System and method for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape

• US 9,298,706 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westrock Box On Demand LLC
• Original Assignee: Plymouth Packaging Inc. (WestRock Company)
• Inventors: Magnell, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US13/780,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20130221088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/00 Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 50/006 Controlling; Regulating; Measuring; Improving safety
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 2210/04 Customised on demand packaging by determining a specific characteristic, e.g. shape or height, of articles or material to be packaged and selecting, creating or adapting a packaging accordingly, e.g. making a carton starting from web material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor

Abstract

A system and method for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape includes physical measurement apparatus having two or more mutually orthogonal surfaces, each surface including a plurality of computer-readable codes representing distances to one of the other surfaces. At least one object is placed or transferred into apparatus so as to contact as many of the surfaces as possible. The codes are read on each surface to determine the greatest physical extent of the object in multiple dimensions, and the dimensions are delivered to a carton making machine to construct a custom carton to accommodate the object in the multiple dimensions. The physical measurement apparatus preferably includes a primary horizontal surface and two upstanding vertical surfaces, and the computer-readable codes are scannable bar codes arranged as matrices on each surface.

Claims

1. A system for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape, comprising:

physical measurement apparatus having a primary horizontal surface and a first vertical surface at an angle to the primary surface creating a first inside edge into which at least one object is positioned for measurement;

each of the primary and first vertical surfaces including a two-dimensional matrix of computer-readable codes, each two-dimensional matrix including a plurality of computer-readable codes arranged along different axes, each code representing a distance from the first inside edge;

a reader for reading the computer-readable codes associated with the greatest physical extent of the object in two dimensions, one of the dimensions being parallel to the horizontal surface and the other dimension being parallel to the first vertical surface; and

a processor executing a software program operative to receive the codes from the reader and output instructions to a carton making machine to construct a custom carton to accommodate at least the two dimensions of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the physical measurement apparatus includes a second vertical surface at an angle to both the primary surface and the first vertical surface, thereby creating a second inside edge and an inside corner into which at least one object is placed;

the second vertical surface including a plurality of computer-readable codes enabling the reader to determine the greatest physical extent of the object in a third dimension from the second inside edge parallel to the second vertical surface; and

the processor is further operative to receive the encoded distances from the reader and output instructions to a carton making machine to construct a three-dimensional custom carton to accommodate the object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable codes are bar codes, and the reader is a bar-code scanner.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable codes are bar codes, and the reader is a bar-code scanner.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of codes are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix on each surface, each matrix including a plurality of computer-readable codes arranged along different axes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary and first vertical surfaces are orthogonal to one another.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the all of the surfaces are mutually orthogonal.

8. The system of claim 1, further including computer-readable control codes to CANCEL, REPEAT, or SEND the instructions to the carton-making machine.

9. A system for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape, comprising:

physical measurement apparatus having a primary horizontal surface and first and second vertical surfaces extending upwardly from the primary surfaces, all of the surfaces being mutually orthogonal, thereby creating an inside corner into which at least one object is positioned for measurement;

each surface including a two-dimensional matrix of computer-readable codes, each two-dimensional matrix including a plurality of computer-readable codes arranged along different axes, each code encoding a distance to one of the edges;

a reader for reading the computer-readable codes; and

a processor executing a software program operative to receive the encoded distances from the reader and output instructions to a carton making machine to construct a three-dimensional custom carton to accommodate the object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable codes are bar codes, and the reader is a bar-code scanner.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the codes are arranged in a matrix on each surface.

12. The system of claim 9, further including computer-readable control codes to CANCEL, REPEAT, or SEND the instructions to the carton-making machine.

13. A method of fabricating a custom box for objects of random size or shape, comprising the steps of:

providing a physical measurement apparatus having two or more mutually orthogonal surfaces, each surface including a two-dimensional matrix of computer-readable codes representing distances to one of the other surfaces, each two-dimensional matrix including a plurality of computer-readable codes arranged along different axes;

placing at least one object into apparatus so as to contact as many of the surfaces as possible;

reading the codes on each surface to determine the greatest physical extent of the object in multiple dimensions; and

providing the dimensions to a carton making machine to construct a custom carton to accommodate the object in the multiple dimensions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical measurement apparatus includes a primary horizontal surface and two upstanding vertical surfaces.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable codes are scannable bar codes.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable codes are arranged in matrices on each surface.