GB2620827A

GB2620827A - Apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box

Info

Publication number: GB2620827A
Application number: GB2307684.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sinclair Ashley
Original assignee: Gripple Automation Ltd
Current assignee: Gripple Automation Ltd
Priority date: 2022-05-25
Filing date: 2023-05-23
Publication date: 2024-01-24
Also published as: GB202307684D0; GB202207633D0; GB202307669D0

Abstract

An apparatus 2 for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box 1 comprising a holder 200 to present a partially-assembled box for unloading, a picker 400 to engage with the box and move away from the holder, a guide 500 extending in a path, relative to a path of the picker, to control an angle between panels of the box during continued motion of the picker to a placing location 600, to enable the picker to deposit the erected box at the placing location. The apparatus may also comprise a retainer 300 configured to retain at least a rear of the box in the holder whilst the picker engages and moves a first panel of the box away from the holder causing initial folding of the box. The retainer may comprise a rear retainer (fig 5, 302) and/or a front retainer (304-310).

Description

APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY UNLOADING AND ERECTING A BOX

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box. In particular, but not exclusively, they relate to the apparatus further comprising a box filling station.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Machines for automatically moving and erecting boxes are known. A picker may unload a flattened box from a stack of flattened boxes, and place the flattened box at a box erecting station. The box erecting station may comprise effectors for engaging with panels of the box and for moving the panels to erect the box into a configuration ready for flaps of the box to be folded closed. Subsequent flap folding operations are outside the scope of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, the apparatus comprising: a holder configured to present a partially-assembled box for unloading; a picker configured to engage with the box and move away from the holder to move the box away from the holder; and a guide extending in a path, relative to a path of the picker, configured to control an angle between panels of the box during continued motion of the picker to a placing location, to enable the picker to deposit the box at the placing location in an erected condition.

An advantage of the above apparatus is that it automatically unloads and erects boxes at a fast rate because the unloading and erecting operations occur simultaneously. In an implementation, use of this apparatus in a box filling station removes a potential 'bottleneck'.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, the apparatus comprising: a holder configured to present a partially-assembled box in a flattened condition for unloading; a retainer configured to retain at least a rear of the box in the holder; a picker configured to engage with a first panel at a front of the box and move away from the holder to move the first panel away from the holder while the rear of the box is engaged by the retainer, causing initial folding (erecting) of the box until the rear of the box is released from the retainer; and a guide extending in a path, relative to a path of the picker, configured to control an angle between panels of the box during continued motion of the picker to a placing location, to enable the picker to deposit the box at the placing location in an erected condition.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, the apparatus comprising: a holder configured to present a partially-assembled box in a flattened condition for unloading, wherein the partially-assembled box comprises first, second, third and fourth panels pre-attached into a closed body, and comprises flaps extending from the panels, and wherein in the presented flattened condition the box has a front and a rear, wherein the front comprises the first and second panels of the closed body and the flaps associated with the first and second panels, and wherein the rear of the box comprises the third and fourth panels of the closed body and the flaps associated with the third and fourth panels; a retainer configured to retain at least the rear of the box in the holder; a picker configured to engage with the first panel at the front of the box and move away from the holder to move the first panel away from the holder while the rear of the box is engaged by the retainer, causing initial folding of the panels until the rear of the box is released from the retainer; and a guide extending in a path, relative to a path of the picker, configured to receive the second panel of the box to control an angle between the second panel and the first panel of the box during continued motion of the picker to a placing location, to enable the picker to deposit the box at the placing location in an erected condition.

In the flattened condition, the angle between the first panel and the second panel may be approximately 180 degrees. The angle between the third panel and the fourth panel may be approximately 180 degrees.

The initial folding may fold the box into a shape in which the angle between the first panel and the second panel may be an obtuse angle. The angle between the third panel and the fourth panel may be an obtuse angle.

The box may be a cuboidal box, so that in the erected condition the angles between each of the panels may be approximately 90 degrees.

The path of the guide, relative to the path of the picker, may be configured to control the angle between the second panel and the first panel to fold the box into the cuboidal shape.

The holder may be above and horizontally offset from the placing location. The guide may extend down and horizontally from the holder to the placing location.

The guide may comprise one or more guide members. The guide may comprise a pair of guide members. The pair of guide members may comprise a guide member to each side of the picker. The one or more guide members may comprise guide rails.

The guide may comprise resiliently flexible material. For example, the guide may comprise a plastics material. The flexibility of the guide may be configured to enable a path of the guide to be changed by resiliently deforming the guide into a desired shape via supports of the guide. The supports of the guide may hold the guide in a resiliently deformed shape.

The path of the picker may comprise curvature. The path may curve down from the holder to the placing location. The path of the guide may comprise curvature. The curvature of the guide may have a smaller radius than the curvature of the path of the picker.

The placing location may be a placing surface onto which the box is placed. The first panel of the box may face the placing surface when the box is released onto the placing surface by the picker. The second panel may be forced into an upright angle relative to the first panel by the guide when the box is released onto the placing surface by the picker.

The picker may be configured to rotate the first panel of the box from a first orientation when the box is in the flattened condition in the holder, to a second orientation facing the placing surface.

The angle between the first orientation and the second orientation may be a value up to 90 degrees.

The holder may tilt down towards the placing location so the angle may be less than 90 degrees. The angle may however be greater than 60 degrees. A slightly tilted holder provides a favourable gravity-feeding component for a stack of boxes in the holder. The swept angle of the picker may be from this range. The angular length of the guide may be from this range.

The guide and the picker may converge towards each other with increasing proximity to the placing location. This convergence may bring the first panel, attached to the picker, closer to the guide. This convergence may fold the second panel relative to the first panel.

If the paths of the picker and guide comprise curvature, the radius of the guide and the radius of the picker may converge towards each other with increasing proximity to the placing location.

A holder end of the guide may extend to the holder and a placing end of the guide may extend to the placing location.

The guide may be continuously curved between the holder end and the placing end. This provides a smooth sliding surface.

A maximum degree of curvature of the guide may occur towards the placing end of the guide. A minimum degree of curvature of the guide may occur towards the holder end of the guide. This controls the rate at which the guide converges with the path of the picker, and therefore controls the timing at which box erection by the guide commences.

The guide may comprise an end path adjuster at one or each of the placing end and the holder end. The end path adjuster enables control of the alignment of the end of the guide with the holder or with the placing location. The end path adjuster at the holder end may enable height adjustment of the holder end of the guide. The end path adjuster at the placing end may enable horizontal position adjustment of the placing end of the guide.

