EP3441317B1 - Method and device for producing one-piece, flat blanks made from a foldable material, in particular from gift-wrapping paper - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing one-piece, flat blanks of a foldable material, in particular of gift paper, films or the like., For wrapping packaging, in particular for packaging of different cube or cuboid objects. The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.

When shopping for gifts, such as cosmetics, jewelry or books, the customer often demands at the cash desk of the relevant store that the gifts purchased are additionally wrapped in wrapping paper. With the fulfillment of this requirement relatively time-consuming operations are connected, since not only the wrapping paper according to the dimensions of the gifts must be cut off about a dispenser, but for the wrapping of the gifts, a number of folding operations must be performed. Especially before festive days, such as before Christmas, Easter or Pentecost, long queues form in front of the cash registers of the corresponding shops, since the cashier is busy in addition to the cashier process with the wrapping of the purchased items in gift wrap.

Since different gifts often have different dimensions, it is not possible due to space reasons, the wrapping simplistic, ready-made blanks of gift paper at the box office or in a central packaging service area vorzuhalten.

From the US 2013/0000252 A1 a method of packaging is known in which the object to be packaged is optically measured and then a corresponding packaging is created.

The WO 97/24262 A2 describes an automatic packaging device for boxes.

From the US 2017/0210500 A1 An automatic packaging system is also known. The US 2004/060264 A1 discloses a device or a method for producing one-piece, flat blanks for wrapping packages, wherein the dimensions of the objects to be packaged are determined automatically in advance and then a corresponding blank is created via a computer-controlled cutting device.

The invention has for its object to provide a method which makes it possible to substantially reduce the time required for wrapping articles to be packaged with foldable material. The invention further discloses an apparatus for carrying out this method and a blank produced by this method.

This object is achieved with respect to the method by the features of claims 1 or 2 and with respect to the device by the features of claims 6 or 7. Further, particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention disclose the dependent claims.

If the corresponding objects, for example for reasons of space, preferably to be packed manually (as this is done, for example, at the checkout of a department store usually), the invention essentially proposes (claim 1), first from the dimensions of different, possibly to be packed objects To determine the dimensions (edge contours) of corresponding blanks that allow a simplification of the packaging process. The dimensions of these blanks are then stored as digital data in an electronic memory. After selecting a specific object to be packaged by means of a trigger device stored as a roll foldable material (wrapping paper) automatically deducted from a dispenser and the blank of this item associated stored digital data supplied to a computer-controlled cutting device, which then creates a corresponding blank. With this cut, the corresponding gift is then packed manually (or possibly automated).

If the packaging of the gifts is to take place in the area of the cash register, it is advantageous if the digital data corresponding to the dimensions of the different blanks are stored in a memory of the (electronic) cash register. In this case, the cashier only needs to enter a predetermined identifier for the item to be packaged in the cash register or operate a pressure switch and the cut associated with the item to be packaged is automatically provided by the cutter.

For inputting an identifier characterizing the article to be packaged, it is possible, for example, to use a scanner which scans a bar code located on the packaging object and characteristic of the dimensions of the article to be packaged.

However, provision may also be made for the digital data corresponding to the dimensions of the blank to be stored in a memory chip integrated with the object to be packaged, so that this memory chip is read either by a reading device of the cash register or a reading device of the device for producing the respective blank ,

Preferably, the cutting device is a laser cutting device. This may for example comprise two lasers, which are arranged transversely to the transport direction of the foldable material slidably, each laser generates a laser beam which intersects one of the opposite lateral edge regions of the foldable material according to the predetermined contour.

But it can also be provided that only one laser is provided, wherein the corresponding laser beam is split by a splitter into two laser beams, which are then used in each case for cutting the edge regions of the foldable material.

As blanks for wrapping cuboid or cuboidal packaging, it has proven to be advantageous if the frontal surfaces and the upper and lower surfaces of the respective object to be packaged correspond to substantially equal areas of the blank which axially adjoin one another in the winding direction, and adjoin each of these surfaces laterally substantially triangular surface portions which are selected such that they cover together after the packaging of the article, the side surfaces of this packaging. Such blanks allow a particularly fast packaging of objects.

In order to simplify the packaging process substantially, the blank should have an adhesive layer provided with a tab-shaped surface portion which is connected at the beginning of the packaging process with a first surface (eg the first end face) of the object to be packaged and then to the then in the winding process the other Connect surfaces of the blank, and is covered after completion of the winding process of the remaining surface of the blank.

