Carton blank and boxing device and flap folding method

Abstract

To provide a carton blank in which a flap of the carton blank for a pillow box carton can be finely folded.CONSTITUTION: A carton blank 10 for a pillow box carton has an upper surface part 13 and a lower surface part 14 constituting a trunk part 12 for storing a product, and a first surface part and a second surface part overlap and connect to each other by both of side edges in a folded state, and are curved in a width direction in a state of being raised. Upper side flaps 15 are provided at both ends of the upper surface part 13, and lower side flaps 16 are provided at both ends of the lower surface part. Boundaries between the upper surface part and first flaps and boundaries between the lower surface part and the lower side flaps are formed into curved shapes. Each of the upper side flaps and the lower side flaps is provided with four third folding guide parts 23 that extend radially. By folding along the third folding guide parts at folding process of the flaps, occurrence of a damage by being bent in an unexpected direction is prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to carton blanks, a packing machine, and a flap folding method. [Background technology]

[0002] There are a wide variety of boxes for storing products, one of which is the pillow box carton (sometimes called a "pillow case"). As shown in Figure 1(a), this pillow box carton 1 has a body 2 for storing products, with the side edges of an upper surface 3 and a lower surface 4 connected to each other, and both ends of the upper surface 3 and the lower surface 4 that are not connected being open. The fold line 7 that defines the boundary of the connection between the upper surface 3 and both ends of the upper surface 3 on the open side and the lower flaps 6 that are connected to both ends of the lower surface 4 on the open side are curved, and when the box is assembled, the surface of the box curves to match the curves, and the center of the width becomes pillow-like with the top and bottom bulging out.

[0003] Fig. 1(b) is an exploded view of the pillow box carton 1, and in the illustrated example, an adhesive strip 8 is provided on one side edge of the upper surface portion 3. Then, the side edge at the boundary between the upper surface portion 3 and the lower surface portion 4 is folded and the adhesive strip 8 is attached to the lower surface portion 4, thereby forming a folded carton blank 9 shown in Fig. 1(c). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5252192 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional carton blanks 9, if the curvature of the base end of the flap where it curves is small, unintended creases (scratches) may appear on the flap when it is folded, or the corners of the carton may peel off. In particular, when the flaps are folded by machine in an automated process, the flap is bent somewhere and scratched. The location and direction of the scratches are not fixed, so depending on how they occur, the product may be defective. In particular, when folding the front side, scratches are easily formed because the surface is already curved, and scratches are noticeable from the outside, which is not desirable.

[0006] The above-mentioned problems are described as being independent of each other, and the present invention does not necessarily have to solve all of the problems described, but it is sufficient if it can solve at least one of the problems. Furthermore, we intend to obtain rights to the configurations for solving these problems separately through divisional applications, amendments, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the carton blank of the present invention has (1) a first surface portion and a second surface portion that constitute a body portion for storing a product, and the first surface portion and the second surface portion overlap at least partially when folded, and both side edges are connected directly or via side portions, and are curved in the width direction when raised, and has first flaps on both unconnected ends of the first surface portion and second flaps on both unconnected ends of the second surface portion, and the boundary between the first surface portion and the first flap and the boundary between the second surface portion and the second flap are curved, and the first flap is folded after the second flap, and at least one of the first flaps may be provided with multiple radially extending folding guide portions.

[0008] In this way, when the first flap is folded, it bends along the radially arranged folding guides, preventing it from folding in an unintended location. The first flap is folded after the second flap is folded, and is positioned on the front side of the carton, so scratches on it are noticeable from the outside, but this prevents such an occurrence.

[0009] In this embodiment, the first surface corresponds to the upper surface 13. In this embodiment, the second surface corresponds to the lower surface 14. In this embodiment, the first flap corresponds to the upper flap 15. In this embodiment, the second flap corresponds to the lower flap 16. Note that the above correspondences are just examples, and they may be reversed, and the orientation when making the carton is not limited to up and down.

[0010] (2) The outer peripheral edge of the first flap is arc-shaped, and the folding guide portion is configured to extend radially from the center of the arc-shaped circle, and the folding guide portion is preferably arranged in line symmetry with respect to the center line of the width direction of the first flap.

[0011] In this way, the first flap can be guided to bend neatly along the boundary, and the bending and deformation in the width direction is performed symmetrically.

[0012] (3) The bending guide portion may have a groove extending linearly. This allows the bending guide portion to be easily formed by press working or the like, and also allows the bending to be performed neatly along the linear direction.