The guide may comprise a midspan path adjuster meeting the guide within a central three quarters of a span length of the guide. The midspan path adjuster may adjust a radius of the guide. Enlarging this radius creates a hump in the guide which affects the rate of box erection.

The placing location may be a placing surface. The placing end of the guide may meet the placing surface at a substantially perpendicular angle. The placing end of the guide may be approximately vertical, and the placing surface may be approximately horizontal. A distance between the placing end of the guide and a placing position of the picker may force the second panel of the box into a substantially perpendicular angle relative to the first panel by the guide when the box is in a position ready to be released onto the placing surface by the picker. A shared edge between the first panel and the second panel may be wedged into a corner between the placing surface and the upright placing end of the guide.

The retainer may be configured to release the rear of the box when a pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to flex and slip out of the retainer, or to cause the rear of the box to flex the retainer and slip out of the retainer.

The closed body defined by the connected panels may define an interior surface and an exterior surface of the box. Each of the panels and flaps may therefore have an interior side and an exterior side. The picker may be configured to engage with the exterior side of the first panel.

The retainer may comprise a pincer arrangement configured to engage with a periphery of the box in the flattened condition in the holder. The pincer arrangement may be configured to temporarily hold back a periphery of the rear of the box while the front of the box is pulled by the picker, until the picker pulls the rear of the box free from the pincer arrangement.

The retainer may be a rear retainer configured to engage with the rear of the box. The rear retainer may be configured to engage with a periphery of the interior surface of the box at the rear of the box.

The rear retainer may comprise a rear pincer arrangement. The rear pincer arrangement may comprise a plurality of rear pincers. The rear pincers may be to opposite sides of the box than each other. The rear pincers may be to left and right sides of the box.

The rear retainer may be configured to engage with flaps at the rear of the box. The flaps can bend slightly, due to the pulling of the picker, causing the flaps to flex and slip out of the rear retainer to release the rear of the box from the rear retainer.

The rear retainer may be locatable into a position that is a non-interference position with respect to the front of the box, and an interference position with respect to the rear of the box.

The rear retainer may be locatable into alignment with an inter-flap slit of the front of the box. The rear retainer may be narrower than the inter-flap slit. Therefore, the inter-flap slit of the front of the box passes the rear retainer when the box in the flattened condition moves forwards in the holder to a presented position for unloading.

The retainer may be a front retainer configured to engage with the periphery of the exterior surface of the box at the front of the box.

The front retainer may comprise a front pincer arrangement. The front pincer arrangement may comprise a plurality of front pincers. The front pincers may be to opposite sides of the box than each other.

The apparatus may comprise the rear retainer and the front retainer. The apparatus may comprise a plurality of the rear retainers. The apparatus may comprise a plurality of the front retainers.

The front retainer may be configured to engage with one or more of a bottom edge, a top edge, a left edge, or a right edge, of the box in the flattened condition. A front retainer engaged with the bottom edge of the box may act as a pivot point for the box to rotate around during the initial folding.

The retainer may be movable between fixed positions with one or more degrees of freedom. For example, the rear retainer may have adjustable overlap with the periphery of the rear of the box. The front retainer may have adjustable overlap with the periphery of the front of the box. The rear retainer may have a further degree of freedom of movement to enable the rear retainer to be aligned with one or more inter-flap slits of the front of the box.

In some examples, the front retainer is configured to hold back the front of the box until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the front of the box to slip past the front retainer, the front retainer being configured to then temporarily hold back the rear of the box, causing at least part of the initial folding of the box, until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to slip past the front retainer, releasing the rear of the box from the front retainer.

For example, the retainer may comprise a spring, such as one or more cantilever springs. The spring may be configured to hold back the front of the box until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the front of the box to flex the spring to slip past the spring, the spring being configured to then temporarily hold back the rear of the box, causing at least part of the initial folding of the box, until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to flex the spring to slip past the spring, releasing the rear of the box from the spring.

An advantage of using a spring is that a combination of front and rear retainers may not be needed to achieve the same effect. Springs further require less precise positional adjustment.

Holding back the front of the box may comprise holding back a front flap of the box attached to the first panel of the box, and holding back the rear of the box may comprise holding back a rear flap of the box behind the front flap.

The placing surface may comprise a conveyor surface.

The apparatus may further comprise one or more flap folding stations for folding the flaps of the box into closed positions. The conveyor may extend past the one or more flap folding stations.

The apparatus may further comprise a box filling station for filling the box. The conveyor may extend past the box filling station. The apparatus may comprise a first flap folding station upstream of the box filling station to seal a first face of the box and a second flap folding station downstream of the box filling station to seal a second opposite face of the box to seal the contents of the box.

The box may comprise a cardboard box.

The holder may be a stack holder configured to hold a stack of boxes in the flattened condition.

The holder may comprise a feeder configured to move boxes to a front of the stack to replace unloaded boxes.

The picker may comprise one or more effectors. The picker may comprise one or more suction effectors.

The picker may be programmed via a controller to pick and place boxes to the placing location at a rate faster than one box per four seconds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of various examples of embodiments of the present invention reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 illustrates front and rear views of a partially-assembled box in a flattened condition; FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the box in an erected condition; FIGS. 3A-3D schematically illustrate a side view of an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, each Figure showing a different stage in the simultaneous unloading and erection of the box; FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box; FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, showing a stack of boxes therein; FIG. 6 illustrates a rear retainer configured to engage with the rear of a box; FIGS. 7A, 7B illustrate front retainers configured to engage with the front of a box; and FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an apparatus further comprising flap folding stations and a box filling station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates front and rear views of a partially-assembled box 1 in a flattened condition for unloading from a stack of one or more boxes 1. FIG. 2 illustrates the box 1 in an erected condition, after it has been unloaded. The box 1 in the erected condition is suitable for filling with one or more products.

The box 1 may comprise a cardboard material such as corrugated fibreboard, or the like.

The box 1 comprises a first panel 10P, a second panel 12P, a third panel 14P, and a fourth panel 16P. The panels 10P-16P define upstanding side faces of the box 1 when the box 1 is upright.

The first panel 10P and the third panel 14P may have a same shape as each other and may be opposite each other.

The second panel 12P and the fourth panel 16P may have a same shape as each other and may be opposite each other.

