Pill dispensing system

A bottle dispensing apparatus comprising:

• a) a frame having a supporting base that supports a plurality of bottle holding plates, each plate being sized to carry a plurality of bottles to be dispensed, and including a biasing portion for moving bottles toward a selected end of each of the plates;
• b) the frame having a channel for dispensing bottles from the plates;
• c) a plurality of gates at an end of each of the respective plurality of the plates, each gate being positioned to control the flow of bottles from one or more plates, each gate being movable between open and closed positions;
• d) each gate having a force transmitting member that urges the gate toward an open position;
• e) the gates being configured to open one at a time as the plate above the gate is emptied of bottles;
• f) wherein each gate has a generally V-shaped portion having a recess said V-shaped portion enabling a portion of one gate to nest in the recess of another gate;
• g) at least two gates overlapping so that two gates simultaneously block the path of the same bottle on a plate.

A container dispensing apparatus comprising:

• a) a plurality of generally cylindrically-shaped containers to be dispensed;
• b) a frame having a supporting base that supports a plurality of container holding plates, each plate being sized to carry a plurality of said container to be dispensed, and including a portion that is configured to move container along each plate toward a selected end of each said plate;
• c) the frame having a vertical channel for dispensing bottles from the highest of the plates that has bottles on it;
• d) the channel and plates being configured to dispense containers from the plates one plate at a time into the channel;
• e) a gate at an end of at least some of said plates, each gate being positioned to prevent the flow of containers from at least two of the plates when the gate is closed, each gate being movable between open and closed positions;
• f) each of the gates being configured to open when a plate above a particular gate empties of bottles and the level of bottles in the channel drops to a position that is below the said particular gate;
• and
• g) wherein each gate has a generally V-shaped portion having a recess said V-shaped portion enabling a portion of one gate to nest in the recess of another gate.