Patent Grant
10800560
The present invention relates to a packaging kit, a package, a packaging method using a packaging kit, a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus, and a packaging kit manufacturing method, and particularly relates to a packaging kit capable of holding an article in position, a package, a packaging method using a packaging kit, a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus, and a packaging kit manufacturing method.
As a packaging kit used for packaging an article, there has been used a packaging kit that holds an article in position by interposing the article between a film and a plate-shaped member and tightening the film to press the article against the plate-shaped member.
A heat-shrinkable film is typically used in such a packaging kit. The film shrinks by heat when it is passed through a shrink tunnel. Thus, the film is tightened and the article is secured against the plate-shaped member.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a structure for pressing an article against a plate-shaped member by using a flexible sheet fixed to the plate-shaped member and folding a part of the plate-shaped member to which the sheet is fixed toward the lower surface of the plate-shaped member.
Patent Literature 1
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3189377
A method for packaging an article through heat shrinkage of a film as described above has the following problems. That is, an apparatus for generating heat to cause heat shrinkage of the film, such as the shrink tunnel is necessary in a packaging process. Therefore, a large amount of energy such as electricity is consumed by the above apparatus or in environment for packaging. Also, it is difficult to introduce a large-sized expensive apparatus as described above in a situation in which packaging is performed occasionally rather than successively to package a large number of articles.
In contrast, for example, a packaging material having a structure as disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can eliminate the need for an apparatus such as the shrink tunnel for performing packaging. However, in such a structure, it is necessary to fix the flexible sheet to the plate-shaped member. Therefore, the structure of the packaging material is complicated, resulting in a problem of a high manufacturing cost. Also, it is necessary for securing an article to fold the part of the plate-shaped member, to which the sheet is fixed, toward the lower surface of the plate-shaped member, resulting in a problem of an addition of a process.
The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging kit capable of packaging an article easily with a simple structure, a package, a packaging method using a packaging kit, a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus, and a packaging kit manufacturing method.
According to an aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object, a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a packaging kit including a plate-shaped member having an upper surface with a fold line thereon and a tubular film lapped around the plate-shaped member includes: a film feeding section that feeds a film; a conveyance section that conveys a plate-shaped member having an upper surface with a fold line thereon such that a leading end of the plate-shaped member pushes the film; a welding section that welds the film to form the tubular film; a retracting section that retracts the film to fold the plate-shaped member along the fold line before the welding section welds the film; and a lift restricting section that restricts lift of the leading end of the plate-shaped member when the film is retracted by the retracting section.
Preferably, the lift restricting section includes: a contact portion that comes into contact with the plate-shaped member when the film is retracted by the retracting section; and a holding portion that holds the contact portion. The holding portion is capable of changing a position to hold the contact portion.
Preferably, when the film is retracted by the retracting section, the lift restricting section comes into contact with a part of the upper surface of the plate-shaped member that is closer to the leading end of the plate-shaped member than the fold line.
Preferably, when the film is retracted by the retracting section, the lift restricting section comes into contact with a part of the plate-shaped member that is close to the leading end of the plate-shaped member and that does not overlap the film.
Preferably, the conveyance section includes: a placement section on which the plate-shaped member is placed; a pushing section that pushes a trailing end of the plate-shaped member placed on the placement section to convey the plate-shaped member in a horizontal direction; and a guide section that guides the plate-shaped member while restricting lift of the plate-shaped member such that the leading end of the plate-shaped member passes under the lift restricting section.
Preferably, the guide section is arranged at a position not interfering with the lift restricting section when the conveyance section completes conveyance of the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus further includes a pressing section that presses the plate-shaped member while being out of contact with the film after the conveyance section completes conveyance of the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the welding section includes: a sealing section including a heat source; and a sealing section receiving section that receives the sealing section. The welding section welds the film by bringing the sealing section and the sealing section receiving section into contact with each other. When the film is retracted by the retracting section, a gap between the sealing section and the sealing section receiving section is larger than a thickness of the film and smaller than a thickness of the plate-shaped member.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a packaging kit manufacturing method for manufacturing a packaging kit including a plate-shaped member having an upper surface with a fold line thereon and a tubular film lapped around the plate-shaped member includes: preparing a film, a plate-shaped member having an upper surface with a fold line thereon, and a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus including a lift restricting section and a welding section; lapping the film around the plate-shaped member in a manner that the film comes into contact with the plate-shaped member from a leading end to a trailing end thereof by pushing the film with the leading end of the plate-shaped member; retracting the film to fold the plate-shaped member along the fold line until lift of the leading end of the plate-shaped member is restricted by the lift restricting section; and forming the tubular film by welding the film by the welding section.
