Patent ID: 7673771

Claim:
An automated unit-based medication dispensing apparatus, comprising: a frame; at least one cartridge having a body and a plurality of slots extending through the body, (1) wherein the slots are sized for holding unit-based doses of medications, (2) wherein the at least one cartridge includes a prong that releasably inserts into a receiving hole of the frame, the prong and the receiving hole cooperating to secure the at least one cartridge to the frame, (3) wherein the at least one cartridge includes a boss that fits into a mating recess of the frame, the boss for ensuring that a proper unit-based dose of medication is pushed out of a respective slot, and (4) wherein the at least one cartridge comprises pre-loaded unit-based doses of medication that are loaded in the at least one cartridge prior to the at least one cartridge being mounted to the apparatus; and a device positionable relative to the at least one cartridge for inducing movement of an identified at least one of the unit-based doses of medications from a slot preselected from the plurality of slots of one cartridge.