A vending machine (10) includes three individual vendors (28), each of which dispenses cigarettes (20) one at a time. Cigarettes (20) are loaded into a holding bin (50) via a loading box (30) having a removable, horizontal floor (62). The cigarettes (20) reside in the holding bin (50) in a horizontal orientation. The holding bin (50) feeds the cigarettes to a slot (102) in a cylindrical, horizontally disposed dispensing member (52). The dispensing member (52) rotates in a single direction under the control of a coin mechanism (22). As the coin mechanism rotates, an agitator (124) cooperates with dimensioning in the holding bin (50) to prevent arches or bridges from forming and to insure that a cigarette (20) is fed into the slot (102). Continued rotation of the dispensing member (52) causes the cigarette (20) contained within the slot (102) to pass out of the holding bin (50) and fall into a dispensing tray ( 54).

A container which is filled with an array of parallel hollow cylinders of cigarette paper is opened at the top and is overlapped by a retractible temporary cover prior to being partially inverted onto a downwardly sloping top wall of a magazine. The cover is thereupon retracted and the top wall is pivoted to permit entry of cylinders from the interior of the container into a chamber of te magazine. Such cylinders are thereupon caused or permitted to enter the flutes of an indexible drum-shaped conveyor which transports the cylinders seriatim to a station where successive cylinders receive rod-like fillers of particulate material, such as comminuted smokable material.

A small, wall mounted, coin operated vending machine vends individual tubed cigarettes directly from a cigarette manufacturer's original cigarette container. The machine has a removable hopper for loading and holding the cartons of tubed cigarettes. The cigarettes in the hopper are picked up one at a time in a slot of a dispensing member that is rotated by the coin mechanism. The dispensing member may have a plurality of slots to allow for the dispensing of a predetermined number of tubed cigarettes for each turn of the coin mechanism. Agitators may be placed on the dispenser to insure proper feeding of cigarettes into a dispenser slot. The coin mechanism may also be adapted to use tokens only. A "cheater" feature prevents dispensing of more cigarettes than have been properly purchased.

A sewing pin dispensing device for placing the head of a stick pin in an upright position. The sewing pin dispensing device includes a housing. A cavity is in the housing. A first opening in the housing allows for the entry of pins to be dispensed into the housing. A pin bin formed in the housing is in communication with the first opening and the cavity. A second opening in the housing for dispensing of the pins extends downwardly into the cavity. A wheel moves the pins from the pin bin to the second opening. The wheel is rotatably mounted in the cavity. The wheel has an exterior surface. A gear is fixed to the wheel. The gear is fixedly coupled to an end of the wheel for turning the wheel. An annular slot in the wheel is in the exterior surface of the wheel and extends around the wheel. The annular slot is generally adjacent to an end of the wheel. A plurality of linear slots in the wheel each receives one of the pins. Each of the linear slots is in the exterior surface of the wheel. An actuating assembly actuates the wheel.