The box 1 may be a four-sided box as shown. The box 1 may be cube shaped, or cuboidal as shown. If cuboidal, the first and third panels 10P, 14P may be longer than the second and fourth panels 12P, 16P. Alternatively, the second and fourth panels 12P, 16P may be longer than the first and third panels 10P, 14P.

Alternatively, the box 1 may have a different number of sides and therefore a different number of panels.

The first panel 10P and the second panel 12P have a first shared edge 11. The second panel 12P and the third panel 14P have a second shared edge 13. The third panel 14P and the fourth panel 16P have a third shared edge 15. The fourth panel 16P and the first panel 10P have a fourth shared edge 17. The shared edges may be parallel to each other. The shared edges may be foldable edges.

The interior surface of the box 1 may comprise crease lines defining the foldable shared edges 11, 13, 15, 17. The crease lines enable the panels 10P-16P to be folded into a prismatic shape corresponding to the erected condition of the box 1. Alternatively, a different form of hinge may be provided than a crease.

The box 1 further comprises flaps 10E-16F extending from the panels 10P-16P. The flaps 10E-16F are configured to seal the top and bottom faces of the box 1 when folded closed.

Each panel may be associated with a pair of opposite flaps. The flaps 10E-16F comprise first flaps 10F associated with the first panel 10P, second flaps 12F associated with the second panel 12P, third flaps 14F associated with the third panel 14P, and fourth flaps 16F associated with the fourth panel 16P. Flaps can be provided to one side or to both sides of the panels.

The first flaps 1OF and second flaps 12F may be separated from each other by first inter-flap slits 18. The first inter-flap slits 18 may be aligned with the first shared edge 11.

The second flaps 12F and third flaps 14F may be separated from each other by second inter-flap slits (not shown). The second inter-flap slits 20 may be aligned with the second shared edge 13.

The third flaps 14F and fourth flaps 16F may be separated from each other by third inter-flap slits 20. The third inter-flap slits 20 may be aligned with the third shared edge 15.

The third flaps 14F and fourth flaps 16F may be separated from each other by fourth inter-flap slits (not shown). The fourth inter-flap slits may be aligned with the fourth shared edge 17.

The interior surface of the box 1 may comprise crease lines joining the flaps 10E-16F to the panels 10P-16P. The crease lines enable the flaps 10E-16F to be folded to seal the top and bottom of the box 1 when the box 1 is in the erected condition. Alternatively, a different form of hinge may be provided than a crease.

The box unloading process described herein starts with a stack of partially-assembled boxes 1 each in a flattened condition for unloading.

Partially-assembled means that the first panel 10P, second panel 12P, third panel 14P, and fourth panel 16P have been pre-attached to form a closed body 22. This means that the first panel 10P is connected to the second and fourth panels 12P, 16P, the second panel 12P is connected to the first and third panels 10P, 14P, the third panel 14P is connected to the second and fourth panels 12P, 16P, and the fourth panel 16P is connected to the third and first panels 14P, 10P.

One of the shared edges between the panels may be a pre-joined edge. The pre-joined edge may comprise a tab (not shown) to which adhesive and/or staples has been applied to secure a pair of panels together.

The closed body 22 defines an interior surface of the box 1 and an exterior surface of the box 1 in the conventional sense.

In the partially-assembled condition, the flaps 10E-16F may be open and not yet secured to each other. Therefore, the box 1 is in a flattened condition.

The front of the box 1 comprises the panels 10P-12P and flaps 10E-12F which are presented when the box 1 is at the front of the stack of boxes 1. The rear of the box 1 comprises the other panels 14P-16P and flaps 14F-16F behind the front of the box 1.

In the flattened condition, the angle of the first shared edge 11 is approximately 180 degrees. The internal angle of the second shared edge 13 is approximately 0 degrees (may be slightly greater than zero, accounting for the thickness of the material). The angle of the third shared edge 15 is approximately 180 degrees. The internal angle of the fourth shared edge 17 is approximately 0 degrees (may be slightly greater than zero, accounting for the thickness of the material).

In the erected state of a cuboidal box 1 shown in FIG. 2, the internal angle of each of the first shared edge 11, second shared edge 13, third shared edge 15, and fourth shared edge 17, is approximately 90 degrees.

FIG. 1 shows the front and the rear of the box 1 in the flattened condition. The front of the box 1 comprises the first panel 10P, the second panel 12P, the first flaps 10F, and the second flaps 12F. The rear of the box 1 comprises the third panel 14P, the fourth panel 16P, the third flaps 14F, and the fourth flaps 16F.

FIGS. 3A to 8 illustrate examples of an apparatus 2 for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box 1. The apparatus 2 is suitable for the type of box 1 shown in FIGS. 1-2 and described above.

The apparatus 2 comprises a holder 200 configured to present the partially-assembled box 1 in a flattened condition for unloading. In the Figures, but not necessarily all examples, the holder 200 is configured to hold a stack of a plurality of partially-assembled boxes 1 each in the flattened condition. The holder 200 can be regarded as a stack holder.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a retainer 300 configured to retain the box 1 at the front of the stack of boxes 1. The retainer 300 is configured to prevent the box 1 from falling out of the holder 200. As described later, the retainer 300 also initiates erection of the box 1 as the box 1 is unloaded from the holder 200.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a picker 400 configured to engage with the box 1 and then move away from the holder 200 to unload the box 1 from the holder 200. The illustrated picker 400 can comprise a robotic picker.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a placing location to which boxes 1 are unloaded. The placing location may comprise a placing surface 600 onto which boxes 1 are placed. Alternatively, the placing location may be separate from the apparatus 2.

The apparatus 2 further comprises a guide 500 extending in a path between the holder 200 and the placing surface 600. The path of the guide 500 relative to the path of the picker 400 is configured to control an angle between panels of the box 1 during continued motion of the picker 400 to the placing surface 600. This enables the picker 400 to deposit the box 1 on the placing surface 600 in an erected condition.

An advantage of the above apparatus 2 is that it automatically unloads and erects boxes 1 at a fast rate because the unloading and erecting operations occur simultaneously. Therefore, in an implementation, the picker 400 may be programmed via an electronic controller to pick and place boxes 1 onto the placing surface 600 at a rate faster than one box per four seconds. Experiments conducted on the apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 5 revealed that boxes 1 could be reliably provided at a rate of one box per three seconds. This usefully removes a bottleneck where a downstream process is capable of filling boxes 1 at this rate.

FIGS. 3A-3D schematically illustrate a side view of an example of the apparatus 2, each Figure showing a different stage in the simultaneous unloading and erection of a box 1 from a stack of boxes 1.

