Device and method for cushioning at least one object in a container

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cushioning at least one object (12a-c) in a container (10a-c), comprising a cushioning material provisioning system (19) for the provision of cushioning material (28a-c) and a request means (25) which is coupled to the cushioning material provisioning system (19) and which outputs a signal to the cushioning material provisioning system (19) in order to request cushioning material (28a-c), the request means (25) allowing acoustic signals, in particular voice signals, to be converted.

Claims

1. A device for cushioning at least one object in a container, comprising: a cushioning material provisioning system for providing cushioning material, a request means, coupled to the cushioning material provisioning system, and configured to detect voice commands and to transmit signals in response thereto, a controller configured to receive the signals from the request means and to send signals to the cushioning material provisioning system, and a memory configured to be accessed by the controller and to associate each of a plurality of voice commands with an amount of cushioning material, whereby a user, by visual inspection, determines the amount of cushioning material required to fill an empty volume of the container, and verbally commands the device to produce that amount of cushioning material, without providing container characteristic information to the controller and without providing a relative degree to which the container has been filled by one or more objects to be packaged to the controller.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein qualitative and/or quantitative signals can be transmitted and processed with the controller.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning material provisioning system comprises a cushioning material forming system which converts a web-shaped paper starting material into crumpled cushioning pads or a tubular film material into gas-filled or foam-filled cushioning bags.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein a certain length and/or a certain degree of filling of a foam-filled cushioning bag is assigned to a respective particular acoustic signal in the form of a specific word.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the request means comprises a microphone.

6. A method for cushioning at least one object in a container by the following steps: a) supplying the container to a cushioning material provisioning system, b) transmitting a signal representing a word said by a user for requesting cushioning material via a request means to the cushioning material provisioning system, c) providing the cushioning material based on the transmitted signal, d) providing a memory in a control and/or regulating system, and e) assigning a certain length of cushioning material to the word and storing the length and the word in the memory, whereby the user: communicates to the control and/or regulating system the word, and causes the device to provide the certain length of cushioning material, without providing container characteristic information to the control and/or regulating system and without providing a relative degree to which the container has been filled by one or more objects to be packaged to the control and/or regulating system.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein a speech signal is used.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the speech signal also defines the type of cushioning material.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the provision of the cushioning means takes place by forming a web-like starting material, in particular a paper material, into crumpled cushioning pads, or by forming a tubular material, in particular a film material, into gas-filled or foam-filled cushioned bags.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the amount of cushioning material provided is defined by the number and the length of the cushioning pads.

11. A device for cushioning at least one object in a container, comprising: a cushioning material provisioning system for providing cushioning material, a request means, coupled to the cushioning material provisioning system, and configured to detect voice commands and to transmit signals in response thereto, a controller configured to receive the signals from the request means and to send signals to the cushioning material provisioning system, and a memory configured to be accessed by the controller and to associate each of a first plurality of voice commands with a type of cushioning material and to associate each of a second plurality of voice commands with an amount of cushioning material, whereby a user, by visual inspection, determines the type and amount of cushioning material required to fill an empty volume of the container, and verbally commands the device to produce that amount of that type cushioning material, without providing container characteristic information to the controller and without providing a relative degree to which the container has been filled by one or more objects to be packaged to the controller.

Description

(1) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(2) In which:

(3) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation showing the determination in advance of an amount of cushioning material for three different packaging scenarios;

(4) FIG. 2 is a schematic representation showing the provision of a container with information relating to a first packaging scenario of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 3 is a schematic representation showing a provision of cushioning material for the packaging scenario of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of the container, object and cushioning material of the packaging scenario of FIG. 2.

(7) In FIG. 1, illustrated containers carry the reference numerals 10a, 10b and 10c. These containers are, for example, containers made of cardboard material, such as those used by mail order companies to ship ordered objects.

(8) In principle, however, the containers can also be containers made of plastic or of another material. It can be seen that the containers 10a and 10b are identical, whereas the container 10c is wider and less high than the containers 10a and 10b.