[0013] (4) The second flap may be provided with a plurality of radially extending folding guide portions, which can minimize the risk of the second flap being folded first at an unexpected location and causing damage.

[0014] (5) The packing device of the present invention is a packing device that stores the product in a carton blank described in any one of (1) to (4), and includes a carton opening device that opens the folded carton blank, a product supplying device that supplies the product into the body portion from the opened portion of the carton blank, a second flap folding device that folds the second flap from the boundary portion with the second surface portion, and a first flap folding device that folds the first flap from the boundary portion with the first surface portion, and the first flap folding device is preferably configured to start pressing from a portion shifted toward one end from the center of the width of the first flap.

[0015] In this way, the bending of the first flap starts from one end in the width direction, so the curvature of the bending portion in the width direction becomes smaller and the bending can be performed more gently. This allows the first flap to be folded without damaging it even if the curvature of the boundary between the first flap and the first surface portion is greater.

[0016] (6) The first flap folding device includes a pusher member that contacts the first flap and can be biased to fold it from the boundary with the first surface portion, and the first surface of the pusher member facing the first flap has a curved surface with a different amount of protrusion along the width direction of the first flap, and the curved surface is formed so that the portion shifted from the center of the width direction of the first flap toward one end side protrudes the most and the portion shifted toward the other end side protrudes the least, and the front surface of the pusher member has a curved shape that corresponds to the curve of the boundary between the first flap and the first surface portion, and the device includes means for moving the pusher member in a direction toward and away from the opposing first flap and means for moving the pusher member back and forth toward the carton blank.

[0017] In this way, the pusher member is moved forward toward the first flap to push the open end of the first flap from one side in the width direction and fold it from the boundary portion, and the pusher member is moved forward toward the carton blank to further push the first flap folded by the front surface of the pusher member toward the body portion. This allows the first flap to be folded neatly along the curve of the boundary portion. In addition, the first flap can be pressed against the second flap that was folded earlier.

[0018] (7) The flap folding method of the present invention is a method for folding the first flap of the carton blank described in (2), wherein the first flap has at least four folding guide portions, and the first flap is biased in a folding direction at the boundary portion of the first surface portion, and the bias causes at least one of the folding guide portions to form a mountain fold in the opposite direction to the biasing direction, and the flap folding method of the present invention has a second step of further biasing the first flap in the folding direction from the first step, thereby turning the mountain fold of the folding guide portion into a valley fold.

[0019] In this way, the first flap has a beautiful curved surface with the center recessed toward the back as a whole.

[0020] Furthermore, the configurations shown in (1) to (7) above can be configured by combining them as appropriate, and based on such combined configurations, it is advisable to combine the components described in the embodiments and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, for example, the flaps of carton blanks for pillow box cartons can be neatly folded. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional pillow box carton. [Figure 2]1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an embodiment of a carton blank according to the present invention, in which (a) is a developed view thereof, and (b) is a plan view showing an embodiment of a folded carton blank 10. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram illustrating a third bending guide portion 23. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a packing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a transport device 31. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a carton opening device. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the process of folding the upper flap 15 and the lower flap 16. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the block member 52 and the carton blank, particularly the upper flap 15, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 9] 10 is a side view illustrating the relationship between the block member 52 and the carton blank, particularly the upper flap 15. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a block member 52. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing a state of the upper flap 15 when folding has begun at the block member 52. FIG. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a packed pillow box carton 11, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a block member 55. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing a state of the upper flap 15 when folding has begun at the block member 55. FIG. [Figure 17] 1(a) is a diagram showing the folded state of the upper flap 15 in the folding process using the block member 52, and FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing the folded state of the upper flap 15 in the folding process using the block member 55. FIG. [Figure 18]10A and 10B show another embodiment of a carton blank. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B show another embodiment of a carton blank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0024] 2 and 3 show a preferred embodiment of the carton blank according to the present invention. The carton blank 10 of this embodiment is in a folded state before being formed into a substantially pillow-shaped pillow box carton 11, and the pillow box carton 11 is formed by box-making this carton blank 10.

