HK1111390B - Packaging system and method - Google Patents

Description

Packaging system and method

The present invention claims the benefit of the following provisional patent application with the filing date: U.S. provisional application No.60/669,712 filed on 7/4/2005; U.S. provisional application No.60/655,645 filed on 22/2/2005; U.S. provisional application No.60/644,736 filed on 18/1/2005; and U.S. provisional application No.60/598,689 filed on 8/4/2004, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a packaging system for providing a quantity of dunnage (dunnage) material for insertion into a container into which one or more articles are to be shipped.

Background

In a typical application, a packer extracts an item to be shipped listed on an item list and places it in a container. A protective wrap or other type of dunnage is placed around the articles in the container prior to shipment of the articles. The dunnage material fills at least a portion of any voids and/or provides cushioning of the articles during transport, prevents or minimizes movement of the articles relative to the container, and/or prevents or minimizes damage to the articles during transport. Some commonly used dunnage materials are foam shells, plastic blister packs, air bags, and pleated paper materials.

When filling the container with dunnage material, the operator of the dunnage dispenser views the container and stops the dispenser when the container appears to be full. The container is then closed for shipping. Some exemplary dispensers include: plastic shell dispensers commonly associated with air delivery systems; foam-in-place dispensers, air bag machines and paper dunnage converters.

The dispenser operator typically overfills the container, resulting in too much dunnage material being placed in the container, beyond what is needed to adequately protect the articles and/or fill the void in the container. In other cases, the operator places too little dunnage material in the container, so the articles have more space to move within the container and/or may be damaged during transport.

Over-filling and under-filling generally become more and more of a problem as the speed of the dispensing operation increases. Today's gap-filling dispensers, particularly paper dunnage converters, can transfer a strip of dunnage material at rates in excess of fifty feet per minute (about 1/4 meters per second).

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a system and method for automating void-filling packaging operations. One embodiment provides a packaging system that includes a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations, each having at least one dunnage dispenser from which dunnage material may be dispensed, and a transport network for transporting the container back and forth over at least two dunnage dispensing stations for placement of dunnage into the container. The dispensing stations may be located along a portion of the transport network so that one or more containers may be sequentially transported to multiple dispensing stations in series and/or side-by-side. The system can also include a supply of dunnage dispensable at least one dunnage dispensing station. The supply may include a dunnage conversion machine that can convert a stock material into a relatively lower density dunnage material and feed it to one or more dunnage dispensing stations. The dunnage supply may include, for example, one of an air bladder, crumpled paper, a foam strip, a foam shell, and a paper strip.

The system may also include a controller for controlling one or more system elements. These elements may include, for example, one or more loading stations that place one or more articles in one or more containers for transport, one or more intermediate stations upstream of at least one dunnage dispensing station that include a void sensor for detecting a characteristic (characteristic) of the void volume in the container, and/or one or more devices, such as sensors, for determining whether the container meets a predetermined criterion (criterion). In the latter case, the transport network may also include a way to divert non-compliant containers (diverts) that fail to meet the predetermined criteria.

A method of packaging is provided herein that includes sending a container to one of a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations based on a sending criteria and supplying dunnage to the container at the dunnage dispensing station. The sending criteria may include, for example, the availability of dunnage dispensing stations, the characteristics of the dunnage material, the characteristics of the container, the characteristics of the void in the container, and/or the characteristics of the articles to be transported in the container. Providing the dunnage may include, for example, determining a void volume in the container.

In one embodiment, the method further includes assigning an identifier to each container and tracking the containers as they move through the packaging system.

One embodiment provides a system and method featuring one or more void detection stations that can detect a void volume characteristic of a container, one or more dunnage dispensing stations that can dispense dunnage material based on the detected characteristic of the void detection stations, and a transport network for transferring the container from one of the void detection stations to a selected one or more of the dunnage dispensing stations.

Optionally, an embodiment of the packaging system includes at least one sensor that detects at least one characteristic of the container, and a controller that determines whether the container is suitable for placement of dunnage material based on the detected characteristic of the container. The packaging system can include one or more dunnage dispensing stations that dispense dunnage for insertion into the void within the container, with at least one dunnage dispensing station being capable of dispensing multiple types of dunnage material.

Another embodiment of the packaging method may comprise the steps of: based on the sending criteria, the container is sent to one dunnage dispensing station selected from a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations and dunnage is supplied to the container at the dunnage dispensing station.

Optionally, the sending step may include sending based on sending criteria including one or more characteristics of the dunnage material, characteristics of the container, characteristics of voids in the container, and characteristics of articles to be transported in the container.

An embodiment of the invention may include one or more of the following steps: determining the type of dunnage dispensed, controlling the amount of dunnage dispensed, measuring characteristics of the container, and querying a database to determine the void volume.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a packaging system comprises: one or more void detection stations that can detect void volume characteristics of the container, a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations that can dispense dunnage material based on the detected characteristics of the void detection stations, and a transport network for transferring the container from one of the void detection stations to a selected one of the dunnage dispensing stations.

In one embodiment of the invention, a method of packaging includes determining a void volume of a container, transporting the container to a selected one of a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations, and dispensing dunnage material based on the void volume of the container.

In one embodiment of the invention, the packaging system includes a sensor that can detect a characteristic of the container, and a controller that determines whether the container is suitable for placement of dunnage material based on the detected characteristic of the container.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of packaging includes detecting at least one container characteristic; and determining whether it is appropriate to place dunnage material in the container based on the sensed characteristic.

In one embodiment of the invention, the packaging system includes a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations at which dunnage can be dispensed for placement in the void of the container, with at least one dunnage dispensing station being capable of dispensing multiple types of dunnage material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an automated packaging system for filling a void in a container comprises: a plurality of loading stations for loading containers, a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations, a transport network connecting the loading stations to the plurality of dunnage dispensing stations for transporting containers from the plurality of loading stations to one or more dunnage dispensing stations, and a controller. The controller automatically routes the containers through the transport network to the selected dunnage dispensing station.

Optionally, the system may include one or more of the following: void volume sensing means located upstream of the at least one dispensing station for obtaining information indicative of the void volume in the container and providing the obtained information to the controller; a controller that determines a volume of dunnage to be dispensed at the dunnage dispensing station based on the information indicative of the void volume and instructs the dunnage dispensing station to automatically dispense the determined volume of dunnage; void volume sensing means comprising a sensor for obtaining a measurement of the container; and void volume sensing means comprising a sensor for obtaining data indicative of the topography of the contents of the container; wherein the data representing the void volume is obtained from one of a bar code, an RFID chip, and data stored in a database.

In one embodiment of the invention, an automated system for packaging items in containers comprises: a loading station for loading one or more articles into the container; means for identifying a characteristic of the container; means for determining a volume of dunnage to dispense into the container; a plurality of dunnage dispensers; and means for transferring the container from the loading station to a selected one of the plurality of dunnage dispensers. The selected dunnage dispenser provides the determined dunnage volume into the container.

