Importance

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Abstract

An improved pill storage and dispensing cassette includes front and back side walls, opposite end walls, and opposite top and bottom walls defining a storage chamber therein. A rotatable pill conveying wheel is positioned in the back side wall and has a plurality of openings for holding and conveying a pill to a discharge chute upon actuation of a remote vacuum source. A separator member is positioned over the openings of the conveying wheel to dislodge the pills from the conveying wheel and such that the pills fall through the chute into the desired receptacle. An adjustment shoe is provided so that only one pill is held and conveyed by each opening in the conveying wheel. A central wall is included within the cassette to divide the pill chamber into forward and rearward compartments with the pills being primarily stored in the forward compartment with a limited number of pills passing through a recessed area in the central wall to the rearward compartment for conveyance by the conveying wheel. An agitator is positioned within the rearward compartment for rotation in the opposite direction as the conveying wheel to agitate the pills and prevent bridging across the top surface thereof. An insert is provided at the opening of the discharge chute to direct the dislodged pills into a receiving vial. The cassette also includes an enlarged opening over which a hopper is mounted such that pills can be continually loaded into the cassette during discharge of the pills therefrom.

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First Claim