[0025] FIG. 2(a) is an exploded view of carton blank 10, in which one long side of upper surface portion 13 and one long side of lower surface portion 14 that make up body portion 12 that stores the product are connected, and a glue tab 18 is provided continuously on the other long side of the upper surface portion 13 on the unconnected side. An adhesive 19 such as hot melt is applied to the surface side of glue tab 18. The long sides of upper surface portion 13 and lower surface portion 14 are formed in a straight line. The short sides of upper surface portion 13 and lower surface portion 14 are formed in an arc shape that is concave toward the center in the longitudinal direction. The curvature of both arc-shaped short sides of upper surface portion 13 and both arc-shaped short sides of lower surface portion 14 are equal.

[0026] Additionally, upper flaps 15 are arranged so as to be connected to a pair of short sides of the top surface portion 13, respectively. In the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2(a), the top surface portion 13 and the upper flaps 15 are flat sheets located on the same plane. The boundary at the connection between the upper flaps 15 and the top surface portion 13 is arc-shaped, matching the shape of the short sides of the top surface portion 13, and this boundary portion is provided with a first folding guide portion 21 that guides folding. The first folding guide portion 21 at the boundary portion is the base end side of the folding of the upper flap 15. Additionally, the open end side of the upper flap 15 (opposite the connection portion with the top surface portion 13) is formed in an arc-shaped shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to an imaginary line connecting the ends of the pair of long pieces of the top surface portion 13 on the same side. As a result, the planar shape of the top surface portion 13 is leaf-shaped.

[0027] As will be described later, when the upper flap 15 is urged downward, it bends along the first folding guide portion 21, and the upper flap 15 falls downward to close the opening of the body portion 12. Furthermore, because the first folding guide portion 21 is formed in an arc shape, the base end side of the upper flap 15 becomes arc-shaped along the first folding guide portion 21. Accordingly, the folded upper flap 15 has a curved surface.

[0028] Furthermore, one of the upper flaps 15 has a protruding piece 17 that protrudes outward from the widthwise center of the open end of the flap. A circular hole 17a is formed in this protruding piece 17. This protruding piece 17 is used when hanging and displaying products in a store or the like.

[0029] The lower flaps 16 are arranged so as to be connected to a pair of short sides of the lower surface portion 14, respectively. In the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2(a), the lower surface portion 14 and the lower flaps 16 are flat sheets located on the same plane. The boundary where the lower flaps 16 and the lower surface portion 14 connect is an arc-shaped portion corresponding to the short sides of the lower surface portion 14, and this boundary portion is provided with a second folding guide portion 22 that guides folding. The second folding guide portion 22, which is the boundary portion, is the base end side of the folding of the lower flap 16. The open end side of the lower flap 16 (opposite the connection portion with the lower surface portion 14) is formed in an arc-shaped portion that is line-symmetrical with respect to an imaginary line connecting the ends of the pair of long pieces of the lower surface portion 14 on the same side. As a result, the planar shape of the lower surface portion 14 is leaf-shaped.

[0030] As will be described later, when the lower flap 16 is urged upward, it bends along the second folding guide portion 22, and the lower flap 16 rises downward to close the opening of the body portion 12. Furthermore, because the second folding guide portion 22 is formed in an arc shape, the base end side of the lower flap 16 becomes arc-shaped along the second folding guide portion 22. Accordingly, the folded lower flap 16 has a curved surface.

[0031] A substantially semicircular cutout 16a is formed in the widthwise central portion of the open end of the lower flap 16. This cutout 16a is large enough for a user to insert a finger. The user inserts their finger into this cutout 16a and uses it to open the opening of the pillow box carton 11 by folding down the folded lower flap 16.

[0032] In this embodiment, the upper flap 15 and the lower flap 16 are provided with a plurality of third folding guide portions 23 that extend radially from the base end side of each flap toward the open end side. In this embodiment, four third folding guide portions 23 are provided for each flap. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the four third folding guide portions 23 extend radially from a center point O of the arc on the open end side, that is, the layout is such that extension lines of the four third folding guide portions 23 intersect at the center point O.

[0033] As shown enlarged in Figure 3(b), the third folding guide portion 23 is formed so that the outer surface is concave and the inner surface is convex. The entire surface has linear grooves on the outer surface and linear protrusions on the inner surface. When pressurized, the third folding guide portion 23 becomes more flexible than other portions and bends more easily. When a vertical biasing force is applied to the flap, it bends neatly along the linear grooves and linear protrusions.

