Box laminate and method for manufacturing a box

Abstract

To provide a box laminate that can suppress damage to installed wireless modules.SOLUTION: In a corrugated cardboard laminate 10 as an example of a box laminate, multiple sheets of a folded body 1A of a corrugated cardboard box 1 before assembly are stacked and bound together by binding bands 11. The corrugated cardboard box has side panels 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, inner flaps 5a and 5b that are folded from the side panels 3a and 3b to the inside when assembled, outer flaps 4a and 4b that are folded from the side panels 2a and 2b to the front side of the inner flaps 5a and 5b, and an RFID label 6 on a back side 41 of the outer flap 4a facing the inside when assembled, overlapping the inner flap 5a. The binding bands 11 are placed in a position where they do not overlap with the RFID label 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to box laminates and methods of manufacturing boxes. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, for logistics management, product management, and the like, wireless modules such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) labels are sometimes attached to boxes such as cardboard boxes.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for attaching a wireless tag to a stepped portion that occurs near the adhesive portion of a cardboard box in order to prevent damage to the wireless tag (wireless module) attached to the cardboard box during distribution. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for attaching an IC tag (wireless module) along the sheet flow direction in order to provide a manufacturing method useful for the production of sheet-shaped molded materials such as cardboard that are continuously produced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-151397 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-306470 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if the wireless module is attached to the inner surface of the cardboard box, there is a risk that the wireless module may be damaged due to the movement of the contents, and if the wireless module is attached to the outer surface of the cardboard box, there is a risk that the wireless module may be damaged due to contact with the outside.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a box stack and a method for manufacturing a box that can reduce damage to attached wireless modules. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A box stack according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is formed by stacking a plurality of folded boxes before assembly, the folded boxes comprising side panels, inner flaps that are folded inward from the side panels during assembly, outer flaps that are folded from the side panels toward the front of the inner flaps, and a wireless module that is provided on the back surface of the outer flaps that face inward during assembly and that overlap with the inner flaps, and the folded boxes are then bound together with cable ties, the cable ties being positioned so as not to overlap the wireless module.

[0008] Similarly, a method for manufacturing a box according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes, in a folded box body, the box having side panels, inner flaps that are folded inward from the side panels during assembly, and outer flaps that are folded from the side panels toward the front of the inner flaps, the method including: an installation step of providing a wireless module on a portion of the back surface of the outer flap that faces inward during assembly and that overlaps with the inner flap; and a binding step of stacking a plurality of the folded boxes with the wireless modules provided in the installation step, and binding the stacked folded boxes with cable ties. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a box stack and a method for manufacturing a box that can suppress damage to the attached wireless modules. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cardboard box according to an embodiment in an open state. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cardboard box shown in FIG. 1 in a closed state. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a corrugated board stack according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] In this embodiment, a cardboard box 1 will be described as an example of a box according to the embodiment. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cardboard box 1 according to the embodiment in an open state. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cardboard box 1 shown in Fig. 1 in a closed state.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, cardboard box 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped or cubic shape and includes a rectangular bottom 8, four side panels 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b extending from each side of bottom 8, and a lid 7 that seals a rectangular opening formed by the side panels. The four side panels 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b include two pairs of opposing side panels 2a, 2b and 3a, 3b. Flaps 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b that form lid 7 are connected to each side panel 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b on the side of the opening opposite bottom 8. Each of flaps 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b is folded inward to form lid 7. Outer flaps 4a and 4b are provided on the side panels 2a and 2b that are longer in the arrangement direction of the side panels, and inner flaps 5a and 5b are provided on the side panels 3a and 3b that are shorter in width.

[0014] During assembly, the inner flaps 5a and 5b are folded inward from the side plates 3a and 3b and positioned inside the outer flaps 4a and 4b. The outer flaps 4a and 4b are folded from the side plates 2a and 2b onto the front side of the inner flaps 5a and 5b.

[0015] In addition, in this embodiment, the cardboard box 1 has a pair of inner flaps 5a, 5b and a pair of outer flaps 4a, 4b, and has an A-type (also called mandarin orange box type) shape in which the pair of outer flaps 4a, 4b are butted together in the center of the box to seal it.