Optionally, the system may include means for determining whether the container is suitable for automatic dunnage filling based on the determined characteristic; and/or one or more dunnage dispensers including one or more dunnage converters that convert a stock material into a dunnage product.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the automated packaging system comprises: a loading station for loading containers; a sensor for obtaining a characteristic of the loaded container; a dunnage dispensing station for automatically placing dunnage in the container; a transport network for moving the containers from the loading station to the dunnage dispensing station; and a controller for determining whether to place dunnage in the loaded container based on the obtained characteristics.

Optionally, whether dunnage is placed in the loaded container is a function of whether the container meets a predetermined criterion; and/or the transport network includes a container diverter (diverter) that diverts non-compliant containers; and/or the container transferor comprises a mechanism for removing containers from the transport network; and/or the container transferor includes a mechanism to deliver containers to a manual station.

The foregoing and other features are hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings setting forth in greater detail one or more illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a packaging system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one embodiment of a packaging system according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a path through which a container may pass through the packaging system.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vessel (RSC) with a standard regular slot for use with the system of FIG. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a void-volume scanner used in the system of fig. 1.

Figure 6 is an end view of the void-volume scanner shown in figure 5 as viewed along section line 6-6 of figure 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a container having a number of articles placed therein, with the remaining voids indicated by cross-hatching.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a packaging process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary packaging system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is generally designated 10. The system 10 includes one or more container loading stations 12, such as loading stations 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, and a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations 14, such as dunnage dispensing stations 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f, and 14 g. One or more articles 16 (fig. 3) are placed into the container 20 at the loading station 12. The dunnage material is then dispensed at the dunnage dispensing station 14 and placed into the void of the container 20. A void is a space in the container 20 that is not occupied by one or more items 16.

The system 10 may also include one or more intermediate stations 22 that may be required to assist the dunnage dispensing station 14; moving the containers 20 through a transport network 24 of stations; and/or a system controller 26 that controls one or more actions in the system 10, such as controlling the flow of the containers 20 through the system 10. Fig. 1 shows a transport network 24 that can route containers 20 through system 10 in a number of different ways, such as from multiple stations to a common station, and from a single station to multiple subsequent stations. Although a plurality of stations of a given type (container loading stations, intermediate stations, etc.) are shown in fig. 1, for a given application, only a single station of a given type may be sufficient and/or a station of a given type may not be required.

The one or more intermediate stations 22 optionally include means for determining whether the container meets predetermined criteria before receiving dunnage. In addition, one or more intermediate stations optionally include a void space determination station or device 30 (fig. 3) for determining the void space of the containers 20. The void determination device 30 may be used to identify the void volume to calculate the volume of dunnage needed to fill the void. The void determination device 30 may also be used as a means for determining whether the container meets a predetermined criterion.

The embodiment of the system 10 shown in fig. 1 optionally includes one or more closing stations 102 for closing the containers 20, and the system 10 optionally includes one or more transport stations 104 for processing the containers for transport.

It will be appreciated that in one embodiment, the system 10 may be configured to minimize or eliminate the need for a packer or other operator, thereby reducing the time required to pack the containers and/or increasing the reliability of the packing operation. The system may use, for example, a machine that can dispense and insert dunnage into the container at a faster rate than the packer, thereby reducing the packing time. Additionally the system can be configured to, for example, improve reliability because the correct dunnage volume can be automatically calculated, thereby reducing or eliminating overfill and underfill issues. The various stations in the illustrated system 10 will be described in greater detail below with reference to fig. 2 and 3, with fig. 2 showing a specific exemplary system 300 and fig. 3 showing a path through the system for containers 20.

Loading station

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the loading station 12 may include a carton erecting machine 32 for erecting a container 20, such as a cardboard box, from a flat blank 34. Other types of containers may be used with this system 10 and no box opening machine is required. The box erecting machine may be, for example, a task area where box blanks are converted into boxes by a packer or by an automated device that automatically converts box blanks into boxes. The box spreader may even be a device for manufacturing boxes on site.

The exemplary container 20 is a regularly notched container (RSC) and the other container type is a shoe box type container. Alternatively, another type of transport container may be used in this system 10. RSCs typically have four flaps, with a set of opposing flaps typically spanning at least half of the distance between them.

Referring briefly to fig. 4, RSC has a defined relationship between container width W and the height of side flaps 36 and end flaps 38. Flaps 36 and 38 typically have a height of, for example, half the width W of the container. Thus, the height H of the side walls 40 and end walls 42 of the container 20 (i.e., the height of the container when closed) may be determined by the measured height of the container 20 when the flaps 36 and 38 are erected in their unfolded state. The height of the side and end walls 40 and 42 (the height of the product-containing portion of the container 20) will be a known fraction of the height of the container when the flaps 36 and 38 are erected and unfolded. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the height H may be determined in other ways, such as when the flaps 36 and 38 are folded up, which provides a direct measure of the height of the side and end walls 40 and 42 of the container 20.

A plurality of loading stations may be arranged in series such that the plurality of loading stations may provide one or more articles 16 to the container 20 as the container 20 sequentially passes through the plurality of loading stations. For example, as shown in fig. 1, a first item or items may be placed into the container at the first station 12c, and then the container may be transported to the second station 12d, where a second item or items may be placed into the container at the second station 12 d. The articles may be different or identical to each other.

Alternatively, a plurality of loading stations may be provided in parallel. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, loading stations 12a and 12b, disposed in side-by-side relationship, may be used simultaneously or independently of each other for packaging separate containers, so that one loading station may be taken off-line if desired or appropriate without shutting down the entire system 10.

The item or items 16 may be provided in several ways for loading into the container. The one or more items 16 may be removed from the storage device and placed in a temporary container (not shown), such as a suitcase, prior to being placed in the container 20, from which the one or more items 16 are then pulled to be placed in the container 20. The items 16 may be supplied ad libitum without a predictable pattern for which it would be desirable to place the items in a particular container 20, or the loading station may be dedicated to providing one or more items 16 based on one or more criteria. Some of the criteria that can be used include container size, carrier, mode of transportation, item fragility, item weight, item size, item relationship, and the like.

The items 16 may be loaded into the container 20 in a variety of ways. For example, a packer may manually place the item 16 into the container 20. Alternatively, the packer may initiate or control or oversee one or more steps performed by one or more devices that place the item or items 16 into the container 20, such as a pick-and-place robot (not shown) that may move the item into the container and also optionally orient the item relative to the container. Further, the item 16 may be placed into the container 20 by an operator without any external control. In this latter example, one or more machines or other devices controlled, for example, by controller 26, place the item or items 16 into container 20 without any assistance from the packer. Transportation network

The transport network 24 transports the containers 20 between stations in a generally downstream direction through the system 10. Any method or combination of methods that physically move the container 20 through the system 10 may be used. For example, the transport network 24 may include a conveyor network that typically starts, stops, transports, and orients the containers 20 as needed, in which case, little if any people are needed. In a highly automated system, only one or a few people may be needed to supervise and solve the transportation problem for multiple production lines in the network.