[0034] Furthermore, the upper surface portion 13, the lower surface portion 14, the upper flap 15, the lower flap 16, and the protruding piece portion 17 may be integrally formed by punching, for example, a single sheet of paper material. During this punching process, the third folding guide portion 23 may be formed by pressing.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the first folding guide portion 21 and the second folding guide portion 22 also have arc-shaped grooves and protrusions formed by press working, similar to the third folding guide portion 23. Furthermore, it is preferable that the connecting portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14, the connecting portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the adhesive strip 18, and the connecting portion between the upper flap 15 and the protruding piece portion 17 also have linearly extending grooves and protrusions formed by press working, similar to the third folding guide portion 23.

[0036] 2(a) formed by punching or the like, the joint portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 is folded in a mountain fold to bring the inner surfaces of the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 into contact or close to each other, and the joint portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the adhesive tab 18 is folded in a mountain fold to bring the adhesive tab 18 into contact with the inner surface of the lower surface portion 14, and the lower surface portion 14 and the adhesive tab 18 are bonded together using adhesive 19 that has been applied to a predetermined portion of the adhesive tab 18. This completes the folded carton blank 10 as shown in FIG. 2(b). In the state of the carton blank 10, the upper flap 15 and the lower flap 16 are in contact with each other while facing each other, and the protruding portion 17 is located on the same plane as the upper flap 15.

[0037] The carton blanks 10 having such a configuration are folded at appropriate positions using a boxing device 30, for example, as shown in Figure 4, to form a pillow box carton in which the body portion 12 has a pillow-like shape with the center side in the width direction bulging upward and downward, and the product is stored inside the body portion 12.

[0038] The packing device 30 includes a carton stocker (not shown) that temporarily stores folded carton blanks 10 in a stacked state, a conveying device 31 that transports the carton blanks 10 removed from the carton stocker, a carton supplying device 35 that removes the carton blanks 10 from the carton stocker one by one starting from the front and supplies them to the conveying device 31 located below, and various devices that perform various processes on the carton blanks 10 during transport along the conveying direction of the conveying device 31.

[0039] The various devices arranged along this conveying direction include, in order along the conveying direction, a carton opening device 32 that opens the folded carton blanks 10, a product supply device (not shown) that supplies products into the carton blanks 10, a lower flap raising device 33 that folds the lower flaps 16 at the second folding guide section 22 on the base end side to stand them up, and an upper flap lowering device 34 that folds the upper flaps 15 downward at the first folding guide section 21 to lower them. By these devices, the openings on both sides of the pillow box carton 11 containing the products are closed by the upper flaps 15 and lower flaps 16, and the product is then boxed.

[0040] The conveying device 31 conveys the carton blanks 10 opened into a cylindrical shape by the carton opening device 32 in a horizontal position, i.e., with the openings at both longitudinal ends positioned on the left and right. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the conveying device 31 is structured to include a plurality of sprockets (not shown) on both the left and right sides of the conveying direction, at the front and rear ends in the conveying direction and at predetermined positions, an endless chain 42 stretched over the sprockets, and front fingers 43 and rear fingers 44 attached to the endless chain 42 at a predetermined pitch. The distance between the pair of front fingers 43 and rear fingers 44 is set to a length corresponding to the width of the carton blanks 10 opened by the carton opening device 32. The pair of front fingers 43 and rear fingers 44 holds and conveys the body portion 12 of the carton blank 10 by sandwiching it from the front and rear in the conveying direction.

[0041] The carton supply device 35 includes a first suction cup 45 disposed via an attachment member at the tip end of an arm member (not shown). The first suction cup 45 reciprocates between a first position where it faces and holds by suction the leading carton blank 10 in the carton stocker and a second position where the suction surface of the first suction cup 45 faces downward at the supply position of the conveyor device 31, by movement of the arm member and the attachment member. As a result, the first suction cup 45 applies suction while in the first position to hold one carton blank 10 by suction. Furthermore, the carton supply device 35 transitions the first suction cup 45 to the second position in this state. As a result, the carton blank 10 held by the first suction cup 45 waits in a horizontal position at the supply position of the conveyor device 31.