[0016] In particular, in this embodiment, an RFID label 6 (wireless module) is provided on the back surface 41 of the outer flap 4a, which faces inward during assembly. As shown in Fig. 2, the RFID label 6 is provided on the back surface 41 of the outer flap 4a in a portion that overlaps with the inner flap 5a.

[0017] The RFID label 6 is a sheet-like label with an RFID inlay (an IC chip with an antenna) embedded in it. The label is made of materials such as coated paper, art paper, polyester, synthetic paper (Yupo), and vinyl chloride. The label may also be a sticker with adhesive on one side, or may be configured so that the RFID label 6 can be directly attached to the cardboard box 1. Information is read from and written to the RFID label 6 by a reader / writer device at a short distance of several centimeters to several meters. For example, information such as the type of contents of the cardboard box 1 to which the RFID label 6 is attached is written, and the information is read by the reader / writer device.

[0018] In this embodiment, by arranging the RFID label 6 in this manner, when the cardboard box 1 is assembled and sealed, as shown in FIG. 2 , the RFID label 6 is positioned behind the outer flap 4a and on the front side of the inner flap 5a, and is sandwiched between the outer flap 4a and the inner flap 5a. As a result, even if an object contained inside the cardboard box 1 moves inside the box and hits the inner wall, the RFID label 6 is protected by the inner flap 5a, preventing the RFID label 6 from directly hitting the object. On the other hand, even if the cardboard box 1 hits something outside, the outer surface of the RFID label 6 is protected by the outer flap 4a, preventing the RFID label 6 from directly hitting the outside. As a result, the cardboard box 1 of this embodiment can prevent the attached RFID label 6 from being damaged or falling off.

[0019] Furthermore, as described above, by placing the RFID label 6 at the position where the outer flap 4a and the inner flap 5a overlap, the RFID label 6 cannot be directly touched after the cardboard box 1 is sealed until it is opened, and therefore the RFID label 6 can be prevented from being peeled off by others.

[0020] Generally, the outer surface of the cardboard box 1 is often printed, but the inner surface is less printed, so by providing the RFID label 6 on the back surface 41 of the outer flap 4a, it is easy to determine the position to attach the RFID label 6 without being affected by the printing.

[0021] In this embodiment, the RFID label 6 is used as a wireless module that stores information about the cardboard box 1 to which it is attached and provides this information to an external device such as a reader device. Because the RFID label 6 is sheet-like and thin, there are fewer restrictions on the placement space, and it can be smoothly placed in the gap between the outer flap 4a and the inner flap 5a.

[0022] Note that other wireless modules such as RFID tags may be used instead of the RFID label 6. An RFID tag is a tag member that is thicker than a sheet-like label (for example, several mm to several cm) and has an RFID inlay embedded therein.

[0023] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, if the shape of the cardboard box 1 is Type A (tangerine box type), there is a large overlapping area between the outer flaps 4a, 4b and the inner flaps 5a, 5b, which increases the area in which the RFID label 6 can be placed, thereby improving the freedom of placement of the RFID label 6.

[0024] Incidentally, before being assembled into a cardboard box, the folded body is generally transported in a state in which multiple sheets are stacked and bound together. In such a cardboard stack 10 (box stack), the cardboard contains moisture, which may impede wireless tag communication when multiple cardboard sheets are stacked together. Furthermore, when the cardboard sheets are stacked together, they may rub against each other, causing the wireless tag to come off. Furthermore, pressure is applied to the locations of the tie bands, such as strings, that bind the cardboard together, which may damage the wireless tag if it is located in this position.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a cardboard stack 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the cardboard stack 10 is formed by stacking a plurality of folded sheets 1A before assembling the cardboard box 1 and binding them together with binding straps 11.

