Automatic pill dispensing apparatus

An automatic pill dispenser for dispensing sequential pills from selected ones of a plurality of cartridges according to a predetermined prescription schedule, comprising:

• a housing adapted for removably holding a plurality of cartridges having pill compartments, the housing having means for collecting pills that are distributed from any cartridge;
• a plurality of cartridges having pill holding compartments removably mounted in the housing, each having a pill dispensing opening adapted for selective positioning in communication with an opening of successive compartments of the cartridges in response to movement of the cartridge, to define a dispensing position;
• a drive means including a plurality of clutch means which are individually engageable for independently moving any given number of the cartridges to the dispensing position so that the pill dispensing opening is in communication with the pill collecting means, wherein said compartments are included in a rotatable portion movable by the clutch means by rotating to the dispensing position wherein an opening of a compartment is at the dispensing position;
• and
• control means for operating the drive means, including the clutch means, in accordance with the predetermined prescription schedule so that the correct combination of pills become available at intervals according to the schedule.

An automatic pill dispenser for dispensing sequential pills from selected ones of a plurality of cartridges according to a predetermined prescription schedule, comprising:

• a housing having an opening therein and a plurality of cartridges having pill compartments about their periphery, each compartment having an open end at its periphery for moving past a wall opening;
• said compartments being closed by a wall having an opening in communication with the opening of the housing and one of said compartments, said cartridges being individually rotatable to successive dispensing positions wherein successive compartments are open through the opening in said wall;
• a patient activated dispenser which closes said wall openings unless a patient activates the dispenser to release pills from compartments aligned with said wall openings, said walls retaining unreleased pills after a given cartridge has been rotated to a successive dispensing position;
• drive means for moving the cartridges to successive dispensing positions;
• and
• control means for operating the drive means in accordance with the predetermined prescription schedule so that the correct combination of pills becomes available for release at intervals according to the schedule.