[0042] The carton opening device 32 is equipped with second suction cups 46 that suction the underside 14 of the carton blank 10 that has been sucked by the first suction cups 45 in the second position (see FIG. 6, etc.). The second suction cups 46 are attached to the upper surface of a movable base member 47. The movable base member 47 is disposed in the horizontal center of the conveying device 31, extending from the upstream side to the downstream side, and is driven by a drive device (e.g., a servo motor, etc.) (not shown) to move up and down. As the movable base member 47 moves up and down, the second suction cups 46 also move up and down together with it. When the second suction cups 46 reach the raised position, the suction surface at the upper end of the second suction cup 46 comes into contact with the underside 14 of the carton blank 10 and sucks and holds it. This second suction cup portion 46 moves downward while suction-holding the lower surface portion 14 and separates from the first suction cup portion 45, causing the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 of the carton blank 10 to separate at the center portions in the width direction, opening up and down (see Figure 6).

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pair of gripping claw members 48 are provided on the upper surface of the movable base member 47 to sandwich a pair of long sides of the body portion 12 of the carton blank 10. These gripping claw members 48 rotate forward and backward within a predetermined angular range, have V-shaped gripping portions 48a on the opposing surfaces of their tips, and receive power from a drive source (not shown) to transition between an upright position shown by the solid lines in Fig. 6 and a reclined standby position shown by the dotted lines. For example, a cylinder may be provided on the underside of the movable base member 47, and the reciprocating motion of the cylinder rod may be transmitted via a power transmission mechanism such as a link mechanism or gears to cause the gripping claw members 48 on both sides to stand up and reclining, thereby performing opening and closing operations.

[0044] Then, in synchronization with the timing at which the first suction cup portion 45 and the second suction cup portion 46 open, a pair of gripping claw members 48 rise up and are controlled to clamp a pair of long sides of the body portion 12 of the carton blank 10.

[0045] Furthermore, in the upright position, the distance between the pair of gripping portions 48a is shorter than the distance between the notches 43a, 44a of the front finger 43 and the rear finger 44. As a result, the carton blank 10, which has been pulled relatively up and down by the first suction cup portion 45 and the second suction cup portion 46 and opened, is gripped by the pair of gripping claw members 48 at a distance narrower than the distance between the front finger 43 and the rear finger 44 of the conveying device 31, and the width of the body portion 12 of the opened carton blank 10 is made shorter than the distance between the front finger 43 and the rear finger 44. After the carton blank 10 is sandwiched between the pair of gripping claw members 48, the suction of the first suction cup portion 45 is released, and the arm member is preferably controlled to return to the first position.

[0046] Next, the movable base member 47 is moved downward, and the long sides (side edges) of the body portion 12 of the carton blank 10 opened by the pair of gripping claw members 48 are controlled so that their height is aligned with the deepest parts of the notches 43a, 44a of the front and rear fingers 43, 44. The gripping claw members 48 are then lowered to release the grip. Accordingly, the carton blank 10 attempts to return to its original flat position due to its restoring force, and the distance between the long sides, i.e., the width of the carton blank 10, increases, and each long side (side edge) comes into contact with the notches 43a, 44a of the front and rear fingers 43, 44. At the same time, the suction of the second suction cup members 46 is also released. The carton blank 10 is then delivered to the conveyor device 31. Then, the movable base member 47 is further lowered to a position where the second suction cup portion 46 does not come into contact with the carton blank 10, and then, in accordance with the intermittent operation of the conveying device 31, the carton blank 10 is intermittently conveyed in a position in which the body portion 12 expands up and down and the left and right openings are open.

[0047] The lower flap raising device 33 includes a flat plate-like member 51 whose leading edge has a curved shape corresponding to the curve of the second folding guide section 22, and is configured so that the flat plate-like member 51 moves up and down by being driven, for example, by a cylinder or the like, so that the flat plate-like member 51 comes into contact with and lifts the lower flap 16. The leading edge of the flat plate-like member 51 is configured to come into contact with and lift the lower flap 16 at a position slightly away from the second folding guide section 22, rather than in close proximity to it. The flat plate-like member 51 may be configured to move upward in a straight line, or may be configured to gradually move closer to the body section 12 of the carton blank 10 by a link mechanism or the like.

[0048] 7(a) and 7(b), as the flat plate-like member 51 moves upward, the open end of the lower flap 16 is raised by the leading edge of the flat plate-like member, and ultimately the lower flap 16 stands up at 90 degrees. At this time, the connection portion with the lower undersurface portion 14 on the lower side curves along the second folding guide portion 22, and the lower flap 16 that stands up also becomes a curved surface with the widthwise central portion thereof lowered toward the rear.