Transport network 24 may include a plurality of conveyor lines 68 that define a path through system 10. In fig. 1, these lines 68a-68z are shown schematically and diverge and converge together to selectively route containers along a path through the system 10, e.g., 68b, 68f, 68m, 68 t. In fig. 3, transport network 24 includes a conveyor belt 60, such as a no pressure build conveyor belt. In a pressure build-free conveyor, the conveyor is divided into a plurality of zones, each zone sized to carry at least one container. When the downstream area is emptied, the container moves from the upstream area to the next downstream area. Each zone may be individually powered, a gate or other device may be employed to regulate the flow of containers from and in each zone, and a sensor may be used to determine when a container has left a zone. A supervisory controller, such as controller 26, typically controls the operation of the various zones.

Intermediate station

An optional intermediate station or stations 22 are positioned between the loading station 12 and the dunnage dispensing station 14. The intermediate station 22 can include a void determination station or device 70 for acquiring data representative of the void volume to assist the dunnage dispensing station 14 in dispensing a controlled amount of dunnage.

The void determination device 70 obtains data that can be used to determine the void volume and thus how much dunnage to place into the container 20. Void volume may be determined by directly measuring characteristics of the container 20, void, and/or contents. One exemplary void determination device is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No.5,897,478, which is incorporated herein by reference. The void determination device 70 of fig. 3 includes a void volume scanner 72 having a scanning area through which the container 20 may be conveyed. The obtained void volume data may be stored in an electronic memory, which may be part of the controller 26, for example.

The void volume is optionally measured manually and with a measuring tool to measure one or more characteristics of the container. These measurements can be compared to dimensions in a look-up table to indirectly determine the void volume, or the void volume can be calculated directly from the measurements.

Void volumes may also be measured using topography detection for void volume topography mapping, using electromagnetic imaging techniques and devices, such as high frequency radar, ultrasound, laser, machine vision, and the like. One or more imaging sensors may be used to generate stereoscopic images from which a three-dimensional model may be created for calculating void volume.

Alternatively, a two-dimensional array of relatively movable bars may be deployed above the vessel that extend into the vessel to probe depth. Each measuring bar will measure the depth at its aligned position by extending downward until it encounters the top of the article 16 or the surface of the container 20. Using topographical mapping, the mat can be directed to those areas that most require filling.

An exemplary void volume scanner is described in international patent publication No. wo 2004/041653, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As can be seen in fig. 5 and 6, the exemplary void-volume scanner 72 includes a frame 74 having a pair of uprights 76 straddling the conveyor belt 60, and a cross-beam 78 supported atop the uprights 76 and at a fixed distance from the upper surface of the conveyor belt 60. The uprights 76 may be supported on, for example, the floor, or may be mounted on the conveyor 60.

Void volume scanner 72 includes one or more sensors 80, such as a weigh scale, optical, infrared, ultrasonic, laser, or other type of sensor, for obtaining volume data representative of the empty space or void in container 20 in which article 16 has been placed for packaging. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensors 80 include a height sensor 82, a width sensor 84, and a contour sensor 86, the height sensor 82 for providing an output representative of the height of the container 20, the width sensor 84 for providing an output representative of the width of the container 20, and the contour sensor 86 for providing an output representative of the contour of the container 20, particularly the contour of the interior thereof and of the one or more items 16 in the container 20.

The profile sensor 86 is shown mounted on the cross beam 78 above the conveyor 60 and is preferably, but not necessarily, of the type used to continuously detect the top surface of one or more articles 16 in the container 20 as the container 20 is moved by the conveyor 60.

An exemplary profile sensor 86 is a non-contact optical laser scanner that operates by measuring the laser pulse time of flight, such as a check optical LMS 200-30106 laser scanner. The laser scanner emits a pulsed laser beam that reflects from the interior of the container and any items placed in the container. The reflection is calibrated by the receiver of the laser scanner. The time between transmission and reception of the reflected pulse is proportional to the distance between the laser scanner and the surface it reflects. The pulsed laser beam can be deflected by rotating a mirror inside the scanner so that the sector scan consists of a surrounding area, whereby the profile of the article (e.g., distance from a fixed reference point/plane) can be determined from the received pulse sequence. The fan beam is oriented perpendicular to the path of movement of the container past the sensor. The profile of the container 20 and the items 16 therein passing by the profile sensor 86 is thus progressively measured as the container 20 moves past the sensor 86.

The width sensor 84 may be any suitable sensor for determining the width of the container 20 past the sensor. In the illustrated embodiment, the width sensor 84 is an infrared distance sensor that may be used to measure the distance that the first side 40a (FIG. 4) of the container 20 is spaced from a sensor or other reference point. To enable this embodiment to output the width of the container, the position of the opposing container side 40b (FIG. 4) is calibrated at a known fixed distance from the width sensor 84, which width sensor 84 may be mounted on one of the uprights 76 of the scanner frame 74 at a position just above the level of the conveyor belt 60, as shown. To this end, the container 20 may be aligned with a guide rail 90 on the side of the conveyor belt 60 opposite the width sensor 84, the guide rail 90 being located at a known distance from the width sensor 84 and thus serving as a zero reference. One side of the container is also oriented parallel to the guide rail 90. Thus, the width of the container will be the difference between the position of the guide rail 90 and the measured position of the side of the container closest to the width sensor 84. Any suitable means may be employed to calibrate the position of the container relative to the guide 90 or to place the container 20 in a desired constant orientation, such as by means of a pneumatically operated arm, such as a low friction surface formed by a roller conveyor inclined toward the guide, or the like.

The height sensor 82 may be any suitable sensor for determining the height of the container 20. The exemplary sensor 82 includes an emitter array 92 and a receiver array 94 disposed on opposite lateral sides of the scan area. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the transmitter and receiver arrays 92 or 94 are mounted on respective scanner frame uprights 76. Each array includes a row of emitters/receivers oriented perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor belt 60. Thus, the transmitter arrangement 92 creates a light shield that is detected by the receiver arrangement 94. As the container 20 moves past the shading screen, the shading screen will be interrupted by the container up to the height of the container, whereby a measure of the height of the container can be obtained.

