CA1304050C - Article counting device - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
Multiple small-article receiving cassettes are provided for removably mounting on the upper surface of an inclined support. A drum housed within each cassette is rotated by connection with the drive shaft of a motor projecting through the support. The disk-like bottom of the rotatable interior drum of the cassette is undercut to form a circumferential series of radial and angularly spaced article receiving slots with the innermost end of the slots in overlying relation with respect to an outlet opening formed in the bottom stationary plate of the cassette. A second outlet opening, located in the upper surface of the support, is aligned with the opening in the bottom of the cassette. Upon proper rotation of the drum, articles placed within the cassette will travel along the receiving slots to their innermost end and then drop through the two outlet openings and into a dispensing chute. A single electrical control means and single motor is used with numerous different cassettes for dispensing different drugs. The motor is rotated until a desired number of pills is dispensed and is then stopped.

Description

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ARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to machines ~or counting small articles and more particularly to a cassette and counter system for tablets and capsules, allowing convenient access to numerous dirferent drugsO
Valuable time is used by pharmacists in the tedious operation of counting out the exact number of tablets or capsules required to fill individual prescriptions. This time could be well utilized by the pharmacist in ~illing out the label or ins~ructions for the user, in receiving talephone prescriptions from a physician, or in per~orming many of the other activities that can only be done by a registered pharmacist. The high volume of prescriptions now ~eing filled by pharmacists makes it desirable to provide a means for accurately counting out the required number o~ tablets or capsules for each particular prescription. Furthermore, soma drug items may be purchased in bulk ~uan'tity which are then counted into groups and packaged in smaller containers ~or resale.
The prior art reveals a number of counting machines designed to count a predetermined number of pills or tablets, some of which deposit the respective pills or tablets in a separate container, which are also conveyed by the counting device. Some of the prior art machines are intended for the use of manufacturers where the articles are packaged in large quantity ~or bulk distribution rather than by the use o~ an individual pharmacist in filling a prescription for a relatively small number of pills or tabl~ts.
The most pertinent o~ the prior art patents are U.S. Patent No. 3,368,713, issued on February 13, 1968, ~or Article Counting Device, and U.S Patent No.
4,111,332, issued on September 5, 1978, for Article Counting Device.

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These patents employed a spring arm and a microswitch to detect the pill5 SO as to overcome the problem with light sources and detectors. These problems stemmed from ambient light and dirt and dust on the windows. The use of spring arm and switch detectors however introduced several problems. First, and o~
considerable importance, are the space requirements of the system. Since the spring arm must be precisely located relativa to the article to be dispersed, a separate detector had to be used for every tablet or capsule and thus a separate counting head was required for each different pill. In such systems as many as 6 to 200 different heads are employed. In these locations such as large hospitals, the need for quick delivery o~
large numbers of different pills renders the systems economical but smaller institutions and smaller drug stores cannot readily af~ord the cost and space of such systems.
The present invention is an improvement over the above-named patent~ and other prior article counting and del~very systems for use in smaller institutions and stores by signi~icantly reducing the amount of space and equipment needed to dispense the same ~ariety o~ drugs and the cost thereof also. Further the improved design prevents any tendency o* a springy or spring loaded counter arm to ever bind or hend. Furthermore, if the counter arm is bent, it can scrape on the side of the slot in which it operates and fail to reset fast enough to count the naxt pill. If this happens an uncounted pill can pass through the exit opening thereby resulting in an inaccurate count. The unique count det~ctor o~ the present invention eliminates inaccurate counts of this nature.
Further it has been found that microswitch sensors used as pill count detectors in prior devices are susceptible to erroneous readings if one attempts to detect different pills with one device. Mechanical ' 1304~