[0049] Furthermore, the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 are sandwiched between the front fingers 43 and the rear fingers 44 and curved in the width direction (front-to-back along the conveying direction), and accordingly, the lower flap 16 is also curved in the width direction in a downwardly convex manner, just like the lower surface portion 14. Therefore, the flat plate-like member 51 moving upward first comes into contact with the central portion of the width direction of the lower flap 16, i.e., between the two central third folding guide portions 23, and urges the contacted portion upward. In response to this upward urging force, the central portion of the connection between the downwardly convexly curved lower flap 16 and the lower surface portion 14 is lifted and deformed to a horizontal or nearly horizontal state, making it easier to fold along the second folding guide portions 22 and allowing the lower flap 16 to stand up smoothly.

[0050] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the upper flap folding device 34 has a thick block member 52 whose front surface 52a has a curved shape that corresponds to the curve of the first bending guide section 21, and this block member 52 is configured to come into contact with the upper flap 15 and press it down when it is driven, for example, by a cylinder or the like, to move down.

[0051] The lower surface 52b of the block member 52 is formed as a curved surface that is convex downward at the center in the width direction. The lowest end portion of the lower surface 52b is configured to face the center portion of the upper flap 15 in the width direction (the direction of the short side of the upper surface portion 13). As a result, as shown in FIG. 11(a), when the block member 52 moves downward, the lowest end portion in the middle of the lower surface 52b first contacts the center portion of the upper flap 15, i.e., between the two central third folding guide portions 23 of the four third folding guide portions 23, and urges this contact portion downward. When the block member 52 further moves downward in this state, the contact area of the lower surface 52b of the block member 52 with the upper flap 15 increases, and the open end side of the upper flap 15 descends, centering on the base end side. Then, as the block member 52 moves further downward, the front edge of the lower surface 52b of the block member 52 presses the upper flap 15, folding the upper flap 15 along the first folding guide portion 21 (see Figures 11(b) and 7(c)).

[0052] When folding the upper flap 15, the lower flap 16 is raised by the lower flap raising device 33 in the previous process, and the outer peripheral edge of the open end of the lower flap 16 is located near the boundary between the upper flap 15 and the upper surface portion 13. As a result, when the block member 52 moves downward and urges the upper flap 15 downward, unlike when the lower flap 16 is raised, the raised lower flap 16 supports the curved connection portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the upper flap 15, preventing the connection portion and the upper flap 15 from becoming flat. Therefore, the upper flap 15 is bent along the base end side (connection portion: first folding guide portion 21) while maintaining the curved connection portion, making it difficult to fold, and there is a possibility that it will be folded in an unexpected position.

[0053] In this embodiment, the upper flap 15 is provided with a third folding guide portion 23 that is easier to bend than other portions thereof, and therefore the upper flap 15 bends along the third folding guide portion 23. The folding position is known in advance, and in this example, it is linear, so it does not spoil the appearance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the upper flap 15 from bending in an unexpected direction, such as diagonally, and causing scratches.

[0054] Then, as in this embodiment, when folding begins from the central portion of the upper flap 15 in the width direction, the two central third folding guide portions 23 become valley folds and the two outer third folding guide portions 23 become mountain folds (see FIG. 12). Furthermore, when the upper flap 15 is further folded downward, the two outer third folding guide portions 23 that were once mountain folds also become valley folds, and finally the upper flap 15, which is bent downward based on the first folding guide portion 21 on the base end side, has an overall curved surface with the center recessed toward the back.

[0055] Furthermore, the upper flap folding device 34 of this embodiment is provided with a drive source (for example, a cylinder other than the above-mentioned lifting cylinder) that moves the block member 52 forward and backward toward the carton blank 10, and it is preferable to control the block member 52 to move forward toward the carton blank 10 when or before it reaches the lowered position.

[0056] As a result, the front surface 52a of the block member 52 comes into contact with the upper flap 15 folded downward, and pushes it toward the body portion 12 of the carton blank 10. The front surface 52a is a surface that is curved in the width direction with the center protruding forward, and since this curved surface is shaped to follow the first folding guide portion 21, the upper flap 15 also has a curved surface that follows the first folding guide portion 21. In addition, since the front surface 52a comes into contact with the lower flap 16 located behind it, the upper flap 15 and the lower flap 16 can be bonded together with an adhesive such as hot melt applied at an appropriate timing.

[0057] Furthermore, although not shown, the upper flap folding device 34 that folds the upper flap 15 on the side having the protrusion 17 may be provided with a guide plate or the like below the direction of movement of the block member 52 for folding the protrusion 17 outward. As a result, when the upper flap 15 is biased downward by the block member 52 and bent downward, the protrusion 17 provided on the open end side also faces downward, but can be bent outward by coming into contact with a guide plate or the like arranged below.

