A devices for touchless operation of a product outlet door of a vending machine includes a frame mountable within an interior of a vending machine; a lever comprising a lever rod coupled to the frame and rotatable with respect to the frame about a lever rod rotation axis, wherein the lever rod is couplable to the product outlet door of the vending machine; and an actuator configured to rotate the lever rod from a first lever rod position to a second lever rod position to cause the product outlet door to rotate about its rotation axis from its closed position to its open position so as to open the product outlet door.

Disclosed are a vending machine and an item dispensing method of storage column thereof. In the item dispensing method of the storage column of the vending machine, controlling the first motor to start rotating for the first time to convey the target item to the inlet of the bucket; when detecting that the target item reaches the inlet of the bucket, controlling the first motor to stop rotating for the first time to make the target item enter the inside of the bucket under the driving of the second motor.

A modular, scalable prescription dispensing and verification system includes a four-tiered central conveyor, dispensing control system with stored patient orders for creating dispensing and routing itineraries, carriers transporting itineraries and dispensed medications, induction station, pairs of processing stations divided by the conveyor, including automated and manual dispensing, verification, cold chain, and ambient packaging. Crossover conveyors transport carriers between dispensing station pair members for dispensing multiple products per station pair. One conveyor tier returns empty carriers to induction, another transports carriers from each dispensing station to verification, then to packaging, another transports carriers from induction to dispensing, then to additional dispensing, another conveys carriers from induction to dispensing stations. Carrier stops halt carriers at stations for removal for processing, replacement, and transport to the next station, or deposit on another tier and transport to a different station. The system may include two conveyor modules, one for refrigerated or ambient unit-of-use items, another for ambient countables.

A dispenser of hygiene products, including feminine pads and tampons activated by a motion sensor. A motion of a person's hand or other object within a given distance from the motion sensor will close an electronic circuit causing a motor to rotate. The motor is attached to a shaft which rotates. The shaft retains a product dispenser. The product dispenser transports one of the hygiene products to a retrieval tray. A time delay reduces the likelihood of or prevents someone from continuously activating the motion sensor to dispense all of the products in the machine.

An article supply apparatus capable of supplying an article, comprises an accommodation unit in which articles are accommodated; a supply unit which supplies at least one of the articles accommodated in the accommodation unit; an operation unit capable of performing an operation in order to supply the at least one of the articles from the supply unit; a lock unit which locks the operation unit so as to make the operation to the operation unit unavailable; a control unit which releases a lock of the lock unit; and a notification control unit, capable of notifying a first state where the lock of the lock unit and a second state where the operation of the operation unit is completed, wherein a way of notification of the first state is different from that of the second state.

A medication support device includes a plurality of first containers that store a plurality of medicine packages in which a plurality of medicines are packed, a pickup device to pick up a specific one of the multiple medicine packages from one of the multiple first containers, a conveyor to convey the specific one of the multiple medicine packages picked up by the pickup device, a medicine dispenser to arrange the specific one of the multiple medicine packages conveyed by the conveyor, a second container in which the first containers are aligned and stored, a holder in which the second container is aligned and stored, and a housing that stores the first containers, the pickup device, the conveyor, the medicine dispenser, the second container, and the holder. In the medication support device, at least one of the second container or the first containers is attachable to and detachable from the housing.

A vending machine includes two horizontal lead screws, a vertical lead screw, first and second motors, a shelf, a delivery cup, and a delivery area. The first and second motors drive the horizontal lead screws and the vertical lead screw, respectively. The vertical lead screw moves horizontally along the horizontal lead screws. The shelf contains a product and has a movable gate to hold the product on the shelf. The delivery cup moves vertically along the vertical lead screw and has a solenoid and a plunger. The solenoid activates the plunger, which opens the gate to dispense the product onto the delivery cup. An outer door of the delivery area isolates the delivery area from outside the vending machine when closed and provides access to the product from outside the vending machine when open. A mechanical interaction between the delivery cup and the delivery area opens the outer door.

A piece of hygiene equipment includes a transmitting section configured to transmit an outbound radio signal carrying transmission payload data; a receiving section configured to receive an inbound radio signal carrying reception payload data; a processing section configured to transmit an outbound radio signal carrying specific transmission payload data and/or to receive an inbound radio signal carrying specific reception payload data for determining a communication partner to which outbound radio signals are to be transmitted and from which inbound radio signals are to be received; and a memory section. The processing section is configured to determine said communication partner and to store information on the determined communication partner in said memory section.

A medicine packaging apparatus configured to package medicine based on prescription data, including: a feeder configured to feed solid medicine; a storage configured to temporarily store the solid medicine fed from the feeder; and a packaging unit configured to package the solid medicine discharged from the storage, wherein the storage includes: a plurality of storage containers; a holding table configured to hold the plurality of storage containers so as to be individually detachable; and a drive unit configured to drive the holding table to move so that each of the plurality of storage containers held by the holding table is moved between an introduction position where the solid medicine is introduced from the feeder and a discharge position where the solid medicine is discharged to the packaging unit.

A medicine packaging apparatus configured to package medicine based on prescription data, including: a feeder configured to feed solid medicine; a storage configured to temporarily store the solid medicine fed from the feeder; and a packaging unit configured to package the solid medicine discharged from the storage, wherein the storage includes: a plurality of storage containers; a holding table configured to hold the plurality of storage containers so as to be individually detachable; and a drive unit configured to drive the holding table to move so that each of the plurality of storage containers held by the holding table is moved between an introduction position where the solid medicine is introduced from the feeder and a discharge position where the solid medicine is discharged to the packaging unit.