detectors do not provide the necessary versatility to detect a wide variety of shapes or sizes of pills and thus a separate motor driven head with detector is used for each type of tablet or capsule. Further detection dif~iculties are created by irregular or non-standard shaped drugs. The detector of the presant invention eliminates these problems and allows for articles o~ all shapes and sizes to be detected by a single detector.
Prior Patent No. 4,111,332 has also suggested the use of other mechanlcal switches or photoelectric sensing devices. Photoelec,tric sensors, as indicated above, are sensitive to ambient light, dirt and dust, unlike the detector of the present invention.
Many of the prior art counting machines, but not those of the patents discussed above, provide a singls hopper which must be emptied and refilled with the tablets or capsules to be counted and various controls must be set to accommodate the passage of various size capsules or tablets. Further as in the patents discussed above, the use of a separate hopper for each individual group of tablets or capsules along with driva means and counting circuitry for each hopper as presently practiced and is too expensive for all but the highest quantity users. The present invention eliminates the need for refilling and resizing along with eliminating the need for multiple drive means and counting circuitry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention allows access, counting and dispensing of any variety of drugs with only a single motor, platform and infrared count detector by utilizing a number of cassettes, with each cassette carrying its own dispensing disk sized and adjusted for a particular size and shape tablet or capsule. The single infrared detector is inherently insensitive to shape or size of pill and to ambient light and to a great degree to dust and dirt.

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Each cassette is comprised of an inner drum portion between a flat upper plate with a central drug receiving hole and a flat lower plate. The lower plate of the cassetta flatly contacts a support pre~erably inclined toward the front. The cylindrical drum which contains the tablets or capsules is free to rotate batween the top and the bottom plates of the cassette.
The drum is rotated by a motor shaft projecting through the support and the bottom plate, and engaging the drum.
The disk-like bottom of the drum is undercut to form radial and angular outwardly open grooves or slots for receiving a tablet or capsule as disclosed in Patent No.4,111,332. By rotation of the drum, tablets or capsules received in the outermost portions o~ the slots travel along the slot to the innermost end portion, and the innermost end portion of the respective slots are successively passed over an opening formed in the cassette bottom plate alignad with an opening formed in the support. A detector, mounted below the support adjacent the opening, is tripped by the passage of a tablet or capsule, as it falls by gravity through the opening, for operating an electrical counting means.
Various different cassettes are provided to accommodate tablets or capsules o:E di~ferent sizes~ The cassettes differ in the shape and configuration of the slots in the disk-like bottom of the drum, and in the size and shape of the opening in the bottom plate of the cassette. The various configurations of the slots are tailored to the geometry of the particular tablet or capsule to be dispensed thereby and are such as to prevent jamming of the slots to assure rapid dispensing and to prevent more than one tablek or capsule being dispensed at one time.
The support surface upon which the cassatte rests while in operation, and through which the pills drop as they are counted on their way to the delivery chute, must be configured so as to provide accurate count of whatever size or shape pill is being dispersad by the selected cassette. Provision is therefore made for the drop-out ~3~SC~

hole o~ the support surface to be suf~iciently large to allow any available sized or shaped pill to easily pass through. Positioning pins on the base assure rapid accurate alignment of the mechanism with the motor drive shaft and drop-out hole. The infrared detector i.s provided at a critical location with respect to this hole and at an appropriate angle to the platform to insure that any article passing through the hole will trip the detector.
The ability to utilize a single detector and counting means regardless of the size or shape of the pill or capsule is essential to the use of a single drive station and is provided in the present invention by utilizing an infrared source and detector. Such a dete~tor is insensitive to light, dust, size, shape and virtually insensitive to dirt. Cleaning requires only a dusting of the windows over the source and detector and then only occasionally.
The system further comprises circuits for controlling the dispensing of capsules or tablets. The circuits which are disclosed in prior Patent No.
3,368,713, provide a mechanism, for instance, push buttons, for inserting a desired count into a storage member. ~he deslred cassette, preloaded with tablets or capsules, is placed in position on the inclined support surface. A start button may then be depressed to begin the counting and dispensing operation.
Operation of the start button energizes the motor for rotating the drum of the selected cassette and also energizes several control elements to permit counting of the pills as dispensed. Upon operation of the start button, as indicated above, pills are dispensed from the selected casette and detected until the desired count i5 attained. Totalizing of the count is accomplished by appropriate counters or other forms of totalizers located in the control unit. When the accumulated count of dispensed pills equals the preselected count, operation of the selected cassette is discontinued and the counter is automatlcally reset to a predetermined number. The .~

