Packaging object supplying apparatus, box body supplying apparatus, boxing apparatus, packaging system and packaging method

A boxing apparatus, wherein a box body having folding portions, which are developed to form a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped structure, and having an opening portion and a flap portion for forming a lid portion for covering the opening portion at each of both ends thereof is constructed from a folded state so as to form the opening portions, with the box body having the opening portions held such that one of the opening portions faces upward while the other one faces downward, a packaging object is loaded into a main body of the box body through one of the opening portions and the flap portions are constructed to form the lid portion so that the packaging object is packaged in the box body,

• the boxing apparatus comprising foldable box body supplying means, opening forming means, box body holding means, packaging object loading means, and lid forming means, wherein:
• the foldable box body supplying means accommodates the box body in a folded state and supplies the accommodated box body to the box body holding means one by one;
• the opening forming means constructs the box body supplied by the foldable box body supplying means to the box body holding means from the folded state to form the opening portions;
• the box body holding means holds the foldable box body having the opening portions formed, with one of the opening portions facing upward while the other one faces downward;
• and
• the packaging object loading means loads the packaging object through an opening portion of the box body held by the box body supplying means;
• and
• the lid forming means folds the flap portions of the foldable box body after the packaging object is loaded by the packaging object loading means, so as to form the lid for covering the opening portion.

A box body supplying apparatus for supplying a box body to a boxing apparatus, wherein a box body having folding portions, which are developed to form a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped structure, and having an opening portion and flap portions for forming a lid portion for covering the opening portion at each of both ends thereof is constructed from a folded state so as to form the opening portions, with the box body having the opening portions held such that one of the opening portions faces upward while the other one faces downward, a packaging object is loaded into a main body of the box body through one of the opening portions, and the flap portions are constructed to form the lid body so that the packaging object is packaged in the box body,

• the box body supplying apparatus comprising a foldable box body accommodating portion which accommodates the box body in a folded state and has at an end thereof a box body pickup port for picking up the accommodated box body, and a box body supplying portion for supplying a box body accommodated in the foldable box body accommodating portion to the boxing apparatus one by one,
• the box body supplying portion comprising:
• box body holding means for holding the box body, the box body holding means being capable of approaching/leaving the box body pickup port and the boxing apparatus;
• and
• box body moving means for moving the box body holding means between a box body pickup position for picking up the box body from the box body pickup port and a box body loading position at which the picked up box body is loaded on the boxing apparatus.

A packaging system comprising:

• a small box package forming portion for forming a small box package in which one or multiple packaging objects is/are accommodated in a small box;
• an assembly forming portion for forming a small box assembly by assembling according to an assembly pattern indicating the presence/absence, position and size of a header of the small box package and the size of the small box package;
• and
• an exterior packaging forming portion for forming an exterior packaging by loading the small box assembly into an exterior packaging box according to a predetermined loading pattern set depending on the assembly pattern.

A packaging system comprising:

• a packaging object manufacturing portion for manufacturing a packaging object;
• and
• a packaging portion for packaging the packaging object manufactured by the packaging object manufacturing portion in a predetermined fashion,
• wherein the packaging object manufactured by the packaging object manufacturing portion is packaged by the packaging portion without being deposited between being manufactured and being packaged.

A packaging method comprising:

• a packaging object manufacturing process for manufacturing a packaging object;
• and
• a packaging process for packaging the packaging object manufactured by the packaging object manufacturing process in a predetermined fashion,
• wherein the packaging object manufactured by the packaging object manufacturing process is packaged in the packaging process without being deposited between being manufactured and being packaged.