The boundary lines of the triangular surface sections may, for example, also have an outwardly curved (convex) contour.

If sufficient space is available for packaging the corresponding items (eg when packaging items in a mail-order center), it has proven to be advantageous not to pre-analyze the dimensions of the possibly occurring items to be packaged and save their cut data, and then later for packaging a concrete object to be packaged, but to determine the dimensions of the concrete object to be packaged online and then use this data to directly determine the desired data for the computer-controlled cutting device.

If the packaging process is carried out automatically with the aid of a robot, this robot can preferably also be used for online determination of the dimensions of the robot Object used. In this case, the determination of the dimensions of the object can be carried out by means of an optical device, wherein the object to be packaged and the optical device by means of the robot are positioned relative to each other.

A further development of the invention is that the foldable material is provided with a plurality of perforations and that the foldable material is placed on a shelf with a plurality of air intake holes and the object to be packaged is placed on the foldable material and by suction of air is secured by the air intake holes of the object to be packaged on the foldable material in position. This facilitates the packaging process, both when it is done manually and when it is done by machine.

• Fig.1 das Blockschaltbild einer Vorrichtung zur Durchführung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens zur Herstellung eines Zuschnittes aus Geschenkpapier und
• Fig.2 die perspektivische Ansicht eines zu verpackenden Gegenstandes beim manuellen Einwickeln des Gegenstandes mit dem erfindungsgemäßen Zuschnitt.

Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following, with reference to figures explained embodiments. Show it:

• Fig.1 the block diagram of an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention for producing a blank of gift paper and
• Fig.2 the perspective view of an article to be packaged when manually wrapping the article with the blank according to the invention.

In Fig.1 1 denotes a device for producing one-piece, flat blanks 2 made of wrapping paper for wrapping packages. For reasons of clarity, a plan view of the blank 2 was shown.

The device 1 is associated with a device 3 for automatic determination of the dimensions possibly later to be packaged objects 4. This includes, for example, two cameras 5, the signals of which are fed via analog / digital converter 6 to a computer 7. The computer 7 determines, for example, using an image recognition software from the dimensions of different, to be packaged objects 4, the dimensions of the blanks 2 of the corresponding wrapping packages and then puts them as digital data in an electronic memory 8, for example, the computer 7 an electronic cash register from.

The computer 7 is connected to a take-off device 9 of a unwinder 10, on which a roll of wrapping paper 11 is located, and one of the discharge devices 9 downstream laser cutting device 12 in operative connection. In addition, the computer 7 is connected to a keyboard 13 (for example, cash register keypad) and an optical scanner 14.

For example, if a customer wishes to pack a particular item 15 (in the illustrated case, for example, a cuboid gift box with two end faces 16, 17, an upper face 18, a lower face 19 and two side faces 20, 21) in wrapping paper, so he tells this to the cashier. This then inputs an item corresponding to this item 15 via the keyboard 13 or scans a bar code 22 printed on the item 15.

The computer 7 then controls automatically the trigger 9, so that from the dispenser 10 wrapping paper 11 is withdrawn and passes through the laser cutting device 12. Corresponding to the digital data stored in the memory 8, a blank 2 is then produced, which has a predetermined for the corresponding object 15 edge contour.

For this purpose, the laser cutting device 12 may comprise two lasers (not shown), which are arranged displaceably transversely to the transport direction 100 of the blank 2, such that each laser intersects an opposite, lateral edge region 23, 24 of the foldable material according to the predetermined contour.

As Fig.1 can be removed, the blank 2 four surfaces 25-28, which correspond to the dimensions of the end faces 16, 17 and the upper and lower surfaces 18, 19 of the article 15 to be packaged. there The frontal surfaces 16, 17 of the article 15 to be packaged correspond to the surfaces 26, 28 of the blank 2 and the upper and lower surfaces 18, 19 of the article 15 to be packaged correspond to the surfaces 27, 25 of the blank 2.

The side surfaces 20, 21 of the object 15 to be packaged, on the other hand, are concealed by the marginal triangular surface portions 29-32 and 33-36, each side surface 20, 21 being concealed by four triangular surface portions 29-32 and 33-36 of corresponding size.

In addition, the blank 2 is provided at one end 37 with a tab-shaped surface portion 38 which has an adhesive layer 39 in a portion.

