Packaging method and apparatus

Abstract

The method of packaging an article by folding a sheet-shaped packaging material includes: a determining step of determining a size of the packaging material and a packaging pattern of the packaging material in accordance with information about the article; a packaging material supplying step of performing at least one of selecting and cutting operations on the packaging material so as to match the size determined in the determining step, and then supplying the packaging material; a packaging material working step of forming a score line on the packaging material supplied in the packaging material supplying step in accordance with the packaging pattern determined in the determining step; and a packaging body forming step of conveying and placing the article onto a predetermined position of the packaging material on which the score line has been formed in the packaging material working step, and then folding the packaging material along the score line to form a box-shaped packaging body.

1 . A method of packaging an article by folding a sheet-shaped packaging material, comprising:
 a determining step of determining a size of the packaging material and a packaging pattern of the packaging material in accordance with information about the article;   a packaging material supplying step of performing at least one of selecting and cutting operations on the packaging material so as to match the size determined in the determining step, and then supplying the packaging material;   a packaging material working step of forming a score line on the packaging material supplied in the packaging material supplying step in accordance with the packaging pattern determined in the determining step; and   a packaging body forming step of conveying and placing the article onto a predetermined position of the packaging material on which the score line has been formed in the packaging material working step, and then folding the packaging material along the score line to form a box-shaped packaging body.   
   
   
       2 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the article is a lithographic printing plate bundle formed of stacked lithographic printing plates. 
   
   
       3 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the packaging material is a corrugated fiberboard sheet. 
   
   
       4 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the information about the article is inputted from a manufacturing apparatus which manufactures the article. 
   
   
       5 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the information about the article is inputted from a sensor which measures a size of the article. 
   
   
       6 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the packaging body working step includes a slot forming step of forming a slot on the packaging material supplied in the packaging material supplying step in accordance with the packaging pattern determined in the determining step. 
   
   
       7 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the packaging body forming step includes a rib part forming step of folding the packaging material to form a rib part at a side of the predetermined position where the article is placed in the packaging body forming step. 
   
   
       8 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the packaging body forming step includes a side rail member placing step of placing a side rail member at a side of the predetermined position where the article is placed in the packaging body forming step. 
   
   
       9 . The method as defined in  claim 8 , wherein the side rail member is made from a scrap separated by cutting the packaging material. 
   
   
       10 . A packaging apparatus which packages an article by folding a sheet-shaped packaging material, the packaging apparatus comprising:
 an input device through which information about the article is inputted;   a control device which determines a size of the packaging material and a packaging pattern of the packaging material in accordance with the information about the article inputted through the input device;   a packaging material supplying device which performs at least one of selecting and cutting operations on the packaging material so as to match the size determined by the control device, and then supplies the packaging material;   a packaging material working device which forms a score line on the packaging material supplied from the packaging material supplying device in accordance with the packaging pattern determined by the control device; and   a packaging body forming device which conveys and places the article onto a predetermined position of the packaging material on which the score line has been formed by the packaging material working device, and then folds the packaging material along the score line to form a box-shaped packaging body.