An improved dispenser unit for dispensing bulk food items, including a cabinet having at least one hopper having a drum with product compartments, a deflector and flexible gate valve, a dispense assembly, and a control system. The dispense assembly may or may not include one or more belts and/or sensors. The product compartments include flexible and/or elastic membranes, which dynamically change the effective product storage volume within a compartment, and eliminate rigid or semi-rigid pinch points between the drum and drum compartment. A product flow divider may be positioned above the receiving container in the dispense assembly, said divider configured to cause the dispensed product to divide into two or more flow streams into the receiving container. The receiving container may be vibrated or oscillated.

A storage container for a storage and dispensing station for drugs is provided. The storage container includes a housing surrounding a holding space which housing has a guide section and a bottom surface, the guide section defining a guide space and having a vertical guide recess, which does not penetrate the housing, and the bottom surface having a dispensing opening. The storage container includes a separating device having at least one channel for holding at least one drug portion and comprises a retaining element having a retaining section and having a guide element, which is arranged in the guide recess, the vertical guide recess and the guide element interacting in such a way that the retaining element is arranged for height adjustment in the guide recess by means of the guide element and rotational motion of the retaining means is prevented.

A tablet cassette includes a tablet container for containing tablets in a random manner and a rotor provided therein and having a plurality of tablet receiving portions, and allows tablets, which have fallen into the tablet receiving portions through axial rotation of the rotor, to successively fall down through a discharge port at the bottom portion of the tablet container. The rotor includes a circumferential expansion-contraction mechanism, a radial expansion-contraction mechanism, and a pressing member externally mounted on a rotary shaft that penetrates a bottom wall portion of the tablet container. The circumferential expansion-contraction mechanism allows the plurality of tablet receiving portions to be expanded and contracted in the circumferential direction in conjunction with each other. The radial expansion-contraction mechanism allows the tablet receiving portions to be individually expanded and contracted by individually moving a plurality of sliding members in the radial direction.

An earplug dispenser for contactless operation by a user having a container portion for receiving a plurality of earplugs. A dispensing portion is coupled to the container portion. The dispensing portion has a motor and a rotor coupled to the motor. The rotor has a plurality of rotor openings to receive individual earplugs in each rotor opening. The dispensing portion also has a dispensing opening. The motor rotates the rotor to dispense earplugs through the dispensing opening.

An earplug dispenser for contactless operation by a user having a container portion for receiving a plurality of earplugs. A dispensing portion is coupled to the container portion. The dispensing portion has a motor and a rotor coupled to the motor. The rotor has a plurality of rotor openings to receive individual earplugs in each rotor opening. The dispensing portion also has a dispensing opening. The motor rotates the rotor to dispense earplugs through the dispensing opening.

A medication dispensing apparatus is provided herein along with computer-useable instructions embodied on a microcontroller for control of said medication dispensing apparatus. Instructions may be embodied on the microcontroller to control a dosing of medication via a coupled motor. The microcontroller controls rotation of the motor to line up a cavity with a dispensing port such that medication from a medication container (e.g., pill bottle) is dispensed via the dispensing apparatus.

The methods of the present disclosure are generally directed to controlling noise and performance associated with a vacuum system for retrieving and dispensing dispensable units, such as pills. By way of example and not limitation, such methods may be useful for addressing the particular challenges associated with automated dispensing of pills (or other dispensable units) in environments—such as many household or point-of-care environments—that are sensitive to noise and/or in environments in which the retrieval device is generally operated by users without specialized training in maintaining the retrieval device.

An article dispensing apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of articles; and a dispensing unit configured to be provided below the storage unit and dispense at least one article from the storage unit, and the storage unit includes a partition member extending obliquely downward from a one side end portion positioned on one side to an other side end portion positioned on the other side above the dispensing unit to support the articles, and configured to drop the articles from the other side end portion to the dispensing unit.

An article dispensing apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of articles; and a dispensing unit configured to be provided below the storage unit and dispense at least one article from the storage unit, and the storage unit includes a partition member extending obliquely downward from a one side end portion positioned on one side to an other side end portion positioned on the other side above the dispensing unit to support the articles, and configured to drop the articles from the other side end portion to the dispensing unit.

Storage and dispensing stations for a blister machine for separable small piece goods include a storage container having a housing and a separating device having a coupling device with a lower coupling portion and having a holding device with an actuation member. The storage container is releasably arranged on a dispensing station having a rotary drive having a hub seated on a shaft and having an opening member for interaction with the actuation member. The lower coupling portion, the hub, the actuation member, and the opening member are set relative to one another so that when arranging the storage container on the dispensing station prior to an effective interaction between the actuation members and the opening member, an effective interaction occurs between the lower coupling portion and the hub, and the hub is rotatable in the de-energized state. Methods of operating storage and dispensing stations are also provided.