A separate sensor may be provided to measure the length of the container. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the container length may be determined indirectly by measuring the length of time it takes for the container to pass any one of the sensors, such as width sensor 84, and by knowing the speed at which conveyor 60 moves the container past the sensor. The length of time multiplied by the speed of the conveyor 60 gives the length of the container. If the speed of the conveyor belt is a known constant, then only the length of time needs to be measured and the length of the container can be determined. If the speed of the conveyor belt changes, stops, starts, or for other reasons, a conveyor belt speed sensor may be used to measure the conveyor belt speed and communicate it to the controller 26 for processing. The speed sensor may be, for example, an encoder interfacing with the conveyor belt drive motor for providing a series of pulses at a rate proportional to the speed of the motor and hence the conveyor belt. The controller may be calibrated to convert the pulse rate to a container speed, which may be multiplied by the time measured by the width sensor as the container passes the width sensor to determine the length of the container.

Void volume may also be measured without profile sensors 86 or in other ways to map void volume topography, using, for example, weight differences and volume displacements. The void volume can be calculated from the weight of the container before and after loading using the average density of the transported items. The weight difference divided by the density will give an approximate void volume. The approximate void volume will be sufficiently accurate on average to allow the dunnage dispensing apparatus to automatically fill the void. The volume displacement technique uses the volume of a fluid (e.g., gas) to determine the void volume from the known empty volume of the transport container.

Because the void volume determination station 70 may typically automatically provide void volume data at a faster rate than the dunnage dispenser 52 that provides dunnage for insertion into each container 20, the same void volume determination station 70 may be used to obtain void volume data that may be used to determine the amount of dunnage material to be dispensed from each dunnage dispensing station 14e, 14f, 14 g. This may provide processing power for the system 10 and also improve the adaptability of the system 10 by virtue of the transmission criteria.

Optionally, instead of using measurements to determine the void volume, the void volume may be determined indirectly. For example, a sensor, such as a bar code sensor, may detect an identifier, such as a bar code, that identifies one or more items 16 and/or containers 20, and from that information may query a data set that may give a corresponding volume from which void volumes may be calculated, or void volumes for that particular combination of item and container may be stored in and retrieved from the data set.

Another way to identify the container 20 and determine the void volume is by detecting one or more container characteristics, including container size, weight, etc., and querying the closest void volume corresponding to the detected characteristics. For detailed information regarding an exemplary method of indirectly determining void volume, reference may be made to international patent publication No. wo 98/56663, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Each container 20 and/or item 16 may include a unique identifier that may be detected by the identification sensor 100, as shown in fig. 2. Once a unique identifier has been assigned to a particular container 20, the unique identifier may be used throughout system 10 to associate data with that container 20, such as a license plate or name tag. A separate identification sensor 100 may be used at one or more locations in the system 10, as shown in fig. 3, and/or the identification sensor may be an integral part of the void-volume scanner 72.

The identifier may take any form, including indicia, hardware identifiers built into the container, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, colors, shapes, numbers, holes, protrusions, surface textures, patterns, dimensions of the container, thermal imagery, ultraviolet imaging, weight, Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tags, and the like. EAS tags include, for example, microwave tags, Electromagnetic (EM) tags, or acousto-magnetic tags.

The container identification sensor 100 may include an optical system to obtain an image or portion thereof of the container 20 that may be electronically analyzed for identification. For example, a digital camera may be placed in a position that allows a digital image to be made for each container. The image may then be compared to images of standard containers in a database. The container may be identified from its size or identifier indicia, such as: dots, numbers, shapes, colors, thermography, ultraviolet imaged images, and the like. The database may also provide container size and volume information for empty containers.

Alternatively, the container identification sensor may detect a Radio Frequency (RF) tag. The RF tag is typically associated with the container at the loading station 12 and is associated with the container throughout the packaging process. Sequence specific RF tags are attached to the containers, or placed inside the containers, when the containers are erected and dedicated to a certain sequence. Sequence-specific information (e.g., container contents, outside container size, and empty container volume) may be stored on the tag and downloaded by an RF tag reader positioned upstream of the dunnage dispenser. The tag information is sent to an information processor which can retrieve the container content information from the database. A tag retrieval station may be employed at the end of the packaging process to recycle the RF tags, making the system more cost effective. Another exemplary container identifier is a bar code. The bar code indicia are typically attached to the outer surface of the container.

In some cases, such as when a known volume of an item is placed in a particular type of container, the void volume may be determined from the container identifier. Once the sensor detects the container identifier, its information may be passed to a processor having or connected to a database providing, for example: article volume, container size, void volume, empty container volume, and the like. The void volume can thus be predetermined and can be taken out, or can be calculated from the content volume of the container and the empty container volume and/or the container dimensions. The information may be automatically uploaded to a manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic dunnage dispenser.

One embodiment also contemplates that the containers 20 are sent sequentially onto the dunnage dispensing station 14 at the void determination station 70 or the dunnage dispensing station 14 or anywhere in the system 10 without detecting an identifier for the container. Because the void measurement station 70 obtains void volume data for sequentially supplied containers 20, this or related data representing the amount of dunnage material to be dispensed can be communicated directly to the dunnage dispensing station 14 to which the container 20 is directed. Thus, if the three containers 20a, 20b, 20c pass sequentially through the void determination station 70, the data can be transferred to the respective dunnage dispensing station 14 to which each container is addressed without reading the bar code indicia on the containers. In this case, the void volume data is associated with the particular container by the sequential position of the container and the delivery of the container to a particular dispensing station. Thus, identification of containers is done by keeping track of where a given container has moved in the system.

An operator may initiate or control one or more steps performed by one or more devices to determine a desired amount of dunnage. Alternatively, the void volume may be determined automatically without external intervention or human control. However, as can be seen from the above description, intermediate stations are not always required. In some cases, the void volume need not be determined. For example, the void volume may be filled until the container is full. The system 10 need only use sensors, back pressure or mechanical resistance to know when to stop filling the container 20. In one known method, for example, a bladder is inflated in a container until the container wall moves outwardly, indicating that the container is full.

In another alternative embodiment, for example, where determination of void volume is not required, the container 20 may be intentionally overfilled and excess dunnage removed to achieve the desired degree of fill. The excess dunnage removed can be returned to its supply. The amount of dunnage dispensed may be predetermined based on the maximum possible container volume, or may be directed by one or more sensors. For example, the container may be conveyed under a continuously flowable dunnage waterfall at a rate sufficient to allow maximum filling of the desired void, after which any excess dunnage may be removed and recycled through a recycle hopper and returned to the filling hopper along with any overflow.

In this case, it is not necessary to determine the void volume around the item in the container. A scraping or blowing device may be used at the top of the container to remove excess dunnage. In this system, the RSC flap must be in an underlying position, folded over the exterior of the container, or a shoe box-type container must be employed. In the case of RSCs, flap-handling equipment must be employed to prepare the containers for filling and to lift the flaps again to seal the containers, i.e., move the flaps up and down as needed.

