Smart pill bottle caps are provided. In general, a smart pill bottle cap can include a housing. The housing can include a sensor that is configured to monitor one or more characteristics of a pill bottle to which the housing is attached and can include a communication mechanism configured to communicate the one or more characteristics of the pill bottle to an external device. The communicated characteristic(s) of the pill bottle can be used to track usage of pills in the pill bottle, such as a date and time of when a pill was taken and/or a number of pills remaining in the pill bottle. A smart pill bottle cap can also be configured to engage a secondary, standard pill bottle cap that is used with a standard pill bottle.

Smart pill bottle caps are provided. In general, a smart pill bottle cap can include a housing. The housing can include a sensor that is configured to monitor one or more characteristics of a pill bottle to which the housing is attached and can include a communication mechanism configured to communicate the one or more characteristics of the pill bottle to an external device. The communicated characteristic(s) of the pill bottle can be used to track usage of pills in the pill bottle, such as a date and time of when a pill was taken and/or a number of pills remaining in the pill bottle. A smart pill bottle cap can also be configured to engage a secondary, standard pill bottle cap that is used with a standard pill bottle.

Item-management systems, apparatus, and methods are described, preferably for management of items such as medicaments. In embodiments, an item-management system comprises a container defining plural cells, a docking station configured to receive the container, sources of visible information to indicate the cell(s) into which an item is to be loaded, and at least one controller operable to control the visible information sources to indicate the cell into which the item is to be received.

A pill counting device includes a step feeder having moveable slats interleaved with fixed slats. The movable slats are vertically offset from one another and are configured to move vertically between top platforms of adjacent fixed slats to carry pills vertically up the step feeder. A top movable slat orients a subset of the plurality of pills into a row of pills to be fed into a count chamber. A camera configured to capture an image of a pill of the individual pills as it falls through the count chamber. The device further includes a control system configured to control movement of the movable slats and to control capturing of images by the camera. The control system is further configured to calculate a characteristic of the pill from the image, and to increment a pill counter in response to the characteristic of the pill meeting predefined criteria.

A pill counting device includes a step feeder having moveable slats interleaved with fixed slats. The movable slats are vertically offset from one another and are configured to move vertically between top platforms of adjacent fixed slats to carry pills vertically up the step feeder. A top movable slat orients a subset of the plurality of pills into a row of pills to be fed into a count chamber. A camera configured to capture an image of a pill of the individual pills as it falls through the count chamber. The device further includes a control system configured to control movement of the movable slats and to control capturing of images by the camera. The control system is further configured to calculate a characteristic of the pill from the image, and to increment a pill counter in response to the characteristic of the pill meeting predefined criteria.

A medication dispensing system includes an automated dispensing device that includes cells with electronically activated locks. The device is configured to detect when medication counts in the cells fall below predetermined thresholds. The system further includes a plurality of first electronic devices that are associated with some of the cells and that have imagers. In response to any of the medication counts in the cells being below the predetermined threshold, the automated dispensing device is configured to automatically send a replenishment needed notification to the first electronic device associated with the cell. That first electronic device is configured to transmit a picture of a medication to a second electronic device. In response to a positive verification by a user of the second electronic device that the medication in the picture is the correct medication, the second electronic device is configured to transmit an unlock signal to the automated dispensing device.

A medication dispensing device comprising a rotating platform configured for receiving a plurality of medication dispensing containments housing a plurality of pills comprising medication or supplements, and a scanner or user input for identifying the one or more medication containments and receiving data specific to the medication or supplements provided therein, wherein the medication containment has a lower surface with a dispensing opening and pill capture head sized according to at least one dimension of the plurality of pills contained therein, and a medication sweeper disposed above the pill capture head and between the plurality of pills so as to selectively direct is single pill out the dispensing opening while blocking a remainder of the plurality of pills in the containment. A motor-driven first gear is coupled to the pill capture head and medication sweeper such that rotation of the gear affects rotation of the pill capture head with respect to the medication sweeper to dispense the single pill, wherein the motor receives commands from data acquired by the scanner to affect dispensing of the single pill.

A medication dispensing device comprising a rotating platform configured for receiving a plurality of medication dispensing containments housing a plurality of pills comprising medication or supplements, and a scanner or user input for identifying the one or more medication containments and receiving data specific to the medication or supplements provided therein, wherein the medication containment has a lower surface with a dispensing opening and pill capture head sized according to at least one dimension of the plurality of pills contained therein, and a medication sweeper disposed above the pill capture head and between the plurality of pills so as to selectively direct is single pill out the dispensing opening while blocking a remainder of the plurality of pills in the containment. A motor-driven first gear is coupled to the pill capture head and medication sweeper such that rotation of the gear affects rotation of the pill capture head with respect to the medication sweeper to dispense the single pill, wherein the motor receives commands from data acquired by the scanner to affect dispensing of the single pill.

A pill bottle storage and organizer device for storing and organizing pill bottles includes a base frame having a plurality of holes. The base frame has a front surface and a back surface. Each hole of the plurality of holes extends into the front surface of the base frame. The plurality of holes holds a respective one of a plurality of pill bottle bodies. Each hole of the plurality of holes enwraps the body of the pill bottle and the cap of the pill bottle is exposed to a user. A numbering on the caps of the pill bottles is on a label. Each number of the numbering on the caps of the pill bottles corresponds to a particular medication.

A pill bottle storage and organizer device for storing and organizing pill bottles includes a base frame having a plurality of holes. The base frame has a front surface and a back surface. Each hole of the plurality of holes extends into the front surface of the base frame. The plurality of holes holds a respective one of a plurality of pill bottle bodies. Each hole of the plurality of holes enwraps the body of the pill bottle and the cap of the pill bottle is exposed to a user. A numbering on the caps of the pill bottles is on a label. Each number of the numbering on the caps of the pill bottles corresponds to a particular medication.