Patent ID: 7359765

Claim:
A portable electronic programmable pill dispenser, comprising: a pill compartment adapted for containing a plurality of pills; a pill dispensing mechanism located proximate said pill compartment for dispensing a single pill, said pill dispensing mechanism comprising: a rotating wheel having a pill-shaped recess for dispensing the single pill, said rotating wheel rotating about a horizontal axis orthogonal to a vertical axis of said pill dispenser; an upper ramp positioned within said pill dispenser, said upper ramp being angled with respect to the vertical axis; a lower ramp positioned below said upper ramp within said pill dispenser, said lower ramp being angled with respect to the vertical axis, said rotating wheel being positioned between said upper and lower ramps and being further positioned adjacent an inner wall of said pill dispenser, such that the pill to be dispensed travels along said upper ramp to the pill-shaped recess of said rotating wheel, travels along a vertically downward path as said rotating wheel rotates about the horizontal axis, the pill being deposited onto said lower ramp and traveling along said lower ramp to an opening formed through a container wall of said pill dispenser; a programming interface connected to said pill dispenser for programming said pill dispenser; a removable locking cap attached to and covering access to said pill compartment; an input interface disposed on said cap for inputting user authentication information that provides pill-dispensing authentication; a real-time clock disposed on said cap for generating time signals used to trigger a user alert about a scheduled time to dispense the pill; and an indicator disposed on said cap capable of alerting a user about said scheduled time to dispense a pill and capable of prompting a user to input said user authentication information in order to dispense a pill.