A box forming apparatus includes first holders configured to hold a first side surface of a cardboard sheet, second holders configured to hold a second side surface of the cardboard sheet, an arm, a first mover, and a second mover. The arm has a support that supports the first and the second holders. The first mover changes a position of the first holders relative to the second holders while the arm is being rotated to open the cardboard sheet. The second mover moves the arm in association with opening of the cardboard sheet so that, when the cardboard sheet has been opened, the second mover will have moved the support a predetermined distance in a second direction opposite a first direction, which is a direction heading from a rotational center of the arm to a distal end of the arm.

An integrated carton and container which includes a collapsible container and a plurality of cartons. The carton or cartons can be filled with a product or products while the carton or cartons remain integrated with the container. The carton and container are integrated in such a way that when the container is expanded into an open position, the carton or cartons correspondingly expand into an open position. The integrated carton and container may be integrated in such a way that the integrated carton and container may be filled with a product and closed on a single apparatus.

A method of loading articles in cartons. The method can comprise moving a carton in a generally flat configuration in a downstream direction with a carton opening carousel, at least partially opening the carton while moving the carton with the carton opening carousel, and transferring the carton from the carton opening carousel to a carton loading carousel in a transfer region. The transferring the carton can comprise moving the carton in an upstream direction. The method further can comprise loading a plurality of articles into the carton while moving the carton in a downstream direction with the carton loading carousel.

Provided is a highly reliable box-opening device being capable of suppressing failures of a box-opening action regardless of a size of a cardboard box sheet. The box-opening device unfolds a sheet in which first and second side surfaces and third and fourth side surfaces overlap, and forms a square-tube-shaped cardboard box. The box-opening device may have a suction disk to grasp the first side surface, a main arm having suction disks to grasp the fourth side surface and changing a posture while grasping the fourth side surface, and a control part to control a movement of the main arm so that an initial action, in which a gap is formed between the first and second side surfaces and the third and fourth side surfaces, and a main action that follows the initial action, are executed as an action of unfolding the sheet.

A method of loading articles in cartons. The method can comprise moving a carton in a generally flat configuration in a downstream direction with a carton opening carousel, at least partially opening the carton while moving the carton with the carton opening carousel, and transferring the carton from the carton opening carousel to a carton loading carousel in a transfer region. The transferring the carton can comprise moving the carton in an upstream direction. The method further can comprise loading a plurality of articles into the carton while moving the carton in a downstream direction with the carton loading carousel.

The invention relates to a cartoning apparatus (1) of items comprising: a die-cut magazine (125), in which a plurality of die-cuts (5) are stored for packaging the items, and a die-cut (170) pick-up and manipulating machine, configured to pick up the die-cuts (5) from the die-cut (125) magazine and manipulate them so as to open each die-cut (5). Where the die-cut (170) pick-up and manipulating machine comprises a robotic arm (180) on which a die-cut (175) gripping and manipulating module is installed, configured to grip one die-cut (5) at a time directly from the pick-up area (135) of the die-cut (125) magazine and manipulate it in order to open it.

The invention relates to a method and a system for packaging articles (2). Outer packages (3) are set down on a horizontal conveying device (10, 20) and are transported along a packaging line. During the transport, articles are introduced via a manipulator into the outer packages (3), and the outer packages (3) with the introduced articles (2) are subsequently removed from the horizontal conveying device (10, 20) as a packaging unit (8). A predetermined packaging process (VP1) is carried out, in which the outer packages (3) are received by the horizontal conveying device (10, 20) via a plurality of shuttles (5), the outer packages (3) standing on said plurality of shuttles (5), until the outer packages (3) together with the introduced articles (2) are removed from the at least one horizontal conveying device (10, 20) as a packaging unit (8).

Container collecting and opening apparatus includes a store holding containers in a flattened configuration; an extracting device for extracting the flattened containers from the store and arranging them in a waiting position; and a transfer device movable between, a first, upstream, position for collecting containers from the waiting position and a second, downstream, position for releasing the containers. A container-opening device includes an abutment and a gripper positionable by the transfer device in a position along a container transfer pathway between the first position and the second position, so that the abutment is abutted by the container being opened and the gripper retains the opened-out container. A collecting device collects the container opened out by the container-opening device and transfers the opened-out container by rotating it with the axis thereof vertical to a crate of a packing line, while maintaining the container in the opened-out configuration.

In a method of handling a tubular carton blank, one side of an erected tubular carton blank is gripped with a gripper mounted to a pivot such that a fold line of a flap of the one side is aligned with an axis of rotation of the pivot. The gripper, and thereby the erected tubular carton blank, is then pivoted about the pivot. The flap is brought into abutting relation with an abutment during the pivoting so that the flap is progressively folded about the fold line by the abutment during the pivoting.

A packaging container-filler member includes: a front-side sheet and a back-side sheet disposed to oppose each other; a first connecting sheet connecting outer edges of the front-side and back-side sheets on a first side in a first direction along the front-side sheet; a second connecting sheet connecting outer edges of the front-side and back-side sheets on a second side in the first direction; and a third connecting sheet connecting outer edges of the front-side and back-side sheets on a first side in a second direction along the front-side sheet, the second direction crossing the first direction. The front-side and back-side sheets, and the first and second connecting sheets constitute a cylindrical body whose cross section is rectangular when the cylindrical body has a three-dimensional shape. The first, second and third connecting sheets are each folded in an opposing direction in which the front-side and back-side sheets oppose each other.