[0058] This forms a pillow box carton 11 as shown in Figure 13. This pillow box carton 11 has products housed within a body portion 12 that bulges out vertically in the width direction, completing the boxing process.

[0059] In this embodiment, since the third folding guide portion 23 is provided on the lower flap 16, even if a bending force is applied in an unexpected direction when, for example, the lower flap raising device 33 lifts the open end side of the lower flap 16 and performs the folding process, the flap can be folded neatly because it is folded in a straight line at the third folding guide portion 23, just like the folding process of the upper flap 15 described above.

[0060] 14 shows a block member 55 used in the upper flap knocking down device 34, which is a key part of the packing device according to the present invention. This block member 55 is similar to the block member 52 in that the lower surface 55b is a downwardly convex curved surface, but the position of its lowest point is shifted to one side in the left-right direction. The front surface 55a has a curved shape that corresponds to the curve of the first folding guide section 21. The upper flap knocking down device 34 is equipped with a drive mechanism (e.g., a cylinder) that raises and lowers the block member 55 and moves it back and forth toward the carton blanks 10.

[0061] In this way, as shown in Figures 15(a-1) and (b-1), the carton blank 10 is intermittently transported by the transport device and stopped at the position of the upper flap folding device 34, with the lower flap 16 lifted to close the opening of the carton blank 10, and the upper flap 15 positioned on the same plane as the top surface and below the block member 55.

[0062] Next, when the block member 55 is moved downward by a drive mechanism that raises and lowers the block member 55, such as a first cylinder, the lower surface 55b of the block member 55 comes into contact with the upper flap 15 and urges the contact area downward, as shown in Figures 15(a-2) and 15(b-2). At this time, because the lowest end position of the lower surface 55b of the block member 55 is shifted toward the edge rather than the center, the upper flap 15 first comes into contact with the block member 55 at a position closer to the edge than the center, and is pushed downward.

[0063] 16, for example, the two third folding guide portions 23 on the side that comes into contact with the lower surface 55b are folded in a valley shape, and the two third folding guide portions 23 on the opposite side are left as is or folded in a mountain shape. In this case, too, the folding positions are the radial portions where the third folding guide portions 23 are provided, making it possible to prevent the folding positions from being damaged due to folding in unexpected positions.

[0064] 15(a-3) and 15(b-3), when the lower surface 55b of the block member 55 is positioned below the open end of the upper flap 15, the upper flap 15 is bent downward by 90 degrees with respect to the first folding guide portion 21, and the upper flap 15 assumes a curved surface with the central portion in the width direction pointing backward. Also, when the block member 55 moves forward toward the carton blank 10 at an appropriate timing during this descent, the upper flap 15 is pushed by the front surface 55a of the block member 55, resulting in a beautiful curved surface.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 17, when the central portion of the upper flap 15 in the width direction is biased downward, the upper flap 15 is initially deformed into a roughly M-shaped "peak-valley-peak" shape, and the curvature of the three peaks becomes large. In contrast, as in this embodiment, when the end of the upper flap 15 is pressed, the upper flap 15 is initially deformed into, for example, a sine wave "valley-peak" shape, and the peaks become two, and the curvature of each peak becomes smaller. This makes it less likely to cause scratches. Therefore, this method is particularly suitable for carton blanks in which the curvature of the body portion 12 is not large.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, four third folding guide portions 23 are provided on each flap, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of portions provided can be any number, such as six as shown in Figure 18(a).

[0067] Furthermore, the carton blank 10 may take various forms. For example, as shown in Figure 18(b), a hanging protrusion 17 may be provided within the upper flap 15. In this case, a cut line 20 is provided in the upper flap 15 from the open end side to the base end side, and only the upper flap 15 is folded, with the protrusion 17 remaining flush with the top surface 13. In this example, the third folding guide 23 is not provided on the upper flap 15 provided with the protrusion 17, and the third folding guide 23 is provided on the upper flap 15 without the protrusion 17.

[0068] Although not shown, the configuration may be such that the protruding piece 17 is not provided. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the upper flap 15 and the lower flap 16 are bonded and fixed using the adhesive 19, but instead of using adhesive, the upper flap 15 may be prevented from opening by using another fixing member such as adhesive tape, or further, such a fixing member may not be provided and the upper flap 15 may be left free in a folded state.