For wrapping the article 15 in the present of gift paper blank 2 (see also Fig.2 ) the cashier puts the article to be packaged 15 on the blank 2, that the lower edge 40 of the first end face 16 of the article 15 is located on a reference line 41, which is formed by the transition between the tab-shaped surface portion 38 and the surface 25. Subsequently, the tab-shaped surface portion 38 is then folded up and attached to the frontal surface 16 of the article 15 by means of the adhesive layer 39.

Thereafter, the winding process follows, i. the blank 2 is wrapped around the article 15 such that the surface 26 on the second end surface 17 of the article 15, the surface 27 on the upper surface 18 of the article 15 and the surface 28 on the first end surface 16 (on the tab Surface portion 38) of the object to be packaged 15 abut. Subsequently, the blank 2 wound around the article 15 to be packaged is then fixed to the tab-shaped surface section 38, for example by means of a Tesafilm strip.

After completion of the winding process, the triangular surface portions on both sides of the object to be packaged folded up so that they completely cover the side surfaces of the object to be packaged and are then each also fixed by means of a Tesafilmstreifens.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

Thus, at the beginning of the winding process, a fixation of the tab-shaped surface portion on another surface of the article 15 (for example, on the upper surface 18), so that after completion of the winding process, the last surface 28 of the blank 2 rests against this surface.

In addition, the triangular-shaped surface portions 29-32 and 33-36 may, for example, also have an outward curvature.

Furthermore, the digital data corresponding to the dimensions of the blank 2 can be stored in a memory chip connected to the object 15 to be packaged, so that the computer 7 takes the data required for the production of the respective blank 2 from this memory chip and a corresponding barcode is to be packed onto the memory chip Objects can be omitted.

Although the method according to the invention has proved to be advantageous in particular for the packaging of cuboid and cuboid objects, which may possibly also be outer packaging, it is not limited to such packaging. Thus, for example, blanks for other square, objects to be packaged can be produced with the method according to the invention. It must then only due to the dimensions of the objects to be packaged previously determined the appropriate blank and the corresponding data are stored in a memory, then the computer has access if necessary.

In order to further simplify the packaging process for the cashier, the computer-controlled cutting device 12 may also include a printer, the on the fold corresponding fold lines imprinted (in the Fig.1 and 2 indicated by dashed lines).

Furthermore, such a printer controlled by the computer 7 can also be used to first print cut lines on the foldable material 11 before the cutting operation. These cutting lines are then scanned by a scanning device and the scanning signals are used to drive the cutting tools.

If sufficient space is available for packaging the corresponding objects 15, the dimensions of the object 15 to be packaged specifically can also be determined online, for example with the aid of a robot-supported optical device. In this case, the in Fig.1 schematically illustrated device 3 for determining the dimensions of the concrete object to be packaged 15, so that the scanner 14 and an identifier of the article to be packaged 15 etc. can be omitted.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

contraption

2

cut

3

Facility

4

object

5

camera

6

Analog / digital converter

7

computer

8th

Storage

9

off device

10

dispensers

11

Foldable material, wrapping paper

12

Cutting device, laser cutting device

13

keyboard

14

scanner

15

(to be packed) item

16.17

(frontal) surfaces

18

upper surface

19

lower surface

20.21

faces

22

barcode

23, 24

border areas

25-28

surfaces

29-36

surface sections

37

The End

38

tab-shaped surface section

39

adhesive layer

40

lower edge

41

reference line

100

transport direction

Claims (12)

1. Method for manufacturing one-piece, flat cut sections (2) from a foldable material (11), in particular of wrapping paper, foils, or the like for wraparound packaging, in particular for packing different cube-shaped or cuboid objects (15), with two end-faced surfaces (16, 17), of an upper and a lower surface (18, 19), as well as two side surfaces (20, 21), having the features:

   a) from the measurements of the different objects (4) possibly to be packed, the measurements of the cut sections (2) corresponding to these objects (4) are initially determined and stored in an electronic storage (8) as digital data;