Preferably, in the retracting, the leading end of the plate-shaped member comes into contact with the lift restricting section.
Preferably, in the lapping, the leading end of the plate-shaped member passes under the lift restricting section.
Preferably, the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus further includes a conveyance section that conveys the plate-shaped member such that the leading end of the plate-shaped member pushes the film. In the lapping, the conveyance section conveys the plate-shaped member while restricting lift of the plate-shaped member such that the leading end of the plate-shaped member passes under the lift restricting section.
Preferably, the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus further includes a pressing section that presses the plate-shaped member while out of contact with the film. In the lapping, the pressing section presses the plate-shaped member after the conveyance section completes conveyance of the plate-shaped member and before the retracting.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a packaging kit used for packaging an article includes a plate-shaped member and a tubular film lapped around the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member is partitioned by a fold line and has a placement surface portion on which the article to be packaged is to be placed and an adjacent surface portion adjacent to the placement surface portion with the fold line therebetween. The tubular film is lapped around the plate-shaped member such that the fold line between the placement surface portion and the adjacent surface portion passes through a tube that the tubular film forms. The article is capable of being placed in a space between the placement surface portion and the tubular film in a state where the adjacent surface portion is folded relative to the placement surface portion. When the tubular film is tightened while being in contact with the article in accompaniment with unfolding of the adjacent surface portion relative to the placement surface portion in a state where the article is placed in the space, the article is pressed against the plate-shaped member. The fold line is displaced from a center of the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the plate-shaped member is made from a corrugated board and the fold line of the plate-shaped member is formed to traverse waves of a core sheet of the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the placement surface portion of the plate-shaped member has an area larger than that of the adjacent surface portion.
Preferably, the tubular film is a stretchable film.
Preferably, the plate-shaped member is partitioned by two fold lines including the fold line and an additional fold line that does not intersect with the fold line on the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member has a single placement surface portion as the placement surface portion and two adjacent surface portions including the adjacent surface portion and an additional adjacent surface portion. The two adjacent surface portions each are adjacent to the single placement surface portion with a corresponding one of the two fold lines therebetween.
Preferably, the plate-shaped member is partitioned by a sub-fold line that intersects with the fold line between the placement surface portion and the adjacent surface portion on the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member has a stand-up portion adjacent to the placement surface portion with the sub-fold line therebetween. By folding the stand-up portion relative to the placement surface portion along the sub-fold line, the adjacent surface portion is unfolded relative to the placement surface portion and the tubular film is kept tightened.
Preferably, the sub-fold line is perforated, and the fold line is not perforated.
Preferably, the plate-shaped member has two stand-up portions including the stand-up portion and an additional stand-up portion. The two stand-up portions are each defined by a corresponding one of two sub-fold lines. The two sub-fold lines include the sub-fold line and an additional sub-fold line that does not intersect with the sub-fold line on the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the stand-up portion is partitioned by an auxiliary fold line substantially parallel with the sub-fold line, and has portions defined by the auxiliary fold line therebetween. One of the portions is capable of being folded relative to the other of the portions.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a package including the packaging kit according to any of the above description and an outer casing that accommodates the packaging kit therein, the stand-up portion of the plate-shaped member is kept folded relative to the placement surface portion when the packaging kit is accommodated in the outer casing in a state where the stand-up portion is folded relative to the placement surface portion.
Preferably, in a state where the packaging kit is accommodated in the outer casing, a bottom part of the packaging kit and an upper part of the stand-up portion are held in contact with or close to an inner surface of the outer casing.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a packaging kit includes a plate-shaped member and a tubular film lapped around the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member is partitioned by a fold line and has a placement surface portion on which an article to be packaged is to be placed and an adjacent surface portion adjacent to the placement surface portion with the fold line therebetween. The tubular film is lapped around the plate-shaped member such that the fold line between the placement surface portion and the adjacent surface portion passes through a tube that the tubular film forms. The fold line is displaced from a center of the plate-shaped member. A packaging method using the packaging kit includes: folding the adjacent surface portion relative to the placement surface portion; placing the article in a space between the placement surface portion and the tubular film in a state where the plate-shaped member is folded by the folding; and unfolding the adjacent surface portion relative to the placement surface portion in a state where the article is placed in the space by the placing to tighten the tubular film in contact with the article such that the article is pressed against the plate-shaped member.
Preferably, the plate-shaped member is partitioned by a sub-fold line that intersects with the fold line between the placement surface portion and the adjacent surface portion on the plate-shaped member. The plate-shaped member has a stand-up portion adjacent to the placement surface portion with the sub-fold line therebetween. In the unfolding, the adjacent surface portion is unfolded relative to the placement surface portion by folding the stand-up portion relative to the placement surface portion to tighten the tubular film.