[0069] Furthermore, the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 that make up the body portion 12 are not limited to a configuration in which the long sides of each portion are directly connected to each other as in the above-described embodiments, and may be configured, for example, as shown in Fig. 19, such that a side surface portion 25 is disposed between the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 and they are connected via the side surface portion 25. In this case as well, the connection portion between the upper surface portion 13 and the upper flap 15 and the connection portion between the lower surface portion 14 and the lower flap 16 are curved, and in the box-making state, the upper surface portion 13 and the lower surface portion 14 of the body portion 12 are formed into a pillow shape with the center in the width direction bulging out.

[0070] Furthermore, each folding guide portion is not limited to a linear groove, but may be, for example, a perforation.

[0071] The block member that folds the upper flaps and its moving mechanism are not limited to the shapes and configurations described above and may have various configurations. For example, the upper flaps may be folded by a drum-shaped guide that can move up and down without moving forward toward the carton blanks 10.

[0072] Furthermore, the flat plate-like member 51 for folding the lower flap may be swung to fold the lower flap 16, for example.

[0073] While various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments thereof, it should be noted that these embodiments and descriptions are provided to aid in understanding the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the structures and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, but also encompasses combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. While the structures of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the appended claims, it is hereby expressly stated that structures not currently specified in the claims may be claimed in the future as disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Carton Blanks 11: Pillow box carton 12: Body 13:Top part 14: Bottom part 15: Upper flap 16: Lower flap 21: First bending guide section 22: Second folding guide section 23: Third folding guide section 25: Side part 30: Packing equipment 31:Transportation device 32: Carton opening device 33: Lower flap lifting device 34: Upper flap folding device 35: Carton supply device 52: Block member 55: Block material

Claims

1. The container has a first surface and a second surface that form a body portion for storing the product, The first surface portion and the second surface portion are at least partially overlapped in a folded state, and both side edges are connected to each other directly or via side portions, and are curved in the width direction in a raised state, The first surface portion has first flaps at both ends thereof that are not connected to each other, The second surface portion has second flaps at both ends thereof that are not connected to each other, A carton blank in which the boundary between the first surface portion and the first flap and the boundary between the second surface portion and the second flap are curved, The first flap is folded after the second flap, and at least one of the first flaps is provided with a plurality of folding guide portions extending radially. Carton Blanks.

2. The outer peripheral edge of the first flap is arc-shaped, The bending guide portion is configured to extend radially from the center of the arc-shaped circle, The carton blank according to claim 1 , wherein the folding guide portions are arranged in line symmetry with respect to a center line of the first flap in the width direction.

3. The carton blank according to claim 1 , wherein the folding guide portion has a linearly extending groove.

4. The second flap is provided with a plurality of folding guide portions extending radially. The carton blank of claim 1 .

5. A boxing device for storing products in the carton blanks according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a carton opening device for opening the folded carton blanks; a product supply device that supplies the product into the body portion through an open portion of the carton blank; a second flap folding device that folds the second flap from a boundary portion with the second surface portion; a first flap folding device that folds the first flap from a boundary portion with the first surface portion, The first flap folding device is configured to start pressing from a position shifted from the center of the first flap in the width direction toward one end. Packing equipment.

6. The first flap folding device a pusher member that contacts the first flap and can bias the first flap to bend it from a boundary portion with the first surface portion; a first surface of the pusher member facing the first flap has a curved surface with a protruding amount that varies along a width direction of the first flap; the curved surface is formed so that a portion shifted from the center of the first flap toward one end in the width direction thereof protrudes most, and a portion shifted toward the other end in the width direction thereof protrudes less, a front surface of the pusher member having a curved shape corresponding to a curve of the boundary between the first flap and the first surface portion; a means for moving the pusher member toward or away from the opposing first flap; means for moving the pusher member back and forth toward the carton blanks; 6. The packing device of claim 5.

7. 3. A method for folding the first flap of the carton blank according to claim 2, comprising: the first flap includes at least four folding guide portions, The first flap is biased in a folding direction at the boundary portion of the first surface portion, a first step in which the biasing force causes at least a portion of the folding guide portion to bend in a mountain fold in a direction opposite to the biasing direction; The flap folding method further comprises a second step of biasing the first flap in the folding direction from the first step to turn the mountain-folded folding guide portion into a valley-fold.

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