[0026] In the folded body 1A, the side panels 2a and 3a are arranged in the center, and the flaps 4a and 5a are arranged on the outside. As shown in FIG. 3, in the folded body 1A, the RFID label 6 attached to the outer flap 4a is located near the edge of the planar shape of the folded body 1A. Therefore, even when multiple folded bodies 1A are stacked in the cardboard stack 10, the RFID label 6 is located near the edge and is therefore less susceptible to the effects of moisture in the cardboard. This makes it less likely that communication with the RFID label 6 will be impeded, and the RFID label 6 can be smoothly read from an external reader, making management easier.

[0027] Furthermore, in the folded body 1A, the RFID label 6 is sandwiched from both sides in the stacking direction by the flaps 4a and 4b of the cardboard box 1 to which it is placed. This prevents the RFID label 6 from coming into contact with or rubbing against other cardboard boxes when the cardboard stack 10 is being assembled or transported, reducing the risk of the RFID label 6 peeling off. Furthermore, this configuration prevents the RFID label 6 from coming into direct contact with the outside, preventing the RFID label 6 from being subjected to direct impacts.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when multiple folded bodies 1A are bound together with the binding strap 11, the binding strap 11 is positioned so as not to overlap the RFID label 6. This makes it possible to make the RFID label 6 less susceptible to pressure during binding, and to prevent damage to the RFID label 6.

[0029] Furthermore, in the cardboard stack 10 of this embodiment, if the RFID labels 6 attached to each folded sheet 1A are attached in the same position, the RFID labels 6 of the multiple folded sheets 1A can be aligned in the stacking direction. While FIG. 3 shows the RFID label 6 of the topmost folded sheet 1A, the RFID labels 6 of the other folded sheets 1A are positioned so as to overlap this RFID label 6 in a plan view, and the RFID labels 6 of the folded sheets 1A are arranged together. This configuration allows a single reader device to simultaneously read multiple RFID labels 6 included in one cardboard stack 10. This improves the efficiency of the RFID label 6 reading operation.

[0030] In the cardboard box 1 of this embodiment, the portions of the back surfaces 41 of the outer flaps 4a and 4b where the RFID label 6 is to be placed may be recessed. This allows at least a portion of the thickness of the RFID label 6 to be embedded in the outer flaps 4a and 4b. This prevents the portion where the RFID label 6 is to be placed from bulging out more than other portions due to the thickness of the RFID label 6 when the cardboard box 1 is sealed after assembly or in the state of the folded body 1A before assembly. Note that a similar effect can be achieved by recessing the portions of the inner flaps 5a and 5b facing the RFID label 6 instead of the outer flaps 4a and 4b.

[0031] 3, the RFID labels 6 are positioned in the same position on each folded piece 1A of the cardboard stack 10, but the orientation of the folded pieces 1A may be reversed between adjacent layers. This allows the positions of the RFID labels 6 to be shifted by 180 degrees around the stacking direction as the axis of rotation between adjacent layers. This allows the thickness of the RFID labels 6 on each folded piece 1A in the cardboard stack 10 to be distributed, reducing the thickness of the cardboard stack 10 in the stacking direction.

[0032] In the conventional configuration in which a wireless module is provided in a cardboard box, the wireless module may have to be manually attached to the cardboard box after production, which is a significant workload. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable to attach the RFID label 6 during the manufacturing stage of the folded body 1A. This significantly reduces the workload of attaching the RFID label 6, lowering the barrier to using RFID labels for cardboard box users.

[0033] The manufacturing method of such a cardboard box will now be explained in more detail. Conventionally, cardboard boxes with RFID tags attached are made by producing the cardboard sheets (corresponding to the above-mentioned "folded body 1A") that form the base of the cardboard box at a cardboard manufacturing factory, tying multiple cardboard sheets together, and then untying the sheets at a third-party factory that purchased the cardboard sheets. After that, an RFID label is affixed to each of the multiple cardboard sheets before or after the cardboard box is formed. However, affixing an RFID label to a cardboard sheet at a third-party factory is not easy because it requires an RFID labeler and encoder at the third-party factory.