According to the present invention as described above, the article can be placed in the space between the placement surface portion and the film in the state where the plate-shaped member is folded, and the article is pressed against the plate-shaped member by unfolding the adjacent surface portion relative to the placement surface portion to tighten the film. Thus, there are provided a packaging kit capable of packaging an article easily with a simple structure, a package, a packaging method using a packaging kit, a packaging kit manufacturing apparatus, and a packaging kit manufacturing method.
The following describes a packaging kit according to embodiments of the present invention.
The packaging kit is formed from a combination of a film in the form of a tube (tubular film) and a plate-shaped member for example made from a corrugated board. In the present description, a tubular film may be simply referred to as a film. The packaging kit is capable of holding an article in position by pressing the article against the plate-shaped member by the film. The article can be placed in a space between the film and a base surface of the plate-shaped member in a state where the plate-shape member is folded. By unfolding the plate-shaped member, the film is tightened and the article is secured by the film.
The packaging kit has a simple structure in which the tubular film is attached to the plate-shaped member. The packaging kit is easy to manufacture. The packaging kit can also be manufactured by lapping a film around the plate-shaped member and joining ends of the film together.
Manual packaging can be easily performed using the packaging kit. The packaging kit can also be used in packaging a large number of articles successively for example in a packaging line. Through use of the packaging kit, packaging can be easily performed in the packaging line.
In the following description, the X axis direction indicated in
As illustrated in
The plate 10 in the present embodiment is a single corrugated board for example having a thickness of about 5 mm. The film 30 is a stretchable (flexible) film for example made from polyethylene. The film 30 is, but is not limited to, colorless and transparent. The film 30 may be translucent or opaque, or may be colored.
As illustrated in
The main fold line 21 is located at substantially the center of the plate 10 in the front-rear direction in parallel with the left-right direction (parallel with the X axis). The plate 10 can be easily folded along the main fold line 21 in a manner that respective opposite ends of the plate 10 in the front-rear direction are moved upwards.
The sub-fold line 23 is located near the right end of the plate 10 in parallel with the front-rear direction (parallel with the Y axis). The sub-fold line 24 is located near the left end of the plate 10 in parallel with the front-rear direction. The plate 10 can be easily folded along the sub-fold line 23 in a manner that the right end of the plate 10 is moved upwards. The plate 10 can be easily folded along the sub-fold line 24 in a manner that the left end of the plate 10 is moved upwards.
As illustrated in
The plate 10 is partitioned as described below by the main fold line 21 and the sub-fold lines 23 and 24 formed on plate 10.
Parts surrounded by various types of hatching in
The main fold line 21 is located between the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12. In other words, the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12 are defined by the main fold line 21 located therebetween. The placement surface portion 11 is located in a front part of the plate 10 and the adjacent surface portion 12 is located in a rear part of the plate 10. The stand-up portions 15 and 16 are each adjacent to the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12, with the sub-fold line 23 located between the stand-up portion 15 and each of the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12, and the sub-fold line 24 located between the stand-up portion 16 and each of the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12. The stand-up portion 15 is a part of the plate 10 located to the right of the sub-fold line 23. The stand-up portion 16 is a part of the plate 10 located to the left of the sub-fold line 24. In other words, the placement surface portion 11 is located in front of the main fold line 21 and between the sub-fold lines 23 and 24. The adjacent surface portion 12 is located in rear of the main fold line 21 and between the sub-fold lines 23 and 24.
The plate 10 is configured such that the adjacent surface portion 12 and rear parts of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be folded relative to the placement surface portion 11 and front parts of the stand-up portions 15 and 16, respectively, along the main fold line 21.
Referring again to
The film 30 may be attached to the plate 10 by various methods. For example, the film 30 may be formed into an annular shape beforehand and attached to the plate 10 by inserting the plate 10 inside the annular film 30. Alternatively, the film 30 may be attached to the plate 10 by lapping the film 30 at least one turn around the plate 10 using for example a band lapping machine and bonding together ends of the film 30. The plate 10 can be folded along the fold lines 21, 23, and 24 in a state where the film 30 is attached to the plate 10.
Next, a method for packaging the article 50 using the packaging kit 1 will be described.
As illustrated in
As a folding angle increases (as an angle between the adjacent surface portion 12 and the placement surface portion 11 decreases), the difference between the length of the above course and the circumferential length of the film 30 increases but a distance between the adjacent surface portion 12 and the placement surface portion 11 decreases. Therefore, the adjacent surface portion 12 is folded relative to the placement surface portion 11 at an angle appropriate to place the article 50 in the space A.
As illustrated in
Then, the article 50 is placed in the space A between the placement surface portion 11 and the film 30 in the state where the plate 10 is folded (S12; placing step).