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cycle may then be repeated with the same or a different cassette using the same or a different count.
The system of the preæent invention utilizes a single counting base, or can use several bases, and numerous casset~es. The cassettes are filled with various drugs, a different cassette for each drug, and are stored on shelves or in any convenient manner near to the base. The operator of the dispensing system then has only to select a cassette from the storage area and position it on the top surface of the base.
The operator then enters the desired number of pills to be counted out into the counting control and depresses the start switch. The motor is activated and the desired pills are counted and dispensed.
The use of cassettes to store the drugs presents a substantial cost and space savings over equipping a pharmacy with 15 numerous bases and hopp~rs, and is much more convenient than having a single base and hopper and having to empty the hopper after every count and to refill the hopper with the next d:rug desired to be counted and dispensed and then reset the controls for that specific hopper.
It is the primary object oE the present invention to provide a single control and drug cell sensor and circuitry and drive mean~ for a pill dispenser utilizing numerous cassettes, which sensor circuitry permits any one of the drug cells to be selected, selection of the number of pill5 to be dispensed, accurate counting of the number of pills dispensed and stopping operation of the selected cassette when the selected number of pills has been dispensed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a platform or receiving a pill dispensing cassette wherein the platform is designed to readily receive various cassettes configured for dispensing a variety o~ tablets or capsules.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a series of cassettas having differing slotted disks for dispensing tablets or capsules of progressive ~3~41~S~

ranges of sizes of differing shapes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a seriPs of cassettes having differing slotted disks for dispensing capsules of progressive ranges of sizes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide infrared sensing of pills in an automatic dispensing apparatus whereby to materially reduce the effects of ambient or reflected liyht, dust, dirt and size and geometry on the sensing mechanism for the pills being dispensed~

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view o~ an article holding cassette on its support containing a counting control unit shown in elevation;
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 3;
Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cassette, drum and support, and the receiving slot area, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a top view of a drum d.isk for dispensing capsules illustrating by solid and dashed lines one configuration of the capsule receiving slots formed in the underside of the disk;
Figure 5 is a top view of the arranyement of the platform top of the support;
Figure 6 is a top view of the bottom plate of a cassette;
Figure 7 is a side view in elevation of a preferred embodiment of the cassette supporting plat~orm;
Figure 8 is a perspective view o~ a cassette; and ~3~39~

Figure 9 is a block diayram of a control system for the device of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a partial top view of a drum disk illustrating the detail of a representative slot of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMEMTS

Referring specifically to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, the ovsrall system of the present invention is comprised of two major elements; cassettes 14 and a base 20. For a system in accordance with the present invention only a single base 20 is necessary.
Howaver, numerous cassettes are desirable to accommodate a variety of pills, tablets or capsule sizes and shapes.
Therefore, each system employs numerous cassettes each configured to accommodate a particular drug size and shape in conjunction with only a single base. Each cassette is stored with it~ drum 26 containing the desired drug, and is therefore always r ady to be positioned on the base for pill dispensing.
~he base 20 is comprised of an upper surface 24 and motor 45 with shaft 55, see Figure 3, a delivery chute 47, counting means 22, see Figure 2, counting and control means 18, count indicating means 19 and start switch 21. A cassette 14 is comprised of an inner drum 26 in which the pills are stored and a top plate 16 and bottom plate 17. Referring to Figure 3, the cas~ette also has sides 4 for spacing the top plate 16 and bottom plate 17 apart. The top and bottom plates together with the side walls constitute box 15 of the cassette 14.
The box 15 substantially surrounds the drum 26 while allowing free rotation of the drum The cassette, in use, rests on the upper surface 24 of motor drive housing 20. This surface 24, as better illustrated in Figure 5, has alignment pins 32 and 34, drop out hole 46, infrared source and detector 22 and slot 23 for receiving mounting base 63 of flipper springs 49.

