Abstract: Tamper evident devices and methods including devices that can be used with pill bottles and other packages to provide evidence of tampering by an unauthorized user are provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic tablet packing apparatus having sliding racks, wherein tablets received in a plurality of tablet cassettes are successively packed on a per dose basis based on a medical prescription. Each of the sliding racks includes a pair of left and right partition walls, a tablet discharge passage to guide the tablets discharged from the tablet cassettes being defined by facing inner surfaces of the left and right partition walls. Cassette pedestals are attached to outer surfaces of the left and right partition walls and in turn, the tablet cassettes are detachably arranged on the cassette pedestals. The left and right partition walls are able to be individually pulled out from a body of the apparatus. As the left or right partition wall is pulled out, the tablet discharge passage is revealed to the outside thus enabling easy cleaning thereof.

Abstract: Dispensable objects are loaded into a portable case for transport to a dispensing site by connecting a reload controller with a case to be reloaded. Latchable and unlatchable object retainers arrayed in the case are relatched, and the reload controller is activated to respond to a reloading request to unlatch some of the retainers in locations suitable for receiving reloaded objects. A person then reloads the chosen objects in the array locations opened up by the unlatched retainers and relatches those retainers. The controller then acts upon another reloading request to unlatch more retainers in locations suitable for receiving additionally loaded objects, as the loading sequence repeats.

Abstract: A vending machine for vending a plurality of cans includes a storage means for storing plurality of cans to be vended, an article dispensing rod which is both pivotable and moveable in a vertical direction to control the movement of cans from the storage means to a dispensing station. A coin mechanism is provided having an output shaft operatively connected to the dispensing rod to effect both vertical movement of the dispensing rod and pivotable movement thereof. The movement of the dispensing rod by the output shaft of the coin mechanism enables the dispensing rod to control the movement of cans from the storage means to the dispensing station where the cans can be received by a user of the vending machine. A lockout mechanism is provided to prevent actuation of the coin mechanism and the dispensing rod when there are no cans present to be vended in the can storage means.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for dispensing elongated cylindrical objects, such as pencils, and includes a housing, a hopper enclosed within the housing, actuating structure extending through a wall of the housing and engaging the hopper, a slide plate operatively connected to the hopper and actuating apparatus for carrying a single object to be dispensed to a dispensing position, and blocking apparatus having structure for sensing the presence or absence of an object to be dispensed carried by the slide plate and blocking movement of the slide plate and manual actuating structure if there is no object to be dispensed carried by the slide plate.

Abstract: A coin-operated vending machine for bottles or cans of a moderate capacity, including a plurality of side-by-side storage chutes for feeding bottles or cans to openings in the front wall of the vending machine, a cradle in each of the openings forming a row of adjacent cradles for receiving the bottles or cans from the chutes, and a mechanical interlock between the respective cradles for precluding the dispensing of more than one product for any vend cycle. The mechanical interlock also includes a spring-detent assembly for indexing the cradles between closed, intermediate, and fully-open positions in a step-by-step manner. The mechanical interlock is designed to be substantially tamper-proof. A vend chute structure is also provided which permits flexibility of product loading, the free flow of cooling air throughout the vending machine cabinet, and easy cleaning of the vend chute and associated components. The vending machine is adaptable for use on a counter top or mounting to the wall of a building.

Abstract: A tamper-proof pill dispenser consisting of a circular base, a circular cover, a retaining member and two pawl springs, with pills being housed into a plurality of pill seating depressions located into the top surface of the base, and the cover having a dispensing hole located to line up with the pill seating depressions in the base. The pawl springs are located between the base and cover. One pawl spring working with a plurality of sawtooth notches allows one way rotation of the cover with the dispensing hole stopping over each pill seating depression. After the cover rotates over the last pill seating depression the other pawl spring snaps into a notch preventing the cover from any further rotation. The dispenser is permanently sealed by the retaining member which is mounted above the cover. Pills are dispensed from the dispenser by rotating the dispensing hole to register with the next in series pill, and then by turning the dispenser upside down the pill in register drops through the dispensing hole.

Abstract: A slide mounter includes a magazine for holding a stack of slide frames. A slide ejector pushes the lowermost slide within the magazine out of the magazine and into a slide track, where the slide frame is opened to permit insertion of a film transparency. A slide separator separates the stack of slides into an upper stack above a predetermined level and a lower stack below the predetermined level within the magazine. An out-of-slides inhibitor connected to the slide separator prevents movement of the slide ejector when the slide separator moves to a position indicating that there are no further slides in the upper stack.

Abstract: A clothes hanger vending machine comprising a box-like cabinet, a horizontal clothes hanger supporting rod within the cabinet with a free end spaced from a wall in the cabinet a distance sufficient to permit the downward movement of the hook portion of one clothes hanger therebetween; a spring loaded stop normally bridging the space between the free end of the rod and said wall; a spring loaded follower shiftably carried by the rod and normally yieldingly urging a row of hangers hooked over the rod toward the free end thereof and the first hanger of said row of hangers into said space and onto engagement with said stop; a vertically shiftable ejector normally above said space and said first hanger; and, a coin released manually operable actuating member intermittently operable to move the ejector downwardly and to urge said first hanger downwardly by the stop and through and from said space for free manual engagement and extraction from the machine.