First, the holder 200 is described in more detail. Example holders 200 are illustrated from FIGS. 3A to 5. The holder 200 is shown above and horizontally offset from the placing surface 600. Where the placing surface 600 comprises a conveyor 602, as shown in FIG. 4, it can be said that the holder 200 is upstream of the placing surface 600.

In FIG. 3A, a stack of boxes 1 is shown in the holder 200. Four boxes 1 are shown, although the precise number of boxes 1 may vary based on implementation. The holder 200 may have a depth to accommodate at least dozens of boxes 1, as shown in FIG. 5.

The boxes 1 in the stack are shown in an upright condition. An upright condition means that at the front of the box 1, the first panel 10P is above the second panel 12P. At the rear of the box 1, the fourth panel 16P is above the third panel 14P. An upright condition does not necessarily mean that the boxes 1 are vertical, although they could be vertical. For example, in FIGS. 4-5 the holder 200 is tilted forwards slightly to ensure a favourable gravity component urging the stack towards the front of the holder 200. The forwards tilt angle of the holder 200 may be a value selected from the range greater than 5 degrees to less than 30 degrees. The tilt of the holder 200 means that the upright boxes 1 are not quite vertical because the upright boxes 1 are at the angle of the holder 200.

The holder 200 may comprise a housing 202 defining a channel 204 therein. The channel 204 contains the stack of boxes 1. The channel 204 may be rectangular, for instance if the boxes 1 in the flattened condition are generally rectangular. The cross-sectional area of the channel 204 is slightly greater than the cross-sectional area of the front (and rear) of the box 1 in the flattened condition. The channel 204 may be a linear channel. As shown in FIG. 4, the channel 204 may comprise elongate tracks along which the stack can slide.

The boxes 1 are biased towards a front of the holder 200 by a feeder 206. Therefore, as boxes 1 are unloaded from the front of the holder 200, the next box 1 is presented at the front of the holder 200 for unloading, without user intervention. The feeder 206 is configured to urge the boxes 1 towards the front of the holder 200. The feeder 206 could therefore be described as a box feeder.

The feeder 206 may be located at the rear of the housing 202. The feeder 206 may be configured to enter the channel 204 from the rear of the channel 204, to bias against the stack of boxes 1. The feeder 206 may be configured to push the exterior surface of the rear of the rearmost box 1 of the stack.

In an implementation, the feeder 206 may comprise a lever with a pusher for pushing against the stack of boxes 1, and an actuator having a mechanical advantage for moving the pusher. The pusher may comprise a substantially flat plate. The actuator may comprise a pneumatic strut for rotating the lever to force the pusher against the stack.

Boxes 1 may be fed into the holder 200 from a rear of the holder 200. For example, when the stack has been depleted, the feeder 206 may be retractable out of the channel 204. This enables a fresh stack of boxes 1 to be inserted into the channel 204 from the rear of the channel 204. Stacks of boxes 1 may be fed in by hand or by machine.

At the front of the holder 200, the apparatus 2 comprises a retainer 300 configured to temporarily hold the periphery of the front box 1 to prevent the front box 1 from falling out of the front of the holder 200, until the picker 400 pulls the front box 1 out of the holder 200.

The retainer 300 is sufficiently loose that the front box 1 can be unloaded without excessive force.

Once the front box 1 is unloaded, the feeder 206 then moves another box 1 to the front of the holder 200 and the new front box 1 is temporarily held by the retainer 300. The retainer 300 may be configured to react against a force of the feeder 206 to prevent the feeder 206 from pushing the stack of boxes 1 out from the front of the holder 200.

The retainer 300 may be part of the holder 200. The retainer 300 may be mounted to the front of the holder 200. The retainer 300 is located at the front of the channel 204. The retainer 300 can be at a periphery of the channel 204. As shown in FIGS. 4-7, the retainer 300 comprises one or more protrusions extending into the channel 204.

The protrusions extend a short distance into the channel 204 to overlap the periphery of the front box 1. The retainer 300 reduces the effective cross-sectional of the channel 204 to be (slightly) less than the cross-sectional area of the front and/or rear of the box 1 in the flattened condition. Therefore, the retainer 300 is configured to engage with a periphery of the box 1. The periphery refers to the outer perimeter of the front or rear of the box 1.

As shown in FIG. 4-7, the retainer 300 can comprise a pincer arrangement. As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the pincer arrangement can comprise a plurality of pincers 302-310. The pincer arrangement may comprise pincers 302-310 extending into the channel 204 from different sides of the channel 204.

For example, a first set of pincers may comprise one or more pincers 308 at a bottom edge of the channel 204 and one or more pincers 304 at a top edge of the channel 204. The first set of pincers is configured to engage with the bottom edge 13 and the top edge 17 of the front box 1.

Additionally, or alternatively, a second set of pincers may comprise one or more pincers 306 at a left edge of the channel 204 and one or more pincers 310 at a right edge of the channel 204. The second set of pincers is configured to engage with the left edge and the right edge of the front box 1.

The retainer 300 may comprise a rear retainer 302 and/or a front retainer 304310. The rear retainer 302 is configured to engage with the rear of the box 1. The front retainer 304-310 is configured to engage with the front of the same box 1.

In order for the rear retainer 302 to engage with the rear of the box 1 without engaging with the front of the box 1, the shape of the box 1 and the position of the rear retainer 302 are such that part of the peripheral interior surface of the rear of the box 1 is exposed when the box 1 is viewed from the front, and the rear retainer 302 is aligned with the exposed surface of the rear of the box 1. That is to say, the rear of the box 1 is not entirely shrouded behind the front of the box 1.

Therefore, the rear retainer 302 can be positioned such that the rear retainer 302 is in a non-interference position with respect to the front of the box 1, and an interference position with respect to the rear of the box 1. Therefore, the rear retainer 302 does not need to be moved out of the way prior to feeding of the box 1 to the front of the holder 200.

The rear retainer 302 is configured to engage with the periphery of the interior surface of the box 1 at the rear of the box 1. For example, in FIG. 5, the rear retainer 302 is engaged with the interior side of a rear flap (the third flap 14F or fourth flap 16F) of the box 1.

In the illustrated example, the rear retainer 302 comprises a rear pincer arrangement. FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the rear retainer 302 being a rear pincer arrangement comprising a pair of rear pincers. The illustrated pair of rear pincers comprises a rear pincer 302 at the left edge of the channel 204, configured to engage with a left edge of the box 1, and comprises a rear pincer 302 at the right edge of the channel 204, configured to engage with a right edge of the box 1. Alternatively, or additionally, the rear pincers may be top and bottom pincers.