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The infrared source and detector 22 may be for instance a TRW Reflective Object Sensor Type OPB125A
which employs an LED and an NPN photo Darlington circuit.
The source and detector are packaged as a single unit, see Figures 2 and 5, which is inclined approximately 20 to the platform. The pllls that are to be dispensed ~ollow the path designated by the referenca numeral 65 in Figure 5 and thus are dropped into the drop-out hole 46 along the center line of the source and detector 2 An infrared transparent cover 5~ illustrated in ~igure 2 such as glass, plexiglass, etc. is di~posed in front of the source and detector 22 to protect the component from damage and dust while providing a readily cleanable surface.
The cassette 14 is removably positioned on the sur~ace 24 by aligning holes 42 and 44, see Figure 6, with pins 32 and 34 respecti~ely. The motor shaft 55 is inserted through opening 45 in plate 17 and into drive 510t 56 in disk 57 illustrated in Figure 4.
The drum 26 itself illustrated in Figure 3 is generally cylindrical and is characterized by a vertical wall 27 turned inwardly to form a top surface 28 having a central acaess opening ~9. The bottom of the drum 26 is comprised o~ a circular disk 30 with slots 60. Many di~ering slot con~igurations are possible to accommodate various sizes and shapes of drugs as illustrated particularly in Figure 10 of and detailed in U.S. Patent No. 4,111,332~
The disk 30 of the drum 26 rides on the top surface 31 of bottom plate 17, and is held in close contact by the top plate 16. Pills which fall into th~
slots 60 in disk 30 therefore ride in the slots and accross the upper surface 31 of plate 17.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the disk 30 may acquire tablets at any location about its periphery but mov~ment of a tablet from the outermost section o~ a slot into the next section is effected by gravity. ~hus inward movement of a tablet normally occurs over the section of the disk in which the outer sections of the slots have a projection on the verticalO
Referring to Figures 2 and 5 a pill sensing device 22 is located below surface 24 in line with drop-out hole 46.
A pill 50 in falling through the drop-out hole 46 intercepts an infrared beam 22a emanating from the source located in the device 22 and reflects the beam along path 22b to a sensor also located in the device 22. Tha inclination of the source and detector 22 insures that the pill 50 intersects the infrared beam just as it begins to fall so that its velocity is low and is readily detected.
As will be explained in detail subsequently, it is the use of this device which permits a single sensor to accommodate the larye variety of tablets and capsules 15 essential to the utilization of a single motor~counter head for the entire range of pills normally dispensed at drug counters.
Continuing with the description of the mechanism of the device, it is essential to accurate operation of the mechanism that a tablet to be counted drop through the drop-out hole designated by r~ference numeral 46 and located at the 3 o'clock position of the surfac~ 24 and further that only one tablet shall be dispensed. A
factor relating to accurate dispensing is concerned with allowing only one tablet to he dispensed each time a slot is presented to the drop-out hols.
Directly related to the above fact is that at the time the slot section 41 approaches the drop-out hole, the slot section 39 is angled sharply downward so that the second pill falls away from the section 41 and the possibility that two pills might be dispensed is effectively obviated.
Th~ angle of the slot section 39 is determined primarily by the need to insure seating of a tablet in section 41 before this latter section is presented to the detector 22.