   b) after selecting a specific object (15) to be packed, the foldable material (11), stored as a roll, is automatically pulled off from an unwinder (10) by means of a pull-off device (9), and the stored digital data corresponding to the cut section (2) of this object (15) are supplied to a computer-controlled cutting device (12), which then creates a cut section (2) corresponding to the digital data, wherein the end surfaces (16, 17) as well as the upper and lower surfaces (18, 19) of the respective object (15) to be packed correspond to substantially equally large surfaces (25-28) of the cut section (2), which surfaces adjoin axially to one another, and substantially triangular surface sections (29-32 and 33-36) adjoin laterally to each of these surfaces (25-28), which triangular surface sections are selected in such a manner that, after the packaging of the object (15), they form the side surfaces (20, 21) of this packaging.
2. Method for manufacturing one-piece, flat cut sections (2) from a foldable material (11), in particular from wrapping paper, foils, or the like for wraparound packaging, in particular for packing different cube-shaped or cuboid objects (15), with two end-faced surfaces (16, 17), an upper and a lower surface (18, 19), as well as two side surfaces (20, 21), with the features:

   a) Initially, the measurements of the specific object (15) to be packed are determined, and therefrom the measurements of the cut section (2) corresponding to this object (15) are determined and are stored as digital data in an electronic storage (8);

   b) Thereafter, the foldable material (11), stored as a roll, is automatically pulled off from an unwinder (10) by means of a pull-off device (9), and the stored digital data corresponding to the cut section (2) of this object (15) are supplied to a computer-controlled cutting device (12), which then creates a cut section (2) corresponding to the digital data, wherein the end surfaces (16, 17), as well as the upper and lower surfaces (18, 19) of the respective object (15) to be packed correspond to substantially equally large surfaces (25-28) of the cut section (2), which surfaces adjoin axially to one another, and substantially triangular surface sections (29-32 and 33-36) adjoin laterally to each of these surfaces (25-28), which triangular surface sections are selected in such a manner that, after the packaging of the object (15), they form the side walls (20, 21) of this packaging.
3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the digital data corresponding to the measurements of the different cut sections (2) are stored in a storage (8) of an electronic cash register.
4. Method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the selecting of the cut section of the wraparound packaging for a specific object (15) to be packed is undertaken with the help of a scanner (14), which scans a bar code (22) located on the object (15) to be packed and characteristic for the measurements of the object to be packed.
5. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the digital data corresponding to the measurements of the cut section (2) are stored in a memory chip connected with the object (15) to be packed.
6. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the foldable material (11) is provided with a plurality of perforations, and in that the foldable material (11) is placed upon a place-on surface with a plurality of air-suction holes, and the object (15) respectively to be packed is placed on the foldable material (11), and the object (15) to be packed is secured in its position, on the foldable material (11), through the extracting of air through the air-suction holes.
7. Device for carrying out the method according to one of the claims 1 and 3 to 6, with the features:

   a) the device includes an electronic storage (8) for storing the digital data corresponding to the measurements of the cut sections (2) of the objects (4) to be packed;

   b) the electronic storage (8) is in operational connection with a digital computer (7), by means of which, in an input of an identifier assigned to a specific object (15) to be packed, the digital data of the cut section (2) assigned to this object (15) are transferrable from an electronic storage (8) onto a computer-controlled cutting device (12), which is configured to cut an edge contour corresponding to the cut section (2) thereafter in the foldable material (11) pulled off from the pull-off device (9) of an unwinder (10).
8. Device for carrying out the method according to claim 2 or claim 6, with the features:

   a) the device (1) includes an optical device for determining the outer measurements of the specific object (15) to be packed, a computer (7) to determine the measurements of the cut section of the wraparound packaging and an electronic storage (8) for storing the digital data corresponding to the measurements of the cut sections (2);

   b) the computer (7) in addition is in operational connection with a cutting device (12), onto which the digital data of the cut section (2) assigned to the object (15) to be packed are transferrable from the electronic storage (8) by the computer (7), in the intended use of the device (1), wherein the cutting device (12) is configured to thereafter cut an edge contour corresponding to the cut section (2) in the foldable material (11) pulled off from the pull-off device (9) of an unwinder (10).
9. Device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the cutting device (12) is a laser cutting device.
10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the laser cutting device (12) includes at least two lasers, which are arranged displaceably transversely to the direction of transport (100) of the foldable material (11), in such a manner that, with each laser, an opposite lateral edge region (23, 24) of the foldable material (11) is cuttable corresponding to the pre-specified contour.
11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that, a device for the application of an adhesive layer (39) on to a tab-shaped surface section (38) of the cut section (2), for fixing the cut section (2) to the object (15) to be packed, at the beginning of the wrapping process, is arranged downstream of the cutting device.
12. Device according to one of the claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the foldable material (11) is provided with a plurality of perforations and in that a place-on surface for the foldable material (11) is provided with a plurality of air-suction holes.

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