Another type of intermediate station 22 is a pass/no pass station for determining whether the containers meet predetermined criteria. The predetermined criteria may include factors such as adapting the container to receive dunnage and/or preventing the container from closing properly. The functions of the go/no-go station are optionally performed by the void-volume scanner 70 or other components of the system 10. The pass/no pass station may thus be an intermediate station of its own, or part of one or more other stations. For example, the void determination station 70 may also include one or more sensors for determining whether the container is suitable for receiving dunnage, i.e., whether an out-of-standard fault condition exists.

One or more fault conditions may result in the container being unsuitable for receiving dunnage, in which case the non-conforming container requires special handling. Special handling may include repositioning the article in the container, manually dispensing a desired amount of dunnage and placing it in the void of the container, and/or reintroducing the container into the transport network 24 after an out-of-standard fault condition has been resolved. The controller 26 may provide a signal that alerts the operator to the existence of an out-of-standard fault condition, for which reason the operator's attention needs to be raised before the container can continue. Additionally or alternatively, upon detecting one of these or other fault conditions in which the container is outside acceptable operating standards, the controller 26 may automatically route the container to a separate conveyor for special handling by an operator.

Non-compliant fault conditions include, for example, indicating that no container is detected, that a flap of the container partially or completely obstructs the opening of the container, that one or more measured container sizes are below a minimum threshold and/or above a maximum threshold, that the container weight is below a minimum threshold and/or above a maximum threshold, that the void volume is equal to the container volume (which would indicate that there is no product in the container) or exceeds the container volume (which may indicate that the container is too full), that the weight (empty or overweight), that would prevent proper closure of the container, such as a product extending above a certain height, and so forth. A substandard fault condition may also indicate a situation where a predetermined standard is not met, such as a narrow but deep void volume, which may require special handling by an operator.

Controller

As described above, the controller 26 is used to control one or more components of the system 10. For example, the controller 26 may route the container 20 along the transport network 24 from the loading station 12 to the dunnage dispensing station 14, and to the void determination station 70 when the void determination station 70 is included, and/or controllably dispense dunnage material for placement in the void volume. In addition, the controller 26 also optionally tracks containers 20 through the system 10.

The various functions of the controller 26 may be performed by a single processor unit, such as the control unit for the void determination station 70, or the functions may be distributed among several processor units, each having a separate processor, such as the control unit for one or more of the void determination stations 70, one or more control units for the dunnage dispensing station 14, a separate (possibly remotely located) microprocessor of a personal computer, or a combination thereof.

Controller 26 can be any one or combination of a number of commercially available processors such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and general purpose processing chips with various output and input ports and associated electronic data storage including Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). The controller 26 may also provide wireless communication capabilities including cellular telephone, infrared, wireless modem, microwave, radio frequency, satellite communication technology, etc., for remote control, data transmission, and other communication purposes. The communication may be unidirectional or bidirectional. Wireless communication for remote control; monitoring and diagnosing; updating the software; and eliminating or minimizing system wiring back and forth may be advantageous, as these are just a few examples. The controller 26 may be controlled by suitable software that uses, among other things, data received from the scanning sensors to determine the container length, width, height, and internal profile, and thereby the void volume, and the amount of dunnage material to be dispensed and inserted into the volume, the type of dunnage material to be dispensed, and/or the speed at which the dunnage material is dispensed.

The controller 26 may be equipped with various ports (not shown) for connecting with various components of the system 10, including input devices such as a foot pedal 110 for the dunnage converter 52, a conveyor speed sensor 112, a mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, etc.; and output devices such as an operator panel, a display 114 for the dunnage converter 52, an indicator of an out-of-standard container (not shown), a container sensor (not shown), and so forth.

For example, the operator panel 114 (FIG. 3) for the dunnage converter 52 may be equipped with a touch screen as an input device, or the personal computer may have a touch screen or other input device associated therewith. The operator panel 114 and/or the controller 26 may have a monitor for displaying various indications and/or other information, such as the measured size of the container 20, the total volume of the container 20, the volume of the contents of the container 20, the identification of the container 20, and the volume of the void above the container contents 16, among others

Additionally, the operator panel 114 and/or the controller 26 may be equipped with a selector device so that a void fill density may be selected from a plurality of void fill densities. The selector device is an input device and may include a dial that can be marked with a desired density, a mouse pointer, a touch screen with one or more input areas, a keyboard or keypad for inputting a desired void-fill density, a foot pedal, etc. Depending on the selected void fill density, the controller may vary the amount of dunnage material dispensed for each measured void volume to provide the selected void fill density. That is, the controller can be programmed to have a default setting at which the controller will instruct a predetermined amount of dunnage to be dispensed per unit volume of the measured void. If minimal protection is required, for example, an operator may select a lower void-fill density, the controller will instruct that, for example, 10% less dunnage material be dispensed for each given unit of measured top-fill void. This will result in a lower packing density of the container 20 and will consume a smaller amount of dunnage material. On the other hand, if greater protection is desired and/or the articles packed in the container 20 are heavier, the operator may select a higher void fill density and the controller 26 will instruct that, for example, 10% more dunnage material be dispensed for each given unit of measured top-fill void. The container 20 can be filled not only with different dunnage densities, but also to provide different densities for portions of different void volumes; so that more or less dunnage can be provided for different volume portions of the container.

Additionally or alternatively, the controller 26 may be programmed to select the density and/or dunnage fill rate based on the shipping criteria. The shipping criteria may be provided by indicia, bar codes, containers, and/or other characteristics of the items enclosed in the containers. Some examples of shipping criteria include void volume, container size, container weight, specified shipping company, specified shipping mode (e.g., water, land or air, or truck or train, or local or long haul, etc.), characteristics of the article (oversize, friability, etc.), the type of dunnage material used (closed cell foam, foamed foam, air cushion, paper dunnage, flowable dunnage, etc.), or combinations thereof. The present invention is not limited to the listed transportation standards. Note that these are just some general examples of possible transportation criteria.

In addition to tracking shipping criteria and other data, the controller 26 can also record the amount of dunnage dispensed by the dunnage dispenser and other events, such as when the dispenser's instructions are overwritten by the operator to provide more or less dunnage to the container. This information can be used to manually or automatically improve the performance of the system over time, identify packaging trends, and identify maintenance needs. For example, if an operator often manually overwrites the dunnage dispensing indication and dispenses additional dunnage under a particular shipping standard, the indication for the shipping standard can be automatically updated to instruct the dispenser to dispense additional dunnage for that shipping standard. As another example, if a small number of available dunnage dispensers are used for a particular shipping standard, and the shipping standard is often applied, the controller 26 may generate a report indicating that additional dispensers need to be dispensed for that shipping standard.

In one embodiment, the controller 26 is operable to process the void volume data obtained by the void determination station 70. When one or more articles 16 have then been placed into the container (or the bottom wall of the container if not covered by an article), the controller 26 determines the amount of dunnage material that needs to be placed into the void left behind the container 20. In fig. 7, this void 120 is shown by cross-hatching. After determining the void volume, the controller can instruct the dunnage dispensing station 14 to dispense the determined amount of dunnage. The dunnage may flow directly into the container 20 and/or be placed or directed into the container 20 by an operator.