Thereafter, the packaging kit 1 is brought into the unfolded state by unfolding the adjacent surface portion 12 relative to the placement surface portion 11 as indicated by down arrows in
After the unfolding step, a course of straight lines that connect the front and rear ends of the plate 10 and the upper part of the article 50 over the fold on the main fold line 21 when viewed from a side is longer than in the initial unfolded state since the article 50 is placed as illustrated in
In the unfolding step of the present embodiment performed as described above, the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be folded relative to the placement surface portion 11 along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24, respectively, to stand up. Through the above, the adjacent surface portion 12 can be unfolded relative to the placement surface portion 11 to tighten the film 30. It should be noted that the stand-up portions 15 and 16 may be raised after the unfolding step (raising step).
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the sub-fold lines 23 and 24 are parallel with the direction of the creases of the waves of the core sheet 19c of the plate 10. Therefore, the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be easily kept folded along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24, respectively. As a result, packaging can be easily performed. Alternatively, the sub-fold lines 23 and 24 may be perforated with no perforation along the main fold line 21 so that the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be easily kept folded along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24, respectively.
As illustrated in
The outer casing 70 is a commonly used cardboard box, for example. In the state illustrated in
As a result, the outer casing 70 is kept supported by the stand-up portions 15 and 16 in the up-down direction and the package 80 becomes tough. Further, the packaging kit 1 is held in position within the outer casing 70 without use of an adhesive or the like. Therefore, the article 50 can be firmly secured even when vibration or external force is applied to the package 80 or the package 80 is tilted during transportation. It should be noted that the bottom part of the packaging kit 1 may be held close to the bottom of the outer casing 70 and the upper ends of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 may be held close to the top of the outer casing 70. Similar advantages can also be achieved in the above configuration.
Further, the stand-up portions 15 and 16 are folded upwards and the upper ends of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 are located above the article 50. That is, the article is kept away from the top of the outer casing 70. Therefore, even when a user opens the package 80 using a sharp tool such as a knife to open the top flaps of the outer casing 70, contact between the tool and the article 50 is prevented and the article 50 is protected.
The plate 10 of the packaging kit 1 is preferably a plate-shaped member having a cushioning characteristic such as a corrugated board of a certain thickness. In the above configuration, even when vibration or external force is applied to the package 80, an impact transmitted to the article 50 can be reduced and the article 50 can be more surely protected. Further, the larger the thickness of the plate 10, the larger the resilience of the plate 10 to return from the folded state to a natural state approximate to the unfolded state, and therefore the easier it is to secure the article 50.
As described above, in the first embodiment, the plate 10 of the packaging kit 1 is brought into the folded state to place the article 50 therein and then brought into the unfolded state again, whereby the article 50 can be held in position. Thus, the article 50 can be packaged easily. Once the plate 10 is brought into the folded state, the plate 10 exhibits resilience to return to its natural state approximate to the unfolded state. Therefore, the plate 10 can be easily brought into the unfolded state and no complicated process is necessary to tighten the film 30.
The packaging kit 1 has a simple structure formed from the combination of the plate 10 and the tubular film 30. Therefore, the article 50 can be secured without use of an energy-consuming apparatus or a large-sized apparatus, resulting in reduction in cost necessary for packaging.
In the first embodiment, the packaging kit 1 can be more surely kept holding the article 50 by raising the two stand-up portions 15 and 16.
Unpackaging can be performed by bringing the stand-up portions 15 and 16 into their initial state and bringing the plate 10 from the unfolded state into the folded state as a process reverse to a packaging process. Through the above, the film 30 is loosened and the article 50 can be removed easily. The packaging process includes no irreversible process such as a process that causes heat shrinkage of the film or a process performed using an adhesive. Therefore, packaging and unpackaging can be performed easily as described above. Also, packaging can be performed economically since a packaging kit 1 that has been used for packaging can be reused to package another article 50. An adhesive or the like is not used to combine the film 30 and the plate 10. Therefore, in a situation for example in which only the film 30 is damaged, the packaging kit 1 can be reused by replacing the damaged film 30 by a new film 30.
The packaging kit 1 can be used in both a situation in which packaging is performed manually and a situation in which packaging is performed in a packaging line of a plant or the like to package a large number of articles 50 successively. In a situation in which the packaging kit 1 is used in the packaging line as described above, the packaging kit 1 may be used together with a jig although the packaging kit 1 can also be used alone.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The jig 90 as described above can be used in a situation in which the packaging kit 1 is used in the packaging line. The jig 90 may be used in a situation in which packaging is performed manually. Although it is difficult to make the packaging kit 1 stand alone in the folded state, packaging can be efficiently performed in a situation in which the plate 10 of the packaging kit 1 is held in the folded state on the plural support surfaces 91 and 92.