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The precise point of entry of a tablet into the section 38 of a slot 60 cannot be determined and may occur at any location where the section 38 has a vertical downward component. The angle of section 39 must be chosen such that a tablet entering section 38 either proceeds to its innermost location before being presented to the sensor 22 or is prevented from reaching the section 41 until after the section 41 has passed the sensor 22 and drop-out hole 48.
The slot illustrated in detail in Figure 10 is representative of an effective and efficient slot design.
As illustrated, the slot is comprised o~ an inner section 41, a middle section 39 and an outer or periphery section 38. The slot is essentially smoothly curved to allow unimpeded swift travel of a pill along the slot from outer to inner ends.
The center of curvature of the inner section 41 of the slot lies at a point along a ~irst radius A approxi-mately 1.8 to 1.9 inches outward from the center of the disk 30. This radius A is 26 clockwise, ahead, of a second radius B of disk 30 and 11 ahead of a third radius C of disk 30. The center of curvature of the middle section 39 of the slot lie~; along this third radius C at a distance of approximately 3.3 inches from the center of disk 30.
At the inner most end of the slot section 41, the slot is widened by .040 inches on the forward edge and by .025 inches on the trailing edge. The pill in the end of the slot will be retained by the recesses formed by the widened slot and will not slide back under the influence of gravity or pressure from a microswitch lever.
Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, when motor 45 is energized it drives a shaft 55 to which the disk 30 is keyed. Thus the disk 30 and drum 26 are rotated and a tablet or tablets 50 may enter the slot section 38, shown at the left hand side, as viewed in Figure 3, and proceed through slot section 39 to slot section 41. If two or more tablets enter the slot the two innermost tablets are positioned, as shown by the right hand portion of Figure ~3~

3, wherein the innermost tablet 51 is positioned to drop as the tablet is rotated across the opening 46 where the tablet ~alls by gravity into a delivery tube 47. As the slot approaches the drop-ouk hole the outermost tablet 50, shown in the right hand portion of Figure 3, falls away from the innermost tablet so that two tablats cannot be dispensed.
The vast majority of all pills presently on the market can be accommodated by a single motor control and counting circuitry and a single motor incorporated into a single base structure 20. The base 20 by virtue of alignment pin~ 32 and 34 and alignment slot 23 is capable of accommodating a cassette 14 on its upper surface 24.
The drop-out hole 46 through khe upper surface 24 of the base 20 is sufficiently large to aacommodate a tablet or capsule of any size or shape available on the market. The hole 48 in the base plate 17 of the cassette 14, however, is sized to accommodate the tablet or cap ule to be dispensPd from the particular cassette 14.
The slots in the bottom disk 30 of the drum 26 of the cassette 14 are also specifically sized and shaped ~or the particular tablets or capsules to be dispensed by the cassette 14.
When a cassette 14 is properly positioned on the upper surface 24 of base 20, the clrop-out hole 48 is aligned with drop-out hole 46. The shape and location of hole 48 is such that a pill dropping through hole 48 will fall through the correct area of hold 46 to trigger the detector 22.
By providing cassettPs adapted to specifis size and shape drugs and a base adapted to accommodate any size or shape, the present invention eliminates the need for more than a single base unit 20 so long as the sensor can also accommodate such a wide variety of size~ and shapes of pills~ Any variety of drugs can be dispensed simply by having enough cassettes to accommodate the desired variety. The cassettes 14 quickly and easily are mounted and dismounted from the top surface 24 of the base 20.

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The wide variety of pill shapes and sizes which will now fall through the drop-out hole 46 as opposed to a specifically designed drop-out hole of prior aounters require a unique means of count detection.
A microswitch with a lever arm or a spring wixe presents di~ficulties in detection because over a wide range of pill sizes and shapas, the lever arm will not always be contacted consistently and positive detection will not always result. Further, such arms or spring wires occasionally produce jams. Of greater importance, however, is the ability of the infrared detector to operate in th~ present environment essentially without error. In order to accommodate the wide variety of pills contemplated by the present invention the drop-out hole 46 must large enough to accommodate the range o~ sizes of hole 48 which will vary depending on the speci~ic drug size or shape. The infrared devise is basically insensi-tive to shape or size of pill, ambient light, light reflections, dirt, dust and the like. If dirt or dust buildup is a problem the cover 54 of the source-detector, i.e. device 22, is merely wiped clean.
Referring to Figure 9, there is illustrated a simpli~ied block diagram of the basic counting and control structure which is illustrated in detail as 25 Figure 7 of Patent No . 3, 3 68, 71~ .

