Patent ID: 7549266

Claim:
A tablet storage and take-out apparatus comprising: a cylindrical drum having a vertical axis and being supported so as to be rotatable about the axis; drum driving means for rotatably driving the drum; a plurality of tablet cassette mounting bases fitted to an outer surface of the drum; a plurality of tablet cassettes for storing tablets, the tablet cassettes being detachably mounted on the tablet cassette mountings bases, respectively; a plurality of guide passages for guiding tablets discharged from the tablet cassettes, respectively; a transfer robot disposed inside the drum so as to be liftable along and also rotatable about the axis of the drum, the transfer robot having a pair of arms for holding a vial, and being operable to transfer the vial held by the arms between a delivery position located outside an opening formed in an end of the drum and a tablet filling position inside the drum where the tablets discharged through a specified one of the guide passages are to be supplied to the vial; and control means for controlling a position of at least one of the drum and the transfer robot so that an opening of the vial held by the transfer robot is aligned with an outlet of the specified guide passage.