Dunnage dispensing station

At the dunnage dispensing station 14, a controlled amount of dunnage is dispensed and placed into the void 120 (fig. 7) of the container 20, around the one or more articles 16, in order to minimize or prevent movement of the articles during transport and to protect the articles from damage. Each dunnage station 14 includes or is connected to a supply of dunnage. An exemplary dunnage dispensing station is shown in international patent application publication No. wo 2003/089163, which is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention contemplates that any type of dunnage dispensing apparatus or device may be used.

The containers 20 may be transferred to the dunnage dispensing station 14 as desired, or based on one or more sending criteria. Exemplary delivery criteria include container size, container weight, packaging priority, shipping destination, dunnage type, shipping mode, shipping company, void geometry, void bulk density, article fragility, availability of dunnage dispensing stations, and the like

As with the loading station 12 shown in fig. 1, in one embodiment, the dunnage dispensing stations 14 may be arranged in series, such as the dunnage dispensing stations 14f and 14 g. With this arrangement, a plurality of in-line stations can sequentially provide dunnage to the containers, such as dispensing one or more dunnage, one or more amounts of dunnage, to a batch of containers simultaneously and/or at one or more dunnage densities.

Optionally, the dunnage dispensing stations 14 are arranged in parallel, such as the dunnage dispensing stations 14a-14 e. With this arrangement, multiple containers can be dispensed with dunnage substantially simultaneously (i.e., at about the same time) and independently of one another, so that, for example, the dunnage dispensing station 14 can be taken offline for maintenance or for refilling without affecting the overall system. As described below, each of these dunnage dispensing stations 14 is optionally individually dedicated to a particular container 20 based on the sending criteria.

The dunnage dispensing stations 14 may each provide a single type or multiple types of dunnage, or the respective stations may provide dunnage having one or more different characteristics. For example, the container 20 may be filled with dunnage of different densities, including different areas in a single container filled with different densities. If the topography, geometry, or profile of the void volume surface is known, then more or less dunnage may be provided for different areas based on this known information.

The supply of dunnage at each station 14 may include a dunnage dispenser, such as a hopper or other storage container. Additionally or alternatively, the dunnage dispenser may be a dunnage converter 52, as shown in fig. 3, for converting a stock material into a relatively lower density dunnage product. The dunnage may be provided from a common supply of dunnage dispensers, or each dispensing station 14 may have its own supply.

With the dunnage converter 52, dunnage can be produced on-site because the dunnage converter 52 and the stock material together typically occupy less space than the equivalent storage volume of the dunnage material. The dunnage dispenser may also include any type of suitable mechanism for moving dunnage toward or into the container, including mechanical feed or transport mechanisms (e.g., belts, push rods, screws, rollers, movable supports, etc.), pneumatically or electromagnetically driven devices, or even gravity.

Pad material

Suitable dunnage includes any material that can be placed into the void of the container 20. Several examples of different types of dunnage include continuous strip dunnage, discrete pad dunnage, expandable dunnage, and flowable dunnage.

A continuous strip of dunnage may be used to fill the void volume. Exemplary dunnage of this type includes paper that is generally crumpled or formed into a three-dimensional shape, which occupies a greater volume than the area and thickness of the raw material; a soft or rigid foam strip having a predetermined width and/or a predetermined length or a variable length; an air bag belt; a balloon "tube" of predetermined cross-sectional area that can be formed over a range of lengths; blister packaging strips, typically formed from a pair of plastic sheets secured to one another, entrap air "bubbles" between the plastic sheets; an extruded foam strip or tube that is formed in situ as it is dispensed from the outlet; and connected padding, such as connected padding portions or an enteric chain. With respect to the paper pad, paper may be selectively formed in a strip shape.

The connected dunnage includes relatively lower density portions connected by a higher density material, and can generally occupy a greater volume than an unconnected low density dunnage portion of similar size and number. The connecting padding includes, for example, connecting bladders or the like having lower density portions connected by higher density portions.

The continuous strip of dunnage may be fed directly into the void of the container using a chute, and the strip of dunnage "shot" into the container or an intermediate chamber or other holding location using a rotating member, from which the strip of dunnage may be pushed, thrown, or moved into the container. The strip of dunnage may also be wound into a coil and then withdrawn from the coil as needed.

The section of dunnage or discrete dunnage units is a dunnage cut sheet. Typically, when discrete dunnage is employed, one or more dunnage pads of ordinary or different lengths are placed in the void volume. Alternatively, the dunnage-like material may be similar in shape to the corresponding dunnage strip described above. Exemplary dunnage pads include paper pads, for example, formed by creasing or forming paper into a three-dimensional shape, which occupies a volume greater than the area and thickness of the stock material; distributed or linked slices of soft or rigid foam; an airbag having a predetermined size and shape; a balloon "tube" of predetermined cross-sectional area can be formed of a predetermined length; and a predetermined length of blister pack sheet, etc. The paper is optionally coated to increase its mass; and/or portions of the paper may be cut or removed to reduce its mass.

Discrete dunnage may be oriented and placed into the container by a pick-and-place robot, pushed into the container from a holding position, or dropped or fed directly from a hopper or dunnage conversion machine into the container. An exemplary dunnage dispenser, such as that disclosed in U.S. patent No.5,123,889, can convert one or more sheets of stock material (e.g., kraft paper) into a relatively lower density dunnage material.

The expandable dunnage expands to fill a range of volumes. Some examples of expandable dunnage include: the chemical composition of the foam is placed in a sealed bag and is typically a pouched foam made of some polymer suitable for controlled activity; and an in situ expanding air pillow, as described in U.S. patent No.6,253,806, which expands inside the container to fill the void volume. In a bagged foam padding, the foam expands in the bag to fill the closed volume, or to fill the bag itself or voids in the closed volume. The expanded foam solidifies into a shape approximating the shape of the void volume. The bag may be placed in the container and then the container closed, with the foam filling the closed volume, or especially when the shape of the void volume is known, the bagged foam may be cured in a mold having the desired shape prior to placement in the container.

The flowable dunnage comprises a plurality of relatively small dunnage products that can flow into the void of the container. Some examples of flowable dunnage include: foam "shells", paper shells, air bag "packs" formed of small air bags, and the like.

The flowable dunnage product can comprise a plurality of sizes in the supply. Typically, the flowable dunnage dispensing hopper is first used for storage and then passed through a conduit or chute into the container. One exemplary flowable dunnage dispenser is disclosed in U.S. patent No.6,672,037. A vibrating table may also be used to ensure that the flowable dunnage is secured into the void volume of the container.

