10 as the drive mechanism moves the arm arrangement to rotate the rocker structure back to the normal condition.

8. A method of operating a vending machine including: dispensing a product at the bottom of a stack by rotating a rocker structure supporting the stack, wherein the rocker structure is rotated from a normal condition in a relatively 15 rapid manner so as to eject the product at the bottom of the stack laterally away therefrom.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 including presenting the remainder of the stack to an outer abutment of the rocker structure to support the remainder of the stack as the product at the bottom of the stack is dispensed, and relatively 20 rapidly returning the rocker structure to the normal condition such that the outer abutment allows the remainder of the stack to fall downwardly without bearing fully down on the outer abutment.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9 including receiving a generally planar underside of a stack of products on a seat of the rocker structure. 25

11. A method of operating a vending machine including: dispensing a product at the bottom of a stack of products by rotating a rocker structure supporting the products, wherein as the rocker structure is rotated, the rocker structure turns the product relative to the stack so as to separate the product therefrom. WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 19

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the product is turned about a pivot point spaced apart from the centre line of the stack.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the pivot point lies within the lateral extent of the stack. 5

14. A device for dispensing products comprising: a body having a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar underside of a stack of products and support the stack therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a product at the bottom of the stack and including an abutment which is presented to support the bottom of the remainder of the 10 stack by contacting the immediately preceding product as the product at the bottom of the stack is dispensed, wherein upon rotation of the body, the product at the bottom of the stack turns against the immediately preceding product in the stack to cause separation therefrom.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14 wherein the body is rotated about a pivot point 15 spaced apart from the centre line of the stack.

16. A device as claimed in claim 14 or 15 wherein the pivot point is spaced inwardly from the lateral extent of the stack.

17. A vending machine comprising: a storage compartment for receiving a group of products arranged one underneath the other in a stack; the vending 20 machine including a dispensing unit located below the storage compartment for dispensing products therefrom; the dispensing unit including a rocker structure having a body defining a seat providing a generally planar face configured to receive a generally planar underside of the stack and support the stack therefrom, the body being adapted to be rotated to dispense a 25 product at the bottom of the stack and including a first abutment upstanding from the seat for pushing the product at the bottom of the stack as the product is dispensed. WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 - 20

18. A vending machine as claimed in claim 17 wherein the rocker structure includes a first end and a second end, the first. end including an outer abutment and the structure being arranged so that while the product at the bottom of the stack is being dispensed, the outer abutment is presented to 5 support the bottom of the remainder stack.

19. A vending machine as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein the rocker is hingedly mounted at a location spaced laterally apart from the central axis of the stack, towards the first end of the rocker structure.

20. A vending machine as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19 wherein the first 10 abutment provides a planar face that faces onto the product at the bottom of the stack to assist with ensuring that the product at the bottom of the stack is ejected from the vending machine.

21. A vending machine as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 20 wherein the second end includes an abutment which when the rocker structure is in the 15 normal condition operates to retain the product at the bottom of the stack, despite attempts to rock and shake the vending machine.

22. A vending machine as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 21 including a plurality of storage compartments each arranged for receiving a group of products in an arrangement wherein each of the products are arranged in a 20 respective group in which they are disposed one on top of the other in a stack, and a corresponding number of dispensing devices arranged at the bottom of each stack, the storage compartments being arranged one behind the other and increasing in length such that the dispensing devices do not interfere with one another during the rotation and dispensing of a product from any one of 25 the devices.

23. An apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. WO 2006/060864 PCT/AU2005/001852 -21

24. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.