Automatic pill dispensing apparatus

In an automatic pill dispensing apparatus having a housing, at least one cartridge having successive pill compartments, and drive means for rotating said pill compartments to successive pill dispensing positions, in response to a control means, the improvement comprising:

• said at least one cartridge having a rotatable portion containing a plurality of said successive pill compartments each having an opening around the periphery of the rotatable portion closed by a wall which has a dispensing opening in communication with a dispensing opening in said housing that leads to a pill collecting means;
• said rotatable portion being movable by said drive means to successive pill dispensing positions wherein successive pill compartments are open to the opening in said wall;
• said rotatable portion of the cartridge has a side adapted to receive a cover over the pill compartments to facilitate loading and retention of pills in the compartments;
• and
• a cover is removably mountable on the side of said rotatable portion to retain pills within the cartridge, said cover having a vertical slot formed therein in addition to the dispensing opening.

In an automatic pill dispensing apparatus having a housing, at least one cartridge having successive pill compartments, and drive means for rotating said pill compartments to successive pill dispensing positions in response to a control means, the improvement comprising:

• said at least one cartridge having a rotatable portion containing a plurality of said successive pill compartments each having a opening around the periphery of the rotatable portion closed by a wall which has a dispensing opening in communication with a dispensing opening in said housing which leads to a pill collecting means;
• said rotatable portion being movable by said drive means to successive pill dispensing positions wherein successive pill compartments are open to the opening in said wall;
• said rotatable portion of the cartridge has a side adapted to receive a cover over the pill compartments to facilitate loading and retention of pills in the compartments:
• and
• cover is removably mountable on the side of said rotatable portion to retain pills within the cartridge, wherein the cover is formed from a plate member having a projecting circular wall that encloses the walls of the rotatable part when the cover is in place.

In an automatic pill dispensing apparatus having housing, at least one cartridge having successive pill compartments, and drive means for rotating said pill compartments to successive pill dispensing positions in response to a control means, the improvement comprising:

• said at least one cartridge having a rotatable portion containing a plurality of said successive pill compartments each having an opening around the periphery of the rotatable portion closed by a wall which has a dispensing opening in communication with a dispensing opening in said housing that leads to a pill collecting means;
• said rotatable portion being movable by said drive means to successive pill dispensing positions wherein successive pill compartments are open to the opening in said wall;
• said rotatable portion of the cartridge has a side adapted to receive a cover over the pill compartments to facilitate loading and retention of pills in the compartments:
• a cover is removably mountable on the side of said rotatable portion to retain pills within the cartridge;
• and
• a sweeping means having a portion positionable within said rotatable portion and movable through successive compartments when they are rotated to a pill dispensing position to aid in removing and dispensing pills from said compartments.

A method for automatically dispensing pills, comprising the steps of:

• storing a quantity of at least one medication, each of said at least one medication respectively stored in a corresponding cartridge;
• inputting to a control means data designating which of said at least one medication are to be dispensed at what times;
• sorting the data into time order;
• determining a current clock time;
• indicating which of said at least one medication is ready to be dispensed when the current clock time equals the designated time;
• and
• dispensing said ready to be dispensed medication from said cartridges in which said at least one medication is respectively stored when a patient activated dispense control is activated by a patient.