The type of dunnage dispenser or converter 52 that is typically employed will be dunnage related. There are many ways in which dunnage can be transferred and placed into the container 20 for each dunnage product, in addition to the exemplary methods described herein. The dunnage dispenser 52 may also include a self-limiting feature that will stop the transfer of dunnage once a sensor, such as an electromagnetic sensor, a mechanical trigger, or a back pressure sensor, is triggered. For example, a restriction plate with a through-channel can be placed over the opening of the container, and a gate valve, butterfly valve, or other valve can be used to allow the flowable dunnage to pass through the restriction plate. Such a panel effectively closes the top of the container but allows dunnage to fill the container until one or more sensors are triggered to indicate that the container is full. An example is disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application No.60/624,348, filed on 2.11.2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The dunnage provided at each dunnage dispensing station 14 can be placed completely manually in the container 20; or may be initiated or controlled by the packer to place dunnage in the container by one or more steps performed by one or more devices (e.g., a pick-and-place robot) for placing dunnage in the container 20. As another alternative, dunnage may be placed in the container without relying on any external controls. In this latter example, one or more devices, controlled by, for example, the controller 26, automatically place dunnage into the void volume of the container 20 without any assistance from the packer.

Container closing station

The container closing station 102 is where the containers are closed and ready for transport. After dispensing dunnage, the container 20 is transferred to the container closing station 102 to close the container 20. Means for automatically closing the container 20, commonly known as "box closures", are known and can be used to automatically close and seal the container for transport in the final step of the packaging process. In the case of RSC containers, the containers 20 may be automatically sealed using automated flap folding equipment integrated with or ancillary to the automatic box sealing devices, including but not limited to random box sealers, tape sealers, and bridging equipment. If a shoe box type container 20 is used, the container 20 is sealed with a hot glue or a bridging device that secures a separate lid to the container with, for example, hot glue, tape or tape, thereby closing the container 20 and securing it for shipping. Shipping indicia may also be applied automatically, meaning that in many cases, operator intervention in the packaging process may be minimal or non-existent, freeing the operator from handling substandard failure conditions and/or placing items into more containers.

Alternatively, the packager may close and seal the container 20 with tape, or adhesive. Alternatively, the packer performs some steps, such as folding down the flaps or placing the lid on the container, while other steps are performed by the container closing mechanism. Finally, the container 20 is sent to the transport station 104. There, the containers 20 may be sorted by destination, mode of transport, etc., and further bundled for transport as needed.

Exemplary method of operation

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary method for an automated packaging system. The steps or blocks shown represent functions, acts or actions to be performed. If embodied in software, each block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). If implemented in hardware, the block diagrams may represent one or more circuits or other electronic devices for performing the specified logical functions. Computer software applications typically include dynamic processes and flexible processes such that the functions, acts or actions performed by the software and/or hardware may be performed in an order different than the order illustrated.

Referring to fig. 3 and 8, an exemplary system may operate as follows. One or more containers 20 are erected by the container erector 32 at one of the one or more loading stations 12, at which one or more articles 16 are then placed into the container for transport at step 200. If a void volume is desired, the container 20 is routed to a selected one of the plurality of void gauging stations 70 for determining the void volume in step 202. As previously mentioned, this step is not always necessary and may be omitted in some cases. If desired, the container identifier may also be detected in step 204. In step 206 it is checked whether the container 20 is suitable for receiving dunnage, i.e. a fault condition. If there is a non-compliant fault condition, the container 20 may be transferred for special handling by an operator in step 208. If no substandard fault condition is found, then the void volume dunnage requirement is determined in step 210. The container 20 is routed to a selected one of the plurality of dunnage dispensing stations 14 in step 212, and dunnage is dispensed and placed in the void volume in step 214.

Based on the determined void volume, a specified amount of dunnage can be automatically dispensed. The container 20 can be automatically positioned at the outlet of the dunnage dispenser 14a and dunnage can be automatically dispensed directly into the container 20 without the intervention of an operator, or dunnage can be automatically, but not directly, dispensed into the container 20, or dispensed under the direction of an operator for subsequent placement into the container 20. After a specified amount of dunnage material has been dispensed and dispensed directly into the container 20 or placed into the container 20 in a subsequent step, the container 20 may be transferred for further processing, such as passing the container 20 through a container closure on the container closure station 130 in step 216, closing the container 20 in step 218, and then passing the container 20 through the transport station 132 in step 220 for further transport to a remote location.

Turning now to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of a packaging system 300 is shown. The system 300 includes a plurality of loading stations 12a, 12 b; a transport network 24 having a plurality of transport lines, e.g., 68b, 68c, 68f, 68g, 68h, 68m, 68n, 68o, and 68 t; a container transferor 301; transfer lines 68aa, 68bb, 68 cc; selector gates (router gate)302a and 302 b; an intermediate station 22 a; and dunnage dispensing stations 14a, 14b, 14c and 14 d. During normal operation, articles (not shown) are placed in the containers 20 at the parallel loading stations 12a and 12 b. The articles may be placed in the container manually or by means of an automated system. The containers 20 are moved to the intermediate station 22a via either of the transport lines 68b or 68c, or a combination thereof.

Transport line 68 is shown as a plurality of conveyor belts, namely transport lines 68b, 68c, 68f, 68g, 68h, 68m, 68n, 680 and 68t, and so on. However, transport network 24 may include any means for transporting containers 20 between two or more stations, such as: one or more belts that can be driven by motor, gravity, pneumatic, manual means; one or more chutes, etc. Additionally, the transportation network 24 may include any combination of different types of transportation lines. Further, the length of each transport line 68 is generally related to the distance between the stations. In some embodiments, the sensors or components described herein with respect to different or separate stations may be integrated into a single station. For example, the sensors used to determine whether the containers should be automatically filled with dunnage have been described with respect to the intermediate stations, but the sensors may be integrated into the loading stations 12a and 12b, or into the dispensing stations 14a, 14b, and 14 c. In this case, the transport line between the sensor and the workstation can be very short, for example less than one foot.

Data or information relating to the containers 20 and/or their contents is obtained at the intermediate station 22 a. The data is obtained by one or more sensors (not shown) and may include, for example, the topography of the contents of the container 20, the dimensions of the container 20, the location of the contents, and the like. The controller 26 determines whether the loaded container 20 is suitable for automatic dunnage insertion based on the data obtained at the intermediate station 22 a. If the loaded container 20 is not suitable for automatic dunnage insertion, for example if the contents of the container 20 are higher than the container 20, the container 20 is moved onto the transfer line 68aa by the container shifter 301. In one embodiment, the container diverter 301 is a pneumatically operated piston that pushes the container 20 onto the diverting line 68 aa. The container transferor 301 may include any means for transferring containers 20 onto the transfer line 68aa, such as switch rods, shutters, pick and place robots, and the like. In another embodiment, the container shifter 301 does not physically remove the containers 20 from the transport line leading to the dunnage dispensing station 14. Instead, the controller 24 instructs the dispensing station 14 to allow the containers to pass through the dispensing station 14 without inserting dunnage into the containers 20, thereby indirectly removing the containers 20 from the transport line. In such a case, the container 20 is optionally removed from the system after the container 20 passes through the dunnage dispenser 14.

