There is provided an apparatus for dispensing one or more drugs in pellet form. The apparatus includes a cartridge assembly configured to store drugs in pellet form, and dispense the drugs upon actuation of one or more dispensing mechanisms located within the cartridge assembly. The apparatus further includes a control unit configured to actuate the one or more dispensing mechanisms located within the cartridge assembly, as well as a cover including a collection region configured to receive and store drugs dispensed from the one or more dispensing mechanisms. The cover is movable between a first position in which the collection region of the cover forms an enclosed cavity, and a second position in which the collection region is exposed such that a user can access drugs contained therein.

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.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a connected pill dispenser configured to treat a patient's illness with a robotic arm adapted to deliver a prescribed medication dose to a patient in their home, analyze the patient's response to the dose based on various sensor inputs, automatically determine whether the patient took the medicine and send the provider the result of providing the medication dose to the patient. In an illustrative example, the patient may be a chronic, acute, or terminal illness patient. The medication dose may be, for example, a medication prescribed by a doctor to be taken in a specific amount at specific times. In some embodiments, the connected pill dispenser may automatically notify the patient when a medication dose is due. Various embodiments may determine if the patient consumed a medication dose based on machine vision, audio, or other sensor data, permitting caregiver notification of patient medication adherence, medication compliance, or non-adherence and sensor inputs as data on potential effectiveness and/or side effects.

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.

There is described a device for dispensing a drug or medicament in pellet form. The device includes a cartridge including a chamber for containing a plurality of pellets and a screw pump, wherein the screw pump is configured to receive pellets from the chamber and, upon rotation of the screw pump, transport the pellets from the chamber to be dispensed from the device via the screw pump. The device further includes a rotating member extending through the cartridge and configured to rotate the screw pump so as to dispense pellets therefrom. The cartridge further includes a tapered portion configured to guide pellets contained within the chamber into the screw pump for dispensing from the device via the screw pump as aforesaid. The screw pump is located outside of the tapered portion of the cartridge.

Embodiments of work stations for use in a medical dose preparation management system are disclosed. A work station may include a camera stand. The camera stand may include a housing enclosing a camera and one or more light sources therein. As such, the camera and light sources may be directed at a medical dose preparation staging region to capture medical dose preparation images of the medical dose preparation staging region. The camera stand may include an adjustable support positionable in a plurality of positions to dispose the camera and light source relative to the medical dose preparation staging region. The work stations may facilitate improved image quality and record work flows carried out at the work station for preparation verification.

There is provided a medicine applicator that can attachably and detachably hold a treatment article and that can provide as large an effective area as possible of the treatment article used for application. A medicine applicator 100 includes: an arm 10 extending in a longitudinal direction, of which one end portion side is a grip portion 11; and a pedestal portion 222 disposed on the arm 10 to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm 10. The medicine applicator 100 is provided with a pair of pressing tools 130 that attachably and detachably hold an application member 300 on the pedestal portion 222, and the pair of pressing tools 130 include a repulsive tool 292 that generates a pressing force to bring the application member 300 into contact with the pedestal portion 222.

Provided herein are medication tracking and securement devices, systems, platforms, and methods configured to be used with or in place of commercial standard medicine bottles. The wireless tracking and communications elements of the present disclosure are configured to prevent medication theft, overdosing, medication loss, and prescription noncompliance.

A pill-dispensing system includes a base including a first processor and a storage, a container for pills carried by the base, and a dispenser mechanism. A data store includes an authorization code and instructions. A second processor is coupled to the data store, is in communication with the first processor, and is programmed to receive from the first processor a code associated with the container, compare the code to the authorization code, and retrieve and serve the instructions to the first processor upon the code matching the authorization code. The first processor is programmed, upon receiving the instructions from the second processor, to download to the storage the instructions that when executed by the first processor cause the first processor to effectuate a dispensing of pills from the container by the dispenser mechanism.

A modular dispenser includes a cartridge configured to hold a plurality of pills. The cartridge includes an opening through which the at least one pill is configured to pass under an influence of gravity. A dispensing base is configured to removably receive the cartridge. The dispensing base includes a funnel with a funnel inlet proximate the opening of the cartridge and a funnel outlet spaced apart from the funnel inlet. A dispensing assembly is rotatably coupled to the dispensing base. The dispensing base also includes at least one catch configured to receive the at least one pill when the at least one catch is proximate the funnel outlet and to rotate the at least one catch away from the funnel outlet to a position from which the at least one pill is retrievable by a user.