Patent ID: 8725290

Claim:
A device for storing and dispensing product packages, the device comprising: a housing containing a plurality of chambers, wherein each chamber is configured to store product packages; a tracking system supported by the housing and configured to track a number of product packages in each chamber as product packages are dispensed from the chambers, wherein the tracking system comprises at least two pairs of light emitting elements and at least two pairs of light detection elements, where light detection elements in a particular pair of light detection elements are positioned on opposing sides of an interior of a particular chamber of the plurality of chambers; and an electronic system in communication with the tracking system and configured to enable dispensing of the product packages from the chambers, wherein the electronic system is further configured to: determine, based on detection by at least one of the light detection elements in the particular pair of light detection elements, a collimated beam of light emitted from a corresponding light emitting element in the particular pair of light emitting elements, that a product package has been dispensed from the particular chamber of the plurality of chambers; generate a data entry in response to the determination that the product package has been dispensed, the data entry comprising a product package identifier associated with the particular chamber, an operator identifier, and time information; and store the data entry in a data log.