Returning to the illustrated embodiment, the transfer line 68aa is a device for physically removing the containers 20 from the transport line leading to the automatic dunnage dispensers 14a, 14b, and 14 c. Optionally, the transfer line 68aa may include a transport line to the transfer station 14d where out-of-standard conditions may be resolved. The dunnage may be placed in the container at the transfer station 14d or the container 20 may thereafter be redirected to a transport line 68f, 68g or 68h leading to the automated dunnage dispensing stations 14a, 14b and 14c or may be transported to a dunnage dispensing station (not shown) outside of the transport network 24.

If the container 20 is suitable for packaging (e.g., there are no out-of-standard fault conditions), the controller 26 may control a series of selector gates 302a and 302b, which may be controlled by the controller 26 to open and close to guide the container into the selected dunnage dispensing station 14. The first selector gate 302a is used to send the containers 20 to either the dunnage dispensing station 14a or the second selector gate 302b and the dunnage dispensing stations 14b and 14 c. The picker gates 302a and 302b each include a respective pneumatically operated swing arm 304a and 304 b. If the first swing arm 304a is actuated or placed in a closed position, the container 20 is sent to the first transport line 68f and the automatic dunnage dispenser 14 a. If the first swing arm 304a is open and the second swing arm 304b is actuated or placed in a closed position, the container 20 is routed to the transport line 68g and the automatic dunnage dispensing station 14 b. Otherwise, if both swing arms 304a and 304b are open, the container is directed to the transport line 68h and the automatic dunnage dispensing station 14 c. The selector gates 302a and 302b may comprise any device, such as a single arm, robot, pusher, rotary table, plate, etc., that delivers the containers 20 to the selected automatic dunnage dispensing station 14a, 14b, or 14 c.

The controller 26 determines the volume of dunnage to be placed into the container 20 based on the data obtained at the intermediate station 22 a. The controller 26 provides a signal to the selected dunnage dispensing station 14a, 14b or 814 c. The controller 26 thus instructs a dunnage dispenser, such as a dunnage converter (not shown), to dispense a desired volume of dunnage. At the automatic dunnage dispensing stations 14a, 14b, and 14c, the container 20 is automatically filled with a determined volume of dunnage.

The container 20 moves from the dunnage dispensing station 14a to the closing station 102a on the transport line 68m, is closed on the closing station 102a, and then moves through the transport line 68t to the transport station 104 a. Respective transport lines 68n and 68o transport the containers from the dunnage dispensing stations 14b and 14c to the shared closing station 102 b. In the illustrated embodiment, the transfer dunnage dispensing station 14d transports the containers to the closing station 102c via a transport line 68bb, after which the transport line 68cc transports the containers to a transport station 104b that is shared with the automatic dunnage dispensing stations 14b and 14 c.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only a few of its embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims (20)

1. A packaging system includes a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations each having at least one dunnage dispenser from which dunnage material may be dispensed; and a transport network comprising a plurality of conveyor lines for transporting containers to and from at least two of the dunnage dispensing stations for placement of dunnage into the containers, wherein the transport network includes a controller that selectively sends each container along a path through the packaging system to a particular dispensing station via the transport network based on a characteristic of the container.

2. The packaging system of claim 1, wherein the transportation network includes a sensor for identifying a characteristic of the container.

3. A packaging system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the dunnage dispenser includes a dunnage conversion machine that can convert a stock material into a relatively lower density dunnage material.

4. The packaging system of claim 1, wherein the dunnage dispenser comprises a supply of dunnage having at least one of an air bladder, a crumpled paper, a foam strip, a foam shell, and a paper strip.

5. The packaging system of claim 1, comprising one or more loading stations for placing one or more items in one or more containers for transport.

6. A packaging system as set forth in claim 1, including an intermediate station upstream of at least one dunnage dispensing station that includes a sensor for detecting a characteristic of void volume in the container.

7. A packaging system as set forth in claim 1, including an intermediate station upstream of at least one dunnage dispensing station, including at least one device for determining whether the container meets a predetermined criteria.

8. The packaging system of claim 7, wherein the transportation network includes a way to divert non-compliant containers that fail to meet the predetermined criteria.

9. A method of packaging comprising the steps of:

selectively routing a container to a dunnage dispensing station selected from a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations over a transport network comprising a plurality of conveyor lanes based on routing criteria, the routing criteria including characteristics of the container; and

dunnage is supplied to the container at the dunnage dispensing station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sending step comprises sending based on sending criteria including one or more characteristics of dunnage material, characteristics of voids in the container, and characteristics of articles to be transported in the container.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of sending includes determining a type of dunnage to be dispensed.

12. The method of claim 9 including the step of determining the void volume in the container.

13. The method of claim 9 including the step of assigning an identifier to each container and tracking the containers as they move through the packaging system.

14. A method according to claim 9, comprising the step of transferring containers which do not meet predetermined criteria.

15. A packaging system, comprising: one or more void detection stations for detecting a characteristic of a void volume of the container; a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations that can dispense dunnage material based on the detected characteristics of the void detection stations; a transport network for transporting the containers from one of the void detection stations to a selected one of the dunnage dispensing stations, the transport network including a plurality of conveyor lines; and a controller that selectively routes each container to a selected dunnage dispensing station through the transport network.

16. An automated packaging system for filling a void in a container, comprising:

a plurality of loading stations for loading containers;

a plurality of dunnage dispensing stations;

a transport network connecting the loading stations to the plurality of dunnage dispensing stations for transporting the containers from the plurality of loading stations to one or more dunnage dispensing stations, the transport network comprising a plurality of conveyor lines; and

a controller;

wherein the controller selectively routes the containers to selected dunnage dispensing stations by way of the transport network.

17. A system according to claim 16, comprising void volume sensing means upstream of at least one dispensing station for obtaining information indicative of the void volume in the container and providing the obtained information to the controller.

18. A system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the controller determines a volume of dunnage to be dispensed at the dunnage dispensing station based on the information indicative of the void volume and instructs the dunnage dispensing station to automatically dispense the determined volume of dunnage.

19. An automated system for packaging items in containers, comprising:

a loading station for loading one or more articles into the container;

means for identifying a characteristic of the container;

means for determining a volume of dunnage to be dispensed into the container;

a plurality of dunnage dispensers; and

means for transferring the container from the loading station to a selected one of a plurality of dunnage dispensers;

wherein the selected dunnage dispenser provides the determined volume of dunnage into the container, and the routing device includes a controller to selectively route the container along a path through a transport network including a plurality of conveyor lines.

20. An automated system according to claim 19, comprising means for determining from the identified characteristic whether the container is unsuitable for automatic dunnage filling.