FIG. 6 illustrates a detail view of a rear pincer 302 of a rear pincer arrangement. The rear pincer 302 comprises an elongate protrusion. The protrusion may be cantilevered into the channel 204 from the edge of the channel 204. The protrusion may be in the form of a bar.

The rear pincer 302 of FIG. 6 is shaped to fit through a first inter-flap slit 18 of the box 1 to reach the exposed rear flaps 14F or 16F of the box 1 behind the inter-flap slit 18, when the box 1 is fed to the front of the holder 200.

The rear pincer 302 is narrower than the width of the first inter-flap slit 18 of the front of the box 1. The length of the rear pincer 302 is such that the tip of the rear pincer 302 is outboard of an end of the first inter-flap slit 18 of the front of the box 1. Therefore, the rear pincer 302 can fit through the first inter-flap slit 18. In use, the first inter-flap slits 18 pass the rear pincers 302 when the box 1 moves to the front (the presented position).

This is not the only possible implementation. In another example implementation, the rear of the box 1 is wider than the front of the box 1. For example, the third and/or fourth flaps 14F, 16F at the rear of the box 1 may protrude beyond the first and/or second flaps 10F, 12F at the front of the box 1. This would comprise the third and/or fourth flaps 14F, 16F having a greater span than the first and/or second flaps 10F, 12F. In this example, there is more design freedom over rear pincer 302. The rear pincer 302 could have a different shape such as the later-described shape of FIG. 7A.

In FIG. 5, the rear retainer 302 is engaged with the interior side of rear flaps of the box 1, in this case the fourth flaps 16F. The fourth flaps 16F are exposed behind the first inter-flap slits 18 and can therefore be engaged by the rear retainer 302. The illustrated rear retainer 302 comprises rear pincers, one of which is engaged with one of the fourth flaps 16F, and the other of which is engaged with the opposite one of the fourth flaps 16F.

The fourth flaps 16F can bend backwards due to the crease lines. Therefore, when the box 1 is pulled away from the holder 200 by the picker 400, the fourth flaps 16F can flex back until they slip out of the rear retainer 302. The retention force from the rear retainer 302 can therefore easily be overcome by the picker 400.

The front retainer 304-310 is now defined, with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 7.

The front retainer 304-310, if provided, is configured to engage with the periphery of the exterior surface of the box 1 at the front of the box 1, whereas the rear retainer 302 is configured to engage with the periphery of the interior surface of the box 1 at the rear of the box 1.

The front retainer 304-310 is in an interference position with respect to the front of the box 1. Therefore, the box 1 is held simultaneously by the front retainer 304-310 and the rear retainer 302.

As shown in FIGS, 4-5 and 7, the front retainer 304-310 comprises a front pincer arrangement. As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the front pincer arrangement may comprise a one or more sets of front pincers. Front pincers may be provided for one or more of a bottom edge 13, a top edge 17, a left edge, or a right edge, of the box 1.

In FIG. 5, the front retainer 304-310 is engaged with the exterior side of the front flaps (the first flaps 1OF and/or second flaps 12F) of the box 1.

As shown in FIGS. 4-5, a first set of front pincers may comprise one or more front pincers 308 at a bottom edge of the channel 204, configured to engage with the bottom edge 13 of the box 1, and one or more front pincers 304 at a top edge of the channel 204, configured to engage with the top edge 17 of the box 1.

FIGS. 4-5 show two front pincers 308 at a bottom edge of the channel 204, laterally separated from each other, and each configured to engage with a respective one of the second flaps 12F. FIGS. 4-5 show two front pincers 304 at a top edge of the channel 204, laterally separated from each other, and each configured to engage with a respective one of the first flaps 10F.

FIG. 5 also shows two front pincers 306 at a left edge of the channel 204, vertically separated from each other, one of which is configured to engage with a left one of the first flaps 1OF and the other of which is configured to engage with a left one of the second flaps 12F. FIG. 5 shows two front pincers 310 at a right edge of the channel 204, vertically separated from each other, one of which is configured to engage with a right one of the first flaps 1OF and the other of which is configured to engage with a right one of the second flaps 12F.

The first flaps 1OF and second flaps 12F can bend backwards due to their crease lines. Therefore, when the box 1 is pulled away from the holder 200 by the picker 400, the first flaps 1OF and second flaps 12F can flex back until they slip out of the front retainer 304-310. The retention force from the front retainer 304-310 can therefore easily be overcome by the picker 400, and may be overcome prior to the rear retainer 302.

FIG. 7A illustrates a detail view of a front pincer 304 (or 306, 308, 310) of a front pincer arrangement. The front pincer 304 comprises a rounded protrusion 326. The rounded protrusion 326 may comprise a disc. The rounded protrusion 326 may be secured to an eccentric rotation axis, so that the extent of overlap of the rounded protrusion 326 with the periphery of the box 1 can be fine-tuned to control the degree of force required to release the box 1 from the front pincer 304.

It would be appreciated that a front pincer 304-310 could be replaced by the rod shape shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 73 schematically illustrates another design of the front right pincer 310', this time comprising a spring 311 such as one or more cantilever springs. The front left pincer 306 may also be provided in this form. The springs 311 may have a sufficient stiffness to hold back the front flaps 12F of the box 1, to prevent the feeder 206 from pushing the stack of boxes 1 out from the front of the holder 200. However, the stiffness may be low enough that the springs 311 resiliently flex out of the way of the front flaps 12F as the box 1 is pulled by the picker 400. As soon as the front flaps 12F of the box 1 have passed the springs 311, the springs 311 resiliently return towards their neutral undeformed states quickly enough that they engage with the rear flaps 14F of the same box 1. This initiates or assists with the initial folding of the box 1 as set out in FIG. 3B.

With the spring design shown in FIG. 7B, it may be possible to omit at least some of the pincers shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7A while achieving the same effect.

The machine is compatible with a plurality of different box dimensions and shapes. Therefore, the retainer 300 may be reconfigurable to accommodate various box shapes and sizes.

The retainer 300 can therefore be provided with one or more degrees of freedom of movement between fixed operating positions.

To enable coarse adjustment, parts of the housing 202 to which the retainer 300 is mounted may be movable.