The basic configuration of a packaging kit according to a second embodiment is the same as that of the packaging kit according to the first embodiment, and description of which will not be repeated. The second embodiment is also the same as the first embodiment in that the two stand-up portions 15 and 16 are provided and a packaged state can be maintained by raising the stand-up portions 15 and 16 in the packaging method. Further, features regarding accommodation of the packaging kit into the outer casing 70 after packaging are also the same between the first and second embodiments. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that two main fold lines are provided in the second embodiment.
As illustrated in
The plate 210 differs from the plate 10 in the first embodiment in that the plate 210 has two main fold lines 221 and 222. The plate 210 has the two sub-fold lines 23 and 24 similarly to that in the first embodiment.
The two main fold lines 221 and 222 are arranged so as not to intersect with each other on the plate 210. The main fold lines 221 and 222 in the present embodiment are each parallel with the X axis. The main fold line 221 is close to the front end of the plate 10. The main fold line 222 is close to the rear end of the plate 10.
As illustrated in
The placement surface portion 211 and the adjacent surface portion 212 are defined by the front-side main fold line 221 located therebetween. The placement surface portion 211 and the adjacent surface portion 213 are defined by the rear-side main fold line 222 located therebetween. The adjacent surface portion 212, the placement surface portion 211, and the adjacent surface portion 213 are arranged in the noted order from the front side of the plate 210 except the right and left stand-up portions 15 and 16.
The plate 210 is configured such that the adjacent surface portion 212 and front parts of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be folded relative to the placement surface portion 211 along the main fold line 221. Also, the adjacent surface portion 212 and rear parts of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be folded relative to the placement surface portion 211 along the main fold line 222.
Referring again to
Next, a method for packaging the article 50 using the packaging kit 201 will be described. The packaging method is generally the same as that of the first embodiment.
When the packaging kit 201 is brought into a folded state by folding the adjacent surface portions 212 and 213 relative to the placement surface portion 211 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Then, the article 50 is placed in the space A between the film 30 and the placement surface portion 211 in the state where the plate 210 is folded (S22; placing step).
Thereafter, the packaging kit 201 is brought into the unfolded state by unfolding the adjacent surface portions 212 and 213 relative to the placement surface portion 211 as indicated by down arrows in
After the unfolding step, a course of straight lines that connect the front and rear ends of the plate 210 and the upper part of the article 50 over the folds on the main fold lines 221 and 222 when viewed from a side is longer than in the initial unfolded state since the article 50 is placed as illustrated in
In also the unfolding step of the second embodiment performed as described above (or after the unfolding step), the stand-up portions 15 and 16 can be folded relative to the placement surface portion 11 along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24 to stand up (raising step).
When the stand-up portions 15 and 16 are kept folded substantially perpendicularly to the placement surface portion 211 as illustrated in
As described above, in the second embodiment, the article 50 can be placed in the space A in a state where the adjacent surface portions 212 and 213 respectively located in front and rear of the placement surface portion 211 are folded. The article 50 can be held in position by bringing the plate 210 into the unfolded state. Therefore, the article 50 can be packaged easily, and other advantages similar to those achieved in the first embodiment can also be achieved.
Further, in the second embodiment, the placement surface portion 211 can be easily kept substantially horizontal even in the folded state. Therefore, the article 50 can be placed more easily. Also, the placement surface portion 211 is located at the center in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the article 50 can be placed so as not to overlap the main fold lines 221 and 222. As a result, the plate 210 can be brought from the folded state into the unfolded state without changing a position and a posture of the article 50 relative to the placement surface portion 211. The article 50 can be easily placed in an intended position on the placement surface portion 211.
It should be noted that in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, packaging may be performed using a jig or the packaging kit 201 may be used in a packaging line together with a jig.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the second embodiment, the width of the main support surface 295 in the front-rear direction may be made larger than the width of the placement surface portion 211. In a configuration in which there is a space between the main support surface 295 and the placement surface portion 211, packaging can be performed easily by setting the packaging kit 201 on the jig 290 without considering any slight displacement of the packaging kit 201 relative to the jig 290. In the above configuration, the sub-support surfaces 291 and 292 may each be formed at an angle closer to the right angle with respect to the placement surface portion 211, or the sub-support surfaces 291 and 292 may each be formed to protrude further from the placement surface portion 211.