[0034] In contrast, if RFID labels could be affixed to cardboard sheets at a cardboard manufacturing factory, the cardboard sheets tied together, and transported to a third-party factory, where cardboard boxes would be formed and the contents would be packed, the third-party factory would not need a labeler, only an encoder, simplifying the process and reducing the workload of affixing RFID labels.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the manufacturing method of cardboard laminate 10 preferably includes an installation step of providing RFID labels 6 on the back surfaces 41 of outer flaps 4a, 4b that face the inside during assembly of folded bodies 1A before assembling the cardboard box 1, in portions that overlap with inner flaps 5a, 5b, and a bundling step of stacking multiple folded bodies 1A with RFID labels 6 provided thereon in the installation step and bundling them with cable ties 11.

[0036] However, in this case, if an RFID label is affixed to the cardboard sheet before transporting it to a third-party factory, there is a risk that the RFID label 6 may be damaged during transport. Therefore, if there is an inspection process at the cardboard manufacturing factory in which the bundle of tied cardboard sheets (cardboard stack 10) is read all at once with an RFID reader, the RFID label 6 can be read more reliably and the efficiency of the reading process can be improved.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the manufacturing method of cardboard stack 10, the bundling step preferably includes an inspection step in which multiple folded sheets 1A are stacked with the positions of their RFID labels 6 aligned, and the RFID labels 6 of each of cardboard stacks 10 bound in the bundling step are read all at once with a reading device such as an RFID reader. Note that the positions of the RFID labels 6 do not all have to be in the same position in a plan view, and may be provided on alternate opposite sides, for example.

[0038] In order to avoid damage to the RFID label 6, the configuration for attaching the RFID label 6 of this embodiment, i.e., the configuration in which the RFID label 6 is attached to the part of the back surface 41 of the outer flaps 4a, 4b that faces inward during assembly, which overlaps with the inner flaps 5a, 5b, can be used, which prevents damage to the RFID label 6 during transportation and improves the quality of the RFID-equipped cardboard box.

[0039] This embodiment can also be implemented as a method for forming a cardboard box, including a step of manufacturing cardboard sheets, a step of attaching an RFID label 6 to each of the cardboard sheets, a step of tying the RFID-labeled cardboard sheets together to form a bundle of RFID-labeled cardboard sheets, a step of transporting the bundle of RFID-labeled cardboard sheets, and a step of opening the bundle of cardboard sheets to form a cardboard box 1 and packing the contents into the box.

[0040] The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications to these specific examples made by a person skilled in the art as appropriate are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they comprise the features of the present disclosure. The elements of the above-described specific examples, as well as their arrangement, conditions, shape, etc., are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of the above-described specific examples can be combined in various ways as appropriate, as long as no technical contradictions arise.

[0041] In the above embodiment, a cardboard box 1 was given as an example of a box according to the embodiment, but the box according to the embodiment has at least inner flaps 5a, 5b and outer flaps 4a, 4b, and it is sufficient that there is an overlapping portion between the inner flaps 5a, 5b and the outer flaps 4a, 4b when the box is sealed, and the box may be made of a material other than cardboard, such as plastic. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 cardboard box (box) 1A Folded cardboard box before assembly 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b side plate 4a, 4b outer flap 5a, 5b Inner flap 6 RFID labels (wireless modules) 10. Corrugated cardboard laminate (box laminate) 11 Cable Ties

Claims

1. The side panels and an inner flap that is folded inward from the side panel during assembly; an outer flap that is folded from the side plate to the front side of the inner flap; a wireless module provided on a back surface of the outer flap that faces the inside during assembly and overlaps with the inner flap; A box stack in which a plurality of folded boxes comprising the above-mentioned are stacked and bound together with a binding band, and the binding band is positioned so as not to overlap the wireless module.

2. an installation step of providing a wireless module on a back surface of the outer flap that faces the inside during assembly, the back surface overlapping with the inner flap, in a folded box body that includes side panels, inner flaps that are folded inward from the side panels during assembly, and outer flaps that are folded inward from the side panels toward the front side of the inner flap; a bundling step of stacking a plurality of the folded bodies provided with the wireless modules in the installation step and bundling the stacked bodies with a bundling band; A method for manufacturing a box, including:

3. an inspection step of collectively reading the wireless modules of each of the box stacks bound in the binding step with a reading device, A method for manufacturing the box according to claim 2.

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