Patent ID: 8186542

Claim:
A medicine supply apparatus, comprising: tablet cases; attaching bases for mounting the tablet cases above an attaching plate, the attaching plate configured to mount all tablet cases in the medicine supply apparatus on a horizontal plane; a holding device for positioning a medicine bottle and an external driving gear below the tablet cases; wherein each of the table cases comprises: a storage container in which medicines are stored; a discharge drum which is disposed in a bottom part of the storage container and which rotates; and a partitioning member which extends substantially obliquely from one wall of the storage container towards another wall in the storage container and which vertically partitions the inside of the storage container while permitting passage of the medicines; and each of the attaching bases comprises: a chute for allowing the medicines to discharge from a corresponding tablet case substantially vertically downwards from a groove formed in the discharge drum and an engagement gear that protrudes from a bottom side of the attaching base to engage the external driving gear located on the holding device having a motor that drives the drum, the discharge drum being disposed below the partitioning member, and the engagement gear being disposed below the discharge drum in a vertical direction, wherein the holding device is configured to move horizontally below the attaching plate so as to dispense medicines from each of the tablet cases that are mounted on the attaching plate, the external driving gear engaging an engagement gear of a corresponding tablet case directly below a partitioning member of the corresponding tablet case; and wherein the engagement gear and the chute protrude below the horizontal plane of the attaching plate via an opening provided in the attaching plate such that when the external driving gear moves vertically in order to mate the engagement gear, the holding device places the medicine bottle below the chute.