Carton processing system and carton processing method

• US 5,884,451 A
• Filed: 05/14/1997
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshinari, Naoki, Kano, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coan, James F.
• Application Number:
  US08/855,989
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 53/411, 53/131.1, 53/131.2, 53/131.4, 53/462, 53/207
• US Class Current: 53/411
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/28 for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes , envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 11/105 the axis of the tube being parallel to the conveying direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 11/12 and then to form closing folds of similar form at opposite ends of the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/024 for making containers from preformed blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/025 for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages

Abstract

A system for processing a carton includes a unit for supplying articles for printing, a unit for printing the contents of articles supplied from the supplying unit so as to be housed within the carton, including the names or quantity of the articles to be housed within the carton, or the printing pattern, a unit for assembling the article to be printed to a carton shape from its developed state, a unit for loading the articles to be housed within the article to be printed assembled in the carton shape by the assembling unit, a transporting unit for interconnecting the unit for supplying the articles for printing, printing unit, assembling unit, and the loading unit; and a production supervising computer controlling the unit for supplying the articles for printing, printing unit, assembling unit, loading unit and the transporting unit. The printing patterns printed by the printing unit on the articles for printing are automatically switched based upon a production supervising signal outputted by the production supervising computer.

Claims

1. A method for processing a carton, comprising the steps of:

supplying articles for printing;

printing on said articles a printing pattern comprising a design or information describing the contents of articles to be housed within said carton, including the names or quantity of the articles to be housed within the carton;

assembling each of said articles for printing into a carton;

loading each of the articles to be housed into a carton formed by said assembling step;

interconnecting the steps for supplying articles accompanied by a step of transporting said articles to be printed for printing, printing, assembling, and loading by interconnecting respective means for supplying articles for printing, means for printing, means for assembling, and means for loading; and

controlling by a production supervising computer the steps for supplying the articles for printing, printing, assembling means, loading and transporting;

wherein the printing patterns printed on said articles for printing are automatically switched based upon a production supervising signal outputted by said production supervising computer;

wherein said printing is accompanied by a step of reading out a printing pattern of a color printing original to be printed on the articles to be printed;

wherein the articles to be printed are printed based upon picture information signals read out by reading out step; and

wherein said printing step is accompanied by a step of moving the position of the color printing original set during said reading out step.

2. The carton processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transporting step has a step for controlling by a supply controller the supply rate of the articles to be printed, and wherein said supply controller synchronizes the printing speed of printing on the articles to be printed during said printing step with the supply rate of supplying the articles to be printed to said printing means.

3. The carton processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a coating step for applying a printing protective agent on printing surfaces of the printed articles.

4. A method for processing a carton housing articles to be housed from articles to be printed, comprising the steps of:

supplying articles to be printed, wherein the articles to be printed are provided in a pre-set shape and have folding lines formed in pre-set portions, wherein the articles to be printed are adapted to be folded along the folding lines to assemble the articles to be printed into a carton for storing articles to be housed;

printing a printing pattern and a name and quantity of the articles to be housed on said articles to be printed to form printed articles;

assembling the printed articles into cartons; and

storing articles to be housed within the cartons.

5. The carton processing method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said printing step prints the printing pattern at a pre-set distance from the folding lines.

6. The carton processing method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said printing step includes a sub-step of printing a common printing pattern portion on the articles to be printed and a sub-step of separately printing non-common, different printing patterns on the articles to be printed on which the common printing pattern has been previously printed.

7. A method for processing a carton comprising the steps of:

supplying articles to be printed, wherein the articles to be printed are provided in a pre-set shape and have folding lines formed in pre-set portions;

assembling the articles to be printed into a carton by folding the articles to be printed along the folding lines;

accommodating articles to be housed within the carton; and

printing a printing pattern and contents of the carton on an outer surface of the carton, wherein printing the contents includes printing the name and quantity of the articles to be housed.

8. The carton processing method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said printing step includes a sub-step of printing a common printing pattern portion on the carton and a sub-step of separately printing non-common, different printing patterns on the carton on which the common printing pattern has been previously printed.