To enable fine adjustment, FIGS. 6 and 7 each show a retainer 300 having at least a first degree of freedom of translation. The first degree of freedom provides the retainer 300 with an adjustable overlap with the periphery of the rear of the box 1. In other words, the retainer 300 can be slid into or out of the channel 204. If the retainer 300 is slid into the channel 204, the box 1 is held more securely. If the retainer 300 is slid away from the channel 204, the box 1 is held less securely.

The first degree of freedom of translation may be enabled via a slotted channel 320. A retainer 300 can be slidably mounted to the holder 200 via a slotted channel 320. The retainer 300 can be secured in a required position by a 23 manual securing means, such as the illustrated hand lever 322, or by an automatic securing means.

FIG. 7 shows a retainer 300 having a further or separate means of adjusting the overlap. The rounded protrusion 326 is secured to an eccentric rotation axis. By rotating the eccentric rounded protrusion 326, the extent of overlap of the retainer 300 with the periphery of the box 1 can be fine-tuned.

FIG. 6 shows a retainer 300 having a second degree of freedom of translation, in addition to the first degree of freedom. The second degree of freedom provides the retainer 300 with an adjustable position in relation to the first inter-flap slits 18 of the box 1. This enables the rear retainer 302 to be aligned with the first inter-flap slits 18 of the box 1. The illustrated retainer has a degree of freedom of height translation.

The 24econdd degree of freedom of translation may be enabled via a slotted channel 326. A retainer 300 can be mounted to a slotted channel 326 in the holder 300. The retainer 300 can be secured in a required position by a manual securing means, such as the illustrated hand lever 324, or by an automatic securing means. The retainer 300 itself may comprise a further slotted channel 320 enabling the first degree of freedom of translation.

FIGS. 3A-5 illustrate an example of a picker 400 in the form of a robotic picker. The picker 400 may be a pick-and-place machine.

The illustrated picker 400 comprises an arm 404 which is pivotably mounted to the apparatus 2. The proximal end of the arm 404 is supported by a pivot 402. The distal end of the arm 404 comprises an end effector 406. The end effector 406 may be a suction type effector.

The end effector 406 may comprise a plurality of effectors The plurality of effectors may be arranged as an array of effectors 406.

The picker 400 comprises an actuator (not shown) configured to move the picker 400 between its picking position shown in FIG. 3A and its placing position shown in FIG. 3D, without user intervention.

At the picking position, the picker 400 may be in an upright orientation shown in FIG. 3A. The end effector 406 of the picker 400 is aligned with the front of the holder 200. The end effector 406 may be aligned with the first panel 10P of the box 1. The actuator of the picker 400 is configured to move the effector 406 into contact with the first panel 10P of the box 1.

A controller of the picker 400 is configured to activate the effector 406 in dependence on the effector 406 making contact with the first panel 10P, for example by generating suction.

The picker 400 may then swing to the placing position shown in FIG. 3D. At the placing position, the picker 400 may be in a generally horizontal orientation. The picker 400 may be beneath the level of the placing surface 600. The placing surface 600 may comprise a central slot through which the picker 400 can travel. The controller may deactivate the effector 406 when the box 1 is on the placing surface 600. The first panel 10P of the box 1 may be on the placing surface 600. The box 1 may be in a required orientation for a box filling station, such as a sideways orientation shown in FIG. 2.

The angular separation between the picking position of the picker 400 and the placing position of the picker 400 depends on implementation but may be greater than 60 degrees. The angular length of the picker 400 depends on the angle of the holder 200, which may be slightly tilted as described earlier. The angular length may be less than 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the picker 400 is configured to engage with the exterior surface of the box 1 at the first panel 10P of the front of the box 1. As shown in FIG. 3B, the picker 400 is configured to pivot away from the holder 200 to move 25 the first panel 10P away from the holder 200 while the rear of the box 1 is engaged by the retainer 300.

In response to the pulling force from the picker 400, the front of the box 1 is released from at least part of the front retainer 304-310 when the first flaps 1OF and/or the second flaps 12F of the front of the box 1 have flexed sufficiently to slip out of at least part of the front retainer 304-310.

The force from the pivoting picker 400 applies a forwards tipping force of the attached box 1 away from the holder 200. The tipping force may be about the bottom edge 13 of the box 1, which may still be retained by the retainer 308. However, the rear of the box 1 has not yet been released by the rear retainer 302. Until the retained rear flaps (third flaps 14F or fourth flaps 16F) have been released by the rear retainer 302, the pulling of the first panel 10P forces the panels 10P-16P of the box 1 to fold into the generally parallelogram/kite shape shown in FIG. 3B, wherein the internal angles of the first and third shared edges 11, 15 are obtuse and the internal angles of the second and fourth shared edges 13, 17 are acute.

Therefore, the rear retainer 302 starts the erection process from the flattened condition to the erected condition before the box 1 has even been fully released from the holder 200, and this occurs simultaneously to the movement of the front of the box 1.

When the rear retainer 302 releases the rear of the box 1, the rear of the box 1 can start to move away from the holder 200. Once the box 1 is fully released from the holder 200, as shown in FIG. 3C, the picker 400 can move the whole box 1 in the partially erected condition towards the placing surface 600. However, the box 1 may have shape memory biasing the box 1 back towards its flattened condition. In order to prevent this and to facilitate further erection of the box 1, the apparatus 2 further comprises a guide 500. Example guides 500 are shown from FIG. 3A to FIG. 5.

The guide 500 extends below the picker 400 and follows a curved path similar to the picker 400. The curvature of the guide 500 has a smaller radius than the curvature of the path of the picker 400. The path of the guide 500 curves down from the holder 200 to the placing surface 600, similar to the path of the picker 400. Parts of the box 1 are configured to slide along the guide 500 while the box 1 is being moved to the placing surface 600.

As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the illustrated guide 500 can comprise a pair of parallel curved guide members 502, in the form of slender guide rails. The term 'slender' herein can be defined as having a length at least 5 or at least 10 times greater than its maximum cross-section diameter. The guide rails may alternatively be described as guide skis.

One of the parallel guide members 502 is to the left of the picker 400 and the other parallel guide member 502 is to the right of the picker 400. The left and right guide members 502 may have a gap therebetween, for the arm 404 of the picker 400. The left guide member 502 may be beneath the left second flap 12F and the right guide member 502 may be beneath the right second flap 12F.

A holder end 504 of the guide 500 may extend to and optionally connect to the holder 200. The holder end 504 of the guide 500 may extend to the bottom of the channel 204 of the holder 200, to receive the bottom edge 13 of the box 1 in the folded condition.

