An article storage unit device for use in a vending machine used for discharging an article at one time. A housing of the unit device defines at least one vertically extending article storing space and has a bottom opening. The housing is provided with a first stop adjacent the bottom opening by which an article is held in the space. A predetermined number of articles are stacked on the lowermost article within the space. The housing is also provided with a second stop for holding an article adjacent to and above the lowermost article. The first stop is releasable to discharge the lowermost article through the bottom opening by the gravity. The second stop is normally released and operates to hold the article for at least a time period during which the first stop is released. For the first and second stop, a cam may be used which is mounted on a drive shaft. The article storing space is adjusted by moving a movable plate within the space.

An automatic probe feeding, setting and withdrawing apparatus includes a probe container case provided with a probe dispensing mechanism for dispensing individual probes to a probe transfer mechanism. The probe transfer mechanism has a motor-driven probe push member provided at one end of a carriage board formed with a V-shaped channel in its surface. The probes are transferred to a probe setting mechanism which has a movable block capable of making sliding movement through a given stroke by the operation a cylinder on a support board mounted for pivotal movement by the operation of a cylinder. The probes are moved from a horizontal to a vertical orientation by this probe-setting mechanism. The probes are so positioned that they can be grasped by a probe holding rod and can be appropriately inserted into a furnace for measurement of conditions therein. Thereafter, with the probes removed from the furnace, they are transferred to a probe withdrawing and recovering mechanism. The mechanism comprises a probe grasping mechanism having a pair of probe grasping pawls pivotally secured to two interengaged gears and arranged to be opened and closed by the operation of a cylinder. The grasping mechanism is pivotally supported so as to be movable back and forth on the track of the movement of the probe holding rod. Finally, a probe cutting mechanism is provided with a pair of probe grasping pawls which can be opened and closed by a cylinder, and a motor-driven cutter is supported for pivotal movement by the operation of a cylinder, the cutting mechanism being pivotally supported so as to be movable back and forth on the track of movement of the probe holding rod. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to an apparatus for automatically feeding, setting in position and withdrawing a probe which is used for the sampling of molten steel, the measurement of temperature, and other testing practices in a furnace such as converter, an electric furnace, etc. More particularly, it relates to improvements in such automatic probe feeding, setting and withdrawing apparatus comprising a probe container case, a probe setting mechanism and a probe withdrawing and recovering mechanism. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Generally, the conventional automatic probe feeding, fixing and withdrawing apparatus of this type are constituted by a probe container case of a structure capable of containing the probes grouped according the type and the automatic removal of such probes, means for transferring each probe removed from the case, probe setting means designed to receive each probe transferred from the transfer means and functioning to permit such probe to stand uprightly and to swing just below the probe holding rod, and probe withdrawing and recovering means having a probe holding mechanism adapted for holding the probe lifted out of the furnace while attached to the probe holding rod and a cutting and recovering mechanism. All of these means and mechanisms are arranged to be operated on a remote control system. However, both structural and operational problems persist for such conventional devices. For example, the probe dispensing mechanism of the probe container case is complicated structurally, unstable in operation and troublesome. In addition, the dispensing operation is attended by vehement vibration or impact, involving a high possibility of inflicting damage to the probes. Further, as the probe fitting and removing operations are performed by a same mechanism, the apparatus is subject to excessive damage due to high temperature gas or dust blown up from inside the furnace, resulting in frequent trouble or failure in operation. Moreover, the probe fixing mechanism in conventional apparatus has no means for countervailing the erroneous fixing of a wrong probe, so that in the event of such false operation, troublesome replacing work is necessitated, resulting in delayed probe fitting and removing work and a hindrance to the furnace operation. Various measures have been proposed to overcome such problems, but there is available as yet no device which is free of such difficulties and can operate with its full capacity in a limited space and under bad environmental conditions, and the solution to these problems has been posed as the subject for study by the industry. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention is to provide an automatic probe feeding, setting and withdrawing apparatus which functions in an improved manner to ensure a stabilized operation and an improved operating efficiency to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems. Another object of the present invention is to provide a probe container case equipped with a probe dispensing mechanism which allows an easy, smooth and stable probe dispensing operation. A further object of the present invention is to provide a probe fitting mechanism which has an improved probe fitting function and is capable of eliminating the above-mentioned problems. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved probe withdrawing and recovering means designed such that the withdrawal and recovery of the probe lifted up from inside the furnace can be accomplished by a separate device so as to prevent damage to the various means and elements attached to the block adapted to have the probe erected and turned immediately below the probe holding rod.

Apparatus for stacking conical objects includes right hand and left hand side walls which are joined by divergent walls to define a tapering horizontal cross-section column in which the spacing between the opposite walls is shorter than the length of any one of the conical objects. The conical objects can be placed manually in the top of the column 1 but only in a given orientation (thanks to the tapering horizontal cross-section of the column) and only when hooked on a retaining finger projecting into the column through the side wall. The conical object at the top of the stack thus settles into an inclined orientation which it retains when the retaining finger is released to drop the cone down the column, thanks to an inertia brake to retard the wider diameter end of the falling cone and preventing the cone from becoming vertical. The retaining finger at the foot of the column releases only the bottom cone and allows any cones above it to become indexed downwardly into the bottom-most position.

An article storage unit device for use in a vending machine comprising a housing including a plurality of vertically extending article stacking spaces and a mechanism for discharging an article at one time. The device is characterized by an arrangement for reducing failure of article discharge and by another arrangement for readily loading or feeding fresh articles into the stacking spaces without any disassembling. The article discharging mechanism comprises a pendulous stopper plate disposed at the lower portion of each article stacking space and a control mechanism for projecting the stopper plate into the article stacking space to hold the article and for releasing the stopper plate to permit the article to fall down. An inner wall of the article stacking space opposite to the stopper plate is provided with a depression to prevent the article from being held by the inner wall and the upper article at a time when the stopper plate is released. Alternatively or additionally, the stopper plate may be so arranged that it is temporarily and rapidly moved during the releasing operation to provide a mechanical shock. Thus the article is securely discharged without failure. The housing has an open side end on which vertical extending bars are disposed along the vertical stacking spaces for preventing articles in the spaces from falling off through the open side end. The vertical bars are deflectable for loading or feeding articles into stacking spaces without disassembling.

A device for dispensing conical objects to form a stream of generally horizontal side-by-side conical objects with alternate conical objects having one orientation and intervening conical objects having the reversed orientation. The stacks having a first orientation have release cams driven from a common cam shaft while the intervening stacks have release cams driven from a common cam shaft, the timing of the two cam shafts being such that the conical objects are released successively starting from stack and ending at stack.