The basic structure of a packaging kit according to a third embodiment is the same as that of the packaging kit according to the first embodiment, and description of which will not be repeated. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that stand-up portions are each partitioned by an auxiliary fold line in the third embodiment.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
An auxiliary fold line 23b (indicated by a short dashed line) is formed in the stand-up portion 315 in the present embodiment. The auxiliary fold line 23b is substantially parallel with the sub-fold line 23. The stand-up portion 315 is further partitioned into two portions by the auxiliary fold line 23b. That is, a vertical portion 15a adjacent to the placement surface portion 11 and a horizontal portion 15b adjacent to the vertical portion 15a are defined by the auxiliary fold line 23b located between the vertical portion 15a and the horizontal portion 15b.
Also, an auxiliary fold line 24b (indicated by a short dashed line) is formed in the stand-up portion 316. The auxiliary fold line 24b is substantially parallel with the sub-fold line 24. The stand-up portion 316 is further partitioned into two portions by the auxiliary fold line 24b. That is, a vertical portion 16a adjacent to the placement surface portion 11 and a horizontal portion 16b adjacent to the vertical portion 16a are defined by the auxiliary fold line 24b located between the vertical portion 16a and the horizontal portion 16b.
Similarly to in the first embodiment, the article 50 can be secured on the placement surface portion 11 by performing steps up to raising of the stand-up portions 315 and 316 using the packaging kit 301. When at least the vertical portions 15a and 16a of the stand-up portions 315 and 316 are kept folded relative to the placement surface portion 11, the film 30 of the packaging kit 301 is kept tightened. As a result, the article 50 is surely held in position on the plate 210. The vertical portions 15a and 16a are folded for example perpendicularly to the placement surface portion 11.
As illustrated in
The package 380 illustrated in
As described above, in also the third embodiment, the article 50 can be placed in the space A in a state where the placement surface portion 11 and the adjacent surface portion 12 are folded to come close to each other. The article 50 can be held in position by bringing the plate 310 into the unfolded state. Therefore, the article 50 can be packaged easily, and other advantages similar to those achieved in the first embodiment can also be achieved.
Further, in the third embodiment, the stand-up portions 315 and 316 can be folded along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24 and the auxiliary fold lines 23b and 24b to form the rectangular U-shape when viewed from the front, as described above. Therefore, the packaging kit 301 and the package 380 including the outer casing 70 that accommodates the packaging kit 301 can have improved impact resistance.
The number and position of the main fold line(s) and the number and position of the sub-fold lines are not limited to those described above. It is only required that at least one main fold line is provided. The sub-fold lines need not be necessarily provided. That is, it is only required that the placement surface portion and one or two adjacent surface portions adjacent to the placement surface portion are provided. Also, there may be another adjacent surface portion that is adjacent to one of the adjacent surface portion(s) and that can be folded relative to the one of the adjacent surface portion(s) in a folded state. Only one stand-up portion may be provided or the stand-up portions may be absent. In any of the above configurations, an article can be secured by bringing the plate into the unfolded state after the article is placed in a space formed by bringing the plate into the folded state, with a result that packaging can be performed easily.
As illustrated in
The plate 410 is partitioned into a trapezoidal placement surface portion 411, two adjacent surface portions 412 and 413, and the stand-up portion 15. A packaging kit in which a tubular film is lapped around the plate 410 can be used for packaging an article, as described above. Although the stand-up portion 15 is provided only on the right, the placement surface portion 411 and the two adjacent surface portions 412 and 413 can be kept unfolded and substantially in plane with one another by raising the stand-up portion 15.
The basic structure of a packaging kit according to a fourth embodiment is the same as that of the packaging kit according to the first embodiment, and description of which will not be repeated. Roughly speaking, the fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the main fold line 21 is displaced rearward from the center of a plate 510 in the front-rear direction and open ends of a film overlap the stand-up portions in the fourth embodiment.
As illustrated in
The plate 510 in the fourth embodiment differs from the plate 10 in the following points. The main fold line 21 is displaced rearward from the center of the plate 510 in the front-rear direction. That is, the main fold line 21 is located at a position shifted from the center of the plate 510. Therefore, the placement surface portion 511 is larger than the adjacent surface portion 512. That is, the placement surface portion 511 has an area larger than that of the adjacent surface portion 512.
The following advantage can be achieved by the rearward displacement of the main fold line 21. That is, the placement surface portion 511 has a large area and the center of gravity of the packaging kit 501 is located in front of the main fold line 21. Therefore, when the packaging kit 501 is brought into a folded state on a substantially horizontal table or the like, the placement surface portion 511 can be easily kept placed on the table. Therefore, packaging can be performed easily without using a special jig or the like.
Corresponding portions are hatched in
When the packaging kit 501 is in the unfolded state, right and left open ends 530a of a tube that the film 530 forms overlap the stand-up portions 15 and 16. Specifically, the open ends 530a overlap parts of the stand-up portions 15 and 16 respectively near the sub-fold lines 23 and 24. In other words, the length of the film 530 (length of the tube) is larger than the respective widths of the placement surface portion 511 and the adjacent surface portion 512 in the left-right direction.