At the holder end 504 of the guide 500, the guide 500 extends in an approximately horizontal direction and/or is approximately perpendicular to the holder 200 (noting that the holder 200 may be vertical or tilted).

An opposite placing end 506 of the guide 500 extends to and optionally connects to a structure comprising the placing surface 600. At the placing end 506 of the guide 500, the guide 500 extends in an upright, approximately vertical direction.

The curved path of the illustrated guide 500 relative to the curved path of the picker 400 is configured to control the angle between the second panel 12P and the first panel 10P of the box 1 during continued motion of the picker 400 to the placing surface 600, to fold the box 1 into the cuboidal shape by the time the box 1 reaches the placing surface 600. This is shown in FIGS. 3A-3D. The path of the guide 500 relative to that of the picker 400 turns the second panel 12P relative to the first panel 10P from the initial obtuse angle (FIGS. 3B-3C) to a final perpendicular angle (FIG. 3D). The guide 500 therefore enables the picker 400 to deposit the box 1 on the placing surface 600 in an erected condition.

As shown from FIGS. 3A to FIG. 3D, the box 1 is rotated along an arc as it is moved to the placing surface 600. Therefore, first panel 10P of the box 1 is rotated from an upright first orientation to a downwards-facing second orientation, facing the placing surface 600. The first panel 10P of the box 1 faces the placing surface 600 when the box 1 is released onto the placing surface 600 by the picker 400. The angle between the first orientation and the second orientation may correspond to the angle of the holder 200/picker 400 as described above, noting that the holder 200 may be vertical or slightly tilted.

As the box 1 is rotated along the arc by the picker 400, the contact point between the box 1 and the guide 500 moves. As shown in FIG. 3B, the sliding contact point between the box 1 and the guide 500 may start with the bottom edge 13 of the box 1 in the flattened condition.

Once the box 1 has rotated and moved to the position shown in FIG. 3C, the contact point has slipped from the bottom edge 13 (second shared edge 13) towards the first shared edge 11 such that the second panel 12P is now in contact with the guide 500.

In order to maintain contact and cause further box erection during movement of the box 1 towards the placing surface 600, the path of the guide 500 and the path of the picker 400 may converge towards each other with increasing 28 proximity to the placing surface 600. The centres of curvature of the picker 400 and the guide 500 are therefore different. See for example FIG. 3C, in which the effector 406 of the picker 400 is closer to the guide 500 than in FIG. 3A, while remaining generally perpendicular to the guide 500. This convergence brings the first panel 10P closer to the guide 500. The second panel 12P cannot get any closer to the guide 500 since it is already in contact, therefore the guide 500 forces the second panel 12P to rotate relative to the first panel 10P. The rotation folds the box 1 towards the erected condition by reducing the internal angle of the second shared edge 11 towards a perpendicular value. See FIG. 3C in which the box 1 is closer to its erected condition than FIG. 3B, even though the box 1 is only approximately halfway between the holder 200 and the placing surface 600.

In order to maintain continuous contact between the box 1 and the guide 500, the guide 500 may be free from corners. The guide 500 may be continuously curved between its holder end 504 and its placing end 506. This provides a smooth sliding surface.

Once the box 1 has rotated and moved to the placing surface 600 shown in FIG. 3D, the contact point with the guide 500 has slipped to the first shared edge 11. The first shared edge 11 of the box 1 is wedged between the placing surface 600 and the guide 500. The box 1 is held in its erected condition because the picker 400 is still engaged with the first panel 10P and because the second panel 12P is forced into an upright angle by the substantially vertical placing end 506 of the guide 500.

The internal angle of the first shared edge 11 of the box 1 is forced to be approximately 90 degrees. Therefore, all of the other shared edges between the panels 10P-16P are forced to be approximately 90 degrees so the box 1 is wedged into its erected condition.

The flaps 10E-16F of one side of the box 1 may be folded either before or after the picker 400 releases the first panel 10P of the box 1. If the flaps 10E-16F of the box 1 are folded after the picker 400 has released the box 1, another means for keeping the box 1 in the erected condition may be provided until the flaps 10E-16F can be folded.

Upon release of the box 1 by the picker 400, the box 1 may be moved away from the placing location automatically by a conveyor 602 (FIG. 4). Once the box 1 has moved out of the path of the picker 400, the picker 400 can swing back up to unload another box 1 from the holder 200.

Fine tuning of the rate at which the box 1 is erected can be achieved by tuning the shape of the path of the guide 500. Additionally, or alternatively, the fine tuning can be achieved by tuning the path of the picker 400.

In an example, the radius of the guide 500 may not be constant. The radius of the guide 500 towards the holder end 504 of the guide 500 may be larger than the radius of the guide 500 towards the placing end 506 of the guide 500, such that the guide 500 initially converges towards the path of the picker 400. The maximum degree of curvature of the guide 500 therefore occurs towards the holder end 504 of the guide 500 and the minimum degree of curvature of the guide 500 occurs towards the placing end 506 of the guide 500. This causes box erection by the guide 500 to start earlier in relation to the path of the picker 400. Tuning of the variable radius controls the rate of convergence between the guide 500 and the picker 400, and therefore the rate of box erection by the guide 500.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example adjustment means for enabling adjustment of the guide 500. Where the guide 500 comprises a pair of parallel guide members 502, each guide member 502 may have an independent adjustment means. Alternatively, the same adjustment means may adjust both guide members 502 simultaneously. The adjustment means may comprise one or more adjusters 508, 510, 512 configured to enable modification of the radius of the guide 500 at one or more points along a span length of the guide 500.

The adjustment means can comprise a midspan path adjuster 508. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a midspan path adjuster 508 for each of the guide members 502. The midspan path adjuster 508 may comprise a variable length member. A distal end of a midspan path adjuster 508 is connected to a guide member 502. The midspan path adjuster 508 is extendable and retractable in length to control a radius of the guide member 502 to which it is connected, by flexing the guide member 502. The greater this mid-span radius is, the earlier the guide 500 erects the box 1.

The midspan path adjuster 508 may be rotatable to slide the point of contact between the midspan path adjuster 508 along the span length of the guide member 500. This can move the point of contact closer to the holder end 504 or closer to the placing end 506 of the guide member 502. This provides the opportunity for additional fine tuning of radius.