In Figure 9, the switch 21 corresponds to switch Sl and switch 18 corresponds to switch S3 of the patent.
The counting control means of the patent is represented 30 by the block 70 of Figure 9 hereo~ while the block 72 represents the circuit 12 of the patent. The rotary switches for selecting the number o~ pills preferably ara replaced by the push button selector 18.
Referring again to Figure 1, the counting control means 18 including a count indicator 19 and start switch 21, connected to the motor 55 and detector 22 by internal wiring, may be conventional. Commercially available solid state or electro-mechanical predetermining counting units o~ types which are satisfactory are manufactur~d by -51~

Veeder-Root, Digital Systems Division of Hartford, Connecticut; and ENM Company of Chi~ago, Illinois. As indicated above, the 35 counting control disclosed by U.S. Patent No. 3,368,713, issued on February 13, 1968, may be used, or the circuit disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,111,332 may be used.
Since in the present invention a variety of drugs is dispensed with a single motor 55 and single detector 22, the circuitry of 3,368,713 or 4,111,332 is modified by removal of the circuits required to con~rol a multiplicity of motor~ and microswitches.
A few gPneral comments concerning the apparatus are in order. The inclination o the platform 24 of the drug cells should be about 40~ relative to the horizontal. If the angle is much greater, the articles are not collected properly by the disk for conveyance to the upper region of the (hopper) and the feed rate materially reduced. The angle of about 40 has been found to be the angle which produces maximum feed rate.
Relative to the slots in the disks, they are generally curved to allow maximum smoothness and speed of movement through the slot.
It should be noted that although the present invention is described as applicable to dispensing drugs, the principles of this invention are applicable to dispensing other type~ of discrete items.
Obviously the in~ention is susceptibls to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability, therefore, we do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.

Claims (24)

1. A system utilizing an article dispensing device having a support forming an inclined upper support surface, a drive shaft projecting centrally upwardly through said upper support surface, means for rotating said drive shaft, said support having an article-passing opening therethrough, means for detecting an article passing through said opening and article counting means interconnecting a source of electrical energy with the means for rotating said drive shaft and said detecting means, the system comprising:
a plurality of article dispensing cassette means each adapted to overlie said upper surface;
each said cassette means including an article containing rotatable drum means, a body operative to receive said article containing drum means and a non-rotating base cover with an outlet aperture;
a first means removably connecting said article dispensing drum means with said drive shaft for rotation therewith;
each said drum means including a dome and a disk, said dome surrounding and connected with said disk at its depending edge;
said disk forming the bottom of said drum;

each disk having a plurality of slot means specifically adapted to cooperate with a particular shape-size of article to select and discharge a succession of such articles in said drum through said outlet aperture into the article passing opening;
and said first means connecting said article dispensing drum means to said drive shaft for quick connect with and disconnect from said shaft; wherein said article passing opening is of sufficient size and shape to accommodate all manner of articles; and said outlet aperture is sized to accommodate said particular size-shaped articles.

2. An article dispensing system according to Claim 1 wherein said means for detecting an article comprises:
an infrared source;
an infrared detector;
said source directing infrared energy at an article passing through said opening in said support means;
said infrared detector being positioned to detect infrared energy reflected from an article passing through said opening in said support.

3. An article dispensing system according to Claim wherein;
said source and detector are housed in a common housing and are located under said platform and directed upwardly toward the region where an article enters said opening in said platform so that an article intercepts the infrared energy at low velocity.

4. An article dispensing system according to Claim 1, Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein said system comprises:
a plurality of said cassettes each having a disk for dispensing a specific shape and size of article.

5. An article dispenser to be employed to dispense individually discrete objects, comprising:
a base with an outlet aperture;
a circular flat disk having a top surface and a bottom surface;
said bottom surface having a plurality of slots extending inwardly from adjacent the periphery of said disk and equally spaced from one another along said bottom surface;
each said slot having a first and a second slot section, said first slot section lying closer to the center of said disk than said second slot section;

said first slot section defining a first arc of constant radius, said first slot section extending outwardly in the direction in which said disk is to be rotated in use;
said second slot section defining a second arc of constant radius extending outwardly from said first slot section to the periphery of said disk, in a direction opposite to the direction in which said disk is to be rotated and having a reverse curvature relative to said first arc, wherein:
said slot consists essentially of said first slot section and said second slot section;
said first slot section being in communication with said outlet aperture; and barrier means for selectively blocking said outlet aperture.

