Patent ID: 8214077

Claim:
A medication dispensing system comprising a console having a receiving area configured and adapted for receiving an insert in a given position therein, the insert having a tray with an array of medication compartments and a plurality of hand-removable membranes each covering a respective one of the medication compartments, the console further comprising a plurality of membrane detectors, each detector associated with a corresponding medication compartment of the tray connected to the console via a contactless signal connection, each detector comprising both an emitter and a corresponding receiver, configured and adapted for transmitting a signal emitted by the emitter to the receiver via a corresponding one of the membranes when the insert is positioned in the receiving area, the console detecting that a given one of the membranes has been removed when the corresponding signal is not received by the corresponding receiver, wherein each one of the hand-removable membranes has a reflecting area, and wherein the emitters are light emitters and the receivers are light receivers, configured and adapted for transmitting said signal to the reflecting area of the corresponding membrane across the tray, and the reflecting area reflecting the signal back across the tray to the receiver when the insert is positioned in the receiving area, the signal not being transmitted to the receiver when the corresponding membrane has been removed.