An automated article dispensing device for dispensing articles to a
plurality of users, the device comprising: a) a plurality of storage
compartments configured for storage of a vertical stack of cloth
articles, the storage compartments arranged in a plurality of tiers; b) a
plurality of cloth articles deployed in at least some of the storage
compartments in vertical stack configurations; c) at least one dispensing
outlet; d) an article delivery system configured to retrieve a top-most
article from at least one the stack and deliver the article to the
dispensing outlet, the article delivery system including a plurality of
article retrieval systems equal in number to the number of tiers of the
storage compartments; e) a user interface unit accessible to the users;
and f) an on-board processing unit configured to control the article
delivery system, the on-board processing unit being in electrical
communication with the article delivery system, and the user interface
unit.