Paired edges 510m of the plate 510 are straight. The placement surface portion 511 is rectangular. The adjacent surface portion 512 is rectangular.
In also the fourth embodiment, an article can be packaged similarly to in the first embodiment.
In the above configuration, the respective open ends 530a of the film 530 overlap the stand-up portions 15 and 16. Therefore, when the stand-up portions 15 and 16 are folded relative to the placement surface portion 511, parts of the film 530 near its open ends 530a are also folded together with the stand-up portions 15 and 16 along the sub-fold lines 23 and 24. Through the above, there is formed a space surrounded by the film 530 and the placement surface portion 511 and the adjacent surface portion 512 of the plate 510. The above space can be kept airtight to some degree. Therefore, adhesion of a large particle of dust to the article 50 placed in the space can be prevented with a simple configuration.
The packaging kit 501 in a state as illustrated in
A packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
The following describes, as an example, the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 and a packaging kit manufacturing method in a situation in which the packaging kit 501 is manufactured. As described above with reference to
The film feeding section 610 feeds films. The film feeding section 610 includes an upper-film feeding section 612 and a lower-film feeding section 614. The upper-film feeding section 612 feeds an upper film 31 in the form of a band above the plate 510 (not illustrated in
The conveyance section 620 includes a placement section 621 and a pushing section 622. The plate 510 is placed on the placement section 621. The conveyance section 620 conveys the plate 510 such that the leading end of the plate 510 pushes the films (the upper film 31 and the lower film 32). Specifically, the pushing section 622 pushes the trailing end of the plate 510 placed on the placement section 621 to convey the plate 510 in a horizontal direction.
The welding section 640 includes a sealing section 644 and a sealing section receiving section 642. The sealing section includes a heat source 646. The heat source 646 is a melt-cutting blade, for example. The sealing section receiving section 642 receives the sealing section 644. The welding section 640 welds together the upper film 31 and the lower film 32 to form the tubular film 530. Specifically, the upper film 31 and the lower film 32 are welded together to form the tubular film 530 by bringing the sealing section 644 and the sealing section receiving section 642 into contact with each other.
The retracting section 650 includes a retraction roller 652. The retracting section 650 retracts the lower film 32 to fold the plate 510 along the main fold line 21 before the welding section 640 welds together the upper film 31 and the lower film 32. Specifically, the retraction roller 652 moves in the Y axis direction, whereby the lower film 32 is retracted and the plate 510 is folded along the main fold line 21.
The lift restricting section 660 restricts lift of the leading end of the plate 510 when the lower film 32 is retracted by the retracting section 650.
The discharge section 630 discharges the plate 510 around which the film 530 is lapped, that is, the manufactured packaging kit 501. The discharge section 630 is a conveyor belt, for example.
A method for manufacturing the packaging kit 501 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
After the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate 510 are covered with the upper film 31 and the lower film 32, the lower film 32 is retracted to fold the plate 510 along the main fold line 21 until lift of the leading end of the plate 510 is restricted by the lift restricting section 660, as illustrated in
Referring again to
The manufactured packaging kit 501 is discharged by the discharge section 630.
The lift restricting section 660 will be further described with reference to
As illustrated in
The contact portion 662 comes into contact with the plate 510 when the lower film 32 is retracted by the retracting section 650. The contact portion 662 is a rod-shaped member, for example. The contact portion 662 is made from metal, for example. The contact portion 662 has a distal end 662a and a proximal end 662b. The distal end 662a comes into contact with the plate 510 when the lower film 32 is retracted by the retracting section 650. A thread groove is formed in the proximal end 662b.
The holding portion 664 holds the contact portion 662. The holding portion 664 includes a holding plate 664a, the first fixing tool 664b, and the second fixing tool 664c. The holding plate 664a is a plate-shaped member, for example. The holding plate 664a is made from metal, for example. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Preferably, the lift restricting sections 660 each come into contact with a part of the plate 510 that is close to the leading end of the plate 510 and that does not overlap the upper film 31 when the lower film 32 is retracted by the retracting section 650, as illustrated in
The holding portion 664 is preferably capable of changing a position to hold the contact portion 662. Specifically, the holding portion 664 is capable of changing a position to secure the contact portion 662 within the opening 664d. In the present embodiment, the position to secure the contact portion 662 is changeable in the Y axis direction (horizontal direction). The angle θ formed through the retraction of the lower film 32 by the retracting section 650 is changeable by changing the position to hold the contact portion 662.
