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 dispenser (100, 500, 900) for granules is disclosed herein. In a specific embodiment, the dispenser comprises a granular reservoir (1); a selector disk comprising (a) a feeder disk (2, 22, 52) comprising at least one protruding member (3, 23); and (b) a dispensing disk (8, 58) arranged to rotate in concert with the feeder disk (2, 22, 52). The dispensing disk further comprises at least one dispensing aperture (9) and a non-dispensing portion (103), the at least one dispensing aperture (9) being in registration with the at least one protruding member (3, 23). The dispenser (100, 500, 900) further comprises a holding disk (4, 94) comprising at least one through-hole (5) sandwiched between the feeder disk (2, 22, 52) and the dispensing disk (8, 58) and fixedly mounted with respect to the granular reservoir (1), wherein the selector disk is rotatable relative to the holding disk (4, 94) and the granular reservoir (1) between a first position in which the at least one protruding member (3, 23) is offset from the at least one through-hole (5) to allow a granule to be received from the granular reservoir and held within the at least one through-hole (5) by the non-dispensing portion (103) of the dispensing disk (8, 58) and a second position in which the at least one protruding member (3, 23) occludes the at least one through-hole (5) to allow the granule held in the at least one through-hole to dispense through the at least one dispensing aperture (9). Methods of dispensing granules using the dispenser (100, 500, 900) are also disclosed.

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.

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.

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.

A push operated single pill, tablet, capsule, or other object dispenser that dispenses a single object at the push of a button.

A storage container for a storage and dispensing station for drugs or dietary supplement products is provided. The storage container has a separating device including a plurality of channels and a retainer for preventing drugs from slipping into a channel aligned with a dispensing opening. The separating device includes an annular groove and the retainer includes a positioner that engages in the annular groove of the separating device and fixes the retainer vertically. The retainer also includes a retaining section and a holder. The holder secures the retainer against a concurrent rotation with the separating device and aligns the retaining section with the dispensing opening by the holder interacting with a circular cylindrical section of the housing.

A medicine feeding unit configured to feed solid medicines, the unit including: a medicine feeder having a driven shaft and a support having a driving shaft that is connected with the driven shaft. The driven shaft has a driven shaft body and a driven engagement member. The driving shaft has a driving shaft body and a driving engagement member. The driven engagement member is biased in a direction approaching the driving engagement member. The unit further includes a rotation preventing part configured to allow the driven engagement member to rotate in a mounted state in which the medicine feeder is mounted on the support and to prevent the driven engagement member from rotating in a detached state in which the medicine feeder is detached from the support.

Described herein are methods and systems for automated dispensing of individual medicament portions. The systems can include a housing that encloses a receiving space having a bottom surface. A separation device may be provided and arranged on the bottom surface with at least one channel to receive at least one medicament portion. At least one channel may have an opening facing the receiving space and an opening facing the bottom surface. The opening facing the bottom surface may be associated with a contact area on the bottom surface, over which contact area the medicament portions may be guided upon a movement of separation device. At least one recess may be arranged in the bottom surface outside of the contact area to receive contamination particles present in the container.

A beverage dispenser for dispensing beverage containers includes an outer shell with an internal track that dispense rolling beverage containers from the track and one or more internal ice liners that retain ice to keep the beverage containers chilled.