The holder end 504 of the guide member 502 may be connected to the holder 200, and the position of this connection may be controlled by an end path adjuster 512 as shown in FIG. 5. The end path adjuster 512 may comprise a slotted bracket. The end path adjuster 512 enables vertical flexing of the holder end 504 of the guide member 502 to enable height adjustment of the guide member 502 and/or to enable the curvature of the holder end 504 of the guide member 502 to be changed.

The placing end 506 of the guide member 502 may be connected to a structure, and the position of this connection may be controlled by another end path adjuster 510 as shown schematically in FIG. 4. The end path adjuster 510 for the placing end 506 of the guide 500 may be configured may have a similar construction to the end path adjuster 510 of the holder end 504. However, the end path adjuster 510 at the placing end 506 may instead enable horizontal position adjustment of the guide member 502. This may flex the guide member 502 to a smaller or larger radius.

In order to enable the adjustment means to change the radius of the guide members 502 without having to redesign and replace the guide members 502, the guide members 502 may each be resiliently flexible. The guide members 502 may each be formed of a resiliently flexible material such as a flexible plastics material. The flexibility of the guide members 502 enables the paths of the guide members 502 to be changed via resilient deformation at the adjustable supports of the guide members 502.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates example downstream components of the apparatus 2. The apparatus 2 may comprise a box filling station 800 for filling the box 1.

FIG. 8 illustrates a conveyor 602. An erected box 1 is placed at an upstream location on the conveyor 602. The conveyor 602 extends past a first flap folding station 700 configured to seal a first face of the box 1. The conveyor 602 then extends past a box filling station 800 configured to fill the box 1 with one or more products. The conveyor 602 then extends past a second flap folding station 900 configured to seal a second opposite face of the box 1 to seal the contents of the box 1.

Each flap folding station may comprise various automatic folders and may comprise means for robotically applying adhesive tape and/or staples to seal the flaps 10E-16F.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described.

Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be performable by other features whether described or not.

Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, those features may also be present in other embodiments whether described or not.

Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus for simultaneously unloading and erecting a box, the apparatus comprising: a holder configured to present a partially-assembled box for unloading; a picker configured to engage with the box and move away from the holder to move the box away from the holder; and a guide extending in a path, relative to a path of the picker, configured to control an angle between panels of the box during continued motion of the picker to a placing location, to enable the picker to deposit the box at the placing location in an erected condition.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the box is a cuboidal box, so that in the erected condition the angles between each of the panels is approximately 90 degrees.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide comprises one or more guide members.
4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the guide comprises resiliently flexible material, wherein a flexibility of the guide is configured to enable the path of the guide to be changed by resiliently deforming the guide into a desired shape via supports of the guide.
5. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the path of the picker comprises curvature, and wherein the path of the guide comprises curvature.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the curvature of the guide has a smaller radius than the curvature of the path of the picker.
7. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the guide and the picker converge towards each other with increasing proximity to the placing location. 34
8. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the picker comprises one or more suction effectors.
9. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the holder is configured to present the partially-assembled box in a flattened condition for unloading; wherein the apparatus comprises a retainer configured to retain at least a rear of the box in the holder; and wherein the picker is configured to engage with a first panel at a front of the box and move away from the holder to move the first panel of the panels away from the holder while the rear of the box is engaged by the retainer, causing initial folding of the box until the rear of the box is released from the retainer.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the retainer is configured to release the rear of the box when a pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to flex and slip out of the retainer, or to cause the rear of the box to flex the retainer and slip out of the retainer.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the retainer comprises a pincer arrangement configured to engage with a periphery of the box in the flattened condition in the holder.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, 10, or 11, wherein the retainer is a front retainer configured to engage with the periphery of an exterior surface of the box at the front of the box.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the front retainer is configured to hold back the front of the box until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the front of the box to slip past the front retainer, the front retainer being configured to then temporarily hold back the rear of the box, causing at least part of the initial folding of the box, until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to slip past the front retainer, releasing the rear of the box from the front retainer.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the front retainer comprises a spring configured to hold back the front of the box until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the front of the box to flex the spring to slip past the spring, the spring being configured to then temporarily hold back the rear of the box, causing at least part of the initial folding of the box, until the pulling force exerted by the picker reaches a value to cause the rear of the box to flex the spring to slip past the spring, releasing the rear of the box from the spring.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein holding back the front of the box comprises holding back a front flap of the box attached to the first panel of the box, and wherein holding back the rear of the box comprises holding back a rear flap of the box behind the front flap.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein the spring comprises a cantilever spring.
17. The apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the holder is a stack holder configured to hold a stack of boxes in the flattened condition.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the holder comprises a feeder configured to move boxes to a front of the stack to replace unloaded boxes.
19. The apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 18, wherein the partially-assembled box comprises the first panel and second, third and fourth panels of the panels, pre-attached into a closed body, and comprises flaps extending from the panels, and wherein in the presented flattened condition the box has the front and the rear, wherein the front comprises the first and second panels of the closed body and the flaps associated with the first and second panels, wherein the rear of the box comprises the third and fourth panels of the closed body and the flaps associated with the third and fourth panels; wherein the picker is configured to engage with the first panel at the front of the box and move away from the holder to move the first panel away from the holder while the rear of the box is engaged by the retainer, causing initial folding of the panels until the rear of the box is released from the retainer; and wherein the path of the guide, relative to the path of the picker, is configured to receive the second panel of the box to control an angle between the second panel and the first panel of the box during the continued motion of the picker to the placing location, to enable the picker to deposit the box at the placing location in the erected condition.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein in the flattened condition, the angle between the first panel and the second panel is approximately 180 degrees.
21. The apparatus of claim 19 or 20, wherein the initial folding folds the box into a shape in which the angle between the first panel and the second panel is an obtuse angle.
22. The apparatus of claim 19, 20, or 21, wherein the placing location is a placing surface onto which the box is placed, wherein the first panel of the box faces the placing surface when the box is released onto the placing surface by the picker.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second panel is forced into an upright angle relative to the first panel by the guide when the box is released onto the placing surface by the picker.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a holder end of the guide extends to the holder and a placing end of the guide extends to the placing location, wherein the placing end of the guide meets the placing surface at a substantially perpendicular angle, wherein the placing end of the guide is approximately vertical, wherein the placing surface is approximately horizontal, and wherein a distance between the placing end of the guide and a placing position of the picker forces the second panel of the box into a substantially perpendicular angle relative to the first panel by the guide when the box is in a position ready to be released onto the placing surface by the picker.
25. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the picker is configured to rotate the first panel of the box from a first orientation when the box is in the flattened condition in the holder, to a second orientation facing the placing surface.