For example, the contact portion 662 illustrated in
Although the position to secure the contact portion 662 is changeable in the Y axis direction (horizontal direction) in the present embodiment, the position may be changeable in the Z axis direction (vertical direction). For example, a position to secure the holding plate 664a may be changeable in the Z axis direction.
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
A packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
The conveyance section 620 further includes the guide sections 623 in addition to the placement section 621 and the pushing section 622. The guide sections 623 restrict lift of the plate 510. The guide sections 623 guide the plate 510 such that the leading end of the plate 510 passes under the lift restricting sections 660.
The guide sections 623 will be further described with reference to
As illustrated in
The pushing section 622 includes a pushing plate 622a and a pushing rod 622b. The pushing plate 622a is a plate-shaped member, for example. The pushing rod 622b is a rod-shaped member, for example. The pushing plate 622a is attached to an end of the pushing rod 622b. The other end of the pushing rod 622b is attached to a cylinder provided in the housing 625. The cylinder causes the position of the distal end of the pushing rod 622b to move in the Y axis direction. That is, the position of the pushing plate 622a moves in the Y axis direction. As a result, the pushing plate 622a pushes the trailing end of the plate 510 to convey the plate 510 in the horizontal direction.
Each of the guide sections 623 is a rod-shaped member. The guide sections 623 are made from metal, for example. The guide sections 623 restrict lift of the plate 510 over the length from the trailing end to the leading end thereof at respective opposite ends of the plate 510 in the X axis direction. Through the above, the guide sections 623 guide the plate 510 such that the leading end of the plate 510 passes under the lift restricting sections 660.
The pressing sections 670 will be further described with reference to
As illustrated in
After the conveyance section 620 completes conveyance of the plate 510 and before the retracting section 650 retracts the lower film 32, the pressing sections 670 press the plate 510 while out of contact with the upper film 31, as illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
Preferably, a gap is formed between the sealing section 644 and the sealing section receiving section 642 when the lower film 32 is retracted by the retracting section 650.
As illustrated in
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
As described above with reference to
A packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be further described with reference to
Through the above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings (
(1) Materials of the plate and the film are not limited to those in the above embodiments. Other than the corrugated board, a cardboard or the like may be used as the plate. Also, the plate need not be made from paper and may be made from resin such as polyethylene or rubber. In a configuration in which the plate is made from rubber, tension can be applied to the film by elasticity of the plate when the plate is brought into an unfolded state. It is only required that the plate is a plate-shaped member that can be folded and then unfolded again. The film need not be made from polyethylene and may be made from rubber. Also, the film need not be made from resin such as polyethylene or rubber and may be made from fiber such as cloth or paper. The film may be stretchable or unstretchable. A stretchable film is preferred in order to apply tension to the film when the plate is unfolded. A plurality of tubular films may be attached to a single plate in combination.
(2) Dimensions of the plate and the circumferential length of the film can be changed appropriately according to an article to be packaged. The plate need not be rectangular and may be triangular or five- or more-sided polygonal. The circumferential length of the film can be determined as appropriate so that an article can be placed when the plate is folded and tension can be applied to the film when the plate is thereafter unfolded. The film need not be in the form of a band and may be in the form of a net. Also, the film need not be flat and may have raised parts and recessed parts like a bubble wrap.
(3) The present invention is, but is not limited to, the configuration in which the plate is constituted by the front liner 19a, the back liner 19b, and the core sheet 19c. The plate may be constituted by a single plate-shaped member without a core sheet.
(4) A tubular film-shaped member may be used in place of the stretchable film. A plurality of films may be arranged in a direction of extension of the main fold line.
(5) The outer casing is not limited to that made from a corrugated board as described above. Various outer casings is adaptable.
(6) A package may be configured by for example securing a thin article on the plate of the packaging kit of any of the above-described embodiments, putting the article secured on the plate into an outer bag such as an envelope, and sealing the outer bag. Other than the above, various articles can be packaged in various manners using the packaging kit.
(7) The packaging kit is not limited to that manufactured using the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600. The packaging kit may be manufactured by for example inserting the plate inside a film that has been formed into an annular shape beforehand and attaching the film to the plate.
(8) The present invention is not limited to a configuration in which the lower film 32 is retracted by moving the retraction roller 652 of the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 in the Y axis direction. It is possible to wind up the lower film 32 rather than moving the retraction roller 652.
(9) The present invention is not limited to a configuration in which the sealing section 644 of the packaging kit manufacturing apparatus 600 is located below the sealing section receiving section 642. The sealing section 644 may be located above the sealing section receiving section 642.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/072082 | Aug 2015 | WO | international |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2016/072969 | 8/4/2016 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2017/022832 | 2/9/2017 | WO | A |
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