Importance

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Abstract

An automatic prescription dispensing system includes a housing or frame having a plurality of pill dispenser units mounted therein, a plurality of vial supply assemblies at one end of the housing, and a filled vial offload carousel at an opposite end. A vial manipulator assembly is mounted on the housing to enable translational movement of a vial manipulator frame vertically and horizontally and pivoting about a vertical axis to retrieve vials from the supply assemblies, fill the vials at the dispenser units, and deposit the filled vials onto the carousel. The vial manipulator frame includes spring loaded grippers to engage and carry the vials and a drive motor and gear for meshing with dispenser unit gears to operate the dispenser units. The system includes a controller including an interface for coupling to the printer port of a pharmacy host computer printer port for intercepting drug name and quantity data for a prescription which was directed to a prescription label printer. Such prescription data is used by the controller for selecting the dispenser unit having the required drug, vial size, and number of pills to be dispensed.

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First Claim