(9) In the containers, an object 12a, 12b and 12c is arranged in each case. Although in the present case only a single object 12a-c is drawn, in principle it is also conceivable that a plurality of objects are arranged in a container 10a-c. It can be seen that the drawn objects 12a-12c are different. The combination of container 10a-c and object 12a-c thus defines a very specific packaging scenario 14a-c. This is characterized among other things by a certain individual size and also a specific individual distribution of a void volume 16a-c, drawn in a dotted manner in the figure, inside the container 10a-c, in which the object 12a-c is arranged.

(10) For example, via an acoustic signal, which is detected by a request means (not shown), the amount of cushioning material, which is expected by a packer and required for the size of the empty volume 16a-c of the specific packaging scenario 14a-c, can be communicated to a control and/or regulating system 18, which is indicated in FIG. 1 by respective arrows 20a-c. The control and/or regulating system 18 may be, for example, a conventional PC.

(11) In the present case, as will be explained in more detail below, cushioning pads are provided from a crumpled paper material as cushioning material. From the control and/or regulating system 18, the required amount of cushioning material is then requested for a cushioning material provisioning system for each of the packaging scenarios 14a-c according to the number of cushioning pads requested by the packer.

(12) All this happens in parallel to the regular packaging of objects in appropriate containers.

(13) It is understood that other cushioning material can be used as the aforementioned cushioning pads. For example, air-filled bags (“airbag”), bags filled with an expanding foam (“foam bag” or else “foam-in-bag”) or also so-called “loose-fill” material can be used as cushioning material. Bags filled with an expanding foam are known for example from WO 2010/076026 A1. The detection of the packaging scenario 14a-c is carried out by a person, for example by trial and error or experience. For example, in order to transmit the number and dimensions of cushioning pads made of crumpled paper for a particular packaging scenario 14a-c, for example via a keyboard (not shown) or via a foot switch to the control and/or regulating system 18, an acoustic signal output is used instead according to the invention, preferably a voice signal. The signal may be, for example, “1 short, 1 medium, 1 long” to request three cushioning pads 28a-c of different lengths.

(14) But it is also possible that the type of desired cushioning material and/or the amount of desired cushioning material is assigned a specific keyword. For example, the user may say “Paper 30” to obtain a 30 cm long padded paper cushioning pad. Or he can say “Foam 50 30” to get a 50 cm long bag filled to 30% with expanding foam. Or he simply says “again” to arrange for the provision of the same cushioning material previously provided.

(15) Regular packaging of objects in containers will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 2-4. First, it can be seen from FIG. 2 that a container 10a with an object 12a is transported on a roller conveyor 22. One person (“packer”) now evaluates which packaging scenario is involved (arrow 21). The packer now requests the required number and amount of cushioning material (28a-28c) by means of the speech signal (arrow 23) in the cushioning material provisioning system 19 which includes the control and/or regulating system 18 (e.g. 1×short, 1×middle, 1×long). In the control and/or regulating system 18, a corresponding speech recognition is provided for this purpose, with which a request means 25 having a microphone is coupled.

(16) At the cushioning material provisioning system 19, the cushioning material, in the present case the cushioning pads 28a-c, are provided (FIG. 3). As mentioned, this information transmitted via the signal is the number and length of cushioning pads 28a-c to be provided.

(17) In addition to the control and/or regulating system 18, a cushioning material forming system 40 belongs to the cushioning material provisioning system (18). The cushioning material provisioning system 19 may be stationary, but it may also be a mobile system. In the present case, this is indicated by the cushioning forming system 40 comprising a stand 44 which can be moved by means of rollers 42.

(18) The control and/or regulating system 18 activates the cushioning forming system 40 in such a way that the 3 cushioning material items 28a, 28b and 28c mentioned above are produced and thus provided by machine crumpling from a web-shaped paper starting material 48 currently stored on a roll 46 (it is understood that the web-shaped paper starting material could also be stored as a zig-zag folded stack instead of on a roll). These cushioning pads 28a-c differ in their length, which is L1 in the cushioning pad 28a, L2 in the cushioning pad 28b, and L3 in the cushioning pad 28c. The cushioning pads 28a-c are output from the cushioning forming system 40 from a machine outlet 50.

(19) A person now takes the produced cushioning pads 28a-c and places them, as shown in FIG. 4, in the void volume 16a so that it is adequately filled and the object 12a is adequately protected against both slipping and external damage due to the forces acting on the container 10a. The container 10a can now be closed and transported by folding flaps 52.