6. Structure as specified in Claim 5 wherein said first arc sweeps 88.5°.

7. Structure as specified in Claim 5 wherein the center of curvature of said first arc lies along a first radius of said disk 26° clockwise from a second radius of said disk intersecting the centerline of said first slot section adjacent its inner end.

8. Structure as specified in Claim 7, wherein the center of curvature of said second arc lies along a third radius of said disk approximately 11° counter clockwise from said first radius.

9. Structure as specified in Claim 5, wherein said slot further comprises a third slot section having a central axis lying at an acute angle with respect to a radius of said disk intersecting the junction of said second and third slot sections, said third slot section extending inwardly from the periphery of said disk opposite to the direction in which said disk is intended to be rotated.

10. Structure as specified in Claim 9, wherein said acute angle is approximately 24°.

11. Structure as specified in Claim 7, wherein said slot further comprises a third slot section having a central axis lying at an angle of approximately 24° from said first radius.

12. structure as specified in Claim 5, wherein said slot further comprises a third slot section having a central axis lying at an acute angle with respect to a radius of said disk intersecting the junction of said second and third slot sections, said third slot section extending inwardly from the periphery of said disk in the direction in which said disk is intended to be rotated.

13. Structure as specified in Claim 7, wherein the centerlines of said first and second slot sections are tangential at their point of intersection.

14. Structure as specified in Claim 9, wherein the centerline of said third slot section is tangential to the outer edge of said second slot section at its inner end.

15. An article counting device comprising:
a counting unit having an entrance orifice for receipt of articles and an exit chute for dispersing said articles wherein said articles are detected and counted as they enter said counting unit; and a cassette for storage of said articles, said cassette having a body, a drum received within said body with a rotatable disk incorporating article communicating slots and a dome the bottom of the drum being defined by said disk and said dome surrounding and connected to said disk, and a cover for covering said drum connected to said body including an article passing opening configured for co-operation with said entrance orifice.

16. An article holding cassette for co-operating with an article counting unit having an entrance orifice for receipt of articles and an exit chute for dispersing said articles wherein said articles are detected and counted as they enter said article counting unit, the article holding cassette comprising;
a body having a substantially open face;
a drum configured for receipt within said body;

said drum including a slotted disk operative to select and communicate individual articles to the exit chute and a dome, said drum being rotatably mountable in said body;
a cover removably hingedly attached to said body for covering said open face and said drum, wherein said cover having an article passing opening configured for co-operation with said entrance orifice.

17. The article holding cassette of Claim 16, wherein;
said drum is comprised of a disk having a substantially planar face and dome;
said cover has a substantially planar face; and said body having resilient means for biasing said planar face of said disk into contact with said planar face of said cover.

18. The article holding cassette of Claim 16, wherein;
said counting unit further comprises a drive motor, wherein;
said drum is configured for engagement with said drive motor for rotation of said drum within said body.

19. The article holding cassette of Claim 16, further comprising:
barrier means adjacent said article passing opening for retaining said articles within said cassette.

20. The article holding cassette of Claim 16, wherein;
a plurality of uniquely configured drums is provided;
and a plurality of uniquely configured covers is provided wherein;
said cassette can be comprised of any combination of one body, one drum and one cover.

21. The article holding cassette of Claim 20, wherein;
said cassette is configured for the dispersing of a specific article by the selected combination of a specifically configured disk and a specifically configured cover.

22. The article holding cassette of Claim 17, further comprising:
barrier means adjacent said article passing opening for retaining said articles within said cassette.

23. The article holding cassette of Claim 22, or Claim 19, wherein;
said barrier means is comprised of a plurality of filaments.

24. The article holding cassette of Claim 22, wherein;
said barrier means is operatively positioned between said disk and said cover.