Patent ID: 6170699
Filing Date: 2001-01-09
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
A tablet supplying apparatus for a tablet dispensing system, comprising:a motor-operated conveyer belt carried on a driving roller and a driven roller, said conveyor belt and said rollers being disposed between a pair of side plates forming a frame;a plurality of tablet receiving trays arranged in rows and disposed on the surface of said conveyor belt, each of said tablet receiving tray having a tablet holding opening unitary therewith;means to connect each of said tablet receiving tray to said conveyor belt;a guide cross-fixed between lower portions of said side plates forming said frame;a row of hoppers disposed on said guide adjacent to said driving roller, said hoppers temporarily storing therein tablets released from said trays, said hoppers being partitioned by a plurality of interwalls;a tablet input receptacle having a plurality of tablet input ports disposed over said tablet supplying apparatus; whereby, each of said tablet input port having an open top and an open bottom is disposed above a corresponding tablet receiving tray;a release plate disposed beneath said tablet input receptacle underneath said tablet input ports; said release plate having a plurality of release openings formed through said release plate corresponding to said tablet input ports thereabove;a tablet release means provided adjacent to a rear portion of said conveyer belt for releasing tablets placed in said tablet input ports;each of said hopper including a release guide, a lever and a control plate unitary therewith;a cam shaft disposed between said side plates of said frame;a first motor disposed on said frame adjacent said cam shaft for rotating said cam shaft;said release guide being raised (opened) by a corresponding one of a plurality of cams regularly carried on said cam shaft; and,said tablet release means including a cam lever, said cam lever making an angular movement in accordance with an eccentric cam engagedly connected to a second motor, said cam lever hingedly connected to said frame at one end and having a second end which is hookable into a hooker opening formed in a corresponding portion of said release plate; whereby, the rotation of said eccentric cam causes said cam lever to pull said release plate aligning said openings of said release plate with said corresponding tablet input ports above thereby facilitating the release of tablets into the corresponding tablet receiving trays therebelow.